| By Senator
William H. Nickerson, Ranking Member of the Finance Committee
and Member of the Transportation Committee
The legislative session has passed the two-thirds mark and
the committee work is largely completed, the budget being
a major exception. Here is my perspective on where things
stand.
•
TRANSPORTATION – The Transportation
Committee has approved a bill to purchase new rail cars,
as recommended by the Transportation Strategy Board, to
greatly increase use of Metro North railroad for intrastate
commuting. This is the only effective way the unsustainable
transportation glut in Fairfield County can be addressed.
•
CASINO EXPANSION – I worked closely
with the Connecticut Alliance Against Casino Expansion (www.connecticutalliance.org)
to successfully pass legislation to prevent further Indian
casino expansion by repealing charitable “Las Vegas
nights.” The Environment Committee has approved my
companion bill which provides that if, despite our best
efforts, a tribe is recognized and seeks to build a casino,
they must produce an environmental impact statement and
mitigate
the consequences.
•
ENVIRONMENT – The Connecticut Fund
for the Environment (www.cfenv.org) has proposed a bill
I support to protect drinking water and preserve as open
space the 120,000 acres
of land surrounding water company reservoirs.
•
HIGHWAY SAFETY – I have co-sponsored
a bill to provide for a graduated license for teenager drivers
by restricting the number of passengers they may carry and
the night hours during which they may drive. My other bill
would prohibit anyone from driving with an open bottle of
alcohol. Many people think this is already illegal, and
it should be.
•
CRIME – The Judiciary Committee is
considering a bill to require that “ballistic fingerprints”
be retained for new handguns in order to assist law enforcement
officers in solving crimes. This is modeled on the successful
federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco & Firearms
program already in place.
•
BUDGET DEFICIT – Last month a “deficit
mitigation” plan for the current fiscal year was adopted.
While I recognize the need to solve the deficit, I voted
against the bill because I felt the 4 to 1 ratio of tax
increases to spending reductions was inappropriate. Governor
Rowland has introduced his proposed budget for the coming
fiscal year with relatively small tax increases,
which I am prepared to support in its present form. |
