Underage Drinking; Underage Employment Before the House Today

Among the bills scheduled to be taken up by the House today are:
HB 5676. An Act Concerning the Penalty for the Illegal Possession of Alcohol by Minors – requires minors charged with unlawful possession of alcohol to appear in court, eliminating a first-time offender’s ability to pay the fine by mail instead. Currently, a first [...]

Ethics On Tap Today in the House

The Connecticut House of Representatives is scheduled to take up ethics legislation today that is the result of a compromise between House Republicans, Senate Republicans, Senate Democrats and Governor Rell.  SB 333, An Act Concerning Comprehensive Ethics Reform is not supported by either House Speaker Jim Amann, or GAE Committee Chairman [...]

Republicans Offer Alternative Budget

Today House and Senate Republicans offered a balanced alternative budget proposal that cuts state gas taxes, eliminates a business tax, and offers thousands of stae employees an early retirement plan that will reduce spending by $163 million next year according to the non-partisan Office of Fiscal Analysis.
The plan balances taxes and [...]

Criminal Justice Before the House

The House has begun to discuss SB 671, An Act Concerning Identity Theft, which became a compromise bill via amendment in the State Senate this week on criminal justice reform.
This bill makes some improvements to criminal justice statutes, but it does not include a tough “Three Strikes” provision requiring life in [...]

On the Agenda Tonight in the House…

It’s a Friday afternoon with twelve more days left before the State House of Representatives adjourns sine die.  Among the items scheduled to be addressed by the House today are:
HB 5044, An Act Concerning Gold Star Family Plates -This bill would exempt the Gold Star Family Plates, which are issued to immediate family members of [...]

Universal Healthcare Gateway Bill Under Debate

The House has been debating HB 5536, An Act Establishing the Connecticut Healthcare Partnership this evening.  The bill is a step and a half toward universal healthcare and socialized medicine, and has been advanced by House Majority Leader Chris Donovan. 
Section six of the bill requires the Comptroller to study how to [...]

Billboards and Global Warming Before the House Tonight

Among the bills the State House of Representatives is scheduled to address tonight are:
HB 5750. An Act Concerning Outdoor Advertising – This bill lifts Governor Rell’s executive order barring billboards and outdoor advertising on state property.  The order also prohibits the state from entering into any new contracts for billboards on state property and from [...]

Speaker Amann Retires

At the opening of today’s session House Speaker James Amann announced this afternoon to a mostly surprised House of Representatives that he would not seek re-election to the House and is retiring as Speaker after having served two terms in that post.
Amann has represented the 118th District in Milford since 1991, [...]

Unrestricted Absentee Balloting Defeated by House Democrats

Republicans once again introduced an amendment to the Teen Voting Resolution today on the floor of the House which would allow unrestricted absentee ballot access, eliminating the set requirements currently in place to cast absentee ballots.
The measure would have expanded ballot access to all voters and provide greater convenience increase participation in the electoral process.
When [...]

“Robo Calls” Coming Your Way This Fall

The legislature’s Judiciary Committee today amended a bill  with the intention of killing it.  The bill would have prevented voters from receiving annoying “robo calls,” or automated political phone calls endorsing or opposing political candidates or parties.  The Legislative Commissioner’s Office would presumably have no time to incorporate the changes before the end of the session.
In disposing [...]