Even after a 2015 session he said was sprinkled with “little victories,” then a special session, and then another veto override session, Newtown’s State Representative Mitch Bolinsky emerged from his latest legislative foray somewhat frustrated and feeling so much more good could have been done — from a statewide perspective, as well as for his local constituents.

“It was not a productive session,” Rep Bolinsky said about midpoint through his annual legislative look back interview with The Newtown Bee. “Voters sent us here to do the people’s business and it all comes grinding to a halt over political ideology.”

On the day of his initial interview, July 17, Rep Bolinsky was poised to return for a third and final time to Hartford for a session that is required by the state’s Constitution to consider potential overrides of any vetoes from the just-completed regular legislative session. He was hoping to succeed in overriding a gubernatorial veto related to qualifications for the state’s commissioner of education — an issue he said was supported by a “handful” of Newtown constituents. (See Newtown Bee editorial on the subject)

But less than an hour after wrapping up his chat with the newspaper, Rep Bolinsky phoned in to say he had just learned there was not going to be enough support in the house to force an override.

“So I guess it’s on to planning for next year and back to individual constituent services,” he said.

Reflecting on those “little victories,” Rep Bolinsky said the Newtown delegation was successful in shepherding some “good legislation.” But he was more than disappointed, employing a rare expletive, when discussing the failure of a bill that would have bumped up threats made against schools to felony status.

“Unfortunately, a bill that did not make it was [Senator] Tony Hwang’s ‘Zero Tolerance Safe Schools Act,’ which passed unanimously in the Senate, but then didn’t get called in the House,” Rep Bolinsky said. “We wanted to codify the fact that threatening a school was a crime — because right now [prosecution] is at a judge's discretion.

“In Newtown,” he said, “these calls throw our community into lockdown; it makes 6,000 parents hold their breath; it makes the police activate all hands on deck; and it makes the rest of the town vulnerable when the police are scrambling resources to respond. And it’s being referred to as an ‘idle threat’ — that’s [expletive.] So, we’re coming back to that one in the next session.”

Some of the successful proposals Rep Bolinsky was supported in the recent session included:

*Incorporating dyslexia diagnoses under special education purview.

*Restoring most of the threatened cuts to social programs for people with intellectual disabilities.

*Achieving some rollback on an “onerous” hospital tax.

*Maintaining the one percent data services World Wide Web tax.

*Increased funding for senior nutritional services.

*Eliminating variable rate practices against certain state electric consumers.

*Maintaining funding for the two state Governor’s Horse Guard units.

*Passing legislation creating a chain of custody system for individuals found to have diminished mental capacities.

*Increasing training for professionals working with state dementia and Alzheimer’s patients

*Providing training, and mandating concussion reporting for youth athletes.

*Adopting “Emily’s Law,” instituting age guidelines for watercraft towing and requiring safe boating training.

“That one was a no-brainer and may end up saving a few kids’ or teenagers’ lives in the coming years,” Rep Bolinsky said. “These were a few small wins in a year where we still ended up with a $1.4 billion tax increase and we’re increasing spending by seven percent in a state where, arguably, employment and population gains are flat. There are some big problems on the horizon with that stuff.”

Turning to several of his own agenda items that fell short in the 2015 session, Rep Bolinsky referred to an attempt to spur Department of Motor Vehicles enforcement of so-called “Jake braking,” which produces an intolerable, window-rattling racket when applied close to homes and populated areas.

“After talking with the DMV, I learned that trying to enforce against Jake braking is not going to be as effective or economical as finding the resources to enhance truck inspections,” Rep Bolinsky said. Next session, he pledged to look for funding, saying that Jake braking noise is actually caused by an exhaust malfunction that would result in a failed inspection and generate an infraction if discovered.

“So that increase in funding should actually pay for itself in new fines and enforcement,” he said.

Rep Bolinsky’s attempt to get the Paugussett State Forest renamed the Sandy Hook Forest was stymied after he learned that such a move is administered by the state Department of Energy and Environmental Protection (DEEP) and not by legislative initiative.

Another environmental effort regulating out-of-control invasive bamboo in the state was unsuccessful, even after Rep Bolinsky saw a number of elements of his own failed bill return in a broader HB 6043, which again passed in the Senate, but was lost in the session's 11th hour gridlock.

MBR Proposal Passed

Rep Bolinsky said he liked proposed legislation on relaxing the MBR or minimum budget requirement that came out with support of House Speaker Brendan Sharkey (D-Hamden).

“It went unanimously,” he said. “It doesn’t do anything to the way school districts fund their education, but it allows in a declining enrollment environment, some adjustments to budgeting in districts where they are closing schools or operating fewer classrooms. At some point in time this could be a significant taxpayer relief measure. You just have to be careful about destroying the quality of education in our town, which is number two in the state.”

He explained that in the top ten percent of high performing state districts, the new law permits more administration of cost savings locally.

“The assumption is, you wouldn’t be a top ten district if education wasn’t highly valued,” Rep Bolinsky said. “It gives some pretty far-reaching powers to those boards of education. On the other hand, you need to be careful to not degrade it. Locally, the question is do we have a school board that would ever want to go there, and parents watch it like a hawk.”

From a public safety perspective, Rep Bolinsky said he was upset that his open container bill was killed by Transportation Committee Chair Tony Guerrera (D-Rocky Hill), as well as a measure creating special regional DUI courts, which Rep Bolinsky believed complimented Governor Dannel P. Malloy’s overarching “Second Chance Society” initiative.

“I think we can do something with those in a second run at them next session,” he said.

Returning to the state budget, Rep Bolinsky said while Democrats included a number of GOP budget proposals in their spending plan, virtually all of those were spending measures.

“There was not a lot done about controlling the size of state government,” the local lawmaker said.

When asked about moving more aggressively toward regionalizing municipal services, Rep Bolinsky replied such a plan was about as close the state would ever get toward achieving the budget savings he saw in states where he previously resided, which fell under county government administration and enjoyed more economies of scale.

Connecticut Mirror content was used in this report. 

Even after a 2015 session he said was sprinkled with “little victories,” then a special session, and then another veto override session, Newtown’s State Representative Mitch Bolinsky emerged from his latest legislative foray somewhat frustrated and feeling so much more good could have been done — from a statewide perspective, as well as for his local constituents.

“It was not a productive session,” Rep Bolinsky said about midpoint through his annual legislative look back interview with The Newtown Bee. “Voters sent us here to do the people’s business and it all comes grinding to a halt over political ideology.”

On the day of his initial interview, July 17, Rep Bolinsky was poised to return for a third and final time to Hartford for a session that is required by the state’s Constitution to consider potential overrides of any vetoes from the just-completed regular legislative session. He was hoping to succeed in overriding a gubernatorial veto related to qualifications for the state’s commissioner of education — an issue he said was supported by a “handful” of Newtown constituents.

But less than an hour after wrapping up his chat with the newspaper, Rep Bolinsky phoned in to say he had just learned there was not going to be enough support in the house to force an override. “So I guess it’s on to planning for next year and back to individual constituent services,” he said.

Reflecting on those “little wins,” Rep Bolinsky said the Newtown delegation was successful in shepherding some “good legislation.” But he was more than disappointed, employing a rare expletive, when discussing the failure of a bill that would have bumped up threats made against schools to felony status.

“Unfortunately, a bill that did not make it was [Senator] Tony Hwang’s ‘Zero Tolerance Safe Schools Act,’ which passed unanimously in the Senate, but then didn’t get called in the House,” Rep Bolinsky said. “We wanted to codify the fact that threatening a school was a crime — because right now [prosecution] is at a judges discretion.

“In Newtown,” he said, “these calls throw our community into lockdown; it makes 6,000 parents hold their breath; it makes the police activate all hands on deck; and it makes the rest of the town vulnerable when the police are scrambling resources to respond. And it’s being referred to as an ‘idle threat’ — that’s [expletive.] So, we’re coming back to that one in the next session.”

Some of the successful proposals Rep Bolinsky was supported in the recent session included:

*Incorporating dyslexia diagnoses under special education purview.

*Restoring most of the threatened cuts to social programs for people with intellectual disabilities.

*Achieving some rollback on an “onerous” hospital tax.

*Maintaining the one percent data services World Wide Web tax.

*Increased funding for senior nutritional services.

*Eliminating variable rate practices against certain state electric consumers.

*Maintaining funding for the two state Governor’s Horse Guard units.

*Passing legislation creating a chain of custody system for individuals found to have diminished mental capacities.

*Increasing training for professionals working with state dementia and Alzheimer’s patients

*Providing training, and mandating concussion reporting for youth athletes.

*Adopting “Emily’s Law,” instituting age guidelines for watercraft towing and requiring safe boating training.

“That one was a no-brainer and may end up saving a few kids’ or teenagers’ lives in the coming years,” Rep Bolinsky said. “These were a few small wins in a year where we still ended up with a $1.4 billion tax increase and we’re increasing spending by seven percent in a state where, arguably, employment and population gains are flat. There are some big problems on the horizon with that stuff.”

Turning to several of his own agenda items that fell short in the 2015 session, Rep Bolinsky referred to an attempt to spur Department of Motor Vehicles enforcement of so-called “Jake braking,” which produces a disturbing, intolerable racket when applied close to homes and populated areas.

“After talking with the DMV, I learned that trying to enforce against Jake braking is not going to be as effective or economical as finding the resources to enhance truck inspections,” Rep Bolinsky said. Next session, he pledged to look for funding, saying that Jake braking noise is actually caused by an exhaust malfunction that would result in a failed inspection and generate an infraction if discovered.

“So that increase in funding should actually pay for itself in new fines and enforcement,” he said.

Rep Bolinsky’s attempt to get the Paugussett State Forest renamed the Sandy Hook Forest was stymied after he learned that such a move is administered by the state Department of Energy and Environmental Protection (DEEP) and not by legislative initiative.

Another environmental effort regulating out-of-control invasive bamboo in the state was unsuccessful, even after Rep Bolinsky saw a number of elements of his own failed bill return in a broader HB 6043, which again passed in the Senate, but was lost in the 11th hour gridlock in the final minutes of the full session.

MBR Proposal Passed

Rep Bolinsky said he liked proposed legislation on relaxing the MBR or minimum budget requirement that came out with support of House Speaker Brendan Sharkey (D-Hamden).

“It went unanimously,” he said. “It doesn’t do anything to the way school districts fund their education, but it allows in a declining enrollment environment, some adjustments to budgeting in districts where they are closing schools or operating fewer classrooms. At some point in time this could be a significant taxpayer relief measure. You just have to be careful about destroying the quality of education in our town, which is number two in the state.”

He explained that in the top ten percent of high performing state districts, the change would adjust administration of cost savings to local discretion.

“The assumption is, you wouldn’t be a top-ten district if education wasn’t highly valued,” Rep Bolinsky said. “It gives some pretty far-reaching powers to those boards of education. On the other hand, you need to be careful to not degrade it. Locally, the question is do we have a school board that would ever want to go there, and parents watch it like a hawk.”

From a public safety perspective, Rep Bolinsky said he was upset that an open container bill he was supporting was killed by Transportation Committee Chair Tony Guerrera (D-Rocky Hill), as well as a measure creating special regional DUI courts, which Rep Bolinsky believed complimented Governor Dannel P. Malloy’s overarching “Second Chance Society” initiative.

“I think we can do something with those in a second run at them next session,” he said.

Returning to the state budget, Rep Bolinsky said while Democrats included a number of GOP budget proposals in their spending plan, virtually all of those were spending measures.

“There was not a lot done about controlling the size of state government,” the local lawmaker said, acquiescing that a move toward regionalizing certain municipal services was about as close as he thought the state would ever get toward achieving the types of budget savings Rep Bolinsky saw in previous states where he resided, which fell under robust county government administration.

Connecticut Mirror content was used in this report.