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 

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The House of Representatives and the Senate worked through the last three days of the 2012 Legislative Session.  The final bills of interest to towns and cities that were passed this week are listed below.

SENATE   

• HB 5035 - Local Assessment of Partially Constructed Property - Clarifies municipal authority to assess, for the purposes of local property taxes, partially constructed structures. Not enacting this proposal could cost municipalities approximately $30 million statewide in lost property tax revenue. The bill was a CCM proposal. (passed in concurrence with the House)     
• HB 5233 - Special Workers' Compensation Benefit for Firefighters - Requires professional counseling be compensated under the Workers' Compensation Act for firefighters diagnosed with mental or emotional injuries - defined as post-traumatic stress disorder - as a result of witnessing the death of a firefighter.  (passed in concurrence with the House)
• HB 5424 - Local Option to Delay Property Revaluations - Allows certain municipalities the local option to delay the implementation of a revaluation prior to the assessment year commencing on October 1, 2013 (passed in concurrence with the House)
• HB 5319 - Local Blight Ordinances - Increases fines for violations of local blight ordinances. (passed in concurrence with the House)   
• HB 5320 - Bonds for Subdivisions - Tightens language in Public Act 11-79. However, would also prohibit zoning commissions from regulating the issuance of building permits for structures built pursuant to an approved site plan and located on a lot abutting an unaccepted highway or street. (passed in concurrence with the House)    
• HB 5342 - Brownfield Redevelopment Loan Fund - Among other things, (1) expands the purposes for which General Obligation (GO) bond funds authorized for the Regional Brownfield Redevelopment Loan Fund to include (i) grants to municipalities and (ii) low-interest loans for affordable housing projects; (2) permit the Department of Economic and Community Development (DECD) to forgive loans made to municipalities and certain economic development agencies; and (3) allow municipalities to ask the Department of Energy and Environmental Protection (DEEP) to waive the fee on any brownfield located within their jurisdiction that has been accepted into the Regional Brownfield Redevelopment Loan Fund Program. (passed in concurrence with the House)    
• HB 5343 - Brownfield Program Review - Requires the Department of Energy and Environmental Protection (DEEP) to perform an in-depth analysis of the state's brownfield remediation and development programs and recommend changes to such programs by January 1, 2013. (passed in concurrence with the House)    
• HB 5378 - Enhanced E-911 Surcharge - Increases the maximum monthly fee to fund the Enhanced 9-1-1 (E-911) program from the current cap of .50 cents to .75 cents.  Increasing the surcharge is essential towards offsetting the administrative costs of maintaining the current E-911 system and improving the delivery of public safety for our residents. (passed in concurrence with the House)  
• HB 5540 - Preserving Solid Waste Disposal Options - As amended by LCO 5024, clarifies in statute the right to dispose solid waste at out-of-state landfill facilities.  DEEP has been making efforts to mandate that solid waste disposal plans adhere to the recommended hierarchy of "preferred disposal methods" as outlined in the state Solid Waste Management Plan (Plan) - essentially banning the disposal of waste at out-of-state landfills and other such options.  Not only is the Plan merely a recommendation of state agency and not codified in law or regulation, but DEEPs actions would essentially make municipalities captive customers of in-state facilities and negate the need for facilities to be competitive in their rates. (passed in concurrence with the House)
• HB 5539 - Recording Mortgage Fees - Increases fees for the recording of multiple assignments between the same parties.  (passed in concurrence with the House)
• HB 5543 - Municipal Electric Utilities - Requires the Public Utilities Regulatory Authority (PURA) to initiate a docket to examine procedures for creating and expanding municipal electric utilities. (passed in concurrence with the House)  

HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES    

• SB 23 - Emergency Preparedness and Response - Among other things, (1) requires the Public Utilities Regulatory Authority (PURA) to initiate a docket to review emergency preparation and service restoration practices and identify optimum tree trimming and infrastructure hardening levels, (2) require companies submit bi-annual reports on their emergency response plans and performance, (3) requires PURA review companies performance after an emergency and issue orders to enforce the standards,(4) requires the Department of Transportation and any municipality to notify PURA whenever it does road work, (5) requires PURA to notify utility companies if it determines that the road work could provide an opportunity to install, replace, upgrade or bury any of their various infrastructure lines, and (6) establishs a micro-grid pilot program to fund local clean energy generation for critical facilities. (passed in concurrence with the Senate)     
• SB 27 - Governmental Documents Online - The first step in transitioning state agency regulations, and public notices, to be published online. (passed in concurrence with the Senate)    
• SB 97 - Breast Cancer Screening - Prohibits certain municipal health insurance policies from imposing such expenses as co-payments or deductibles on breast ultrasound screenings. (passed in concurrence with the Senate)     
• SB 105 - Rental Rebate Application Period - Provides towns more time to process rental rebate applications. (passed in concurrence with the Senate)   
• SB 188 - DPH Assistance for Lead Prevention - Details the administration of the Department of Public Health lead prevention and control program, as well as provide financial assistance to towns and cities to administer such lead programs.  This proposal would ensure that local health departments receive the necessary funding and resources to provide case management services, education materials, environmental health services in regards to lead poisoning, as well as access to DPH's system that collects and provides essential data on lead poisoning information (passed in concurrence with the House)    
• SB 195 -  Storage of Stolen Property - Amends the state-mandated threshold that requires local police officials seize and store stolen property, from the current value of over $250 to a proposed value of over $1,000.  By law, local agencies may return stolen property to an owner if the value is equal to or less than the current threshold.  The proposal also gives local license authority over the dealers of precious metals and stone dealers (passed in concurrence with the House)   
• SB 354 - E-911 Surcharge for Prepaid Cell Phones - Imposes a fifty cent fee on each purchase of prepaid wireless telecommunications services to be allocated to the State's enhanced emergency 9-1-1 (E-911) program. (passed in concurrence with the Senate)    
• SB 364 - Traffic Stop Information - Among other things, requires the Office of Policy and Management and the Criminal Justice Information System Governing Board to develop a standardized form, in both printed and electronic forms, to be used by municipal police departments and the State Police to record traffic stop information.  Police officers would have to analyze the data obtained in a manner prescribed by the bill. (passed in concurrence with the Senate)
• SB 440 - Phosphorus Reduction - A very important bill to municipalities, this will: (1) provide increased Clean Water Fund funding for municipal water pollution control projects concerning phosphorous removal; (2) ensure that DEEP collaborates with affected municipalities on the state's approach to dealing with phosphorus reduction in inland non-tidal waters, which will impact at least 40 municipalities across Connecticut and cost millions of dollars in waste-water treatment plant upgrades in order to comply; and (3) place some restrictions on the use of phosphorus containing fertilizers. (passed in concurrence with the Senate)

CCM'S LEGISLATIVE COMMITTEE