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Sparks fly at the Waterbury Chamber's 2016 Legislative Breakfast David Krechevsky, Public Policy Director If you were unable to attend the Waterbury Regional Chamber’s Annual Legislative Breakfast this morning, you missed a spellbinding event! Sponsored by Saint Mary’s Health System at the CoCo Key Hotel and Water Resort, the breakfast showcased 11 members of the region’s legislative delegation and was attended by nearly 100 of our members. The question-and-answer session — deftly moderated by Don McPartland, the Chamber’s vice chairman of Public Policy and an attorney with the law firm Moore, O’Brien & Foti in Middlebury — produced some fireworks. And there was a startling announcement by a longtime legislator. That’s why you should consider attending our public policy events: you don’t want to miss anything! Our next events include the Naugatuck Legislative Breakfast on Wednesday, Feb. 10, from 7:45-9:30 a.m. at Jesse Camille’s; the Watertown/Oakville Legislative Breakfast on Thursday, Feb. 25, from 7:45-9:30 a.m. at the Watertown Golf Club, and our Annual Legislative Dinner, set for Monday, March 14th, at the Crowne Plaza Hotel in Southbury and featuring state Comptroller Kevin Lembo as our keynote speaker. Today’s event featured the following legislators: Rep. Jeff Berger, D-73rd; Rep. Eric Berthel, R-68th; Rep. Larry Butler, D-72nd; Sen. Joan Hartley, D-15th; Sen. Rob Kane, R-32nd; Sen. Joe Markley, R-16th; Rep. Selim Noujaim, R-74th; Rep. Arthur O’Neill, R-69th and Rep. John Piscopo, R-76th. Here are highlights from today’s event: • Rep. Noujaim, a Republican who has represented Waterbury’s East End for 14 years, kicked off the event with the surprise announcement that he will not seek re-election after the 2016 legislative session ends. “Every moment has been a blessing, and for everyone person I helped I receive satisfaction and joy,” he said in prepared remarks. He has served Waterbury’s 74th District since winning a special election in February 2002. The special election was held to fill the seat after then-Rep. Michael J. Jarjura was elected mayor of Waterbury. Fortunately for the Chamber, Rep. Noujaim said he will remain an active member through his Waterbury-based manufacturing firm, Noujaim Tool Company Inc., which is owned by his family. • The first question for the assembled legislators concerned General Electric’s recent announcement of its plans to move its headquarters to Boston, and Gov. Dannel P. Malloy’s subsequent remarks that the legislature needs “to put an end to partisan sniping … and come together to make the state a more competitive place to do business.” Rep. O’Neill, Deputy Republican Leader in the House, responded first and rejected the governor’s statement, saying he believes it was intended to stifle debate. Rep. Berger disagreed, saying Republicans were brought “into the room” during the budget negotiations and would continue to be invited to participate. Rep. Butler, however, said he is tired of the “political rhetoric — to which Sen. Kane, responded, “When you are on the wrong side of a vote, you call it rhetoric.” • Regarding GE’s move, Sen. Markley said there is an argument to be made that Massachusetts is as bad a state for taxes as Connecticut. But, he said, Massachusetts “is heading in the right direction,” while Connecticut is heading in the wrong direction. Sen. Hartley said she was grateful for GE and other companies coming forward to raise concerns about the state budget and tax issues. “Wake up, business community, I’m glad you’re smelling the coffee,” she said. • The legislators were also asked whether they support ending the hospital provider tax. Rep. Piscopo, said the tax originally was supposed to sunset last June, and would support ending it. Rep. Berger said there was a bipartisan effort to work on this tax, but that it is the “executive branch” where there is no common ground. • On the topic of Gov. Malloy’s $10 billion plan to improve transportation in the state, which includes creating a “lock box” for money to fund the projects, Sen. Markley strongly rejected the idea. He said the state in the past has consistently raided funds dedicated for a specific purpose to fix budget deficits, and that he is skeptical it won’t happen again. Rep. Berger, however, said the state does need to do something to improve transportation, but it needs oversight and predictability. Other issues raised during the event included privatizing state services, particularly some of the things done at the state Department of Motor Vehicles; the need to negotiate changes to contracts with state employee unions, including the possibility of replacing defined benefit plans with defined contribution plans; and making the state spending cap enforceable. The Chamber also shared with each legislator a copy of its 2016 Legislative and Regional Agenda, which is available on our website, www.waterburychabmer.com. To contact Chamber Director of Public Policy and Economic Development David Krechevsky, email him at dkrechevsky@waterburychamber.com
Sparks fly at the Waterbury Chamber's 2016 Legislative Breakfast David Krechevsky, Public Policy Director If you were unable to attend the Waterbury Regional Chamber’s Annual Legislative Breakfast this morning, you missed a spellbinding event!
Sponsored by Saint Mary’s Health System at the CoCo Key Hotel and Water Resort, the breakfast showcased 11 members of the region’s legislative delegation and was attended by nearly 100 of our members. The question-and-answer session — deftly moderated by Don McPartland, the Chamber’s vice chairman of Public Policy and an attorney with the law firm Moore, O’Brien & Foti in Middlebury — produced some fireworks. And there was a startling announcement by a longtime legislator.
That’s why you should consider attending our public policy events: you don’t want to miss anything! Our next events include the Naugatuck Legislative Breakfast on Wednesday, Feb. 10, from 7:45-9:30 a.m. at Jesse Camille’s; the Watertown/Oakville Legislative Breakfast on Thursday, Feb. 25, from 7:45-9:30 a.m. at the Watertown Golf Club, and our Annual Legislative Dinner, set for Monday, March 14th, at the Crowne Plaza Hotel in Southbury and featuring state Comptroller Kevin Lembo as our keynote speaker.
Today’s event featured the following legislators: Rep. Jeff Berger, D-73rd; Rep. Eric Berthel, R-68th; Rep. Larry Butler, D-72nd; Sen. Joan Hartley, D-15th; Sen. Rob Kane, R-32nd; Sen. Joe Markley, R-16th; Rep. Selim Noujaim, R-74th; Rep. Arthur O’Neill, R-69th and Rep. John Piscopo, R-76th.
Here are highlights from today’s event:
• Rep. Noujaim, a Republican who has represented Waterbury’s East End for 14 years, kicked off the event with the surprise announcement that he will not seek re-election after the 2016 legislative session ends.
“Every moment has been a blessing, and for everyone person I helped I receive satisfaction and joy,” he said in prepared remarks.
He has served Waterbury’s 74th District since winning a special election in February 2002. The special election was held to fill the seat after then-Rep. Michael J. Jarjura was elected mayor of Waterbury.
Fortunately for the Chamber, Rep. Noujaim said he will remain an active member through his Waterbury-based manufacturing firm, Noujaim Tool Company Inc., which is owned by his family. • The first question for the assembled legislators concerned General Electric’s recent announcement of its plans to move its headquarters to Boston, and Gov. Dannel P. Malloy’s subsequent remarks that the legislature needs “to put an end to partisan sniping … and come together to make the state a more competitive place to do business.” Rep. O’Neill, Deputy Republican Leader in the House, responded first and rejected the governor’s statement, saying he believes it was intended to stifle debate. Rep. Berger disagreed, saying Republicans were brought “into the room” during the budget negotiations and would continue to be invited to participate. Rep. Butler, however, said he is tired of the “political rhetoric — to which Sen. Kane, responded, “When you are on the wrong side of a vote, you call it rhetoric.”
• Regarding GE’s move, Sen. Markley said there is an argument to be made that Massachusetts is as bad a state for taxes as Connecticut. But, he said, Massachusetts “is heading in the right direction,” while Connecticut is heading in the wrong direction. Sen. Hartley said she was grateful for GE and other companies coming forward to raise concerns about the state budget and tax issues. “Wake up, business community, I’m glad you’re smelling the coffee,” she said.
• The legislators were also asked whether they support ending the hospital provider tax. Rep. Piscopo, said the tax originally was supposed to sunset last June, and would support ending it. Rep. Berger said there was a bipartisan effort to work on this tax, but that it is the “executive branch” where there is no common ground.
• On the topic of Gov. Malloy’s $10 billion plan to improve transportation in the state, which includes creating a “lock box” for money to fund the projects, Sen. Markley strongly rejected the idea. He said the state in the past has consistently raided funds dedicated for a specific purpose to fix budget deficits, and that he is skeptical it won’t happen again. Rep. Berger, however, said the state does need to do something to improve transportation, but it needs oversight and predictability.
Other issues raised during the event included privatizing state services, particularly some of the things done at the state Department of Motor Vehicles; the need to negotiate changes to contracts with state employee unions, including the possibility of replacing defined benefit plans with defined contribution plans; and making the state spending cap enforceable.
The Chamber also shared with each legislator a copy of its 2016 Legislative and Regional Agenda, which is available on our website, www.waterburychabmer.com.
To contact Chamber Director of Public Policy and Economic Development David Krechevsky, email him at dkrechevsky@waterburychamber.com