McMahon launches campaign, State Bond Commission to meet, CT 8th most regulated state

Here are our political news highlights in and about Connecticut from the past week.

Connecticut Governor Dannel P. Malloy announced that Connecticut is granted $1,962,554.72 by the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s (FEMA) Other Needs Assistance program in an effort to help Connecticut residents with costs connected with Tropical Storm Irene that are not covered by their insurance. Eligible recipients can be only those who registered with FEMA.

Meanwhile, Governor Malloy appointed Trinity College’s Allan K. Smith Center writing and rhetoric lecturer Elin Swanson Katz as the new consumer counsel. She is starting her new employment on October 3. The responsibility for her position includes consumer advocacy and protection on utility payments.

On Monday, September 19, the governor also announced that the Federal Railroad Administration funded $30 million to the New Haven-Hartford-Springfield Rail Line. The federal funding is in the form of grants which had earlier been appropriated to be spent in Florida for the Tampa-Orlando High Speed Rail Line but were rejected by Florida Governor Rick Scott, a Republican. Governor Scott then mentioned three reasons for his rejection of the grants: a potential $3 billion increase in taxes to Florida taxpayers (Florida was granted $3 billion for the construction of the rail line), too optimistic revenue projections and the likelihood of ongoing subsidies incurred by Florida taxpayers, and in case of a shutdown of the project due to costs – a return of the grants to the federal government. CTMirror.org had later reported that Governor Scott had met with U.S. Transportation Secretary Gary LaHood possibly reconsidering his past decision.

Governor Dannel Malloy announced that the State Crime Lab is looking to employ one assistant director, six Connecticut career trainees, four durational forensic science examiner 1 positions and one temporary retired worker forensic examiner – after the Office of Policy and Management (OPM) approved for funding of the positions as part of reallocation of existing resources.

The State Bond Commission is scheduled to meet at 10:30am on Friday at the Legislative Office Building’s room 1E. Fourteen projects are on the agenda. They are worth $57,983,822 in general obligation allocations and $851,506,350 in revenue bonds and other transactions, according to a document posted on the OPM’s website.

The Connecticut Economy, a quarterly review written by the University of Connecticut staff, wrote in its latest edition that Connecticut was ranked 48th in small business growth for the period between 1996 and 2006 with 2.2 percent loss in small business employment. Ohio and West Virginia are the only states, according to the quarterly review, that are behind Connecticut – with 2.9 percent and 6.2 percent loss for the same period. The Connecticut Economy also included two indexes – the Principal Component Index and the Ruger/Sorens Index – on how regulated the state is compared to the other states. According to the Principal Component Index, Connecticut is the 8th most regulated state in the country, while the Ruger/Sorens Index ranks it 9th in this regard. The two indexes rank states from the least regulated to the most regulated. Neighboring states Massachusetts, New York and Rhode Island were ranked lower than Connecticut in both of the indexes.

In a latest Quinnipiac University Poll on Connecticut former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney was preferred the most among registered Republicans with a 37 percent support followed by Texas Governor Rick Perry who amassed 19 percent and U.S. Representative Michelle Bachmann (R, MN – 6th District) who was distant third with 8 percent. Registered Republicans who responded to the survey also preferred former WWE corporate officer Linda McMahon in a possible republican primary against former U.S. Representative Chris Shays. On the democratic ticket registered Democrats who took the survey preferred U.S. Representative Chris Murphy (D, CT – 5t District) who received 36 percent of their support followed by former Connecticut Secretary of the State Susan Bysiewicz – supported by 26 percent of registered Democrats in Connecticut – and state Representative William Tong (D – Stamford) who is distant third with 1 percent. According to the survey, President Barack Obama is still viewed relatively favorably – 50 percent in favor compared to 45 percent who have an unfavorable opinion of him. The Quinnipiac survey also included questions about Governor Malloy where 41 percent of the 1,230 respondents said they approved of his job as governor, while 48 percent of them disapproved. A smaller percentage of them – 36 percent – said they approved of the way he is handling the Connecticut budget compared to 55 percent who said they disapproved of it. The respondents answered in a similar way regarding his policies – with 36 percent having answered that they liked them and 50 percent having answered that they didn’t like them. Utility companies United Illuminating and Connecticut Light & Power ranked comparatively high among the respondents in the way they responded to Tropical Storm Irene – 64 percent having approved and 28 percent having disapproved, while, according to the survey, 40 percent of them did not lose power.  Governor Malloy was also ranked high for his response to the tropical storm – 79 percent approval compared to 10 percent disapproval.

Meanwhile, the Connecticut Insurance Department posted on its website a list of insurance companies that are not applying hurricane deductibles for Irene. A total of forty insurance companies are reported to have waived hurricane deductible, while twenty-four are listed under a column titled “hurricane deductible not met.”

Linda McMahon announced her bid for the U.S. Senate seat currently occupied by outgoing U.S. Senator Joe Lieberman (I – CT) Tuesday, September 20, at 10:30am in Southington.

State Comptroller Kevin Lembo announced that more than 50,000 state employees enrolled in the new Health Enhancement Program, a state health plan that starts on October 1 aimed at attaining savings in state government spending. Enrollment was due September 15, and was not mandatory

In a settlement with the U.S. Department of Justice over a “nationwide scheme to defraud Medicaid and Veterans Affairs programs” involving billing for services that “were not provided” Maxim agreed to pay $150 million to the federal government and 41 states, including Connecticut which will receive $6,978,759, Connecticut Attorney General George Jepsen announced in a press release.

Meanwhile, state Attorney General Jepsen announced that he created a Privacy Task Force aimed at addressing potential privacy information breaches involving Connecticut residents.

Mr. Jepsen is also challenging, together with the Connecticut congressional delegation, a rule by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission which, according to a press release, creates incentives for the “construction of new, high-voltage electric transmission facilities” the cost for which would be borne by the ratepayers.

U.S. Senators Richard Blumenthal (D – CT) and Joe Lieberman (I – CT) announced that the Federal Aviation Administration granted $3.6 million and $5 million to Bradley International Airport and the Waterbury-Oxford Airport respectively in an effort to address noise issues in their areas. According to a press release, approximately 100 homes and in the Windsor Lock area and 300 homes in the Waterbury-Oxford ares will undergo sound insulation.

U.S. Senators Blumenthal and Lieberman also announced that the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development’s Office of Healthy Homes and Lead Hazard Control granted $3 million to the Connecticut Department of Social Services and $2.5 million to Waterbury in an effort to address current or potential lead hazards.

Meanwhile, U.S. Representative Joe Courtney (D, CT – 2nd District) and the two senators announced that the U.S. Department of Transportation granted $5,302,900 to Connecticut in a competitive application process for upgrades of the Providence, Worcester and Willimantic tracks.

U.S. Representative Courtney also announced two grants in his district. One of them comes from the U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration, is worth $187,000, and is designed to train unemployed people for jobs in the energy and green sectors of the economy. The other grant comes from the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Rural Energy for America Program to the Ballek’s Garden Center in East Haddam – $71,853 – and to the T&C Greenhouses in Preston – $45,218.