GOP lawmakers concerned that bills are not drafted
HARTFORD — Senate Republicans on Monday charged that politically motivated Democrats are keeping GOP lawmakers in the dark on details of this week’s special session of the General Assembly.
Senate Minority Leader Len Fasano was joined by Sen. Kevin Kelly on the north steps of the State Capitol, warning that while the session will begin in the state House of Representatives on Wednesday, virtually no final drafts have been offered on a variety of subjects, including land transfers; accountability for state utilities; absentee ballot administration; and environmental issues.
“This special session is the poster child of how one-party rule is destroying the legislative process,” Fasano,
R-North Haven, said in an early afternoon news conference. “First of all, we do not even have to be in special session. Everything that’s on this calendar that they purport to have can either be done by executive order or can wait.”
Fasano said that there has been “virtually no” communication on the agenda and the full content of pending bills. “Basically we are asked what color paper you want to have it on,” Fasano quipped on the north steps of the Capitol.
“We want to be part of the process,” said Fasano, charging that it is obvious that some of the bills are not close to finalization.
“There’s no direct person to talk to,” Fasano said, warning that some stakeholders are not talking with others. “It’s who can get to the person who is the drafter to get their stuff in. That’s what’s scary about these bills. One-party rule is dictating the language and public policy, without public input, without the press knowing what’s going on in this building or what’s going on with meetings.”
Kelly, R-Stratford, charged that even as the state battles the coronavirus pandemic, nothing planned for the rare, autumn special session is aimed at helping nursing homes deal with an anticipated shortage of personal protective equipment at the end of October, as well as the social isolation of residents.
The legislature is also scheduled to approve a halfbillion-dollars in school construction projects throughout the state.
But as of Monday afternoon, Fasano said there are no final drafts of the four main bills: the transfer act to make it easier to clean brownfields; the environmental justice legislation; the energy bill; and legislation aimed at making it easier for town and city hall officials throughout the state to handle the flood of bsentee ballots expected in November.
“There are fundamental problems with some of these bills, and why they don’t have an open dialogue is beyond my scope,” Fasano said. “We shouldn’t be here because Gov. (Ned) Lamont can do all this by executive order. To the extent that we are here, the bills should go through the normal process of allowing the public to really see the language and for the minority ranking (legislative committee) members to weigh in and have a say so that these bills can be made better.”
In response to the Republican criticism, Speaker of the
House Joe Aresimowicz, D-Berlin, said that the issues on the agenda cannot wait until the next General Assembly convenes in January.
“On one hand he wants to go back and re-debate the last session, and on the other hand in a complete 180 he wants to punt any responsibility until next year,” Aresimowicz said in response to Fasano’s news conference. “What we have before us are some pressing issues that can't or shouldn't wait until next year that directly help residents and our communities, including utility reforms, funding for local school construction and ensuring the upcoming elections run smoothly.”
Senate President Pro Tempore Martin M. Looney, DNew Haven, said Monday that all the bill to be reviewed are important to the public, including the added oversight on utilities including Eversource; as well as an environmental bill that would give towns and cities overburdened by facilities like trashto-energy plans, added due process.
“It appears to me kind of ironic, in wake of national Republicans violating all process norms and acting in a cynical way that Connecticut Republicans are complaining about a lack of transparency,” Looney said.
The current schedule for the special session includes the adoption of rules on Tuesday. The House will be on Wednesday and the Senate will convene on Thursday. The State Capitol will remain closed except to lawmakers, staff and the news media.