What Passed, Failed In The 2010 Legislative Session

 

The following are some of the top bills that passed or failed during the 2010 session of the Connecticut General Assembly as compiled by the Associated Press:

Passed

UConn Health Center: Lawmakers authorized a massive overhaul of the University of Connecticut Health Center in Farmington and the development of a regional health network. The $362 million project calls for $237 million in state bonding and $100 million in federal grant funds that Connecticut officials are seeking.

Seat Belts On Buses: The legislation provides a financial incentive for public school districts to voluntarily buy school buses with three-point restraints. School can receive rebates of 50 percent of the state sales tax.

Energy Reform: Lawmakers passed a wide-ranging energy reform bill that calls for lowering electric rates by 15 percent by July 2012, adopting California’s efficiency standards for appliances by 2013, requiring electric and gas companies to offer discounts to low-income customers and encouraging use of solar and other renewable energy.

Jobs Bill: The legislation extends loans to struggling small businesses, helps train the unemployed for new careers, creates income tax credits for “angel investors” who invest in qualified technical industries, and extends an existing job creation tax credit to more small businesses.

Domestic Violence: Lawmakers passed a package of bills aimed at combating domestic violence. The reforms include a pilot program for electronic monitoring of high-risk offenders, improved enforcement of protective orders, the creation of three family violence court dockets, and allowing domestic violence victims to break leases with landlords.

Failed

Chimpanzee Bill: Time ran out for a bill that would have allowed police officers who use deadly force against a mammal to be eligible for mental health services under the state’s workers’ compensation law. The bill stemmed from last year’s violent attack by a chimpanzee in Stamford, which was shot to death by a police officer.

Kleen Energy: Lawmakers could not reach an agreement on a bill that would address power plant safety in the wake of the February 7 explosion at the Kleen Energy plant in Middletown. Six men died from the blast. Proponents hoped to require state agencies to work together to develop standards for power plant safety in Connecticut.

Smoking Bans: Two bills that would have expanded the state smoking ban died. One bill removed the minimum number of employees required for the current ban on smoking in workplaces to kick in. The other would have banned smoking at child day care centers and group day care centers licensed by the Department of Public Health.

Keno: Lawmakers and Governor M. Jodi Rell ultimately decided against allowing bars and restaurants to offer Keno, a lottery-type of gambling, to raise money to help cover the budget deficit. Some lawmakers were concerned that Keno could risk the state’s agreement with the two federally recognized Indian tribes, which provide the state 25 percent of their slot machine revenues.

Paid Sick Leave: There was not enough support in the Senate for a bill that would require businesses with 50 or more employees to allow their workers to accrue up to 40 hours of paid sick time each year. Some lawmakers said they did not believe this was the appropriate year for such a mandate on business given the state’s poor economy.