The Hartford Courant has details:
State troopers have begun delivering notices to lawmakers that require them to appear for a special legislative session on Wednesday, the state Senate’s Democratic leader said Saturday.
Gov. M. Jodi Rell called the session to deal solely with school bonding projects after saying Friday that she will veto the $3.2 billion overall state bonding bill approved by the General Assembly Thursday night.
Lawmakers balked, saying Rell had not given them the proper 10-day notice by mail for her session. But state law allows for less notice if state police officers or marshals hand-deliver the notices.
Looks like it’s going to be a fun-filled week up in Hartford.
Source.
AP. “Rell Summons Lawmakers“.Hartford Courant. 9/24/07
18 responses so far ↓
1 Don Pesci // Sep 24, 2007 at 8:04 am ·
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It’s called throwing down the gauntlet. Good for her.
2 Genghis Conn // Sep 24, 2007 at 8:06 am ·
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And my guess is that this will be one of those sessions that’s gaveled to a close just as soon as it opens. This dance could continue for a while.
Every year there’s always a call for special sessions–especially odd-numbered years. Time to extend the session length and/or make the legislature full time.
3 ACR // Sep 24, 2007 at 8:14 am ·
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>> make the legislature full time.
No need to let them cause any more trouble than they already do.
4 Genghis Conn // Sep 24, 2007 at 8:27 am ·
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Every year it seems like there’s so much left undone. There are two possible solutions, I’m thinking.
One, a longer session length. I actually do have some doubts about that.
Two, new legislators. A combination of (reasonable) term limits and public financing will help change the guard more often. I like this idea better.
5 ACR // Sep 24, 2007 at 8:51 am ·
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>>Every year it seems like there’s so much left undone
Probably just as well considering what they do when they do accomplish anything ………. you know on those rare occasions something slips through almost as if by miracle or mistake (or both).
Well over half of `em don’t have any idea how to frame a bill (just as well); a clear majority (regardless of stripe) have no notion as to what they should be doing with their time, but constituent service is rarely any where near the top of the list as it doesn’t generally garner any press.
Take Southington’s Bruce Zalaski, who represents the 81st Assembly District (which is entirely within Southington).
Bruce signs on to interesting bills occasionally and does little or nothing else including returning constituent phone calls (very rare).
When 38 (no typo) separate civic groups loaded 6500 pounds of goods for our overseas military - no sign of Bruce. When we collected over 1200 coats for our vets, no sign of Bruce.
A well attended ziti dinner? You betcha, Bruce is there working the crowd as if he had actually had anything to do with it.
6 JM // Sep 24, 2007 at 9:12 am ·
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I find Jim Amann’s logic here very confusing. He’s irritated at Rell for vetoing this bill, but admits the total package can’t be implemented because it’s too expensive. Finally he blames Rell for the State’s high debt because she sets the Bond Com. agenda.
Notwithstanding the fact that Rell currently sets the BC’s agenda and can ignore most of this package, I see some merit to her position. Please recall the push last year to pass legislation that would take that sole authority away from the Governor(which I understand to be based on tradition, and not statute). There’s nothing to stop the Legislature from doing that if the Dems can hold their “veto proof” majority together (granted a major “if”). In view of this threat, Rell has little choice but to veto and nip the “authorization” in the bud.
7 sandy // Sep 24, 2007 at 9:23 am ·
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This is just a show of power. Jimmy and Don should over-ride. They have the votes.
8 Joe Sixpack // Sep 24, 2007 at 9:31 am ·
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Dem leaders have promised their rank and file the moon - they just can’t pay for it. So they pass this bill that earmarks tons of money for their members, who can pump out a press release to the locals. Then, they want Grandma to be the heavy and take the blame when the money doesn’t come through. But, they won’t attempt an override - then they will be seen as the spendthrifts who are bankrupting the state, forcing the Gov to max out the state credit card.
9 toucan // Sep 24, 2007 at 9:46 am ·
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And none of the “locals” are ever Republicans and Rell has never used the passing out of money - paid fopr by bonds or otherwise - for local projects to her own political advantage. My goodness, Rell and the Republicans had a conversion - for political purposes!!!!!!!!
10 Mr. Reality // Sep 24, 2007 at 12:05 pm ·
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Why the whole dog and pony show? If the Dems are that committed to this thing then over-ride. It’s that simple.
I watched Williams Press Conference on tv. They kept asking him why no overide…he really came across phony to me. On one hand he was so adamant about the iimportance of the bonding bill (trying to act as if he were mad but not pulling it off) on the other hand he wouldn’t commit to an overide.
11 wtfdnucsailor // Sep 24, 2007 at 12:43 pm ·
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This is certainly a strange Kubki dance. The bonding bill is merely a shopping list that is used to provide agenda items for the Bonding commission. The bonding Commission agenda is set by the Governor. If there are no specific projects in the bonding bill then the Governor has complete freedom to select projects as She desires. IF there is a list of projects, she needs to select projects from the list. The General Assembly Ds want a list to limit the Governor’s flexibility for political favors as well as to get credit for the funding of an important local project. The Governor prefers the blank check that lets her take all of the credit for the funding and gives her a ‘hammer’ or a ‘lever’ on legislators to get them to do her bidding. This battle is certainly not nearing a conclusion.
12 toucan // Sep 24, 2007 at 12:43 pm ·
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The bonding bill passed by the Legislature is well-intentioned…..“But I am eager to work with all sides to put together a package we can all support as soon as possible.” said Jodi Rell in a press release before she sicced the state cops on the legislature. Why the dog and pony show?
http://www.ct.gov/governorrell/cwp/view.asp?Q=396148&A=2791
13 toucan // Sep 24, 2007 at 12:46 pm ·
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Nail hit right on the head. She doesn’t like earmarks as if she were Ned Lamont and Tom Swan singing some clean government tune. Earmarks are fine if the autohor is ID’d - even Chris Healy goes along with that. The legislature really should pare down the bill and then Rell should be stripped of her ability to fiddle fart around with who gets the money. Doubtful that will hapen any day soon.
14 Mr. Reality // Sep 24, 2007 at 2:08 pm ·
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Then over-ride the bill!! End of story. Why won’t they do that?
15 One if by land // Sep 24, 2007 at 4:03 pm ·
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Mr. Reality said:
Because they can’t — especially in the House.
And if they did….. probably won’t help Dems get ietms on the Bond Commission.
Look for the package to be reduced by $150 million by agreement and passed unanimously by end of October.
16 JohninCT // Sep 24, 2007 at 9:58 pm ·
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It’s seriously time to get over yourself. If you had collected a pound of goods for every time you mentioned this, you’d have dwarfed your actual collected total.
I mean, kudos to everyone for collecting it all, but theres a line somewhere where you stop doing a good deed for the sake of it being a good deed, and it starts being just a badge you pin on yourself.
17 toucan // Sep 25, 2007 at 10:19 am ·
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HARTFORD - The Democratic leaders of the General Assembly called today for a face-to-face meeting with Republican Gov. M. Jodi Rell in hopes of ending a standoff over a new state bonding package. _______
—————– ——————— ———————- ————
“It is simply unaffordable for the people of Connecticut,” Rell said of the package, which includes:
* $3.2 billion in “general obligation bonds,” repaid with income tax, sales tax, and other revenues collected in the General Fund.
* $850 million in transportation bonds, repaid with gasoline and other fuel tax revenue.
* $550 million in Clean Water Revenue Bonds, which provide loans to cities and towns to upgrade sewage treatment plants.
Connecticut already ranks third among all states in terms of debt per capita, with a total bonded debt of approximately $14.2 billion.
The governor said overall borrowing in the bill, which covers this fiscal year and 2008-09, is too high, topping her recommendation by about $600 million.
Rell also objects to more than $230 million in so-called “earmarks,” or “pork-barrel” projects, a term used by critics to describe borrowing for projects in lawmakers’ home districts - projects that typically would be funded at the local level.
But Amann said the “earmarks” debate has been misrepresented in the media. This involves borrowing to support social services and other valuable community programs and resources, he said.
http://www.journalinquirer.com/site/news.cfm?newsid=18847776&BRD=985&PAG=461&dept_id=161556&rfi=6
18 toucan // Sep 25, 2007 at 10:34 am ·
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The DPS Commish has said publicly now that using the Troopers to deliver the summons to lawmakers didn’t cost the taxpayers any money. The logic of state bureaucrats - especially those who are supposed to logically enforce laws - is baffling to me.
http://www.thehour.com/
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