Lawmakers discuss job creation, economy
http://www.nhregister.com/articles/2010/01/24/news/new_haven/a3-politics.txt
Sunday, January 24, 2010
By Angela Carter, Register Staff
NEW HAVEN — Job creation and preservation, red light cameras, energy policy reform and public financing of elections were the dominant themes Saturday, as members of the public queried New Haven’s all-Democrat General Assembly delegation.
Senate Majority Leader Martin Looney and other lawmakers gave an overview of how the state legislature is structured and bills are reviewed at City Hall.
When the session begins Feb. 3, legislators will be facing an estimated $500 million budget deficit. State Rep. Cameron Staples, House co-chairman of the Finance, Revenue and Bonding Committee, said the shortfall could reach $700 million in 2011.
Both chambers are grappling how to cut spending and increase revenue without further harming taxpayers and businesses during a recession, he said. State Sen. Toni Harp, chairwoman of the Appropriations Committee, said policymakers are using a new tool known as results-based accounting to evaluate programs and agencies that receive state funding to see how they are performing and decide whether to retain them.
The state Department of Labor reported last week that Connecticut lost 4,800 jobs in December and West River resident Jerry Poole questioned the panel of leaders on how they plan to restore and grow jobs.
“New Haven and New England have lost their manufacturing base and we’re seeing the economy starting to sink,” he said.
State Rep. Juan Candelaria, a Commerce Committee member, said the state needs a long-term plan that addresses workers at all points on the job skills spectrum.
“We must overcome the achievement gap,” Looney said. “This is critical for our future. Connecticut is never going to compete at the level of low-wage jobs, nor do we want to.”
Erin Sturgis-Pascale, a member of the steering committee for the Connecticut Livable Streets Campaign, asked the delegation to lobby for proposed, enabling legislation that would allow municipalities to install cameras that would capture the image of license plates when drivers fail to obey traffic lights.
Several legislators responded that the concept has raised concerns about privacy and will require lobbying and increased of public awareness to win support – a “yeomen’s task,” said state Rep. Toni Walker, chairwoman of the Human Services Committee. “It has to start yesterday.”
Contact Angela Carter at 203-789-5752 or acarter@newhavenregister.com.
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