Hartford, CT – When the Connecticut General Assembly convenes its 2009 legislative session on Wednesday, Senate Republicans will offer a series of amendments to Senate and Joint rules that would, among other things, eliminate up to eight legislative committees through consolidation, increase transparency and public participation in the budget-setting process, and, for the first time in state history, create a permanent legislative committee on ethics to hear and investigate complaints of official misconduct alleged against members of the Senate.
Senate Minority Leader John McKinney (R-Fairfield) and Senate Minority Leader Pro Tempore Len Fasano (R-North Haven) said the proposals offer a snapshot of what the legislative branch would look like if Republicans were in the majority. They said the rules changes are part of a comprehensive plan that Republican leaders will unveil over the coming weeks designed to fundamentally reinvent state government.
“State government remains big, slow and unresponsive,” said Senator McKinney. “To face our current economic crisis, we need a government that is leaner, more accessible to the public, and more accountable to taxpayers. We need to leverage technology and learn from successful businesses and other states that have found ways to streamline government and make it more efficient. We need a 21st Century Government in order to face 21st Century Challenges. These rule changes would move us significantly closer to achieving that goal.”
“Solving our budget crisis, putting people back to work, and getting our economy moving again are the most immediate and most important challenge facing state government,” said Senator Fasano. “But we have to recognize that the same old way of doing business is going to net the same old results. State government needs a new business model and it starts with establishing a set of common sense rules and processes that promote efficiency and accountability.”
Creating a More Efficient and Transparent Budget-Setting Process
For too long the budget process has been a political game in which the Democrat-led Appropriations Committee is at liberty to report out excessive spending packages unrestrained by fiscal realities. The proposal is usually announced a day or two before the joint filing deadline, forcing the Finance Committee to quickly fashion a tax package to cover every promise made on the spending side. More often than not, there is disagreement between the tax and spending packages and the “real” budget ends up being negotiated by the Governor and a handful of legislative leaders long after the deadlines for committee meetings and public hearings have passed. Majority Democrats usually e-cert the budget bill (which is hundreds of pages long) just hours before a vote is to be taken, compromising legislators’ ability to digest and react to the line items and eliminating any chance for public feedback.
In the end, rarely does the legislature ever adopt a budget that looks anything like the proposals that originate in the Appropriations Committee. To do so would usually be irresponsible. - Take 2007 for example. The Democrats proposed $1.6 billion in expanded services and programs. Great, but the state couldn’t afford it. In the end, the legislature scrapped the irresponsible proposal and instead passed a budget that made important investments in education, health care and energy reform without significant tax increases.
Senate Republicans believe this current system is inefficient and it is just plain common sense to look at spending and revenue together and report out a balanced budget that works. To that end, Senate Republicans have proposed combining the Appropriations and Finance committees into one Budget Committee required to produce a balanced budget proposal. Senate Republicans are also proposing a rule requiring that any budget or budget implementation bill, together with the fiscal note, be made available to legislators and the public at least 48 hours prior to a vote.
Streamlining the Legislative Branch
In addition to combining the Appropriations and Finance committees into one Budget Committee, Senate Republicans propose the elimination of the legislature’s four select committees, which under current law cannot transmit legislation directly to the floor of the House or Senate. Senate Republicans also propose consolidating Education and Higher Education, Commerce with Planning and Development, and Banks and Insurance. These changes would result in eight fewer legislative committees, saving the state money by requiring nine fewer full-time staff members and 18 fewer sessional employees. This proposal would potentially allow the Office of Legislative Research and the Legislative Commissioners’ Office to also reduce staffing levels.
in reduced overhead and staff salaries. “If we expect executive branch agencies to make cut backs, the legislature should lead by example,” said Senator McKinney.
Helping Municipalities Better Plan and Control Property Taxes
Most of Connecticut’s 169 cities and towns operate on a Fiscal Year that begins July 1st. When the legislature fails to pass a state budget in advance of that date, municipal leaders are left to guess as to how much assistance they can count on from the state. To eliminate this uncertainty, Senate Republicans are proposing a rule establishing April 1st as the Budget Committee’s deadline for reporting out bills.
Senate Republicans are also seeking to help protect municipalities from unfunded state mandates – the primary driver of unanticipated municipal property tax hikes – by requiring that if a bill proposal or amendment will cost municipalities money to implement, it must be accompanied by a typed, signed statement of the source of revenue to cover the cost of the mandate.
Forcing State Government to Prioritize
- Require a 2/3rds majority vote to approve:
- municipal mandates;
- proposals to increase taxes beyond the taxes authorized in the biennial budget;
- proposals to increase spending beyond the amount authorized in the biennial budget;
- bill or amendments that would take effect after the next general statewide election.
Making State Government Friendlier and More Accessible
- Members of the public shall be allowed to testify first at all public hearings.
- Require that the body must recess by midnight, unless a two-thirds vote of those present waives the rule, and that only for bill then under consideration.
- Require public hearings on all bills and amendments which create an exception to an existing statute.
- Require strike all amendments to be printed and on legislators’ desks at least two days prior to final passage.
Creating a Bipartisan Senate Committee on Ethics and Standards of Official Conduct
This committee would have the power to investigate any alleged ethical violation, abuse of office, or official misconduct that impairs the ability of a member to serve, or undermines public confidence in the State Senate.
Under the proposal, the Bipartisan Senate Committee on Ethics and Standards of Official Conduct would consist of three Democratic senators appointed by the President Pro Tempore, and three Republican senators appointed by the President Pro Tempore upon the recommendation of the Senate Minority Leader. The President Pro Tempore would also appoint two co-chairs, one of whom will be appointed upon the recommendation of the Senate Minority Leader. A complaint by any person, signed under penalty of false statement, would trigger a confidential preliminary investigation by the committee. If the committee finds probable cause, it would then conduct a full public investigation and be responsible for reporting its findings in the form of a resolution to be voted upon by the full Senate. The committee may recommend expulsion, censure, reprimand or that no action be taken.
According to a 2007 report by the Office of Legislative Research (2007-R-0731), 41 state legislatures have designated committees to hear and investigate complaints alleging ethical or legislative rule violations committed by individual legislators. Arkansas, Connecticut, Michigan, Nebraska, North Dakota, Oklahoma, Rhode Island, Vermont and Wyoming do not.
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