Prior to the start of the 2012 session of the General Assembly in February, I committed to pushing legislation to hold utility companies more accountable for their performance before, during and after storms. At that time, both Hurricane Irene and the Pre-Halloween nor’easter along with the extraordinary lengthy power outages many residents had to endure, were still fresh in everyone’s minds.

To put the historical nature of the storms in perspective, consider CL&P has about 1.2 million customers. Almost 700,000 residents and businesses lost power for up to two weeks from Irene, while just six weeks later a record 800,000 suffered outages from the freak October snowstorm, many lasting up to 10 days. Most of state was literally left in the dark.

Our area of the state was hit the hardest, and many people who had to wait the longest to get their power back also depend on electricity to run their well pump for water and that quickly became a health issue. Imagine if this had occurred during the dead of winter. Fortunately, we had a mild winter season with very few storms.

Clearly the status quo regarding the utilities performance was unacceptable. Even if you look at Irene as pre-season practice, they dropped the ball in the big game in October. Frankly, the only way we are going to see improvement from the utility companies is by threatening their bottom line, and that is exactly what we did.

Legislation soon to become law will require the establishment of performance standards for utilities in Connecticut, including financial penalties for not meeting those standards.

These standards will include; establishing minimum staffing/equipment levels for storm planning and restoration, service restoration timetables, mutual aid agreements to bring in additional out-of-state crews, preventative tree trimming to minimize outages and improved communication with customers, including notification of service restoration estimates.

Failing to meet the benchmarks could trigger financial penalties. In the case of CL&P, this could be up to approximately $25 million. Such penalties would be paid by crediting customer bills, and could not be made up in future rates. Utility companies must submit their service restoration plans to the state by July 1.

The legislation also requires performance standards for telephone and cable television companies, and to improve telecommunications services during power outages companies will be required to report to the state on their ability to provide emergency backup power for their infrastructure such as cell towers.

In addition, the bill creates a $15 million pilot program for the installation of “microgrids” —localized power generation—in certain priority places such as hospitals, police and fire stations. On a larger scale, the City of Norwich, for example, has their own municipal electric company and all power was restored within 48 hours after the October storm.

Other provisions of the bill include looking into the feasibility of burying power lines when large scale road projects are undertaken, as well as developing coordinated procedures on road clearing between utilities, towns and the state.

Mother Nature is unpredictable and last fall’s double dose of her wrath was certainly one for the history books. That experience led to this legislation and should leave us much bettered prepared when the next big one hits.

A total of $400,000 has been allocated for reconstruction of Turnpike Road and related drainage improvements.

“This project will not only add to the quality of life for residents and motorists, but every dollar of state funding we secure for our communities helps stabilize local property taxes,” said Hurlburt. “These are competitive-based grants and town officials deserve credit for putting together a successful application on behalf of local taxpayers.”

STEAP is a state-funded program that was created by the General Assembly in 2001 to encourage economic growth and community conservation within the overall character of a town. Among the criteria to be eligible for such grants, a town must have less than 30,000 people and not have an urban center.

Hurlburt noted that this grant was part of a $20 million pool backed by Governor Dannel P. Malloy at the September, 2011 state Bond Commission meeting.

“These grants represent the important partnership between our towns and state government,” said Governor Malloy. “As we work to reinvent Connecticut, supporting local projects that improve centers of commerce, town facilities, and schools will make us a stronger, more competitive state, all while improving the quality of life for residents.”

Details of the land transfer are part of legislation (HB 5519) approved by the House of Representatives, specifically listing a Department of Transportation 3.2 acre tract that includes the commuter parking lot and surrounding property northwest of I-84 exit 68 and abutting state Route 195. The bill says Tolland must use the land for economic development purposes.

“This is a key tract needed for the success of the Village Area development and will serve as a welcome mat to our community,” said Hurlburt, who has worked for two years to secure the land conveyance. “I’m glad this has come to fruition and hope it helps kick-start the project as it moves forward.”

Pointing to Money Magazine’s designation of Tolland as the 37th best small town to live in the U.S., Hurlburt believes the project will only further enhance the town’s ranking and reputation.

“This is where I grew up and chose to live and start a family,” Hurlburt said. “Tolland continues to have a lot to offer and there are many reasons to be excited about the future here.”

The Tolland Village Area development envisions a pedestrian-friendly “Main Street” featuring a mix of housing, storefront retail space as well as a hotel.

HARTFORD — The Senate on Friday unanimously approved a measure to boost regulation of outdoor wood furnaces.

The bill would require all new furnaces to comply with federal efficiency standards. It also gives the state Department of Energy and Environmental Protection or a local health agency authority to ban the use of furnaces between May 1 and Oct. 1 if they find the operator violated laws governing air pollution or the public health code.

The measure also creates a task force to study possible future changes to the statutes, such as to ban the use of the furnaces on days with high ozone levels and to find incentives for furnace owners to upgrade to more efficient models.

The furnaces are usually in standalone structures and often are used to heat greenhouses or heat water to clean dairy facilities. Health and environment advocates complain about their smoke, especially in the summer.

Sen. Edward Meyer, D-Guilford chairs the Environment Committee and introduced the bill Friday, despite voting against a previous version of it.

Meyer had proposed an outright ban on the furnaces between May and October. Others had sought an exception to that ban for agricultural reasons.

But Rep. Bryan Hurlburt, D-Tolland, led a coups of sorts against Meyer as the bill cleared committee by amending it to be a version similar to the bill that now heads to the house. In a rare move, Hurlburt’s bill passed out of the Environment Committee despite Meyer’s vote against it.

Meyer said he supports the measure now, however, because Nancy Alderman, president of the group Environment and Human Health, signed off on it. Alderman for years has pushed to ban the furnaces outright.

Meyer also said he hopes the task force would lead to replacing older furnaces with newer ones, or a new technology that doesn’t create as much smoke.

“It really opens the door to new solutions in how to heat in rural areas,” Meyer said. “Maybe we’ll phase out these wood-burning furnaces.”

Alderman said the bill is a good first step.

“This bill is not everything that everyone might have wanted, but it is certainly an improvement from where we are now, and it puts in place a study group to continue working on the OWF issues,” she said. “The bill also recognizes that OWFs do cause harm and that they were in need of further regulation.”

Hurlburt said he hoped the legislation was similar to what he had proposed after negotiating it with the Department of Public Health and the Department of Energy and Environmental Protection.

The legislature's budget-writing panel sent a subtle protest to Gov. Dannel P. Malloy's administration over what some argue is inadequate funding for conservation programs:

If those programs remain a target for spending cuts in the Department of Energy and Environmental Protection, perhaps they would be safer in another agency?

That was the message behind the Appropriations Committee's recent recommendation to strip $8.6 million and 60 positions from DEEP and move them into the Department of Agriculture, the chairman of Appropriations' subcommittee on conservation and development said this week.

That recommendation was wrapped into the committee's $20.73 billion state budget proposal for the 2012-13 fiscal year.

"The DEEP budgets continued to recommend cuts to conservation funding," Rep. Bryan Hurlburt, D-Tolland, said. "DEEP is clearly saying, if this is a place they are cutting, that it is not a priority."

The fate of hunting, fishing, camping, boating, forestry and state parks programs likely won't be settled for several more weeks. Now that both the Appropriations Committee and the Malloy administration have their respective budget proposals for the 2012-13 fiscal year on the table, negotiators for the governor and legislature will begin meeting behind closed doors to craft a compromise.

But Hurlburt said that even though state finances have gone through difficult times over the past year-and-a-half, he's been particularly disappointed with the direction these programs have followed.

The administration, which inherited a record-setting budget deficit when Malloy took office in January 2011, recommended $8.7 million for conservation programs last year when preparing what is now the current budget -- about $560,000 less than the level needed to maintain current services. The legislature restored those funds before a final 2011-12 plan was adopted in May.

And this February, the administration -- which faces a modest deficit of $40 million in the current budget -- recommended $8.5 million for conservation programs for the fiscal year that begins July 1.

"What I see is they are not giving these programs the respect or attention they deserve," said Hurlburt, whose district includes Tolland, Ashford and Willington -- three Tolland County towns rich in farmland, forests and open space.

Further complicating matters, Hurlburt added, is that while he has voiced concerns over the past two legislative sessions, DEEP Commissioner Daniel Esty and other top department officials "are not talking to me about this."

The Appropriations panel proposed an additional $100,000 -- tied to lobster restoration efforts -- for conservation programs, and also recommended moving all of that funding into the Agriculture Department.

A final suggestion from the budget panel also would remove those dollars from the general fund -- which holds the bulk of operating funds in the entire state budget -- and place them in a new Outdoor Fund, a special designation designed to protect them from being reassigned for other uses.

An Agriculture Department spokesman declined to comment, but DEEP spokesman Dennis Schain said Thursday that the agency has been and continues to be open to discussing the issue with legislators.

"We believe legislators will ultimately share our opinion that the current structure of DEEP best serves the needs of our state, its residents and everyone with an interest in our environment, natural resources, outdoor recreation, hunting and fishing," Schain said. "State park, state forest, wildlife management, fisheries, boating, open space and other Environmental Conservation programs benefit greatly from their association and involvement with the other branches of DEEP."

A spokesman for the governor's budget office also said the administration is wary of giving special fund status to conservation program dollars.

"We've tried to discourage the establishment of separate funds," Gian-Carl Casa, undersecretary for legislative affairs at the Office of Policy and Management, said Thursday. "We don't think the budget is as transparent when you have them."

One veteran lawmaker and a spokeswoman for one of the state's leading environmental advocacy groups both said that while they share Hurlburt's concerns about conservation funding, they aren't convinced that taking the programs out of DEEP's hands is the right move.

"I believe that Agriculture and Environmental Protection have very different missions," said Rep. Roberta Willis, D-Salisbury, a member of both the Appropriations and Environment committees. "As much as I respect the Department of Agriculture, I think things would work better as they are set up now."

Willis predicted that, despite the Appropriations Committee's recommendation, many of her legislative colleagues would take the same position.

"The mission of DEEP is to take a holistic view toward preserving the environment," said Lori Brown, executive director of the Connecticut League of Conservation Voters.

Both Brown and Willis added that while concerns over insufficient conservation funding are legitimate, that problem is not unique to the Malloy administration, but rather has been a trend that goes back about two decades.

"The problem is these programs too often are considered discretionary," Brown said, adding that conservation has borne "more than its fair share" of budget cuts for too long.

Just under 220 surveys were submitted via mail or online from early February through mid March, with 190 listing high utility and gasoline prices as the top concern of families. A total of 84 said affording healthcare was their second top concern. Losing a job (47) and funding for retirement (43) were next.

“Clearly, economic challenges continue to be the top concern for families,” Hurlburt said. “We can’t control national and global factors, but we can aggressively look at ways the state can encourage economic growth and help stabilize energy and healthcare costs here.”

Hurburt pointed to current legislative proposals that would cap the petroleum gross receipts tax to help ease rising prices at the gas pump as well as legislation that would allow small businesses to buy into the state employee health insurance plan to reduce the cost of healthcare.

The survey also asked what state spending people feel should be cut or protected, and what should be done to improve utility preparation and response to storms.

Most respondents wanted aid to seniors, public schools, veterans and the disabled protected. Over 80% recommended spending cuts to courts, prisons and mass transit. Cuts to aid for businesses and universities were supported by 78%.

Recommendations favored to improve utility company performance include creating and enforcing storm preparation standards, developing emergency response contracts with electrical and tree trimming contractors and setting restoration standards for priority locations such as hospitals.

The Environment Committee headed off a revolt Friday among a group of members who believe the state Department of Energy and Environmental Protection is neglecting its duty to the state's natural resources.

Led by Rep. Bryan Hurlburt, D-Tolland, the group proposed an amendment that would have stripped the DEEP's conservation functions -- including oversight of forests, parks, wildlife and hunting licenses -- and transferred them to the state Department of Agriculture.

He said that in the last two year's the DEEP has cut $160,000 for a study of the state's pheasant population and $100,000 from its lobster program.

"There's a great opportunity to strengthen conservation functions of the state," Hurlburt said. Rep. Edward Moukawsher, D-Groton, agreed, noting that in his lifetime many marine species have vanished from Long Island Sound and lobsters are at historic lows.

"I feel that a lot of these things are going begging," Moukawsher said. "If we transfer the license fees to another agency, maybe they'll be appreciated more."

When Rep. Craig Miner, R-Litchfield, joined in support of the bill, it showed bipartisan momentum. "I've been frustrated at times by what I've seen has happened to this side of the agency," he said.

"It would not make sense to split them off," added Sen. Ed Meyer, D-Guilford, co-chairman of the committee. "They should be under the jurisdiction of a single agency."

Miner, who like Hurlburt is a member of the budget-writing Appropriations Committee, asked Meyer and Rep. Richard Roy, D-Milford, the other chairman of the joint committee, to pursue a compromise bill that would study the feasibility of moving conservation duties from the DEEP.

The bill was briefly tabled on the committee's deadline day for action, while Hurlburt and Miner conferred with Appropriations Committee leaders and a representative of the Malloy administration.

A half-hour later the compromise easily passed, with the votes of Meyer and Roy. If it is accepted by the House and Senate and signed into law by the governor, it would create a task force appointed by legislative leaders to come up with recommendations.

"This is not the first time the issue has come up," Miner said.

Rep. Terry Backer, D-Stratford, agreed, recalling that former Sen. George L. Gunther, a Stratford Republican, pushed for similar legislation decades ago. Last year, Gov. Dannel P. Malloy succeeded in getting passage of a measure to add the state's energy and utility functions to the former Department of Environmental Protection.

With the convening of the 2012 legislative session on February 8, encouraging economic growth and job creation continues to be a top priority for lawmakers. In support of that mission, I intend to spend a good portion of the coming months on improving educational opportunity, utility reliability and the agricultural sector of our economy.

In his opening day State of the State address, Governor Malloy declared this the year of education reform and took aim at reducing the state’s “achievement gap.”

The achievement gap refers to the disparity of academic performance between groups of students, especially by ethnicity and socioeconomic status. According to the National Assessment of Educational Progress project, Connecticut’s achievement gap is among the largest in the nation, particularly between white and African-American students.

The Governor’s proposals include increasing access and quality of early childhood education; new funding and approaches to improve low performing schools; expanding slots for charter schools; removing barriers to allow more flexibility for local school districts; repositioning vo-tech schools to promote job readiness and job placement; and improving teacher preparation so they enter the classroom more ready to excel.

While this is certainly an ambitious agenda, it is important to understand that state funding to towns for education will not be cut. In fact, virtually all towns will see an increase in state aid. This is not only critical for school districts, but helps ease pressure on local property taxes.

Widespread lengthy power outages caused by Hurricane Irene in August and the pre-Halloween Nor’easter in October exposed serious vulnerabilities in our utility systems that demand correcting. That is why I am backing legislation aimed at improving state and utility preparation and response to major storms.

These initiatives include investing in infrastructure and holding utility companies accountable for their performance during emergencies, storms and natural disasters. Specifically, I am supporting implementing performance standards and financial penalties for utilities regarding power restoration following a storm. This approach has proven effective in Massachusetts where such benchmarks already exist.

Rightfully, frustration was focused on CL&P’s performance and communication following these two historic storms. However, downed phone and internet services, particularly the ability to call 911, also compromised the health and safety of residents and must be improved.

In addition, I will continue to advocate on behalf of the state’s agricultural industry which contributes $3.5 billion and 20,000 jobs to Connecticut’s economy. I’m particularly proud to have helped lead the way on this issue in recent years including establishing a fund to support dairy farmers, enhancement of the Community Investment Act to provide grants to farmers, and the creation of the Community Farms program to preserve farmland.

As always, please feel free to contact me at bryan.hurlburt@cga.ct.gov or (860) 240-8500 with your thoughts and ideas. Also let me know if you would like me to attend an event in the district and I hope you will say “hi” if you happen to see me at one of the many events I do get to throughout our communities.

Hurlburt, a member of the legislature's Appropriations, Environment and Higher Education committees, will be discussing the 2012 legislative session which convened earlier this month and its potential impact on the town.

State Representative Bryan Hurlburt joins Catherine Britschock of Willington at the State Capitol to raise awareness of the importance of special education services. Britschock, a mother of a special education student helped organize the event.

Britschock and Hurlburt were joined by Governor Dannel Malloy, parents, families and educators from around the state at a reception sponsored by the Special Education PTO Alliance. Britschock is the mother of a special education student and helped organize the event.

"Equal access to educational opportunity is an individual right and societal responsibility," said Hurlburt. "The Special Education PTO Alliance does a great job ensuring that the voices of children with learning disabilities are heard and I am proud to work with them in support of this important mission."

“It is very helpful to know what peoples’ thoughts are on how we should deal with the challenges we face as a state,” said Hurlburt, who chairs the Appropriations Subcommittee on Conservation and Development. “There is a question on what people are most concerned about these days such as jobs, healthcare or crime as well as budget choices on where to cut and where to spend.”

Survey questions ask what issues are of most concern to families, what state spending should be cut or protected, and what should be done to improve utility preparation and response to storms. Specific budget questions range from cutting or maintaining funding for seniors and veterans services to aid to public schools and fixing roads and bridges.

In an era when jobs haven't exactly been growing on trees -- Connecticut is betting that they just might. And on bushes. And even indoors.

Some half-dozen years after the Rowland administration tried to all but eliminate the state's Department of Agriculture, the Malloy administration is embracing the state's $3.5 billion, 20,000-job agriculture industry as a potent component of job creation.

That effort seems to be centered on the reconfigured Governor's Council for Agricultural Development. Once an unwieldy and largely unknown absentee group, legislation passed in the last session streamlined it to a svelte 15 members headed by Agriculture Commissioner Steven Reviczky and bolstered by members from all walks of farming, interest groups and academia.

The legislation also specifically tasks the group with providing recommendations to increase the percentage of Connecticut consumer dollars spent on locally produced farm products from the 1 percent of all money spent on food now to 5 percent by 2020.

Combined with renewed legislative interest in agriculture, girded by Connecticut's energetic embrace of the local food movement over the past several years and a personal pep talk from Gov. Dannel P. Malloy himself, there was optimism all around the room as the council gathered for its first meeting just days after the new year.

"I'm excited, and it's hard to excite me; I'm a beat up farmer," said Kevin Sullivan, a member of the council, a board member of the Connecticut Nursery and Landscape Association and owner of Chestnut Hill Nursery in Stafford. "This right now, right here could be the genesis for modern agriculture in Connecticut."

But there are serious hurdles that Sullivan knows all too well. "Our production farms have moved away; our average age is 57.5 years," he said. "I have a son who's going to college for agriculture. We don't think we're going to get him home, because I can't give him the economic opportunities."

Such opportunities are often stymied by balky distribution and infrastructure systems, a frequent complaint by the mainly small farmers in the state. The average size of a farm here is 82 acres.

Another persistent problem is contradictory and redundant regulations among the various departments that share supervisory roles with the Department of Agriculture -- Consumer Protection, Public Health and Energy and Environmental Protection. There is also the issue of local health departments, long a thorn for farmers who can face rules that differ from town to town.

The council is also battling back from decades of second-class status. No one can remember the last time there was an agriculture committee in the legislature. Related issues currently reside, often as an afterthought, in the Environment Committee. And there are turf battles that are only starting to be smoothed over.

Legislators on both sides of the aisle, however, are praising Malloy for his commitment to agriculture.

Rep. Bryan Hurlburt, D-Tolland, a member of the Environment Committee, said he'd prefer to see a full agriculture committee. "We have to look at the agriculture industry," he said, "not as Farmer John down the road, but as a huge industry that is multinational at this point."

Much of the pressure for revamping policies and streamlining systems comes from farmers themselves, he said. "The issues that we go through when dealing with sister agencies, trying to get things through is horrendous and unproductive at times," Hurlburt said. "I think that would probably take creating a task force to overhaul the regulations."

Non-edible agriculture
Food actually accounts for less than half of Connecticut's agricultural revenue stream. Nearly half comes from the nursery and greenhouse industry and about 10 percent from tobacco.

There was little concern among those at the council meeting this month, despite a presentation by the Farm, Food and Jobs working group that focused solely on edible agriculture, that sexier notions of local peaches, pears, wine, ice cream and fresh turkey would trump hay, daisies and Christmas trees.

"Really the canvas is wide open for the council to address all the issues," said Reviczky, who established two subcommittees: Supply -- production, investment and infrastructure; and demand, which includes education and research. There are work groups under each looking at dozens of sometimes overlapping subjects from distribution to energy to agritourism to regulations to restaurants to waste management to taxation and to the agriculture department itself.

Ideas for how to increase the job potential of agriculture, the difficulties and other considerations, are just starting to percolate. Many point to the category of "value added" -- processing raw material, such as tomatoes, into less seasonal products, such as sauce. Greenhouse growers point to potential providing more plants for green infrastructure projects.

"We have to improve the ability for getting food from Connecticut farms to consumers working through wholesalers and retailers and re-examining how that happens today," Reviczky said. "Certainly there's room for improvement."

But Sullivan raised a few eyebrows with his assertion: "The first and foremost recommendation for agriculture is for the people at (the state Department of) Economic Development to actually realize that this is an economic development," he said. "It's so often treated as a hobby."

DECD Commissioner Catherine Smith said she "completely disagreed" with that assessment, noting that farms accounted for two stops on the governor's jobs tour last year and that the jobs bill included $5 million to put agricultural lands back into production. "We are absolutely committed to helping agricultural interests in the state grow," she said.

She admitted the process for development of new agriculture and new forms of agricultural jobs was at a "fledging stage," but she pointed to unusual ideas such as housing indoor agriculture in unused industrial buildings or in outdoor locations in economically hard hit downtowns.

"I think their attention to this is improving every day," Reviczky said of DECD. "One of the things the governor demands is cooperation among agencies."

Numbers of farms rise
It's not that agriculture has languished during the past several years. The Farm, Food and Jobs group's report cited U.S. Department of Agriculture data that the number of farms in the state increased by 17 percent to more than 4,900 from 2002 to 2007. Rigorous farmland preservation programs exist, most recently Farmland ConneCTions, which seek to match towns and land trusts with farmers who want to lease land.

"I know a handful of farmers who, had they been able to find suitable land, would have stayed in Connecticut; I have seen them leave the state," said Jennifer McTiernan, coordinator for the project, run jointly by American Farmland Trust and the University of Connecticut Cooperative Extension System. "That's the story we hear here in Connecticut again and again."

Seemingly small changes can have a large impact on business models. These include recent legislation to allow canning of certain acidic foods without a commercial kitchen; a new state-run system for processing poultry without USDA inspection; and permitting farms to sell each other's wines.

Council member Gregory Weidemann, dean of UConn's College of Agriculture and Natural Resources, thought Europe and Canada were models the state should consider. Europe and Canada have embraced the ideas and advanced the technologies of growing more food year-round in greenhouses.

"The way they're tying that to energy conservation, they're doing much more innovative things than frankly we are here in the U.S.," he said, explaining that the state suffers under high "input costs."

"The land's expensive, the energy's expensive, labor's expensive," he said. "So we have to find very efficient ways of doing business."

Henry Talmage, executive director of the nonprofit Connecticut Farm Bureau and the other council subcommittee leader, said regional approaches that exploit Connecticut's position halfway between the behemoth markets of New York and Boston should be explored. But first, he said, identify the industry's historic growth barriers.

"We should say, just like we would in any other economic development proposal, 'Here's an industry we think is important to the future of our state, what's holding it back,'" he said. "And if it's regulatory, it's a matter of 'OK, how do we fix that?'"

And he said it was important to look at the agricultural system as a whole -- which means more than just food. It's marketing and human resources and all the related industries that make it run.

"This is better than having the argument as to whether or not we should roll the Department of Agriculture into some other agency," he said. "Even with all the challenges, I'd much rather have the opportunity to figure out how to do it."

Hurlburt will be available to meet with residents from 10:30-11:30 a.m. in the library’s community room.

“This is a great way to meet with people and discuss issues in an informal setting,” Hurlburt said. “The legislative session will have just convened and it is very helpful to hear what people are thinking.”

Hurlburt will be available to meet with residents from 6:30 - 7:30 p.m. in the selectman’s conference room.

“This is a great way to meet with people and discuss issues in an informal setting,” Hurlburt said. “The legislative session is set to convene in two weeks and it is very helpful to hear what people are thinking.”

Hurlburt will be available to meet with residents from 6:30-7:30 p.m. at the Tolland Public Library.

“This is a great way to meet with people and discuss issues in an informal setting,” Hurlburt said. “The legislative session is set to convene in two weeks and it is very helpful to hear what people are thinking.”

Veterans Day is officially recognized on November 11, but every day is a good time to support the work and honor the sacrifices our troops have made in defense of the freedoms we enjoy in this country.

As Connecticut is the proud home to many soldiers who have served and are serving with distinction in our Armed Forces, each year the Legislature’s Veterans Affairs Committee looks to help improve the quality of life for those who have served our country.

Benefits such as tax exemptions and tuition breaks at Connecticut’s public colleges and universities are just a few examples of the committee’s work in recent years.

A law enacted in 2010 allows veterans to use their military service experience and training toward academic credit for certain technical certificates and licenses. It also prohibits agencies from requiring veteran applicants to repeat any substantively similar training or schooling required for licensure or certification.

The 2011 session of the General Assembly also produced a wide range of legislation aimed at assisting and honoring our veterans. Two of the new laws enhance services offered to veterans from the Department of Motor Vehicles.

A person’s veteran status will now be included on drivers licenses and identification cards. This designation makes for easier proof of eligibility for benefits programs or discounts offered to veterans. To obtain this distinction, bring records of your service when you renew your license.

In addition, “veteran” license plates are now available to active members of the Armed Forces. Previously, only retired members would be issued the special plates. More information on veteran plates is available online at www.ct.gov/dmv or by calling 860-263-5700.

Also, disabled wartime veterans from Connecticut are eligible for a free, lifetime pass for state parks, forests and recreational facilities. The pass allows free parking, admission as well as boat access parking.

The Legislature also extended local property tax interest waivers that applied to active Armed Forces serving in Iraq to those stationed in Afghanistan as well.

For a full list of available veterans’ services and benefits, visit the Connecticut Department of Veterans Affairs website at www.ct.gov/ctva

In addition, I want to alert veterans in the job market to a great service called the Employer Partnership of the Armed Forces that helps match employers looking to hire with qualified veterans. Information on this program can be found at https://www.employerpartnership.org/

We should always remember that the precious freedoms we share and sometimes take for granted come at a steep price. The brave men and women of the United States Armed Forces deserve our support and recognition each day.

Christmas may be over but that hasn’t stopped Gov. Dannel P. Malloy from playing Santa, crisscrossing the state and handing out Small Town Economic Assistance Program (STEAP) grants to municipalities.

On Thursday morning Malloy made a stop in Tolland to announce a $394,350 grant for the town to make Americans with Disabilities Act compliant improvements to a recreational complex.

Tolland’s was one of close to 30 grants Malloy has announced over the past few weeks. More are likely on the way as the state Bond Commission allocated $20 million for STEAP grants on Sept. 23.

Malloy said he has awarded the grants based on merit and project readiness rather than on a political basis.

“I made it very clear that we were looking for projects that would move forward in a very timely fashion because if you’re going to spend $20 million, you want to see it produce jobs particularly in a down economy,” he said.

The administration selected projects that seemed poised to move forward rapidly, with a promise that they would, he said.

“In the past, many projects have been partially funded and people have to wait for another year or another year to move those along, which doesn’t make any sense,” he said.

Rep. Bryan Hurlburt, D-Tolland, said the grants should always be merit based.

“It’s something we’ve fought with the previous administrations over. Let’s look at these. Are these projects that need to be done, do they have a place in the community? Or are they a political favor,” he said.

Hugh McQuaid Photo
Gov. Malloy with Rep. Bryan Hurlburt and Tolland Human Services
Director Beverly Bellody, who wrote the grant.

It’s good to see the state moving away from using the grants as political favors, instead funding projects that clearly benefit the state and local communities, he said.

Malloy said he was particularly interested in the Tolland project, which will include the construction of an ADA-accessible concessions stand as well as an accessible playground and compliant bathrooms on the recreation center grounds. As mayor of Stamford, the governor said he was involved with a similar project to build an ADA accessible playground about a decade ago.

“It makes such a difference. As soon as I became aware of that as part of the project I certainly wanted to make sure the state was part of it,” he said.

Lt. Gov. Nancy Wyman, who lives in Tolland, said the town appreciates the funding for a project that has been in the works for over a decade “and will be a great benefit to families from Tolland and around Connecticut.”

There was one other aspect of Tolland’s Cross Farms Recreational Complex that Malloy found noteworthy— it contains an 18-hole Frisbee golf course. The governor seemed to learn of the course after concluding his ceremonial remarks and decided to say a few more words.

“I want to point something out. It’s not every day that you get to visit a park that has a disc golf course and we should all take pride in the fact that the Frisbee was invented in Connecticut, so I just wanted to remind you,” he said.

A total of $102,204 designated for the design of an upgraded septic system that serves the rest stops is on the Commission’s agenda for their December 9 meeting at the Legislative Office Building in Hartford.

“This funding will not only go toward much needed work at the stops, but also reflects the state’s commitment to keeping them open long-term,” said Hurlburt. “These rest stops serve thousand of motorists and it is important to maintain the facilities. In many ways rest stops serve as a welcome mat for the state.”

In June, Hurlburt helped secure an agreement with Governor Malloy to keep the stops open after the Department of Transportation had announced their closing effective July 1 to cut an estimated $400,000 in maintenance costs.

Hurlburt argued that public safety and community concerns outweighed the estimated savings. “We are always telling drivers to pull over and take a break if they are tired, so it’s a total contradictory message,” he said.

Hurlburt also noted that charitable organizations, such as the Boys Scouts and Willington Historical Society, often offer “coffee breaks” at the rest areas as fundraisers.

Hurlburt’s district was one of the hardest hit by the historic Halloween nor’easter of October 29-30, which caused record power outages statewide. Thousands of local residents remained in the dark for more than a week following the storm.

Hurlburt said a Massachusetts law that levies stiff fines on utility companies for not meeting established benchmarks for restoration has been very successful and wants Connecticut to follow suit. He also wants rebates to be credited to customer bills if a utility remains out for over five days.

“They only way we are going to see improvement from the utility companies is by threatening their bottom line,” Hurlburt said. “Many people who had to wait the longest to get their power back also depend on electricity to run their well pump for water and that quickly becomes a health issue. Status quo is unacceptable.”

Hurlburt also supports requiring emergency generators at certain critical sites such as senior housing and gasoline stations. He also wants to see utilities be required to file annual emergency response plans with the state and set up standardized communication systems with all municipalities. “Hurricane Irene in August turned out to be pre-season practice,” Hurlburt said. “The freak October nor’easter was game time and frankly CL&P dropped the ball.”

Among the widespread criticisms of CL&P’s handling of power restoration include:

• Not arranging for outside crew help until after the storm hit
• Crews sitting idle for hours waiting to be dispatched
• Investing in billing and call systems upgrades, but not in frontline resources
• Failing to pay contractors for Hurricane Irene work
• Reduced power line tree trimming efforts over past decade

Public health and public safety will always be the top responsibilities of government, but our struggling economy has made job creation and economic growth an urgent priority as well.

On October 26, the General Assembly convened a special legislative session dedicated to jobs. Unlike what is happening in Washington - Democrats, Republicans and the governor worked side by side at the State Capitol to develop a variety of proposals aimed at improving Connecticut’s economy and putting people back to work.

The initiatives focused on creating a climate in the state that is ripe for maintaining, attracting and creating jobs. Encouraging small business growth, streamlining the regulatory environment, spurring innovation and entrepreneurship, targeting worker training to employer needs, and other specific tools to promote economic development are all part of the comprehensive legislation.

Among the changes made to help small businesses grow, we cut the business entity tax in half, increased tax credits for new hires and targeted additional tax credits for hiring the unemployed, veterans and disabled workers.

In order to streamline and expedite the permitting process for business, permit applications for economic development projects will automatically be approved if not acted upon by the state within 60 days. Other types of permits will also be expedited. To reduce the regulatory burden, state agencies must conduct a review to eliminate and consolidate redundant or unnecessary regulations.

To increase private investment in high tech emerging technologies, the threshold for earning “Angel Investor” tax credits was reduced from $100,000 to $25,000. New “Innovation Centers” will be established in cities across the state to help connect entrepreneurs with mentors, capital resources, business services and prospective employees.

Workforce training will be enhanced by a $20 million investment to create a manufacturing technology program at the state’s vo-tech schools and community colleges. These programs along with the state’s agricultural science and other technology opportunities will be marketed to students.

On top of all this, targeted economic development funding includes $20 million to remediate and market five old abandoned industrial sites known as “brownfields” as well as $50 million to repair state bridges under the “Fix It First” program.

Finally, a special “Main Street” fund for commercial improvements in smaller municipalities (less than 30,000 pop.) was established to help promote development in town centers. Grants up to $500,000 will be available for projects such as façades, sidewalks and lighting.

In addition, the legislature voted to approve the governor’s agreement with the world renowned medical research company Jackson Laboratories of Maine to build a major bioscience facility on the campus of the University of Connecticut Health Center in Farmington. This project alone is expected to create 900 construction jobs and almost 7,000 direct and indirect permanent jobs.

The economic challenges faced by our state cross socio-economic and political lines, and that reality has resulted in the legislature taking a major first step in providing a launching pad for economic recovery and putting Connecticut residents back to work.

Ashford will use the funding to expand the town’s successful Housing Rehabilitation program. This grant is expected to go toward the eventual completion of 12 units of low-and-moderate income housing.

“This project not only adds to the quality of life for residents, but every dollar of state funding we secure for our communities helps stabilize local property taxes,” said Hurlburt. “The shortage of affordable housing is a major concern throughout the state, and town officials in Ashford are doing a great job of improving that situation in our community.”

The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development’s Small Cities Community Development Block Grant Program provides grants to eligible municipalities for economic development, affordable housing, community facilities and other revitalization projects. The federal program is administered by Connecticut’s Department of Economic and Community Development.

“For most Connecticut towns and smaller cities, budgets are stretched thin but their infrastructure needs and the housing needs of their residents haven’t diminished,” Governor Malloy said. “That’s why the Small Cities program — and the federal grants the program awards — are so critical. The funding is key to these communities and their efforts to improve the lives of residents through housing programs and community projects.”

This is the first in a series of monthly columns that ReminderNews has graciously invited me to submit and I plan to use this wonderful opportunity to provide you with information about your state government that I hope you will find useful.

I was elected to represent our community at the State Capitol and to individually help my constituents while focusing on ensuring that government meets the challenges of its top responsibilities – creating jobs, education, public health and public safety.

I have always prided myself in refraining from the partisan rhetoric and politics that unfortunately has permeated our society more and more in recent years. Thus, I pledge to not use this space to simply criticize those of a different political party.

My legislative district is the 53rd and is made up of the towns of Ashford, Tolland and Willington. I serve on the Appropriations, Environment and Higher Education committees.

In addition, I chair the Appropriations Subcommittee on Conservation and Development where we work on budgets for state agencies such as the departments of Agriculture, Environmental Protection, Economic and Community Development and the Commission on Culture and Tourism.

As I mentioned earlier, helping and communicating with my constituents is a big part of the job, so please feel free to get in touch if you need assistance or even if you just want to share your suggestions or concerns. My email is Bryan.Hurlburt@cga.ct.gov or you can call me at the Capitol at 860-240-8585 or at my home in Tolland at 860-454-8002.

Please also visit my legislative website www.housedems.ct.gov/Hurlburt where you can find information on some the issues I have been working on as well as an overview of the legislative process and how you can get involved. In addition, I hold open public office hours in each of the towns I represent.

This is a great way to meet with residents and discuss issues in an informal setting. A public notice of these open office hours are given to local area newspapers such as ReminderNews in advance so if you are interested in this type of forum you can plan ahead to stop by.

In coming months I will explain some the new laws that went into effect this year as well as provide information about important state services and programs that may be helpful to you. When the 2012 legislative session convenes in February I will keep you informed about the proposals I submit and sponsor.

In the meantime, I hope to hear from you and please let me know if you would like me to attend an event in the district. I also encourage you to come up and say “hi” if you happen to see me at one of the many events I do get to throughout our communities.

State Representative Bryan Hurlburt (D-Tolland) joined memebers of the Tolland 4H "Ewe & I" Club
as they prepare their prize sheep for showing at the recent Four Town Fair in Somers. Joining Hurlburt
from left to right are (Lexi Trice, 14; Tyler McKenney, 17; Kathleen Moriarty, 14; Kylie Browman, 10;
and Sierra Bowman, 9)

Club member Kathleen Moriarty, 14, organized a letter writing campaign to demonstrate the importance
of 4-H programs to the community and presented 51 letters of support to Rep. Hurlburt, who chairs the legislature’s budget subcommittee that oversees state agricultural funding.

“I was very impressed with the kids’ dedication and skills in caring for their animals, but even more impressive was how they rallied the community in support of their beloved 4-H club,” said Hurlburt. “Not only did they successfully put their issue on the radar, they learned a valuable lesson about civic engagement. It's great to see this many people, especially the students, reach out in a positive way to affect change. Kathleen should be congratulated for her organizational skills and efforts to put this together. ”

At the Palmer Family Farm on Sugar Hill Road, Hurlburt was given a demonstration on washing, drying and trimming a half dozen sheep that were being groomed for showing at the weekend fair. The Palmers have hosted 4-H clubs at their farm since the mid 1990s.

Connecticut’s first 4-H program was established in Mansfield in 1913 as a way to inspire children to learn and participate in local farming. Tolland 4-H is part of the University of Connecticut’s agricultural extension program. Over six million youth participate in 4-H programming nationwide which in addition to promoting agriculture emphasizes good citizenship and community service.

Irene knocked out power to more than half of Connecticut when it hit the state on the last weekend of August, with tens of thousands of homes and businesses still in the dark a week later. Eastern Connecticut experienced the highest rate of outages, including 100% of Tolland beginning with the storm’s peak Sunday.

“Frontline CL&P workers and crews brought in from out of state did an incredible job under extremely difficult circumstances, but when people had to wait up to a week or more to get their power back there are some tough questions that need to be answered by company executives,” said Hurlburt. “In my community when the power goes out most people are also without water and that adds serious health issues on top of inconvenience. Thankfully this didn’t’ happen in the cold of winter.”

The legislature’s Energy, Public Safety, Planning & Development and Labor committees will conduct the hearings to examine what went right and wrong with the hurricane response and to make sure the state and utility companies are better prepared for the inevitable next major storm.

Hurlburt is asking residents interested in providing input to email him their suggestions, concerns and experience with Irene at Bryan.Hurlburt@cga.ct.gov so that he can get that information to committee members in a timely fashion.

“Government’s top responsibility is to protect and serve the public, and the time is now to prepare and figure out what can be improved upon when the next Irene strikes,” Hurlburt said.

“This is a fun, free event designed specifically to give kids an inside look at the history of their state government,” Hurlburt said. “School may be out, but a child’s curiosity doesn’t take a summer break.”

Sponsored by the Judicial Branch in collaboration with the League of Women Voters, the tours are recommended for children age eight and older, who will explore state government through visits to the Connecticut’s Supreme Court, State Capitol and Museum of Connecticut History.

Activities include:

• A scavenger hunt in the Museum of Connecticut History, where exhibits trace the growth of the State and its role in the development of the nation
  
  
• A visit to the State Capitol to learn about the legislative process and to see the Hall of Flags, which displays flags Connecticut soldiers have carried into battle dating back to the Civil War
  
  
• Celebrating the upcoming 100th anniversary of the historic Connecticut Supreme Court courtroom by visiting and learning about where Connecticut’s most important legal rulings have occurred over the past century

“I toured the State Capitol and was amazed by all the history we saw and learned about,” said Tolland Middle School student Charles Perosino. “It was fun and something I will never forget.”

A full schedule of events, including individual tour times, can be found at www.jud.ct.gov or by calling (860) 757-2270. Lunch will be available for purchase at the Legislative Office Building cafeteria from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Hurlburt also noted the Connecticut League of Women Voters conduct regular public tours of the State Capitol and Legislative Office Building throughout the year. Information and schedules are available at www.cga.ct.gov/capitoltours or by calling (860) 240-0222.

“I very much appreciate the willingness and flexibility of the administration to rethink this,” Hurlburt said. “We are always telling drivers to pull over and take a break if they are tired, so let’s not send a contradictory message.”

The Department of Transportation had announced the closing of both the east and westbound rest stops effective July 1 to cut an estimated $400,000 in maintenance costs, but Hurlburt argued that public safety and community concerns outweighed any estimated savings. 

“First and foremost, we must consider the safety of truck drivers and others travelling on the roads,” Hurlburt wrote in a June 7 letter to the Governor Malloy. “Over tired truckers and drivers are a serious safety concern.”

Hurlburt also noted that charitable organizations, such as the Boys Scouts and Willington Historical Society, often offer “coffee breaks” at the rest areas as fundraisers.

All of the state’s seven non-commercial highway rest stops were scheduled to be closed over the next two years at an annual saving of $1.3 million, with Willington’s being the first. The other stops are located in Danbury, Middletown, North Stonington, Southington and Wallingford.

“Unfortunately there are people who peddle animals for adoption or sale that they brought here under abusive conditions with little or no care,” Hurlburt said. “Many of these animals are being sold right out of shipping crates in parking lots with disease or injury without ever seeing a veterinarian.”

Animal importers would have pay an annual $100 registration fee before bringing any dog or cat into the state. Before offering an animal for sale to the public, the importer must have each animal examined by a veterinarian. The bill also prohibits importing of a dog or cat under eight weeks old with its mother and the sale of a dog or cat less than eight weeks old. Violators are subject to fines of up to $500 per animal. The provisions do not apply to sales to a licensed pet shop.

Tolland resident and veterinarian Gayle Block submitted testimony in support of the legislation to the Environment Committee noting she has seen a high volume of disease in imported animals that eventually end up in shelters or are euthanized.

Agriculture Commissioner Steven Reviczky of Coventry noted the lack of control of the influx of imported animals and wants to foster a close relationship with legitimate animal rescue organizations under Hurlburt’s legislation.

HARTFORD - The Connecticut House has passed a bill allowing farmers to pay only one local health permit fee to sell their goods at farmers markets throughout the state.

Tolland Rep. Bryan Hurlburt said farmers are currently required to pay for a permit in each health district where they sell items at a farmers market. He said those fees can range from $50 to $100, making it expensive for farmers to set up shop in multiple markets.

Hurlburt said the bill will cut costs for the farmers and ultimately encourage them to sell their goods at more farmers markets. It passed unanimously Wednesday.

The bill allows a local district to take regulatory action if they believe a farmer is not complying with their district's standards.

It moves to the Senate.

Last week, the legislature approved a state budget for the next two years based upon Governor Malloy’s “shared sacrifice” proposal that balances state finances with spending cuts of $1.75 billion and revenues of $1.5 billion. In addition, the budget consolidated state agencies, reduced redundancies, and maintained important municipal aid to communities like the ones I represent.

In 2010 I voted against the state budget, mainly because it depended on too much borrowing, hidden fees, and one-time revenues which I believed would only exacerbate the budget crisis. This year, however, I made the tough decision to support the revised budget as the legislature was able to remove many provisions from the Governor’s original proposal that I felt unfairly hit the middle class.

Earlier this year I asked residents for their input through my survey regarding the state budget, their priorities, and cuts they would like to see made. From there, I was able to set priorities based on the great response I received. I focused on reducing the Governor’s overall tax increase significantly, eliminate the proposed increase in the gas tax, and maintain aid for our schools.

In addition, we restored $300 of the property tax credit that the Governor proposed eliminating, protected the back-to-school sales tax free week from the chopping block and insisted on keeping sales tax exemptions for many common services such as hair cuts.

As our towns are voting on local budgets, one thing that they could count on was a partner in the state for aid. All in all, the towns of Ashford, Tolland, and Willington will receive an over $463,000 in new state aid over the course of the budget. This new aid stabilizes our local property taxes and guarantees that any increase locally is not due to a decrease in state aid.

This is a budget that does a better job of protecting the middle class, preserves the safety net for our seniors and most vulnerable citizens, and unlike the budgets in New York and New Jersey maintains critical funding for our cities and towns. Real cuts have been made, debt has been reduced, our pension obligations fully funded, and the “Rainy Day Fund” has been restored. All of these aspects create a fiscally sound budget that fulfills state’s current and future obligations.

Making tough decisions is what the residents of the state expect their leaders to do, and this was a clearly very tough one. In the end, the budget meets the needs of the residents, put the state on sound fiscal policy, and required a truly shared sacrifice.

We are beginning to turn a corner that will help put the fiscal crisis of recent years behind us and allow our state to move forward with the business of creating jobs and encouraging economic growth.

Survey questions mostly focus on the current state budget crisis. Participants are given choices as to what state spending they recommend being cut or protected and what taxes they think should be raised to help cover an estimated $3.5 billion budget deficit.

Hurlburt said the response has already been terrific and is pleased by the number of people who have taken the survey so far.

“Everybody knows the state is facing a budget crisis and it is very helpful to me to know peoples’ thoughts on the best way to solve it,” said Hurlburt, who chairs the Appropriations Subcommittee on Conservation and Development. “There is also a question on what issues people are most concerned about these days such as healthcare or crime.”

Questions range from cutting or maintaining funding for seniors and veterans’ services to aid to public schools and fixing roads and bridges. On the revenue side, respondents can consider changes on income and sales taxes and even if they favor allowing the sale of alcohol on Sundays.

Funding was authorized for six of the state’s eight counties, with Windham and Middlesex counties being rejected. The towns of Tolland and Willington are in Tolland County, but Ashford is part of Windham County.

“This is great news for our community as local budgets for snow removal and related emergencies have been exhausted,” said Hurlburt, recalling that the January 12 storm dumped over two feet of snow on the area. “Frankly though I’m shocked and disappointed that Windham County was left out, and I support the Governor’s appeal. Mother Nature didn’t stop at the county line, so it doesn’t seem fair that help should.”

This round of federal aid is designated for municipalities and state agencies to help pay for emergency protective measures such as snow removal and other storm-related costs. Also, all counties are eligible to apply for additional assistance under the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) Hazard Mitigation Grant Program, which provides funding for actions taken to prevent or reduce long-term risk to life and property from natural hazards.

HARTFORD — Weather, especially this winter’s record-setting snowfall, should be considered by the state if a school system wants to end its year with fewer than the state-mandated 180 days of class, one area lawmaker argues.

“To not give districts an option I think is really problematic, given this is such an unusual year,” Rep. Bryan Hurlburt, D-Tolland, said Friday.

Hurlburt has asked the state’s acting education commissioner, George Coleman, to consider weather-related school closings as valid reasons for school systems to skip some makeup days. The move would let schools end the year with fewer than the required 180 school days and 900 instruction hours.

This winter set a one-month record for snowfall in January, with accumulations totaling 54.3 inches at Bradley International Airport in Windsor Locks. The previous record for a single month was 45.3 inches in December 1945, according to the National Weather Service.

Already, many school boards have eliminated all or parts of their scheduled February and April vacations, as well as extending classes late into June to make up the lost days. For parents and teachers, that means canceling trips.

In Hurlburt’s hometown of Tolland, 11 snow cancellations caused the school board to eliminate next week’s February vacation and shorten its year from 183 days to 180. Now, the next snow cancellation will be made up by trimming the April vacation, and the school board hopes to finish on June 27.

“I don’t want this to become routine,” Hurlburt said of shortening the school year, “But this is a very different year than what we’ve had.”

Hurlburt’s proposal targets a part of state law that says school systems can get permission from the State Board of Education if an “unavoidable emergency” prevents them from meeting the minimums.

“Clearly we couldn’t avoid the amount of snowfall,” Hurlburt said.

But the proposal could face opposition from educators looking to maintain classroom time and from school workers who are paid hourly — including secretaries, custodians, and paraprofessionals, for whom fewer school days mean pay cuts.

For towns and school systems reeling from the costs of removing snow, that also could mean savings. Patrice McCarthy, deputy director of the Connecticut Association of Boards of Education, said Friday the group didn’t have a position on the issue. It’s something that traditionally has been handled on a town-by-town basis, she observed.

But getting the state to agree to shorten the school year has been a tough sell in the past, Thomas Murphy, a spokesman for the state Education Department, said. “It really has to be an extraordinary set of circumstances, an emergency,” he said Friday.

That’s because the law now applies to individual schools — not school systems — and cases where there was a structural problem or a health risk that prevented students from attending, he said. Schools would have to show they made every effort to make up the days by eliminating vacations and holidays, and extending classes all the way to the June 30 deadline to get approval, Murphy said.

All that means Hurlburt’s proposal would likely require a change in the law, not education policy, Murphy said.

He pointed to the winter of 1995-96, the last time winter weather had school systems asking to cut their calendars short. Not one got a waiver that year, Murphy recalled.

“We believe that most school districts right now are still in a position to meet their 180-day, 900-hour minimum,” he said.

Still, Hurlburt thinks his proposal allows for a good balance between the needs of students, educators, and parents, if a school board thinks it needs to stop short.

“This is a good solution to the problem that can meet the needs of the parents and the administration,” he said.

Current law (Chapter 164 Sec. 10-15) allows the State Board of Education to authorize shortening a school district’s year due to “unavoidable emergency,” with no specific reference to weather. Inclement weather is mentioned only regarding scheduling of make-up days, saying they can’t be held on Saturday or Sunday.

Using his hometown of Tolland as example, Hurlburt noted there has been 11 snow days to date and even with the local Board of Education’s cancellation of three days of February vacation and potentially time also taken away from April break, the town will still struggle to complete a 180 day school year prior to the statutory deadline of June 30 (Chapter 172 Sec. 10-259).

“This is not dissimilar to what is occurring in many cities and towns throughout the state,” Hurlburt said. “Due to these highly unusual circumstances, I believe this winter’s wrath of mother nature should be acknowledged as a legitimate factor when considering district applications for a waiver of the 180 minimum school days statute.”

In addition to snowfall, school closings have resulted from poor road conditions and structural concerns of school buildings. The Connecticut National Guard was recently deployed to Tolland and Vernon to assist in clearing school roofs of excessive snow and ice build-up.

Hurlburt will be available to meet with residents from 5:30-7:30 p.m. at the Tolland Public Library resource room.

“This is a great way to meet with people and discuss issues in an informal setting,” Hurlburt said. “The legislative session just convened and it is helpful to hear what people are thinking and their concerns.”

Hurlburt will be available to meet with residents from 7:00-8:30 p.m. in conference room #304 of Ashford Town Hall.

“This is a great way to meet with people and discuss issues in an informal setting,” Hurlburt said. “The legislative session just convened and it is helpful to hear what people are thinking and their concerns.”

The purview of Hurlburt’s subcommittee includes crafting and overseeing the budgets of a variety of state agencies such as the departments of Agriculture, Environmental Protection, Economic and Community Development and the Commission on Culture and Tourism.

Hurlburt, who was first elected to the Legislature in 2006, was also named to the Environment and Higher Education & Employment Advancement committees, and earned the leadership title of Assistant Majority Leader.  

“The scope of these assignments will allow me to best represent the needs of my district as well as help shape the future of our state,” said Hurlburt. “There is great opportunity in these challenging times as we begin a partnership with our new Governor to encourage economic growth and balance the state budget.”

Among legislation Hurlburt worked on in 2010 was a bi-partisan Jobs Bill that included targeted loans for small businesses, tax credits for companies hiring new employees and a streamlining of the business permitting process. Two years ago, he backed a new law that provides municipalities with incentives to implement cost savings and property tax relief by forming regional partnerships. 

As Vice-Chair of the Environment Committee last year, Hurlburt authored a “Farms, Food & Jobs” law that encourages the production and sale of more Connecticut-grown food. In addition, he sponsored a new law that expanded recycling and helped reduce waste removal costs to towns.

“Bryan’s input on our leadership team will be invaluable as we continue to work to create jobs, improve health care services and increase educational opportunities,” Speaker Donovan said. “Bryan is also a tireless advocate for his district and continues to find ways to protect our environment that are good for our economy as well.”