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The regular session of the 2010 Connecticut General Assembly ended last night with a compromise on the adjustment to the 2009-2010 and 2010-2011 fiscal year
budgets. The compromise did not include any major program cuts or tax increases other than a reassignment of a surcharge on utility bills from energy funds to the general fund.
Some legislation that passed of interest to engineering firms:
- HB 5197 will continue the PE license statute which was due to expire as part of the state’s sunset law.
- HB 5208, An Act Concerning Expedited Permitting for Economic Development. This bill creates a mechanism for expeditiously reviewing state and municipal
permits required for projects (1) located on contaminated land or (2) that create a specified number of jobs. The mechanism is an interagency team for issuing necessary permits and licenses
within 90 days after the applications were filed.
- HB 5498 creates some preferences for micro businesses in state contracting. Micro businesses are those with annual gross revenues under $ 3 million.
- SB 25 cancels some existing bond authorizations and creates pools of authorizations
for development projects in Bridgeport, New Haven and Hartford. The bill also authorizes an additional $ 40 million in Clean Water revenue bonds, increasing the FY 11 authorization from $ 80 million to $ 120 million.
- SB 124 updates a number of statutes concerning work on Long Island Sound and coastal permitting.
- SB 132
allows corporations to register with DCP for the joint practice of engineering, architecture, surveying and landscape architecture or combinations of those professions.
Other bills died:
- HB 5327 would have allowed state agencies and municipalities to use reverse auctions for design services.
- HB 5474 would have ConnDOT prepare plans for electronic tolls.
- HB 5534 would have created a commission to recommend raising taxes, including the sales tax on design services.
- SB 445 would have required agencies to compare lists of tax delinquents before allowing persons to apply for licenses, permits, etc.
- A number of bills were introduced which would have created legislative oversight of the DEP permitting process.
You can read copies of these bills at: www.cga.ct.gov.
It is less
than seven months to election day and we are providing information to candidates for governor about issues of importance to our members including: contracting out, taxes and infrastructure funding. In 2011, the new Governor and General Assembly will be faced with a tremendous fiscal problem: there are huge deficits greater than 18% of the budget built into the 2011-13 budgets. How those deficits are addressed should be the overriding issue of the coming election.
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