Legislative Issues

Final Report as of May 14, 2008

  The 2008 session was a short session which ended on May 7^th.   The activities and accomplishments of this session were greatly impacted by the declining economy and the impact it was having on State revenue. As the fear of a budget deficit began to grow, any legislation that effected revenue or expenditures was not acted upon.  The Governor and Democratic legislative leadership decided not to alter the 2009 budget previously adopted as part of a two year budget in the 2007 session.

A.     Counseling of Minors Receiving An Abortion–   In the final hours of the session two amendments were proposed to a Public Health Department bill. Democrat Jack Thompson, from Manchester, proposed an amendment, but was forced to withdraw it by some Democratic leaders and legislators. Republican T.R. Rowe, from Trumbull, offered a similar amendment, but was also pressured to withdraw it by Democratic leadership. The bill being amended included many revisions of public health laws, one of which related to the W.I.C. food program for low-income mothers and children. The Democrats threatened to not hold a vote on the bill, thus effecting W.I.C. recipients, if the amendments were not withdrawn. Although the amendments would have probably passed the House after a reasonable debate, pressure from Democratic leadership and a few rank and file members, using the threat to W.I.C funding, managed to stop consideration. It is ironic that a party that prides itself in assisting the poor was willing to deny them food because it felt a woman’s right to an abortion was threatened by expanding the current teen counseling law to include 16 and 17 year-olds.    

   Background: Legislation was voted out of the Select Committee on Children, with bipartisan support, to raise the existing age for a minor to have counseling before an abortion from under 16 years of age to under 18 years of age. (H.B. 5499 An Act Concerning The Required Age For Counseling). This legislation was the result of an informational hearing on Parental Notification held before this committee during the 2007 legislative session.  Unfortunately, the Public Health Committee, to which it was referred, allowed it to die by not acting upon it before their deadline. The Conference then sought to amend other legislation as the session progressed.  

B.     Immigration (Domestic Violence Task Force) -  Although no legislation was proposed, talks with legislative leadership and the Chairs of the Judiciary Committee appears to be leading to the establishment of a task force within the next several weeks.

  Background: The Conference is attempting to address the situation of abused women and children in undocumented immigrant families. These women and children are fearful to report this abuse due to their undocumented status. The Conference is pursuing a study group to review domestic violence issues within the immigrant community. Several meetings have been heldwith other concerned groups and legislators. The Conference has taken the lead on this issue 

C.     Earned Income Tax Credit(EITC) –  The EITC gained support this year and was close to becoming a reality until the budget crisis emerged. The Finance Committee, on April 1^st, amended Senate Bill 657 “An Act Concerning A Taxpayer Relief Plan” to include a 10% state EITC. This means low income taxpayers will receive a state tax credit equivalent to 10% of their Federal Earned Income Tax Credit. The original request was for a 20% tax credit. This was reduced due to budgetary concerns. The vote was largely along party lines, with only a few Republicans voting in favor of the bill. 

D.    Sex Education and Teen Pregnancy Prevention -   Efforts by proponents of comprehensive sex education failed to receive final support by the end of the session. Although $500,000 was in the proposed Democratic budget for the Healthy Teens program, no new funding was created due to budget concerns.

   Background: Two bills were initially  raised related to teen sexual education in public schools. Both pieces of legislation are almost identical and severely flawed. Both of the bills would have both allocated $1 million dollars to local school boards to increase the teaching of comprehensive sex education. The primary supporter of the legislation was Planned Parenthood. The Conference believes abstinence education should be the primary focus of any sexuality education program. The original language in the bill would also allow the money to pass-through the local boards of education to organizations, such as Planned Parenthood, to teach programs in our public schools.

E.     Health Care Reform

Significant legislative activity was not expected this session in the area of universal health care coverage and none occurred. However, a bill (S.B. 561) to expand the Money Follows the Person program was voted out of the Human Services Committee and then amended and passed by the Appropriations Committee. The bill, amended again in the Senate, was passed by both the House and Senate and awaits the Governor’s signature.

   Background: This bill increases, from 700 to 5,000, the number of individuals who can be served under the state's plan for participating in the federal Money Follows the Person (MFP) Demonstration program. MFP is a five-year program that permits states to move individuals out of nursing homes or other institutional settings and into less-restrictive, community-based settings. The bill requires, instead of allows, the Department of Social Services (DSS) commissioner to submit an application to the federal government. DSS has developed a protocol for the demonstration, which needs federal approval before it can be implemented.

The bill also requires the DSS commissioner to develop a plan to establish and administer a similar home- and community-based services (HCBS) project for adults who may not meet the MFP institutionalization requirement.

Finally, the bill establishes a separate, nonlapsing General Fund account to hold the enhanced federal matching funds the state receives for MFP. It specifies the uses of funds in the account and requires a report on expenditures from it.

F.            Housing – No additional appropriations for supportive housing due to budget constraints. The Appropriations Committee provided no new funds for supportive housing in their proposed budget. An increase in supportive housing was also not included in the Governor’s budget. Advocates of supportive housing were seeking 650 new units of supportive housing this fiscal year.

G.    Environmental Justice -  H.B. 5145, concerning environmental justice, passed in both the House and Senate and is awaiting the Governor’s signature.

  Background: The Office of Urban Affairs of the Archdiocese of Hartford, with the support of  various interest groups, urged passage of legislation which will require the state and towns to consider the existing locations of power plants and trash facilities before authorizing new construction of similar facilities in the same area.. Too often these pollution emitting facilities are located in the same geographical areas and effect lower income people.  Two bills were voted out of committees and were awaiting final action by the House and Senate:

       H.B. 5145- An Act Concerning Environmentally Stressed and  

                     Environmental Justice Communities  was voted out of the 

        Environment Committee and passed both Chambers.

           A very similar bill, S.B. 118 – An Act Concerning Environmental Justice was voted out of  the Energy and Technology Committee, but failed to receive action in the Senate.

H.    Open Adoption Records – S.B. 345 was voted out of the Select Committee on Children, but died in the Public Health Committee. The Conference opposes efforts for  adopted children to obtain birth parent information, if the legislation is retroactive and does not require consent of the birth mother.  Most states do not allow this information to be given to adopted children. The privacy of the birth mother is of major concern. The only true method of privacy when dealing with an unplanned pregnancy would be abortion, if this legislation was adopted.

I.       Same-sex Marriage  - No substantial activity on this issue during the 2008 session. Future activity of the Conference will vary based on the outcome of the pending Connecticut Supreme Court decision.

1.      Court rules against same-sex marriage – Supporters of same-sex

marriage are expected to launch a strong lobbying effort during the 2009 legislative session. The Conference will strongly lobby against this effort.

 2.  Court rules in favor of same-sex marriage – In November of 2008 a question will appear on the ballots in the state asking if a constitutional convention should be called for modifying the State Constitution. Urge people to vote “yes” on this question. This will open up options for dealing with this issue within the Constitution as many other states have done. Also, would lobby in 2009 for legislation clearly granting conscious protection to religious organizations and individuals.