civil unions bill passed the ct senate

[cassandra uprising]

all eyes on connecticut.

yesterday, the ct state senate passed (27 to 9) sb963 an act concerning civil unions. the state house of representatives will be in session this monday, april 11, 2005 and i've heard rumblings that the house may take up the bill on monday.

the ct has very progressive leadership this session, and while the they couldn't get the death penalty abolished, there is a strong possibility that the civil unions bill could pass.

we a repub gov with a very high approval rating. if the bill overwhelmingly passes the house, she may sign it.

i'm trying not to get my hopes up. we're onto some huge history in this small state.

i'll post on monday if civil unions is on the 'go' list for monday's house session.

[Arianrhod]

1. I'm looking for a new place to live.

Connecticut sounds more and more like my kind of state. :)

[Discord]

2. Vermont is quite nice as well.

I'm moving there in a few months.

They actually actively encourage people to take part in the political process.

REAL town hall meetings too.

:D

[Arianrhod]

4. Sounds good to me.

New England was the original America. It doesn't surprise me that it continues the proud tradition. :)

[Discord]

5. Yes, am currently a Mass. resident.

Other than the cost of living, and out-of-date Blue Laws. Pretty roundly liberal state. Its a bit on the financially conservative side, but alot of that is due to the high number of higher education system, and the amount of people who come to live here post-grad.

[Arianrhod]

8. As a native Californian and current ex-pat,

I find myself strongly drawn to the Northeast. I'm headed back to the US next year, and those original states have a huge attraction for me.

They may well be the last bastion of democracy in our country.

Live free or die!

[Discord]

17. LOL. speaking of Live Free or Die...

Gotta do something about NH. They have been leaning mostly Repuke other than Clinton. Lots of Mass residents have been moving up to NH recently so hopefully it will start to swing back to the left before long.

[cassandra uprising]

7. i suggest new haven

or middletown it's a nice place to raise your kids. fyi, i'm a little biased.
:hi:

[Arianrhod]

10. :)

I'm actually excited about the prospect.

Any chance of affording a house there?

[cassandra uprising]

12. it depends where you are

and what kind of living you like to do. there are some beautiful rural areas in ct. csthet will they the shoreline is the best. i think they're a bunch of snobs down there. we both agree that new haven is the place to be. they have something like 7 colleges and universities. a nice music and activist scene too.

again, i'm very biased. middletown is the best.

[ChavezSpeakstheTruth]

15. There's three DUers from the shoreline, my dear, who would take umbrage

at that snob comment!

[Arianrhod]

21. I'll have to look into those. Thanks. :) n/t

[GOPisEvil]

3. This is in the United States of America.

Unfortunately, most of us live in the United States of (insert diety's name here).

CT is looking like a real nice place right about now. Suing over No Child Paid For By This Stupid Program and now Civil Unions (while I'm straight - it's a quality of life thing) make me wish their attitude would infect the rest of the country. :eyes:

[cassandra uprising]

6. i have a love / hate relationship with ct

let's not forget that in ct, we have the largest disparity of wealth. a fact i'm not to proud of.

[mondo joe]

9. I wonder if the presence of considerable wealth leads to

more liberal cultures.

This doesn't address the issue of disparity.

[GOPisEvil]

11. True, but that wealth is more productive.

You have a state income tax which is more progressive than the property/sales taxes we have down here in Texas.

[cassandra uprising]

13. no kidding? n/t

[GOPisEvil]

14. Our education system is funded by property taxes.

Meaning, the wealthy school districts have an inherent advantage over less wealthy districts. So, after the state was sued, we came up with "The Robin Hood Plan", whereby the wealthy districts share fund with those not so wealthy. Sounds reasonable, but the Texas Constitution sets a limit on property taxes, and many wealthy districts are now up against the cap, and can't raise additional funds for the schools in their district AND make the payments as required to the state for fund-leveling. So, "Robin Hood" was declared unconstitutional.

The legislature is trying to fix it, but, predictably, the tax bite hits the poor and middle class, while reducing taxes for the wealthy. It's a really bad plan, and needs to be scrapped.

But, any politician who openly backs a state income tax would be dragged from his or her office and tarred and feathered in the Capitol Rotunda.

My long-winded point is: it's nice to live in a progressive state. :-)

[cassandra uprising]

18. very interesting

that is god awful, having property taxes alone fund edu, but interestingly enough, ct has a similar problem.

ct has a cap on spending and the funds and needs vary between suburban and urban schools. as you can imagine, they don't match up. and when they don't, mayors have to raise property taxes to pick up the bill.

urban schools are desperately underfunded and are put under higher scrutiny -not to mention greater responsibility for varying needs students. if a school district is classified as 'priority' or 'transitional' they are given more funds to help get them to be on equal footing with their suburban counterparts. as soon as tests scores go up, the money gets taken away.

in 96 we had a court case too, 'sheff vs. o'neil' where it was ruled that the disparity of quality of education was a civil rights segregation issue. i'd argue that in no other state is it more glaringly obvious that there is an insidious relationship between racism and classism. since the ruling has been momentum in the legislature to desegregate ct public schools by creating magnet schools that bring urban and suburban kids together.

in hartford, bridgetport, new haven, the school building are rotting. in litchfield county, there are computers in pristine classrooms.

yes, it is a progressive state, and i'm proud. but as with everything else i love dearly, my love for it doesn't stop me for being critical. just ask csthet.
:)

[LeftyDarthBrodie]

16. I'm only a ct resident for another month and a half but...

hope to be here when the state legislature does something the rest of the country can learn from. If only they had overturned the death penalty....

[JerseygirlCT]

19. Cassandra, I haven't seen anything about when the house votes

any idea? Is it scheduled yet?

[cassandra uprising]

20. (not to sound harsh but ) you wouldn't

the 'go list' (list of bills that will be voted on that day)
isn't made public until that day. all decisions of what bills will be heard on the floor is decided by the speaker of the house. the ct house of reps is scheduled to meet on monday at 12:00 p.m.

i have heard rumors that civil unions will be voted on this monday, but they are only rumors. i'm pretty certain that the bill will be taken up for a house vote, it's just a question of when. i.e., the vote might not go this monday, but maybe at a later house session. i have the luxury of working in the state capitol, so i've got my ear to the ground and will let you know of all of the developments.

[JerseygirlCT]

22. Great! Thanks!

[cassandra uprising]

23. vote won't happen on monday's session

it's 'husky day' or something fluffy like that.

i just heard from a fairly reliable source that the civil unions bill will go on wednesday, april 13.

unfortunately, i have a commitment that will keep me from away from hartford until about 5:00 p.m.

i'll post any info i can as it actually happens.

peace