COG examines state legislative session

LITCHFIELD — The Connecticut General Assembly is back in session, and Connecticut Council of Small Towns Executive Director Betsy Gara told Northwest Corner leaders she will need their help bringing the voices of the Northwest Corner before state legislature.

Presenting to the region’s First Selectmen at the Jan. 9 meeting of the Northwest Hills Council of Governments, Gara had encouraging reports from the Assembly’s Jan. 8 rejoining. It was an “optimistic” first day of the legislative session, she said, citing strong across the aisle cooperation between parties.

There will be “thousands of bills raised” this session, she said, and asked town officials for their contributions in focalizing the important issues for municipalities and residents alike in the Litchfield Hills.

Gara identified several subjects that will be central to this session, which adjourns on June 4. The question of whether to continue, amend, or abolish the so-called “fiscal guardrails” on the state’s budgeting schema will be a key topic, she affirmed. These guardrails were negotiated in 2017 to address fiscal crisis in Connecticut, and have been credited with “positioning Connecticut very well economically” coming out of the pandemic, Gara said. Lawmakers, however, are now debating their utility today, and their future remains uncertain.

Other notable topics on the docket for the 2025 session include education, especially early and special education, climate resiliency and affordable housing. Several Selectmen also brought up early voting as a subject worth discussing, with several officials arguing that the benefits of having a two-week early voting period didn’t outweigh the costs in November’s election.

“I always like coming to these meetings,” Gara said. “I learn a lot.”

Addressing the group, she referenced a West African idiom about underestimating the ability of mosquitos to be noticed due to their size. “In this region, we have had a lot of mosquitos,” she said, referencing the historical influence that leaders in the Northwest Corner have had on state legislation in spite of their municipalities’ smaller stature.

“A lot of First Selectmen have been small town heroes,” she continued, appealing to the leaders to be persistent in ensuring their residents’ concerns are heard at the state legislative level.