Spring Government Affairs Report

After being in session for only two months so far, the Connecticut General Assembly has been extremely busy with over 3,385 bills and resolutions already introduced. As the legislative committee work toward their deadlines, with most occurring by late March and early April, the number of bills still alive in the legislative process will certainly be whittled down.

Meanwhile, much of the legislators’ attention over the next couple of months will be focused on developing the state budget. Last month, Governor Malloy outlined his biennial budget proposal, which calls for significant government spending reductions, changes to municipal aid distributions, relies on $700 million in anticipated savings from state employee labor concessions, and does not increase taxes on businesses. However, local officials are concerned about possible property tax increases that could result.

So far, CHCC’s top legislative priority has been working on making beneficial changes to the apprenticeship hiring ratio. CHCC representatives have been actively participating in the ratio working group established by the Chairmen of the General Law Committee and we are confident that some changes to the hiring ratio will be moving forward this year, along with making the working group permanent in state statute to ensure that the legislature continues to look at this issue annually. Details of the proposal are still being worked out, but most likely they will move forward as part of Senate Bill 353. Additionally, CHCC recently testified on and was involved with working on language along with the Department of Consumer Protection on SB-830, An Act Concerning The Definition Of Sheet Metal Work, which attempts to update the definition of sheet metal work and the scope of the SM license category to reflect modern ductwork system materials and standards.

Finally, CHCC continues to actively monitor and engage on other bills as they move through the Committee process, including issues related to the prevailing wage, the minimum wage, retainage on public projects, occupational licensing, and various pieces of clean energy legislation including the establishment of a residential property clean energy assessment and improvement program.

Remember, as a CHCC member, you can view all of the bills being monitored, stay informed 24/7 on the latest status of any piece of legislation or find and email legislators with exclusive access to CHCC's online bill tracking system and legislative email center. A username and password is required. For more information and how to access, please contact Jenn Jennings. As always, if you have questions on legislation or regulations or if you would like more information on an issue, please feel free to contact the Government Affairs committee or CHCC’s lobbyist Andy Markowski at: (860) 256-8295 or aem@statehouseassociates.com.