Legislative Session

The 2008 Connecticut General Assembly convened on February 6th, marking the beginning of the legislative session which will last for thirteen weeks and adjourn on May 7th.   The Chamber’s 2008 legislative agenda includes a variety of issues pertinent to the business community, and members of our Legislative Committee are ready to once again follow legislation and take action on issues in order to represent our membership. The overall cost of doing business in Connecticut continues to be a concern for our members, more specifically including the cost of health care, energy and workers’ compensation.  We will continue to fight any legislation that would implement a single payer health care system in Connecticut.  The issue of the uninsured and the cost of health care is one that we all fact, but the answer is not a single payer system run on a state level.   Like last session, we will continue to play defense on certain labor issues that would increase the cost of doing business by thousands of dollars.  There are proposals to reform the workers’ compensation benefits in Connecticut that are unnecessary and would do more harm than good.  We have one of the richest workers’ compensations systems in the country and it doesn’t need reform! Regarding energy, we will keep supporting fuel cells, the expansion of conservation, load management and efficiency programs, and a comprehensive energy policy.   Connecticut suffers from a shortage of skilled workers including nurses.  We will support efforts that would increase workforce training for nurses, as well as incumbent worker education and training programs. Property taxes, the fuel tax, estate or “death” tax and the real estate conveyance tax all need to see a decrease, and we will support efforts to make that happen. Other issues that we will follow include transportation, sub-prime market issues, on-the-job training initiatives, education and issue of riverfront protection.   All of these agenda items can somehow have an effect on the overall cost of doing business, and we will keep the goal of lowering those costs as we support or oppose legislation this session. Middlesex County is lucky to have such outstanding state legislators and the Chamber is lucky to have a close working relationship with all twelve of these individuals.  They are always willing to listen and they are approachable on any issue we have.     I also want to give a big thank-you to members of our Legislative Committee, led by Anthony Assante and Rich Carella.  This committee is made up of an outstanding group of hard-working people who go out of their way to have their voices heard in Hartford. As the 2008 legislative session progresses, we will continue to track legislation and take action in order to make doing business in Connecticut a more enjoyable and competitive experience.  I would encourage you to contact us with any issues that may be of concern to you and your business, including any local issues that may arise. Middlesex County is a great place to live and do business, and we need to work together to keep it that way! For more information on the Chamber’s Legislative Committee or any legislative issues that interest / concern you, please contact Taren McKinney at the Middlesex Chamber at (860) 347-6924 or by email at

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