Halloween is just around the corner, with Thanksgiving and Christmas not far behind—and the Connecticut General Assembly still is not doing its job. It has been three months since we started debating a bonding package for Connecticut, and three months since the Petit murders in Cheshire. Yet we have made no progress on either passing a fiscally responsible bonding package or reforming our parole laws to protect our families. Instead, do you know what we are spending our time on? Debating whether illegal immigrants should receive taxpayer-funded home heating assistance when the federal government clearly prohibits it.

The General Assembly’s priorities are all wrong.

Extending Benefits to Illegal Immigrants. Three legislative committees recently met to discuss Connecticut’s administration of the federal government’s Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program. During the hearings, we found that agencies in New Haven were giving out aid for heating fuel to illegal immigrants without social security numbers. Not only is this inherently unfair to qualified low-income families in New Haven who are not receiving this aid, but it is illegal under federal law.

Even Attorney General Richard Blumenthal said that giving this aid to illegal immigrants was clearly against federal law. But worst of all, we put $47 million in federal aid in jeopardy by allowing this—money intended to help thousands of poor families in Connecticut who cannot afford to heat their homes in the winter. But majority Democrats in the General Assembly are trying to find a way around federal law to give this aid to illegal immigrants. They should be ashamed of themselves for putting poor citizens of Connecticut at risk this winter in the name of expanding benefits to illegal immigrants.

Instead of trying to extend benefits to illegal immigrants, we should be dealing with two critical issues that have gone unaddressed—passing a bonding package and reforming our parole laws.

Passing a Responsible Bonding Package. Connecticut residents rightfully expect us to present them with a responsible, reasonable, state bonding package that Governor M. Jodi Rell can sign – unlike the bloated, irresponsible $3.2 billion package that I voted against and she correctly vetoed.

It appears obvious to me – and to other fiscally prudent legislators – that the General Assembly needs to pass a smaller, more reasonable bonding package. First, remove the 10-year $1 billion proposal for the Connecticut State University system that was added to the now vetoed bond package at the last minute. No one is suggesting that we not invest in our state universities, just that we take a more measured, more thoughtful, approach to these expensive projects. Second, get rid of the more than $200 million in pork barrel spending “earmarks”. From my point of view, it is important to remember that this is borrowed money we are spending – money that the taxpayers must repay, with interest.

Reforming Parole Law to Protect Our Families. Equally importantly, we need to protect our families from repeat criminals who are getting back out on the streets too easily. The Petit murders in Cheshire show the need for us to have stricter standards for parole and repeat criminals. Together with my colleagues, I have crafted a comprehensive package of proposals designed to better protect law abiding citizens by keeping repeat criminal offenders off the streets—and I have called on us to have a special session immediately to pass it.

We propose a “three strikes” law that gives an automatic life sentence to anyone convicted of three felonies. Our proposal also includes reclassifying breaking into a home as a violent crime—thus requiring that criminals serve at least 85% of their sentence. I also support increasing the mandatory minimum sentences of criminals on each successive offense, including eliminating the possibility of parole for chronic offenders of any crime.

There is no credible reason to reject Republican legislators’ call for an immediate special session to debate these issues. Even if you do not agree with these specific proposals, we at least need to get together to debate the issues and take action. Yet, the General Assembly is unwilling to call a special session now to even consider legislative proposals – Republican or Democrat – to begin to address these issues.

Today I am again calling on House Speaker James Amann and Senate President Don Williams to call a special session to deal with these two issues. The people of Connecticut deserve no less than we legislators doing our job to pass a fiscally responsible bonding package and protect our families from crime.

I hope that Thanksgiving and Christmas do not come and go without us taking action on bonding and protecting our families. We need to start dealing with the issues that matter to quality of life of families in Shelton and Stratford, not debating how we can break federal law to provide benefits to illegal immigrants.