TRANSPORTATION
· Require the Department of Transportation to immediately move forward with the acquisition of Metro North rail cars to provide the 2,000 additional rail seats mandated by the Transportation Strategy Board bill adopted last year. The age and fragility of the current rail car fleet is such that approximately one-third of the 300 rail cars are now out of service and in repair due to the adverse weather conditions. Replacing these cars is an urgent top-tier priority for the state.

· Require that a driver’s vision be tested at the time a driver’s license is renewed. Connecticut is far behind most other states in recognizing that driving capability is an essential qualification for operating a vehicle throughout an individual’s life.

· Require that a driver’s license issued to a non-resident expire co-terminus with the termination of the individual’s legal right to remain in the U.S. Current law allowing illegal aliens to hold drivers licenses indefinitely is an invitation to the individual to overextend their legal stay.

CASINOS
Prohibit the state from entering into a casino compact with a recognized Indian tribe on land that is not part of a present Indian reservation. The proliferation of Indian casinos at off reservation sites, as has occurred in other states, was never intended to be part of the Indian Gaming Regulations Act adopted by Congress in 1989 and is a threat to municipal planning, healthy economic development and the social fabric in Connecticut.

ENVIRONMENT
· Adopt California automobile emissions standards. Connecticut should join its neighboring states in this important step toward cleaner air.

· Protect Class III lands owned by water companies from development. These lands were acquired as part of the water companies’ mission to provide clean water and should not now be subject to development.

HEALTH
Adopt a comprehensive reform of medical malpractice to hold down premiums and protect patients. At present soaring medical insurance costs have led to doctors retiring early and leaving the profession, thus limiting patient access and driving up costs. Reforms should include a cap on excessive jury awards and improving peer review for doctors’ professional capabilities.

ETHICS
Strengthen the role of the Ethics Commission by banning gifts to elected officials and state employees made by companies doing business with the state, strengthening the Commission’s status and funding and lengthening the Statute of Limitations

ZONING
Overturn the Poirier v. Wilton zoning case in which a court placed unsustainable burdens on municipal land planning agencies by requiring them to enforce obsolete and out of date regulations.