As has seemingly been the case for the previous dozen years, the problem to stability the funds would be the dominant challenge of the legislative session in Connecticut, the issue compounded by fiscal harm associated to the pandemic-caused recession however aided by a report surplus.
Nevertheless, the resumption of normal Normal Meeting enterprise — albeit a lot of it through Zoom and different distant mediums — additionally offers the chance to enact laws that has been bandied about for a number of years however not pushed throughout the end line.
Democrats clearly have the votes to legislate aggressively, controlling the Home of Representatives 98 to 53 and the Senate 24-12, each margins expanded by the outcomes of the Nov. 3 election. In Ned Lamont, the state has a Democratic governor who, whereas ready to push again in opposition to the progressive wing of the occasion on tax will increase, may even wish to get some issues executed prematurely of a attainable run for a second time period.
College vaccines
The COVID-19 pandemic has been a reminder that the general public well being can’t be taken without any consideration.
The legislature ought to take away the non secular exemption that has led to an growing variety of public-school college students getting exempted from vaccination in opposition to contagious childhood ailments.
In all however a small variety of circumstances, non secular restrictions usually are not the true motivation for making use of for the exemption, however the one out there excuse to keep away from the vaccines due to ungrounded fears regarding their security. As fewer college students get vaccinations, herd immunity is misplaced and outbreaks grow to be extra doubtless, endangering particularly college students who, for real well being causes, can’t be safely vaccinated.
Go the legislation and require vaccinations for entry into public colleges, making solely well being exemptions. If dad and mom wish to transfer their kids to personal colleges, or to house faculty, to keep away from vaccinations, that will probably be their proper.
Property tax reform
Lamont ran on the difficulty. It was one cause he won The Day’s endorsement. It’s time for him to make use of these giant Democratic majorities to pursue it. The state’s cities desperately wanted.
Aid might embody boosting state subsidies to make up for big concentrations on property tax nonprofit and authorities properties. It may very well be a transfer to equalize − or finish − the property tax on motor autos, now far increased in cities. Or municipalities may very well be given authority to evaluate taxation for companies giant nonprofits make the most of, akin to public security and public works. However do one thing.
Marijuana legalization
Along with black market gross sales, folks in Connecticut are additionally shopping for marijuana legally for leisure use in close by states, together with Massachusetts, Maine and Vermont. It’s time for Connecticut to take step one towards legalizing, regulating and taxing marijuana.
We proceed to advertise a two-step course of. This session type a various, ad-hoc committee to think about the challenges and greatest method to legalizing and taxing the sale of marijuana. The committee suggestions might then information subsequent laws regulating marijuana gross sales and addressing points such because the prevention of impaired driving.
Ideally, Congress would within the meantime repeal the federal legislation treating marijuana possession and sale as critical against the law as peddling heroin. That repeal would depart the marijuana debate as much as the states, making it a states’ rights challenge that Republicans ought to, in political idea, help.
On-line sports activities betting
Lamont has stood in the way in which of a legislature able to enact legal guidelines to permit on-line sport betting and on line casino gaming.
The governor, lastly, seems able to work with the Mashantucket Pequot and Mohegan tribes to develop a framework for these modifications. This could produce not solely wanted revenues for the state, as would marijuana legalization, however would additionally assist the fortunes of the Foxwoods Resort and Mohegan Solar tribal casinos, hit exhausting by the pandemic.
The compacts between the state and the tribes give them unique rights to on line casino video games. In return, the tribes pay the state 25% of gross slots income, producing greater than $8 billion for the state since 1993. The tribes assert that sports activities betting is a on line casino sport coated by the compacts. It’s unclear if the courts would agree, however the strategy of settling such a dispute could be ugly and extended and will endanger the slot revenues.
Much better to work with the tribes on making a legislative proposal for adoption this session.
The Day editorial board meets often with political, enterprise and neighborhood leaders and convenes weekly to formulate editorial viewpoints. It’s composed of President and Writer Tim Dwyer, Editorial Web page Editor Paul Choiniere, Managing Editor Tim Cotter, Workers Author Julia Bergman and retired deputy managing editor Lisa McGinley. Nevertheless, solely the writer and editorial web page editor are accountable for creating the editorial opinions. The board operates independently from the Day newsroom.
