Tolls Update
Regular Session Kicks off on Wednesday
Capitol News and Notes
Links to Live By
Special Retail News and Notes
- When we last spoke it looked like the General Assembly was poised to go into special session to finally take a vote on whether CT was going to institute some sort of tolls.
- Senate Majority Leader Martin Looney (D) New Haven, had held a press conference and laid out what was going to be in the package.
- He outlined the package, which included among other things, a limited number of toll gantries to 12 bridges on 6 highways in the State and having it apply to trucks only.
- He noted that the Transportation Committee would hold a public hearing on the proposal Friday and that the General Assembly would go into special session on Tuesday to vote on it.
- But soon after the bill was released anti toll groups along with House and Senate Republican leaders denounced it.
- As Keith Phaneuf of the CT Mirror writes in this article Sen. Republican leader Len Fasano spotted a “workaround” in the proposed bill that would expand the toll to passenger vehicles as well.
- House Minority Leader Themis Klarides also protested the proposed bill while also implying that If the General Assembly did go into a Special Session on Tuesday her members might just talk the issue until Wednesday when the Regular Session is to begin, thereby raising issues as to when the special session ends and the regular session begins.
- House and Sen leaders huddled on Thursday to try and map out a plan for the session, but they could not reach an agreement and informed the Governor that they would not move forward with the planned session to take up tolls.
- They will move forward with a public hearing on Friday but how they proceed from this point forward on tolls remains uncertain.
Regular Session kicks off on Wednesday
- As we have mentioned the regular session of the general assembly will officially begin on Wednesday of next week.
- Traditionally the Governor kicks off the so called “short session” with an address to the General Assembly. Now that the issue of tolls will still be an outstanding issue for him and the General Assembly, it will be interesting to see just how he addresses that issue.
- He and his staff along with majority Democrats had hope to have the issue behind them before the start of the session so that they could focus on other issues.
- With the start of the regular session, the CRMA Legislative Committee will kick into gear as well. The Legislative Committee is open for all members to participate in. We will be holding our first call of the year on Thursday, February 6th at 11:00am.
- If you are not already participating with the Legislative Committee and would like to, please email us at crma@ctretailnetwork.com and we will send you the call-in information.
Links to Live By
- The great Mark Pazniokas of the CT Mirror takes look what legislators are planning for extending gaming this session.
- Paz also has a good story on how states might try to reduce the boarder battles for companies to relocate.
- This week the Criminal Justice Commission chose Richard Colangelo, Jr to be CT’s New Chief State’s Attorney. CT News Junkie has that story here.
Special Retail News and Notes
- In lieu of Retail News and Notes this week, we wanted to send a special thanks to CRMA’s Cathy Peruccio who will be leaving CRMA this week after 15 plus years with us.
- Cathy made all the behind the scenes stuff happen at CRMA and we know anybody who has had any connection with us over the time that Cathy has been with us will know what a great job she did and what a great person she is.
- We will miss her greatly but are excited for her as she takes on a new adventure in her life.