| April 5, 2012 | 2012, Issue #09 |
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CCM's State Capitol Report is designed to keep members informed about important legislative issues and actions taken by CCM staff on behalf of towns and cities, as well as suggested actions you can take to protect the interests of your municipality.
For additional information on any of the bills listed and the most up-to-date news on legislative issues affecting municipalities, see:
CCM's Legislative Action Center
You can also follow CCM on Facebook and Twitter for real time updates and information from the State Capitol.
- Feel free to forward this report to other municipal employees and officials -
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| Please Join Us For CCM's Day on the Hill
**NEW DATE CONFIRMED**
Wednesday, April 25, 2012
3:00 p.m. - 6:30 p.m.
Please plan to attend this important event to ensure that the
municipal voice is heard loud and clear.
Schedule for the Day:
3:00 p.m. - 4:00 p.m. CCM-Member Meeting with Legislative Leaders & Policy Briefing
Room 1A, State Legislative Office Building
- Update on the state budget and opportunity to discuss legislative issues of concern to towns and cities.
4:30 p.m. - 6:30 p.m.
Legislative Reception
North Lobby, State Capitol Building
- The reception will feature Connecticut Grown - food, wine and beer.
Please RSVP to Carolyn Ryan via email cryan@ccm-ct.org
or via phone (203) 498-3000.
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| ACTIONS IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES | |
The House of Representatives convened this week. Among the bills that were of particular interest to local government included:
- HB 5250 - would allow polling place officials for primaries to be held by individuals who reside in municipalities other than where the primary is being held. This is in response to the problem Registrars' of Voters have experienced in filling these positions.
- HJ 2 - would propose a constitutional amendment to be placed on the November ballot to eliminate the requirement for electors to gather on Election Day to cast votes for state officers and General Assembly members, and to remove restrictions on absentee voting.
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ACTIONS IN COMMITTEES
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APPROPRIATIONSThe committee reached its statutory deadline to favorably report bills. The committee amended and favorably reported the following education related bills: - SB 300 - would require the Department of Education, in consultation with the Departments of both Social Services and Construction Services, to study and report on what is needed regarding space requirements to implement Universal Early Childhood and other issues related to school readiness. The report is required to be submitted by January, 1, 2013.
- HB 5350 - would address literacy issues with students by:
- allowing the Department of Education (DOE) to select additional schools to participate in the pilot study for the purposes of promoting the best practices in early literacy and closing the achievement gap;
- requiring DOE to develop assessments for use by local and regional boards of education to identify students in grades K-3 who are reading deficient;
- finding solutions to the over-identifying of minority students as requiring special education services, just because they are reading deficient; and,
- requiring DOE to create a professional development program for teachers on reading instruction.
For more information on Appropriations issues, please contact Ron Thomas of CCM. FINANCE, REVENUE & BONDING The committee has reached their statutory deadline to favorably report bills. Among the bills favorably reported that are of importance towns and cities included HB 5424 - Local Option to Delay Property Revaluations - would allow certain municipalities the local option to delay the implementation of a revaluation prior to the assessment year commencing on October 1, 2013. CCM supports allowing municipalities the option to delay revaluations as a reasonable means to (a) provide savings from the cost of conducting the unfunded revaluation mandate, and (b) provide a measure of relief to hard-pressed local property taxpayers by delaying either implementation or phase-in of a revaluation. For more information on Finance issues, please contact Bob Labanara of CCM JUDICIARY The committee has reached its statutory deadline on Monday, April 2, to favorably report bills. The committee reported out several bills of concern to towns and cities:SB 455 -would require towns and cities to comply with the State minority and women-owned businesses set-aside policy, if they use state funds for projects. Policy issues aside, CCM (1) identified the bill as a mandate that would impose administrative costs and (2) questioned how the bill would interact with Adarand Constructors, Inc. v. Peņa, wherein the courts ruled that federal set asides were discriminatory in a guard rail case and, therefore, local officials signing them were subject to treble damages. CCM urged the Committee to reduce municipal liability exposure by requiring the State to assume responsibility for any constitutional damage verdicts.
The bill's proponents argued that there aren't any significant costs to towns. The bill passed basically along party lines, 30-15.
- Policy aside, SB 455 is an unfunded state mandate, with significant fiscal implications for your community. Explain the fiscal impact of reporting, monitoring and other requirements imposed by the bill.
- Proponents are inaccurate when they argue there are no real fiscal implications for towns and cities.
Also reported out by the committee this week: - HB 5489 - would, among other things, grant towns and cities the authority to abate public nuisances in situations where there has been illegal and highly problematic activity. The bill would be of assistance to towns and cities in combating violence and troubling behavior, making communities safer.
- HB 5502 - As, amended, would, among other things, provide towns and cities with greater tools to curb blight and make communities more livable.
Importantly, a harmful bill to towns and cities, HB 445, died in committee. This bill would have amended the definition of "land" the under Recreational Land Use Act to exclude, among other things, public beaches, boardwalks, and certain spectator structures for recreational activities. CCM argued that the bill would increase municipal liability exposure during the most challenging period for towns and cities in decades. In effect, the proposal represented an attempt to get at the perceived "deep pockets" of towns and cities. For more information on Judiciary issues, please contact Ron Thomas of CCM. LABOR & PUBLIC EMPLOYEES
The nonpartisan offices of Fiscal Analysis and Legislative Research released their file this week on HB 5400, a CCM proposal that would address local officials' concerns about the disparity between the contributions rates within the Municipal Employee Retirement System (MERS). File No. 221 estimates that the bill would produce total savings for MERS participating towns in the range of $2.1 million in FY 13, and $5.3 million in FY 14. The bill, as reported out of the Committee, would increase the required contribution for participants covered by Social Security to 3.25% on January 1, 2013, 4.25% on January 1, 2014, and 5.00% on January 1, 2015. For participants who are not covered by Social Security, the bill would increase the required contribution to 6% on January 1, 2013, and to 7.75% on January 1, 2015. The ratio of retirement cost burden has skewed tremendously onto the municipality in the last decade, and this imbalance can only be corrected through legislative action. The bill is a reasonable compromise to address this disparity and alleviate some of the burden on strained local budgets. CCM asks all local officials to contact their state lawmakers today, and to urge them to make the proposal a priority in the remaining weeks of session. This cost-savings proposal for hometowns is ready to be voted on now -- and should not languish on the House calendar.
For more information on Labor issues, please contact Bob Labanara of CCM. JF DEADLINES
All committees have passed their deadlines.
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CCM BUDGET ANALYSES
| Analyzing government finance issues is a critical part of CCM's public policy and advocacy work. Fiscal and related policy decisions made at the state and federal level have a significant impact on towns and cities and their ability to fund needed public services.
Analyses of the current and proposed budgets can be found on CCM's Government Finance/State Budget webpage.
For specific Town-by-Town Analyses, see the links below:
If you have any questions, please contact Jim Finley, Ron Thomas or George Rafael at 203-498-3000.
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CCM's MANDATE REPORT
Highlight of the Week: Increased Municipal Liability
|  In case you missed it, please view this weeks...
HIGHLIGHT OF THE WEEK:
Increased Municipal Liability
During the Legislative Session, CCM produces this weekly report to inform members and the Legislature about pending bills that propose (1) new unfunded mandates or (2) mandates relief for towns and cities.
While CCM doesn't always take a position on the policy aspect of a proposal, some bills would have a significant impact on local government and their residential and business property taxpayers.
CCM urges members to speak with their legislative delegation about the impact these bills would have on their community.
For previous reports, visit our Mandates Report page.
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CCM'S LEGISLATIVE COMMITTEE
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Thursday, April 12, 2012
9 a.m. - 10:45 a.m.
Four Points Sheraton, Meriden
** MEETING AGENDAS AND MATERIALS NOW AVAILABLE ONLINE ** A complete schedule for CCM's Legislative Committee, including meeting agendas and handouts, can be found online -- for CCM-members only. If you have not registered for Members-Only access, please click here to do so.
## ## ## If you have any questions, please contact Jim Finley or Ron Thomas at (203) 498-3000. |
| CCM'S 2012 LEGISLATIVE AGENDA |
CCM's annual State Legislative Agenda is developed with proposals from member-municipalities, which are prioritized by CCM's issue-area policy committees and approved by CCM's Legislative Committee and Board of Directors. To view the 2012 Agenda and Priorities, please click on the link below:
CCM urges members to speak with your legislative delegation about CCM's 2012 State Legislative Agenda and encourage them to support it.
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If you have questions concerning this State Capitol Report or any state-local issue, please contact CCM's Public Policy & Advocacy Team:
- Jim Finley, Jr., Executive Director and CEO
- Ron Thomas, Director of Public Policy & Advocacy
- Kachina Walsh-Weaver, Senior Legislative Associate
- Bob Labanara, Senior Legislative Associate
- Donna Hamzy, Legislative Associate
- Mike Muszynski, Legislative Analyst
- George Rafael, Government Finance Analyst
- Kevin Maloney, Member & Public Relations Director
- Quanette Rhodes, Executive Services Administrator
- Carolyn Ryan, Public Policy & Advocacy Administrative Associate
...or via phone at (203) 498-3000.
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