Rep. Mike Alberts (R-Woodstock) took part in a CT Business Day panel discussion at the Legislative Office Building Wednesday to listen to the concerns of Connecticut’s business owners about proposed legisaltion during the current session. Rep. Alberts discused the challenges legislators face when trying to craft legislation that does not harm an already delicate business climate within the state.
To see a video clip click here.
The Prudential Spirit of Community Awards are designed to emphasize the importance of service to others and encourages all young Americans to contribute to their communities. Amity Middle School in Orange, where Demery attends eighth grade, nominated Demery for the award. She was one of more than 21,000 young people across the country considered for state-level recognition this year.
Rep Klarides applauded Demery’s exemplary community service and recognized her charitable work as an inspiration to young and old alike.
As a State Honoree, Demery will receive $1,000, an engraved silver medallion, and a trip to Washington, D.C. where she will join other honorees for several days of national recognition events.
(Photo by JBazinet)
Rep. Noujaim delivered the keynote speech during the February meeting of the Central Connecticut Association for Financial Professionals in Hartford Wednesday. Speaking about the current state budget deficit Rep. Noujaim advocated for a more common sense approach to state government. He said the state needs to be more fiscally responsible, stop spending money it doesn’t have, borrow only what we can afford to repay, consolidate duplicate state agencies and demand results-based accountability.
State Rep. John Frey joined his House Republican colleagues on Feb. 24 in calling out Democrats for trying to impose a job-killing mandatory sick leave proposal on all businesses, just one day after Democrats staged an elaborate press conference claiming job growth is their signature issue this legislative session.
Connecticut would become the first state in the country to require all companies to provide mandatory sick leave for part-time and full-time employees. The Democrats picked the annual Business Day at the Capitol to roll out their sick leave plan – a clear sign that the majority party relishes its anti-private sector stature in the legislature, Republicans charged.
“At a time when Connecticut is bleeding jobs — we have lost 94,000 during the economic downturn — and struggling to break out of a period of stagnant growth, imposing additional unnecessary burdens on businesses is simply irresponsible,” said Rep. Frey. “We need to be working on changing the culture in Hartford to attract businesses and jobs to our state, not working to make Connecticut a place to avoid for business owners and entrepreneurs.”
The bill that will be raised in the Labor and Public Employees Committee Thursday (2/26) requires that any employee who logs at least 520 hours of work a year receive seven paid sick leave days. The 520 hour minimum defines a part-time worker by any standard, Rep. Frey noted.
The bill would apply to businesses that employ 60 people or more. Republicans were joined at a Capitol press conference by business owners, one of whom said his company has 48 employees. The owners said they would not be inclined to add more payroll if that mean their costs of doing business went up.
A similar bill last year was approved in the House but never came out of the Senate because the chamber was split 18-18 on the bill.
Rep. Candelora Criticizes Sick Leave Proposal
Connecticut Manufacturers Say Bill Will Kill Jobs
Rep. Candelora, assailed Democratic leaders for trying to impose a job-killing mandatory sick leave proposal on all businesses today during a manufacturing business panel discussion today at the Legislative Office Building. House Democratic leadership held a press conference today on the mandatory sick leave proposal only one day after Democrats staged an elaborate press conference claiming job growth is their signature issue this legislative session.
Manufacturing companies present at the panel discussion overwhelmingly expressed this legislation would have devastating consequences on Connecticut’s struggling manufacturing industry.
The bill that will be raised in the Labor and Public Employees Committee Thursday requires that any employee who logs at least 520 hours of work a year receive seven paid sick leave days. The 520 hour minimum defines a part-time worker by any standard, Candelora noted. If passed, Connecticut would become the first state in the country to require all companies to provide mandatory sick leave for part-time and full-time employees.
“In my recreation business, many of my part time employees are teenagers. When they want to attend something or are sick, they have a flexibility to find someone to cover their shift or earn extra paid time when someone else needs a shift cover. The paid sick leave would eliminate that ability and put the burden on the employer to pay for the time away, the unintended consequences being some businesses simply won’t be able to afford part-timers, like young teenagers, looking for a job,” Rep. Candelora expressed his concern.
The choir from the Academy of Our Lady of Mercy Lauralton Hall performed a moving rendition of the Star Spangled Banner at the opening of the session of the House of Representatives on February 24, 2010. Above, Representative DebraLee Hovey met with Amanda Watson of Newtown who sings in the choir and attends the all-girl Catholic preparatory school in Milford.
Video of their outstanding performance is below.
HARTFORD – House Republicans assailed “schizophrenic’’ Democrats for trying to impose a job-killing mandatory sick leave proposal on all businesses today, one day after Democrats staged an elaborate press conference claiming job growth is their signature issue this legislative session.
Connecticut would become the first state in the country to require all companies to provide mandatory sick leave for part-time and full-time employees. The Democrats picked the annual Business Day at the Capitol to roll out their sick leave plan – a clear sign that the majority party relishes its anti-private sector stature in the legislature, Republicans charged.
“The Democrats claim they want to create job growth back in their home districts because 90,000 Connecticut people have lost their jobs in this recession,’’ House Republican Leader Lawrence F. Cafero Jr., said. “And then they roll out a mandatory sick leave bill in Hartford that they know companies across the state vehemently oppose. They are being schizophrenic.’’
The bill that will be raised in the Labor and Public Employees Committee Thursday requires that any employee who logs at least 520 hours of work a year receive seven paid sick leave days. The 520 hour minimum defines a part-time worker by any standard, Cafero noted.
Only San Francisco and Washington D.C., require companies to provide paid sick leave. “I believe that is telling. One city boasts the highest cost of doing business in the country and the other, Washington, is the most dysfunctional,’’ Cafero said.
The bill would apply to businesses that employ 50 people or more. Cafero and other Republicans were joined at a Capitol press conference by business owners, one of whom said his company has 48 employees. The owners said they would not be inclined to add more payroll if that mean their costs of doing business went up.
A similar bill last year was approved in the House but never came out of the Senate because the chamber was split 18-18 on the bill. Cafero said business groups are worried that the legislature was even considering enacting the legislation.
Cafero said, “Companies of all sizes are wary of uncertain business conditions and make their decision on where to locate and grow based on the possibility of adverse mandates on them. We have got to break the cycle of pushing through job-killing laws especially at a time of exploding unemployment and record state budget deficits.
Every ten years the United States Census provides a unique opportunity for scammers and con artists to elicit your personal information for criminal purposes. Representative Arthur O’Neill is joining with Senator Rob Kane and Jerry Farrell, Commissioner of the State Department of Consumer Protection, to provide a forum on how you can protect yourself from scam artists posing as Census takers.
The event will be held on Tuesday, March 2nd, 2010, from 1:30 to 3:30 PM in the Meeting House Music Room at Heritage Village. For more details call Rep. O’Neill’s office at 1-800-842-1423.
Connecticut has one of the highest indebtedness in the country. Unfortunately, because revenues continue to drop, our percentage of debt in relation to how it funds the overall budget has increased. Now the legislature must cancel proposed bond projects this session in order to comply with state law and prevent a downgrade of our bond rating. We should only be borrowing what we can afford to pay back.
This session, I’m proposing legislation that isn’t glamorous or will get headlines, but I believe it will provide the legislature an important piece of information in the budget process. The legislature receives reports on tax revenues and spending each month. However, I was surprised the legislature does not also receive regular reports on Connecticut’s indebtedness or cash flow. Having this information on a regular basis would enable state legislators to have a clearer picture of the state’s financial situation; especially since currently debt constitutes ten percent of our budget. Read More→
HARTFORD — Rep. Sean Williams urged members of the state’s business community, both employers and employees, to hold legislators accountable for the proposals they push at the Capitol. Williams participated in a panel discussion during “business day” at the legislative office building. Check out his remarks here:
Connecticut House Republicans
Government |
Citizen Guide |
Leadership
Connecticut House Republican Office |