With time running out in the legislative session, the General Assembly will be unable to finish all of its work by the Constitutional deadline at midnight Wednesday, House Speaker James Amann said Monday afternoon.Even if a budget deal is reached before Wednesday night, the legislature would be unable to finish the so-called “budget implementers,” which are highly detailed bills that provide the nuts and bolts of carrying out the complicated budget.
“It’ll never happen,” Amann said of finishing everything on time. “If we get the budget, that’s the key. Implementers – we can do that on a date that we could all come back here when we miss each other.” (Keating)
There will absolutely be a special session, then, to finish things up.
At that session, perhaps lawmakers can also address health care, property taxes, and short-term energy costs–all of which were supposed to be done by now. Yesterday I suggested that Gov. Rell veto the energy bill to give them a little more incentive to work on crafting an energy bill that is not last-minute, is a true compromise, and addresses short-term energy costs. Since a special session will be happening anyway, why not veto the bill? Why not make certain that one of the priorities of a special session is a better energy bill?
Actually, the cynic in me is pretty sure that any special session will be budget-only, and little will get done on health care, property taxes and short-term energy costs. Which is a shame.
Source
Keating, Christopher. “Amann: Legislature Will Miss Deadline.” Hartford Courant 4 June, 2007.
29 responses so far ↓
It’s rather convenient to blame Williams and Amann for the delay but let’s not forget that Rell gave them a moving target with her budget that rolled out like a dripping water faucet.
Amann and Williams are the ones who run the show. They are the people to blame. Have you seen the way things have been run up there? The Senate was going in once a day up until 2 weeks ago and the house goes in everyday but stands at ease for hours on end. Amann and WIlliams are the ones who set the agenda so they are the ones who should take the blame for going into overtime.
Since you have to call special sessions in order to address a specific issue, I highly doubt that they will take up things like healthcare, property taxes, etc.—especially since they never called a single special for energy.
Good point Clickety. I believe that those things could have been addressed if these guys spent some more time on the floor of the house and less time twideling there thumbs we could have something done.
But, you can run multiple special sessions simulataneously, which has been done before.
Does anyone think Jim Amann really cares about any of our CT issues? To him it’s all about control of the money and who gets what.
This session has never been about anything but the budget. Sure Amann gives the Liberals the opportunity to air their pet issues, in exchange for their loyalty. But Amann could give a hoot about Health Care, Property Tax Reform, Energy Policy, etc.
Connecticut deserves much better leadership!
For those who don’t know the legislative process, it is very common to go into special session for budget implementors. It happens routinely, and is no surprise.
I don’t get it. I really don’t. They have super majorities..this sounds like bad leadership to me.
Talk about squandered opportunities….
KEEP JIMMY SPEAKER!
[quote comment="11608"]Talk about squandered opportunities….
KEEP JIMMY SPEAKER![/quote]
No surprise Repulicans like Amann. He’s a Liebercrat which means 1/4 of a step from a full fledged Republican.
Just think what it would be like if we had a full time legislature. Without the pressure of a deadline, nothing would get done. Some might think that is a good thing. I don’t. It is just too bad that Grishim’s law still works.
[quote comment="11613"]Just think what it would be like if we had a full time legislature. Without the pressure of a deadline, nothing would get done. Some might think that is a good thing. I don’t. It is just too bad that Grishim’s law still works.[/quote]
Thats just silly,
The Games that the Legislature and the Governor play are caused by the session calender and make decent,well thought out legislation almost impossible.
Just as always the 2 seperate tracks of waste and fraud will win out in the final budget .
One for you ,one for me,two for you,two for me.
It’s going on right now in the budget talks.
Genghis,
Does Grandma assume any blame here or is your loyalty to her total and complete now
Did her momentous Budget Speech and her disappearing act thereafter make you feel better about your endorsement of and vote for her.
Do you, as the owner of this blog,feel any responsibility to hold the person you endorsed accountable for anything?
The Legislator I know best in Hartford busted his ass this session and if you did the calculation he made well less than minimum wage for his efforts. For you to label him and anyone else at the LOB “lazy Bums” is really low.
[quote post="599"]The Legislator I know best in Hartford busted his ass this session and if you did the calculation he made well less than minimum wage for his efforts. For you to label him and anyone else at the LOB “lazy Bums” is really low[/quote]
Oh my dear, I think we doth protest too much.
Is going into extra innings for the budget implementers new?? Not at all. Were they “lazy bums”? Nope. In fact, they scurried around all session like crazy.
But when the gavel falls on Wednesday night, the Democrat Supermajority, which can do ANYTHING they want to do if they know what they stand for as a party, will reap all the praise or the knocks of how they ran the session.
There’s absolutely NO WAY that the calendar limited the success of this session. It’s a limitation in leadership. It was in all the papers, folks. Hell, it’s in the Constitution. Session starts first week of January, and ends the first week of June.
They’ll probably get a spending package done, and maybe more. The only reason Amann is talking about a special session now is so pre-empt the Governor from calling them back herself. There’s no way he and Williams (who is notably absent from this story) want to cede that authority to her. In the old days, Gov. O’Neill stationed State Troopers outside the House chamber to hand departing legislators subpoenas calling them back into special session. Ever since then, the legislature always tries to call itself back instead of being embarassed by the governor.
In this case, the Deomcrats have accomplished both.
Come on – did you guys/gals really expect the GA to get anything of signigicant substance done? It is business as usual up on Capitol Hill. Consider this, without a firm budget, there is no agreement on ECS funding…trickle down economics to the town budgets who cannot do a damn thing now…..
Do legislators (and staff) get compensated for a special session?
[quote comment="11628"]Do legislators (and staff) get compensated for a special session?[/quote]
no.
thanks.
Is there some website where I can find a running list of the bills debated in the House today (and those passed)? Thanks.
I don’t remeber anyone saying there would be a short-term fix for energy prices, in fact all I heard was the opposite.
I disagree with the notion that they can do anything because of the Super-Majority. 6 Legislators isn’t that many to lose for whatever reason. Just look at the vote on the finance package in the House.
In the Senate they have it by one vote. Do you know how hard it is to convince everyone that anything they are trying to do is good for them? I’ve talked to a guy who was Majority Leader back in the 70s when the Dems had 118, that’s right 118. When we got the Super Majority he basically said good luck, because they weren’t able to get much done with 118. It’s like herding cats.
I love it when Democrats always OVERPROMISE what they can do and consistently UNDERPROMISE what they can deliver. Here they are in the SUPERMAJORITY…..Last Nov, Dec, Jan…all anyone heard was they would pass Energy within 30 Days; Singlepayer Health Care for All (at a cost of $17 Billion!); and a Budget in on time. Now…just 2 days to go, nothing has been done. Looks like all those Lib interest groups are coming home to eat at the pig’s trough…and the Dem’s don’t have enough money to spread around. So what do the Dem’s do….complain that being in the SUPERMAJORITY is actually HARDER to govern from! If there is NO budget come Wed…it rests soley on the Democrats’ head.
Looks like Lisa Moody is in trouble again. The Courant is reporting that she fired someone for not donating to Jodi Rell’s campaign: http://www.courant.com/news/politics/hc-csplawsuit0605.artjun05,0,7395557.story?coll=hc-headlines-home
KEEP LOU ALIVE
Theeble,
You think Lisa can have a talk with “Louie the Lash” and ask him to get Galante soldiers to “pay a visit” to this ungrateful stooly?
Imagine not “ponying up”?
whatsamattah wit dis guy?
Anonandonandon – wow, it feels like you wrote my exact words. nicely said.
[quote post="599"]Looks like Lisa Moody is in trouble again. [/quote]
I’d say the taxpayers are in for a screwing again because the administration reufses to treat pepole with dignity and respect according to our laws. from your link, theeble:Crumbie, who had been chief of staff for Public Safety Commissioner Leonard C. Boyle and then was director of the state police forensic laboratory, alleges that derogatory words were used about his race by high-ranking state police officers. He also said the state police had a history of “unfavorable treatment by DPS of minority employees.”
http://www.courant.com/news/politics/hc-csplawsuit0605.artjun05,0,7395557.story?coll=hc-headlines-home
The GA has wasted a ton of time quibbling over things like the Elephant bill and the “shell fish” bill. The end is approaching and suddenly we realize how much time has been wasted. As a Democrat, it makes me very disappointed that these guys haven’t spent more time pushing important legislation through and instead spent a lot of the first 4 months of the sessions debating bills of relatively little consequence. Unfortunately my impression is that most of these legislators may “bust their ass”, but many of them are poorly informed on the issues they legislate on– often opposing and supporting things with minimal understanding of the issues because they lack research staff.
What’s the solution? I am not sure- maybe a full time legislature would do the trick- but honestly I can’t be sure that would solve anything. I think the Dems have made a serious error this session by not delivering on more important issues. Fighting over minor issues is foolish and I think it makes the party look disorganized and fractuous. Honestly, I feel like the main thing that would help is to get in more aggressive, young, talented people who want to make a difference- regardless of what party they are in. There are too many no-show senators and reps up there who have been around forever and produce nothing for the state. More importantly that what party you vote for– I think voters need to ask themselves: if I don’t like what is happening in the CTGA- is it time to kick out my multiple term legislator and send someone new up there.
Dude. Too many issues, too little time, this session needs to be pushed up by a few more months, this is not 1970’s 300 issues on the calendar, it is a changing society.There are two sides to this , expand the session, or do everything sloppy and rush. Then the court’s down the line have to deal with the ramifications of some legislator’s incomplete thought.This happenned in 1997 with the legislation with the sheriff’s deputies, it happens in the courts every day with judges making thier own intrepretation of what a legislator intended, that is why this State Court System is in a mess. They will never do term limits in Connecticut, because the legislators voted themselves pensions after ten years of vested service, so your mulitple term legislator is going to collect a multiple year State of Connecticut pension, look up the State Statutes concerning pensions.My idea is if they want a pension, then let them work beyond , let them work for this future benefit. As far as the reference to them working thier butts off? I spent alot of years up there.The only time I ever seen any of them working thier butts off is never. That is a privelege not a job, and if anyone wishes to argue that this is a job, then lets make it a job. A job is some poor guy climbing up on a roof and hauling shingles, or some waitress putting up with rude customers standing on her feet all day.Except for the Mordasky’s and the Jarmoc’s and a few other farmers that were up there, they are all basically, paper pushers and talking heads all waiting for the next good time Charlie lobbyist to throw a bash, with free food, and if anyone wants to doubt what I have said, guess what? You’re wrong.
Y ou Have a Choice in the November 08 Amann Election Support R. Frank.
Jim Amann has been really screwing up with the public and their opinion of him. Just about every blog board is critical of his leadership and in many cases goes as far as saying that he illegally uses his office for his personal financial gain with a charity he is connected to.
But that aside I continue to distrust Amann across the board because of his support for Lieberman. Amann helped Lieberman get Re-Elected after his party dumped him, and if America starts WW3 due to the Work of Lieberman, then I believe Jim Amann should be held accountable for all the future lives of young men and women that needlessly will be lost. Vote him out of office!
With that said I would like to address this post by reminding all of you that Amann is your typical “Tax and Spend Liberal” while I admire his wish to bilk the governor out of “Millions of dollars” to fix our bridges, he has not mentioned a single word about holding those who wreck our bridges accountable, and I know that that is a major part of this budget.
I challenge the Speaker to propose a $10 or $20 Tax or Toll for “Big Rig” tractor trailer trucks, the overweight offenders, the 12 ton speeders, and the implementation of proper drainage systems and freight weight standards.
Lets not forget that the last bridge explosion in CT was in Black Rock, another one exploded on Rt 7 not too long ago, both were trucks full of Oil that created infernos and stopped traffic. Should these offenders be our problem? The passenger car drivers. I think not!
Amann should be suggesting real solutions rather than once again stealing the “limelight” after a Bridge collapses on T.V. and you Mr. Amann, if your reading this, should be ashamed of your “Telegislator” style! You should be ashamed that you have no semblence of a plan other than to be a “Tax and Spend” liberal.
This is the thinking that is resulting in the annual meltdown in Hartford. We keep allocating millions to departments and projects that are neither properly managed, financialy resourceful or efficient. I believe that not one cent should be appropriated to any single person or department that is devoid of a conservative plan to get their job done, and done without B.S. cost overuns and budget problems. I believe waste should be eliminated.
With that said I also believe the Speaker needs to force Connecticut to stand up for itself and take a position demanding that our Federal Income Tax Dollars be apportioned back to us as our U.S. Constitution requires of the Federal Government. As it stands the Federal Government annually takes 4 months of CT Citizens income in tax. None of it comes back to us or our state. Not a cent for our Schools, Roads, our Emergency services, or a single social program. Aaron Russo, featured on youtube will eloquently explain this to any “would be doubters,” but for now, I think we all need to be Mad as Hell over the cronyism, and racketeering going on in our government. These latest budget problems, and its associated “Pork” not excepted.
Join the “Truth Movement” Demand answers and boot the “Dinosaur Politicians.”
http://www.rfrank118.com
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