IS THAT ALL THERE IS?
 

The 2008 General Assembly wrapped up on May 7th in a rather odd fashion. Though the state is run on a two-year budget plan, lawmakers usually make big revisions in the second year, which is always an election year. The reason? They spend more money to show voters they are accomplishing big things.

This year, the Democratic majority in the legislature reached accord with Republican Gov. Jodi Rell to stick with the existing two-year budget—no changes, no additions, no new taxes. Evidence showed that the weakening economy was taking its toll on state revenues, turning a $260 million state surplus into a $67 million dollar deficit, so Democrats and Rell decided it was best to stay within the existing budget.

That didn't sit well with Republican lawmakers. They rebelled against their own GOP governor and tried to gain debate time for their own "alternative" budget. The GOP plan supposedly would produce $163 million in savings by launching an early retirement offer (known as ERIP) to state employees. Republicans said that money could be used to help cities and towns, nursing homes, criminal justice programs, non-profit providers, and other state programs that need new funding.

GOP lawmakers taunted Democrats and Rell calling the existing two-year budget plan "a do-nothing budget." Democratic House Speaker James Amann fired back debunking the supposed savings in the GOP plan and calling that document the "do something dumb budget." Not to be outdone, Rell defended sticking with the spending plan now in place terming it a prudent "don't deficit spend budget."

Republican lawmakers tried to attach their spending plan to a host of bills up for debate in the final three days of the legislative session to insure their proposal was given a good airing in public. Democrats were hip to that tactic and countered by pulling bills off the floor when the Republicans tried to bring out their budget, and getting GOP budget amendments ruled out of order because they were "not germane" to the bill at hand.

All that maneuvering slowed down the process in the final days of the session prompting the Hartford Courant editorial board to dub the 2008 General Assembly the "do-little session."

There were some accomplishments: a mortgage relief program for homeowners hurt by the subprime mortgage crisis, a bill to combat global warming, and added criminal justice staff to focus on repeat violent offenders.

However other key bills failed for one reason or another, including a much-anticipated ethics reform bill that would have revoked the government pensions of corrupt politicians and state and municipal employees, a bill banning open containers of booze in motor vehicles, and an extension of the real estate conveyance tax that provides added state aid to cities and towns.

A special session is expected before July 1st to deal with the conveyance tax (and maybe with ethics reform). That's the way lawmakers try to save face when they mess up during the regular session. It doesn't always work. Problems that prevented this or that measure from being adopted in the spring sometimes pop up again when lawmakers meet in the summer.

The desire to "get out of Dodge," or at least out of the State Capitol was strong this year, because it's a crucial election year. This will be the first time lawmakers seek reelection using the new public financing law, and any change in campaign ritual makes politicians nervous. It is also a presidential election year with a very high voter turnout expected. More voters deciding their fate also makes politicians sweat.

So it appeared that what lawmakers wanted to "do" more than anything else was to avoid controversy whether it involved the budget or their own behavior.

Posted 5/12/08

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