To paraphrase the famous Otto von Bismarck quote: Laws are like sausages. It’s better not to see them being made.

But that did not stop Newtown constituents from digging into slices of sausage pizza while hearing about how a number of legislative initiatives became law this year as Newtown State Representative Mitch Bolinsky (R-106) hosted a post-session Pizza & Politics gathering June 17 on the deck at Carminuccio’s Pizza.

About two dozen residents showed up for the 90-minute opportunity to hear Rep Bolinsky’s input on various pieces of state government business, including tolls and other transportation issues, state employee pensions, a newly enacted phased increase of the state’s minimum wage, and of course, new taxes that have been initiated in an attempt to begin digging the state out of the protracted economic stall that is now impacting a newly-elected governor.

“This year the legislature set a record with 6,000 bills [proposed],” Rep Bolinsky told the gathering. “Five thousand of them just died, only about 600 made it to house and senate votes, and far fewer ever made it to the governor’s desk.”

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