With the crush at the end of the legislation session, I have not been able to post anything these past few days. Now that it is over - at least the regular session - I will start to report on what happened, and what still needs to be done.
Two weeks ago, I wrote a post highlighting the most important issues of the session and the possibilities that progress would be made on them. I cannot say that things went as well as I had hoped:
Property Tax Reform, fairer taxes and education funding:
Democrats proposed a very good budget that would relieve people's property tax burdens, make the state's taxes fairer and fund health care, education and community services. But the Governor's main priority in ongoing budget negotiations is keeping the present unfair system that benefits the wealthy at everyone else's expense.
While the Governor, back in February, proposed a bold, five-year education plan that would have greatly increased aid to New Britain, she has since abandoned this plan. Her priority to keep the wealthiest people's taxes low has trumped what had been a bold proposal that could have made a real difference if she had stuck with it.
The budget is still being negotiated right now, however. And, if the Governor is willing to agree to the Democratic budget, there would be even more funding for property tax relief and education than even her original proposal. The legislature will be coming back into special session when there is an agreement on the budget.
Health care:
Legislation was approved to expand access to the state's HUSKY health care system to more children and parents and to increase the number providers serving people with HUSKY coverage by raising their rates. This is good legislation, and I wish that the Governor would sign it. This is also, now, a part of the budget negotiations.
But this legislation would not come close to providing good quality health care coverage to everyone. And it does not help lower health insurance costs for businesses and workers. This is what really needs to be done.
Energy costs:
The people of the state have been asking for action to bring electric rates down, and I have been working hard to win legislation to do this. Unfortunately, however, the legislation that was approved on electric rates will not only not bring electric rates down, but will actually raise rates. This was very disappointing, and I voted against the bill that was ultimately signed by the Governor.
Also, to address rising gasoline prices, I voted to approve a $.25 per gallon cut in the gasoline tax. But the Governor vetoed this legislation, so this is another issue that is a part of the ongoing budget negotiations.
Not everything I hoped for.
Some of the important things that I had hoped to achieve are still, at least in part, possible, since how the budget negotiations will turn out is still in question.
But with other issues, the regular legislative session has ended without the progress I had hoped for.
With electric rates, I fear that the momentum that led to the public demand for action has been spent, and that we may end up stuck with a deregulated electric system that will cost consumers a lot for a long time. I will continue to work on this issue, though.
Health care is a different story. There is no question that what we were trying to achieve would be a major change for the better. But any major change is hard to achieve. So, I plan to begin working right away to build up for another major push for quality, affordable health care for everyone in the next regular session.
Politics rewards persistence rather than patience. So, the best thing to do with setbacks are to pick yourself up, look at what went wrong and try again.
Two weeks ago, I wrote a post highlighting the most important issues of the session and the possibilities that progress would be made on them. I cannot say that things went as well as I had hoped:
Property Tax Reform, fairer taxes and education funding:
Democrats proposed a very good budget that would relieve people's property tax burdens, make the state's taxes fairer and fund health care, education and community services. But the Governor's main priority in ongoing budget negotiations is keeping the present unfair system that benefits the wealthy at everyone else's expense.
While the Governor, back in February, proposed a bold, five-year education plan that would have greatly increased aid to New Britain, she has since abandoned this plan. Her priority to keep the wealthiest people's taxes low has trumped what had been a bold proposal that could have made a real difference if she had stuck with it.
The budget is still being negotiated right now, however. And, if the Governor is willing to agree to the Democratic budget, there would be even more funding for property tax relief and education than even her original proposal. The legislature will be coming back into special session when there is an agreement on the budget.
Health care:
Legislation was approved to expand access to the state's HUSKY health care system to more children and parents and to increase the number providers serving people with HUSKY coverage by raising their rates. This is good legislation, and I wish that the Governor would sign it. This is also, now, a part of the budget negotiations.
But this legislation would not come close to providing good quality health care coverage to everyone. And it does not help lower health insurance costs for businesses and workers. This is what really needs to be done.
Energy costs:
The people of the state have been asking for action to bring electric rates down, and I have been working hard to win legislation to do this. Unfortunately, however, the legislation that was approved on electric rates will not only not bring electric rates down, but will actually raise rates. This was very disappointing, and I voted against the bill that was ultimately signed by the Governor.
Also, to address rising gasoline prices, I voted to approve a $.25 per gallon cut in the gasoline tax. But the Governor vetoed this legislation, so this is another issue that is a part of the ongoing budget negotiations.
Not everything I hoped for.
Some of the important things that I had hoped to achieve are still, at least in part, possible, since how the budget negotiations will turn out is still in question.
But with other issues, the regular legislative session has ended without the progress I had hoped for.
With electric rates, I fear that the momentum that led to the public demand for action has been spent, and that we may end up stuck with a deregulated electric system that will cost consumers a lot for a long time. I will continue to work on this issue, though.
Health care is a different story. There is no question that what we were trying to achieve would be a major change for the better. But any major change is hard to achieve. So, I plan to begin working right away to build up for another major push for quality, affordable health care for everyone in the next regular session.
Politics rewards persistence rather than patience. So, the best thing to do with setbacks are to pick yourself up, look at what went wrong and try again.
