Connecticut Politics Week in Review: Legal weed vote will have to come in special session later this month; lawmakers adopt $46 billion state budget
Gov. Ned Lamont got his wish and Connecticut lawmakers adopted a budget on time before the end of the regular legislative session, giving cities and towns, nonprofits and others some sense of certainty for the fiscal year beginning July 1. But a vote on marijuana in the House was not to be in the session’s final days, so lawmakers will be back in a special session.
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The big story
Final marijuana vote will come in special session: A final vote on the legalization of recreational marijuana will have to come in a special session later this month after the House of Representatives failed to vote on the measure before the legislative session ended at midnight Wednesday. The measure passed the Senate by a 19-17 vote early Tuesday, but House Speaker Matt Ritter, D-Hartford, did not call the bill in the House on the final day of the session, saying he had offered Republicans 18 hours to debate the issue, but they would not agree, and he feared a filibuster that would run out the clock and crowd out other bills that needed to be passed before adjournment. Republicans said they had numerous, legitimate questions about the 300-page bill that was not released until Saturday evening. House Minority Leader Vincent Candelora, R-North Branford, blamed Democrats for waiting until Wednesday to debate the bill. The legislature must convene in a special session before July 1 to vote on a bill to implement the state budget and Ritter said lawmakers will vote on marijuana too. “It’s going to be voted on ... and it’s going to pass,” he predicted.
Five things you may have missed
Lawmakers OK two-year state budget without tax hikes: The General Assembly gave bipartisan approval this week to a two-year, $46 billion state budget that includes no significant new tax increases. “This is the most progressive, transformative, and life-changing budget our state has ever seen,” Lamont said. The budget increases state spending in the first year by 2.6% to $22.7 billion and 3.9% in the second year to $23.6 billion. It boosts funding for nonprofits that provide state services like caring for the developmentally disabled and provides additional state aid to cities and towns. Also included is an expansion of the earned income tax credit for low- and middle-income families. “What I’m happy to see this budget omit are many of the ideas that were floated,” Senate Republican leader Kevin Kelly said. “There’s no mansion tax. There’s no health insurance tax.” The measure now heads to Lamont for his signature.
Transportation climate initiative stalls in General Assembly: A regional effort to combat climate change and reduce motor vehicle emissions by charging petroleum wholesalers for the pollution they cause was not adopted by the General Assembly before its Wednesday adjournment. The transportation climate initiative was derided by opponents as a gas tax because they believe the wholesalers would simply pass the increased costs on to consumers at the pump. The Lamont administration said gas prices would rise by about 5 cents per gallon, but opponents said the increases would be much more. Money paid by the wholesalers — estimated at $89 million in 2023 and as much as $117 million in 2032 — would be used to invest in clean transportation initiatives. Lamont is a strong supporter of the initiative and said he would like to see lawmakers revisit the issue. Joining Connecticut in the effort are states including Rhode Island and Massachusetts.
Lamont signs ‘clean slate’ bill with reservations: Legislation that would automatically erase certain criminal convictions was signed into law by Lamont Thursday but the governor expressed reservations that he believed some of the crimes that would be eligible for erasure are too serious.” I continue to have concerns that more felonies were not excluded,” he wrote in a letter to lawmakers. He also said he was concerned law enforcement would not have access to records when considering an individual’s application for a gun permit and the Judicial Branch could not see past convictions if someone returned to court. To qualify for the automatic erasure an individual would have to not reoffend for at least seven years afterward and 10 years in the case of a felony. Supporters of the measure said it was an important criminal justice reform to ensure past low-level convictions did not become a lifelong hurdle to obtaining employment or housing.
‘Baby Bonds’ will provide $3,200 at birth to children of low-income mothers: Lawmakers OK’d $600 million in funding for the Connecticut Baby Bond trust program that will provide $3,200 in a special savings account for children born to low-income mothers who rely on Medicaid insurance. The measure was championed by state Treasurer Shawn Wooden as an effort to break the cycle of poverty in Black and brown families. The money would be invested by the state and is expected to grow to at least $10,635 by the time the babies turn 18. They would then be able to withdraw those funds for qualified expenses including higher education, purchasing a home, investing in a business or contributing toward their retirement. Fiscal analysts estimated between 14,000 and 16,000 babies would receive the funds each year. A bonding bill passed by the legislature authorizes $50 million in annual funding for the program for the next 12 years.
New truck fees approved to fund transportation projects: After years of false starts on legislation to enact electronic highway tolls, Lamont scored a win with approval of new mileage-based fees on tractor-trailer trucks that are estimated to raise $90 million a year for transportation improvements. The measure was approved over objections from Republicans who said it would lead to increased costs for groceries and other consumer goods. “We have a bill right in front of us that raises taxes, it just does it in a different way,” said Rep. Joe Poletta, R-Watertown. Only two states – New York and Oregon – have similar fees. But Rep. Sean Scanlon, D-Guilford, noted that most states have tolls to help raise money for infrastructure repairs. Connecticut has struggled for years to find new revenue for its Special Transportation Fund as gasoline tax receipts have remained flat or declined with people driving less and the advent of more fuel-efficient cars.
Odds and ends
Northern Correctional Institution, the state’s first supermax prison in Somers, closed for good Friday, three weeks ahead of schedule. Officials had announced plans to close the facility in February due to a declining population that had been below 100 inmates for the past year. The concrete edifice was built during the tough-on-crime era of the 1990s, but Connecticut’s prison population now stands at a record-low 9,000. … Christopher Droney, a West Hartford lawyer and former federal judge, has been appointed by the NFL as the league’s arbitrator, responsible for resolving contract and salary disputes between players and the league. “I’m excited about it and I’m looking forward to it,” he said. “It is a fascinating opportunity.” Droney was appointed to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit by President Barack Obama on Dec. 1, 2011, and sat on the court for eight years before returning to private practice. … John Boehner, the former speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives, joined Lamont for a wide-ranging talk about life, politics and the media Friday to promote his new book, “On the House: A Washington Memoir.” The virtual question-and-answer session was hosted by JR Julia Booksellers. “He was a Democrat until he found a way to take over the [Republican] party for a while,” Boehner said of former President Donald Trump. “I agree with most of his policies, but the way he conducted himself was a bit bizarre.” … Sen. John Fonfara, unhappy the state budget lawmakers adopted did not include tax hikes on the rich he had pushed for, downplayed the spending plan as a “status quo” budget and invoked the police killing of George Floyd, saying the state’s “policies are a knee on the neck of the Black community and other underserved communities of our state.” Lamont took exception to the Hartford Democrat’s criticism. “I think it makes a big difference in people’s lives, especially the lives of people who have been hardest hit by the pandemic, especially in the lives of Black and brown people,” the governor said of the budget. … Legislation to declare pizza Connecticut’s official state food died when the session ended at midnight Wednesday after the state Senate failed to take the measure up in the final hours of the day. The bill had passed the House overwhelmingly. “Maybe next year,” Senate Majority Leader Bob Duff told Hearst Connecticut Media. “There are more important things like having a budget on time that gets bipartisan support.”
Russell Blair can be reached at rblair@courant.com.
