Senate Bill 70 applies to veterans who were denied federal benefits due to the policy barring gays and lesbians from serving in the armed services.

Under the bill, those [...]]]> The state House of Representatives granted final legislative approval to a bill that restores state veterans benefits those discharged under the military’s Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell policy.

Senate Bill 70 applies to veterans who were denied federal benefits due to the policy barring gays and lesbians from serving in the armed services.

Under the bill, those veterans would now be eligible for an array of state benefits, including residency in the state veterans home and burial in the state cemetery for veterans.

“Between 1993, when the so-called ‘Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell’ rule took effect…[and] 2011, when it was repealed, more than 13,000 service members received less than honorable discharges because of their sexual orientation,” Andrew Schneider, executive director of the American Civil Liberties Union of Connecticut, said in written testimony submitted to the legislature’s veterans affairs committee earlier this year.

“These patriotic lesbian, gay and bisexual Americans have been denied many benefits…including some benefits administered by or through the state of Connecticut,” Schnieder said.  

The measure now goes to Gov. Dannel P. Malloy for consideration.

“Gomez is against banning high-capacity magazines like the ones used in the Newtown school [...]]]>
Rep. Ed Markey (D-Mass) has demonstrated in his campaign that he is at least capable of jumping into the Senate’s divisive gun control debate after releasing an attack ad that targets his opponent, Republican candidate Gabriel Gomez, on guns.

“Gomez is against banning high-capacity magazines like the ones used in the Newtown school shooting,” a voice narrates. The ad then plays a clip of Gomez saying he does not support banning high capacity magazines.

“Markey blames me for the horrific Newtown shooting,” Gomez said in response to the ad, accusing his opponent of “exploiting a tragedy for political gain.”

Whether the ad will result in a successful election for Markey is yet to be determined, but the fact that a candidate in a high-profile U.S. Senate race has paid for an ad on this topic does reflect a shift since Newtown. After the legislation itself was defeated, advocates vowed to make gun control an election issue in 2014 midterm elections. Ads like these suggest they have done so sooner.

 State Rep. Toni Walker, the co-chairwoman of the legislature’s powerful appropriations committee, made an impassioned plea to preserve the social services safety net in the face of looming budget cuts.

“We’re in a crisis, my friends,” Walker, D-New Haven, told members of the Connecticut Juvenile Justice Alliance, who were gathered for [...]]]>

 State Rep. Toni Walker, the co-chairwoman of the legislature’s powerful appropriations committee, made an impassioned plea to preserve the social services safety net in the face of looming budget cuts.

“We’re in a crisis, my friends,” Walker, D-New Haven, told members of the Connecticut Juvenile Justice Alliance, who were gathered for a symposium at the legislative office building Friday morning. “I’m being told that people are proposing that we cut $400 million more out of the budget.”

Walker urged those in the audience to contact lawmakers to lobby them against additional cuts.

“I don’t like to use names so I won’t do that, but I will say if you do call legislators, call them from either Wethersfield or Middletown, or Milford or Waterbury because they seem to feel that we spend too much money,” Walker said.

She was alluding to three key Democratic state senators, who are often swing voters on budgetary matters and have publicly expressed skepticism about some aspects of Gov. Dannel P. Malloy’s budget plan: Paul Doyle, who represents Middletown and Wethersfield, Gayle Slossberg of Milford and Joan Hartley of Waterbury.

Those senators, Walker said, “forget that non-profits are employment, [that] non-profits are who help connect the community to the government. They forget the fact that many of our kids need education but education isn’t just sitting in a seat. Education is learning how to grow and be normal children.

“So,” Walker concluded, “we need your help. We need your help desperately.”

This was the second vote the committee scheduled on McCarthy’s nomination after Republicans last week boycotted [...]]]> The Senate Environment & Public Works Committee on Thursday approved the nomination of Gina McCarthy, former commissioner of the Connecticut Department of Environmental Protection, to head the Environmental Protection Agency.

This was the second vote the committee scheduled on McCarthy’s nomination after Republicans last week boycotted a meeting – drawing sharp criticism from Democrats who cried obstructionism.

The committee vote was split 10-8, down party lines. McCarthy’s nomination will now go to the full Senate for consideration. Four years ago, McCarthy was confirmed by the full Senate to lead the EPA’s Office of Air and Radiation. She also previously worked for former Republican Governor of Massachusetts Mitt Romney.

The Military Justice Improvement Act of 2013 has [...]]]> Sen. Blumenthal on Thursday signed onto legislation to address a growing crisis over sexual assault in the military. A Department of Defense Report released last week found that in fiscal year 2012 there were 26,000 cases of sexual assault, a 37 percent increase from the previous year.

The Military Justice Improvement Act of 2013 has 18 co-sponsors in the House and Senate. It would separate the chain of command influence from the prosecution of crimes committed in the military. It would prevent high-ranking officers from being able to influence the decision of how a sexual assault case is prosecuted.

Today he will hold a press conference in Hartford with women’s rights advocates to urge Congress to address the issue.

Cafero made his statement following the release of a new video of Cafero and the witness that was shown Thursday [...]]]> House Republican leader Lawrence Cafero maintained his position Thursday that no one ever left $5,000 in cash in his office refrigerator, despite testimony to the contrary by a cooperating witness at a trial in New Haven.

Cafero made his statement following the release of a new video of Cafero and the witness that was shown Thursday at the criminal trial in the campaign finance scandal that led to last year’s Congressional defeat of House Speaker Christopher Donovan.

“I stick by my story 1,000 percent,” Cafero told Capitol Watch.

The secretly recorded video shows Cafero talking to Harry Raymond Soucy in Cafero’s office in the Legislative Office building in Hartford. Soucy, a longtime union member and Democratic supporter who became a cooperating witness in an FBI sting operation, turns to Cafero on the videotape and says, “You got anything cold to drink in there?”

The two men then discussed that there was water in the refrigerator, and they both walked to the refrigerator.

Soucy mentioned that ”if you happen to find something later.”

It was not immediately clear from the tape what exactly happened when the two men walked over to the refrigerator on the other side of the room, but Cafero can be heard saying, “No, no, no. You know what I mean.”

Cafero maintains that Soucy’s statement that he left $5,000 in the refrigerator is false.

“When I heard that was his testimony, I said, that’s patently untrue,” Cafero said Thursday. “That’s a patent lie. No one left $5,000 in my refrigerator that I found and gave to [Republican aide] John Healey to go to return. And I stick by that story. And if there’s a tape, I’m dying to see it, too. But I can’t react to something I haven’t seen.”

“All I know is what he testified to yesterday never happened,” Cafero said Thursday. “He never left $5,000 in my refrigerator that I subsequently discovered in cash and gave to John Healy to return. Never, ever.”

When asked to rate the credibility of Soucy on a scale of 1 to 10, Cafero initially did not answer. Several minutes later, Cafero said that Soucy’s credibility is “negative five.”

When asked if he wanted to travel to New Haven to the trial in order to testify and clarify his story, Cafero said no.

“The good news is I’m not on trial,” Cafero said. “I haven’t been accused of anything. I’m not being investigated. But when your name is brought up at a trial that you’re not a part of, I have no idea what he’s saying. I’m hearing it third-hand.”

Regarding Soucy, Cafero added, ”Yesterday, he contradicted the testimony of the guy who testified the day before, who said it the way I said it. Yesterday, he says, ’I left it in the refrigerator. Cafero finally gave it to John Healey.’ He contradicted himself.”

The bill has proven controversial in years past but on Thursday, it cleared the chamber after less than 10 minutes of debate. The agreement this year “reflects a consensus compromise that really does meet the [...]]]> The state Senate unanimously passed a bill that places strict new limits on the use of tanning beds by teenagers.

The bill has proven controversial in years past but on Thursday, it cleared the chamber after less than 10 minutes of debate. The agreement this year “reflects a consensus compromise that really does meet the public health needs of the state, recognizing that this practice is in fact dangerous with long term consequences,” said Senate Majority Leader Martin Looney.

The bill, which now moves to the House of Representatives for consideration, bars the use of sunbeds by anyone under age 17. That’s a change from an earlier version, which would have banned anyone under 18.

Sen. Theresa Gerratana, the co-chairwoman of the legislature’s public health committee, cited numerous studies showing a link between tanning beds and various forms of skin cancer, including melanoma, the most lethal.

Several lawmakers didn’t need to consider the studies: they brought their own stories. Sen. John McKinney said his maternal grandmother, mother and sister had each been diagnosed with skin cancer, though their illnesses were brought on by exposure to the sun, and not by indoor tanning.

“When you think of how popular it is for very young kids to go into tanning salons without understanding the serious potential health consequences, I see the need for some government intervention,” said McKinney, the leader of the Senate Republican caucus. “I don’t know if outright banning is the right process, but the amendment makes the bill better by limiting it to people 16 and under.”

Sen. Steve Cassano, D-Manchester, said he recently underwent a medical procedure at the dermatology department at the UConn health center. When the medical personnel learned that he is a state senator, “I was almost harassed by nurses and doctors and so on saying use common sense on that bill, it really needs to be passed.”

The tanning industry tried to stave off government regulation by adopting voluntary regulations limiting younger teens’ access to tanning beds beginning Jan. 1. Under their rules, children under 16 can use a sun bed only with a doctor’s note. Sixteen- and 17-year-olds can tan if they have written parental consent and when parents accompany children to their first session.

But lawmakers said the public health risks associated with teen tanning were just too great. Sen. Kevin Witkos, R-Canton, compared limits on sunbed use to restrictions on teen driving.

“if we do the same thing here, reducing the cases of melanomas and cancers in our young citizens,” Witlkos said, “we’re certainly doing the right thing.”

The measure passed by 28 to 8 in the state Senate on Thursday afternoon, coming after bipartisan approval in the state House of Representatives by 117 to 21. Some of the [...]]]> Connecticut would become the first state in the nation to mandate the recycling of mattresses, whose disposal has become an ongoing problem in major cities.

The measure passed by 28 to 8 in the state Senate on Thursday afternoon, coming after bipartisan approval in the state House of Representatives by 117 to 21. Some of the negative votes came from senators who opposed the fee that will be charged on all consumers – even those in areas where mattress disposal is not a major issue.

For drivers heading through Frog Hollow in Hartford or other cities across the state, it is not uncommon to see mattresses out randomly on the sidewalk. State senators were debating the issue early Thursday afternoon on the Senate floor.

Currently, cities and towns pay an estimated $1.3 million per year to dispose of the mattresses, and now those costs would be paid by individual consumers who purchase mattresses.

As such, the recycling bill has widespread support from the Connecticut Conference of Municipalities and the Council of Small Towns, among others. Officials from numerous communities, including Hartford, Bridgeport, Hamden, Farmington, Waterbury, and Rocky Hill support the measure to eliminate the eyesore.

The bill provides that the manufacturer of the mattress would charge a fee to the retailer, and the retailer would then charge the customer.

The charge would be an estimated $8 to $12 for both the mattress and the box spring, and that would be subject to change. About 350,000 mattresses are sold each year in Connecticut – meaning about 1,000 per day. Now, 58 cities and towns in Connecticut charge a fee – often around $15 – if a resident brings a mattress to the local transfer station.

“As this program catches on, there will be higher volume, and the fee will come down,” said Sen. Edward Meyer, the Democratic co-chairman of the environment committee.

CCM has reported that there could be 10,000 abandoned mattresses on any given day in schoolyards, parks and on sidewalks around the state, said Meyer.

“There are many towns and cities that assume the cost,” Meyer said.

Sen. Clark Chapin, a New Milford Republican who serves as the ranking member on the legislature’s environment committee, said that paint and computer monitors are more easy to dispose of because of their size. Paint should be recycled and is often discarded illegally, he said.

“Mattresses are more difficult to get rid of because they are bulky waste,” said Chapin, who represents 15 small towns in Litchfield County.

“Are we starting down the path that every time we have a bulky item, we’re going to add a fee?” asked Sen. Kevin Witkos, a Canton Republican who said he drove past two recliners and other furniture on his way to the state Capitol.

The issue is being discussed currently in Rhode Island and California, among others.

“We are the first,” said Meyer, adding that Connecticut’s bill is viewed as a national model.

“We’ll all sleep better tonight, knowing that we passed this legislation,” said Sen. Gary LeBeau, an East Hartford Democrat.

Sen. Rob Kane, a Republican who represents Watertown, said that mattresses are not an issue in the towns he represents in Litchfield County. He said he did not understand why someone in his district would need to pay a fee when there is not a problem there.

“I don’t see it as a problem in my district,” Kane told his colleagues in the Senate circle. ”Everybody is going to have pay a fee for a few bad apples. … I would argue this is not consumer-friendly. We’re paying for the ills of the cities because they’re not able to control this problem on their own.”

Sen. L. Scott Frantz, a Greenwich Republican, said it would be better to increase the fines for the illegal dumping of mattresses, adding, “I don’t think I’ve changed my mattress in 30 years.”

But Sen. Andres Ayala, a Bridgeport Democrat, said, “It is a serious issue in our city.”

Sen. John Kissel, an Enfield Republican, said that he fears that local residents near the border would drive up Interstate 91 to Massachusetts in order to save $10 or $15 on a mattress. Residents, he said, already drive immediately over the border into Longmeadow, Massachusetts on Route 5 to save 20 to 25 cents for a gallon of gasoline.

“On balance, at this time, I have to vote with the consumer,” said Kissel, who opposed the measure. “We can’t paint ourselves into a corner to be first in the nation in this, that, and the other thing.”

The bill was placed on the “foot” of the Senate calendar, which means that the Senate will not be voting on the measure in the immediate [...]]]> A highly controversial bill that threatened to remove municipal legal notices from newspapers suffered a blow Tuesday, but the bill was still alive Thursday at the Capitol.

The bill was placed on the “foot” of the Senate calendar, which means that the Senate will not be voting on the measure in the immediate future and possibly will not vote at all. Traditionally, a bill placed on the “foot” of the calendar lacks the necessary support for passage.

But things sometimes change unexpectedly at the Capitol, and it will not be over until the session ends at midnight on June 5. Another bill on the same topic – Senate Bill 1112 – is still alive, and a Senate Democratic spokesman said the bill is still under consideration.

Senate Majority Leader Martin Looney, who directs the flow of which bills get called and which don’t, said on Thursday night that “there’s no final decision on it yet.”

State Sen. Steve Cassano, the former mayor of Manchester, has been pushing hard for the bill, and he made an impassioned plea for the measure Wednesday during a closed-door Democratic caucus. The Senate Democrats are apparently split on the controversial issue.

Newspapers around the state have rallied against the bill, which was pushed by cities and towns as an effort to save money. Some municipalities wanted to place the legal notices on their town web sites, thus saving money from publication in newspapers.

But the newspapers struck back with a major advertising campaign, including full-page ads in The Hartford Courant, The Connecticut Post, The New London Day, The New Haven Register, and the Waterbury Republican American. The ads were sponsored by the Connecticut Daily Newspapers Association, which was founded in 1904.

In the most recent ad Monday, The Courant devoted a full page to say, “No More Back Room Politics” and “Don’t let Connecticut officials remove your right to know from the newspaper.”

The ad continued, “Public notices are an important tool in assuring an informed citizenry. They have helped develop America into a participatory democracy for hundreds of years and where it counts the most: how your tax dollars are spent, how policy is made and how our futures are charted.”

The advertisement stated that fewer than 10 percent of the population “views a local, state or federal government website daily.” By contrast, “83 percent of adults read a community newspaper every week.”