New Haven Day At the Capitol: A Slice Of The Pie

Hartford—New Haven invited state lawmakers and others at the state Capitol Wednesday to have a slice of apizza pie — and learn why the Elm City is one of the most important slices of Connecticut.

Mayor Toni Harp, members of her administration along with representatives from city social agencies like the health department and the public library system — which are also facing budget woes in the wake of the state’s dire financial straights — set up shop on the first floor of the Capitol building to show off what they do, why it matters and should be preserved.

From the Connecticut Open and the Shubert Theatre to the Cornell Scott Hill Health Center and Marrakech Inc. (all of which are competing for scarce state dollars each year), New Haven’s role as a cultural epicenter and a social services hub for the state was on full display.

Members of the state’s delegation emerged from a House of Representatives session and a Senate Democratic Caucus to meet with constituents and city officials, and grab a slice of pizza from Frank Pepe’s, the line for which was quite long.

Harp said it’s important that New Haven was at the Capitol reminding lawmakers of the city’s importance to the health of the state.

“I believe we’re the most important city in the state,” Harp said. ​“We were the first city to come out of the recession, our employment numbers are strong, people are building and developing in New Haven.”

Despite those accolades, New Haven remains a poor city because of its inability to raise any money and its need to rely on state support, Harp said..

“Fifty-four percent of our property is tax exempt, mostly through the constitution of the state,” she said. ​“We still need state support, so we want to be here to remind people that New Haven is important to this state and we need you to support us.

“When you support us, you support the entire state,” she added. Harp has blamed state funding cuts in part for her decision to seek an 11 percent local tax increase for the coming fiscal year.

New Haven government culture czar Andy Wolf was busy chatting up people from other parts of the state and encouraging them to come eat pizza in New Haven. He said New Haven Day at the Capitol was about reminding people that every city and town is part of an ecosystem called the state of Connecticut.

“We have fewer people than the city of L.A. and we’ve got to start working together,” he said.

He recounted a conversation with a woman from New Britain.

“Are you enjoying the pizza?” he asked.

She said she was.

“You’ve got to come to New Haven,” Wolf told her.

“I’d love too,” she responded.

“Nothing’s stopping you” he continued. “‘I’m head of the arts. I give you permission.”

“This is what we’re trying to show,” Wolf said later. ​“Instead of it being 169 towns being treated as one size fits all, we are the center of culture, someone else can be the center for dairy products, someone else can be the center for manufacturing. Let’s celebrate each other.”

The 2018 Agenda

Bill #	Status	Summary	Sponsors
HB 5001	In Committee Died on the Floor	To impose a fee on transactions involving virtual currency.	Pat Dillon
HB 5031 SB 4	In Committee Committee Approved Sent to the Floor Passed Gov. Signed	To allow students to have equal access to institutional financial aid.	Higher Education and Employment Advancement Committee
HB 5082	In Committee Committee Approved Died on the Floor	To provide state funds to assist hurricane victims from Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands who are living in Connecticut.	Juan Candelaria
HB 5126	In Committee Died on the Floor	To increase funding to boards of education and family resource centers that provide assistance to students and families from Puerto Rico.	Juan Candelaria
HB 5112	In Committee Sent to the Floor Died on the Floor	To permit the retail sale of marijuana and tax such sale to raise revenue for the General Fund and to fund substance abuse treatment, prevention, education and awareness programs.	Juan R. Candelaria, Angel Arce, Josh Elliott, Steven J. Stafstrom, Jeff Currey, Susan M. Johnson, Chris Soto, Patricia A. Dillon, Roland J. Lemar, James M. Albis, Christopher Rosario, Kim Rose, Robyn A. Porter, Edwin Vargas, Matthew Lesser, Gregory Haddad, Joshua Malik Hall, Ezequiel Santiago, Diana S. Urban, Toni E. Walker, Robert Sanchez, Alphonse Paolillo
SB 1	In Committee Died on the Floor	To expand the sick leave program to provide earned family and medical leave to certain individuals employed in this state.	Martin M. Looney, Bob Duff, Timothy D. Larson, Steve Cassano, Beth Bye, Terry B. Gerratana, Gary A. Winfield, Ted Kennedy, Catherine A. Osten, Marilyn V. Moore, Edwin A. Gomes, Mae Flexer
SB 62	In Committee Died on the Floor	To provide tuition-free community college for Connecticut residents.	Martin M. Looney
HB 5182	In Committee Committee Approved Sent to the Floor Died on the Floor	To require building officials in certain municipalities to establish and assess a fee for the commencement of certain work without a necessary permit.	Planning and Development Committee
HB 5210	In Committee Committee Approved Sent to the Floor Passed	To (1) mandate insurance coverage of essential health benefits, (2) expand mandated health benefits for women, children and adolescents, and (3) expand mandated contraception benefits.	Insurance and Real Estate Committee
HB 5084	In Committee Died on the Floor	To encourage the recycling of nip bottles that otherwise frequently litter urban areas.	Roland J. Lemar and Juan R. Candelaria
HB 5350 HB 5537	In Committee Committee Denied Sent to the Floor Died on the Floor	To create a pilot program for shared solar facilities at municipal airports. The bill also would delete the provision that dictates the length of Tweed Airport’s runway.	Energy and Technology Committee
HB 5475	In Committee Committee Approved Sent to the Floor Passed	To amend statutory provisions concerning a police officer’s viewing of a recording from body-worn recording equipment under certain circumstances.	Judiciary Committee
HB 5515	In Committee Committee Approved Sent to the Floor Passed	To permit a zoning commission to regulate the brightness and illumination of advertising signs and billboards.	Judiciary Committee
HB 5540	In Committee Committee Approved Sent to the Floor Died on the Floor	To ban guns without serial numbers and regulate those which are sold in a form requiring the purchaser to finish assembly or that are homemade and to permit local authorities to interview immediate family members as part of a determination of an applicant’s suitability.	Judiciary Committee
HB 5542	In Committee Committee Approved Sent to the Floor Passed	To ban the sale or transfer, possession, manufacturing or use of bump stocks or other accessories to increase the rate of fire of a firearm.	Judiciary Committee