It didn’t include all the consumer protections Gov. Dannel P. Malloy wanted, but the House passed a bill 116-24 Thursday that makes sweeping changes to Connecticut’s liquor laws.

For the first time ever in Connecticut, package stores will be allowed to open and sell alcohol on Sundays and certain holidays. The bill also expands package store permit limits from two to three and allows store owners to discount one item per month. In addition, the legislation creates a task force to study pricing issues, which Malloy’s original proposal modified extensively.

Rep. Joseph Taborsak, D-Danbury, said that through negotiations with all the stakeholders they decided that pricing needed more study “before we head down the road of deregulating another industry.” He recalled the decision the legislature made many years ago to deregulate the electricity market.

“The people of Connecticut deserve for us to get this right,” Taborsak said.

A handful of package store owners have said Sunday sales was a distraction to the more harmful provisions in Malloy’s original bill. Store owners like Bill Fore, president of County Wine and Spirits in New Preston, have said Malloy’s proposal to eliminate minimum pricing and allow bulk discounts would have driven mom and pop stores out of business.

If those price protections were eliminated, a large store getting a bulk discount could make a healthy profit selling products at a price below what smaller stores would be paying wholesale. Malloy has said he was trying to look out for the consumer.

The governor, who was used to getting everything he wanted in his freshman year, wasn’t happy with postponing what he believes are consumer protections, but he has called the bill a “victory.”

“I’d like more, but if it’s a two-year process to protect the rights of consumers, if that’s what it has to be, it has to be,” Malloy said Thursday at an unrelated event. “The reality is that we’re on the cusp of doing something that’s never been done in the state of Connecticut and that’s add 55 days of sales and consumer ease.”

He said he remains committed to bringing the price of alcohol down for consumers and with five appointments to the task force created by the bill he will have a lot of influence. The governor reminded reporters Thursday that Connecticut is losing $570 million in alcohol sales to neighboring states and those sales aren’t just happening on Sundays.

Rep. Kathy Tallarita, D-Enfield, said she’s excited about the bill because she’s been fighting to keep alcohol sales in Connecticut. Since Enfield is near the Massachusetts border, package store owners in her community have been lobbying for Sunday sales for a long time.

“It’s about fairness for me. It’s about allowing business to do business as they so choose, including Sunday,” Tallarita said.

She said in addition to being about consumer convenience the bill also is a revenue generator. She said the bill will bring in $5.3 million annually.

An amendment the House adopted through a voice vote will allow package stores to sell certain types of snack foods such as chips, candy, nuts, cheese, and olives. The amendment was proposed to help put package store on similar footing with grocers. Package store owners feared they would lose business to grocery stores if customers were also allowed to food shop and purchase alcohol in one location.

Lawmakers eliminated the complicated medallion system for store ownership proposed by Malloy.

“Working families are feeling the pressure of skyrocketing gas prices,” said Senate President Donald E. Williams (D-Brooklyn). “Our plan will provide some relief at the pump at a time when folks are struggling to make ends meet and at the same time ensure that big oil wholesalers don’t drive up the price of gasoline. Most of all, this plan puts big oil companies on notice that we won’t stand for them profiteering and taking advantage of consumers.”

“We are taking steps to protect consumers from rising gas prices. We’re lowering the price they’ll pay to fill their tanks and calling on the big oil companies to be responsible,” said House Speaker Christopher G. Donovan (D-Meriden). “This plan will put more money in consumers’ pockets and protect them from irresponsible profiteering.”

The Democrats’ plan:

• Caps the gross receipts tax (GRT) on motor fuels at $3.00/per gallon wholesale, upon passage.
• Sunsets 6/30/13.

• Prohibits oil wholesalers and distributers (those who pay the gross receipts tax) from passing on anything purporting to be based on the tax for the portion of any sales price over $3.00 per gallon.
• Any such overcharging a Connecticut Unfair Trade Practice Act (CUTPA) violation.

• Amends the petroleum profiteering statute, C.G.S. § 42-234 et seq. (“abnormal market disruptions”) to include an automatic trigger based on extreme wholesale price increases, for price gouging protections to go into effect.
• Puts everyone in supply chain on notice of serious penalties for increasing their profit margins during such disruptions.

• Legislatively declares an “abnormal market disruption” upon passage for a set period of one month in anticipation of further wholesale price spikes.

• The wholesale price at the Port of New Haven is up $.13 since 3/1/12;
• The spike has not hit the pumps, with average retail prices rising only $.02 cents since 3/1/12 from $3.99/gal to $4.01/gal.

• Grants the commissioner of the Department of Consumer Protection authority to impose CUPTA fines of up to $10,000 upon large gasoline wholesalers and distributors who are in violation of profiteering laws.
• This will strengthen the Commissioner’s authority, necessary because large wholesalers in violation of profiteering statutes have much greater impact on consumers than individual retailers.

• Institutes similar profiteering protections in regards to home heating oil.

“The high price of gasoline threatens consumer confidence, burdens Connecticut families and endangers the fragile progress our economy has made here in Connecticut,” said Senate Majority Leader Martin M. Looney (D-New Haven).  “As the State of Connecticut, we can’t affect the price of oil on the international exchange – what we can do is give our Department of Consumer Protection and Attorney General the tools they need to ensure that large oil wholesaler don’t takes advantage of rising prices to unfairly gouge consumers.”

“While this proposal will have a modest change at the pump, it will ensure that the state is not profiting unnecessarily as gas prices rise,” said J. Brendan Sharkey, House Majority Leader (D-Hamden).

Moderate- and lower-income families feel the rising price of gasoline especially hard. According to a recent report by the Brookings Institute:

“Every dollar increase, holding the number of miles driven constant, would cost these moderate- and lower-income households an extra $530 per year. For a family with an annual income of $20,000, this is an additional 2.7% of their total income. Although higher gas prices eventually encourage consumers to cut back on driving or switch to more fuel-efficient vehicles, in the short-run they may have few options but to cut back on other expenditures in the family budget. Since low- and moderate-income families spend most of their income on average, in the very short run they can only choose between spending less on other items and going further into debt.”

“As summer approaches and the threat of gas costing $5 a gallon looms large, this plan attempts to rein in costs at the pump and protect against oil profiteering,” said Senator Paul Doyle (D-Wethersfield). “Capping the gross receipt tax without providing additional protections would only benefit big oil companies. Our plan is the only plan that will protect consumers and empower the Office of Consumer Protection to clamp down on price gouging.”

“Connecticut residents are struggling with our ever-increasing gas prices,” said Rep. Joseph Taborsak (D-Danbury).  “As oil prices continue to rise, we recognize that there is a limit to how much impact our state government can have while prices are being driven up by Wall Street speculators and corporate greed.  But we have to do our part and not make the problem worse. This proposal will help reign in gas prices by capping the gross receipts tax and by giving the Commissioner of Consumer protection the tools he needs to go after companies that violate our price gouging laws.”

This feels like the perfect storm, said Gloria McAdam, President and CEO, Foodshare. “More people need food because of rising gas prices. And Foodshare is challenged in getting more food to people who need it because of those same rising fuel prices. Any relief the state can provide will be welcomed by both working families and the nonprofit organizations, like Foodshare, that are striving to help those working families.

Danbury received the following grants:

• Danbury Music Centre, Inc - $8,030
• Housatonic Valley Cultural Alliance - $32,500

“These grants recognize the importance of the arts in our community,” said Rep. Godfrey. “I’m pleased DECD included Danbury and I promise to continue to fight for these and other critical state dollars to sustain our cultural heritage and create jobs.”

“I am pleased to see that HVCA and the Danbury Music Center received these competitive grants from the state. It’s a real testament to the good work they are doing in providing artistic and cultural experiences for Danbury area residents,” Rep. Taborsak said.

“I’d like to thank our state legislators for their role in making sure that the arts stay relevant in the lives of people in Connecticut,” said Nancy Sudick. Executive Director, Danbury Music Centre. “The arts provide food for the soul.”

The performances are composed of amateur and professional musicians from the greater Danbury area conducted by professional directors. More information on the Danbury Music Centre can be found online at: www.danbury.org

“We’re happy to receive the operating support from the State,” said Lisa Scails, Executive Director, Housatonic Valley Cultural Alliance. “It will help us to continue the services we provide and to leverage the creative assets in Western Connecticut.”

HVCA is the largest regional arts service organization in Western Connecticut, based in Danbury. HVCA’s goal is to impact quality of life and the economy. The nonprofit organization provides a gateway within the arts sector, to leaders in the private and public sectors and the general public.

More information on the Housatonic Valley Cultural Arts can be found online at: www.hvculturalarts.org

This year, the State Legislature created the Task Force to review and evaluate the primary state-funded foreclosure prevention programs which are the Emergency Mortgage Assistance Program (EMAP), the CT Families Refinancing program, and CHFA’s free Foreclosure Prevention Counseling program. All of these programs are run by CHFA and are subsidized by the state. Upon the Task Force’s review and evaluation of these programs, it will provide a report of its findings and recommendations to the Legislature’s Banks Committee.

“I’m confident that Rep. Taborsak will bring his experience, ideas and commitment to serving the people of Connecticut as a member of this important board,” Donovan said. “I am pleased that he has accepted the challenge to help our state move forward during these tough economic times.”

“I thank Speaker Donovan for his vote of confidence in appointing me to serve on this important task force and I am honored to chair the panel,” Taborsak said. “Given the experience and ideas the members of this panel bring to the table, I feel very good about our chances of truly improving these programs in a way that will help more Connecticut residents facing the incredible hardship of foreclosure.”

Rep. Godfrey said “This legislation focuses on initiatives designed to create a climate in Connecticut that is ripe for maintaining, attracting and creating jobs. Job growth in a business-friendly environment is a priority in this state."

The goal of the legislation is to jump-start job creation and foster long-term economic growth. Incentives for small business, cutting red tape, incentives for innovation, economic development tools and workforce development and training are all addressed in the bill.

One of the key components of the legislation is the Small Business Express Package which will make $50 million/year available to small businesses through incentives, grants and loans.

“Creating new opportunities for job growth and showing a real commitment to small businesses across the state is what we have demonstrated with passage of these bills,” Taborsak stated. “We have taken a firm step to help not only small businesses, but our workforce who is in dire need of stable and good paying jobs to keep providing for their families and obligations.

Another vital component is aligning programs at vo-tech schools, community colleges and universities with high demand job needs of employers, including the state’s manufacturing technology companies.

Other components of the jobs bill include:

• Consolidating and increasing the tax credit for new hires
• Incentivizing investments in emerging technology (Angel Investors)
• Building innovation centers in key cities and investing in innovative ventures
• A second “First Five” program
• Cutting the business entity tax
• Streamlining the business permitting process
• Remediating old industrial sites/brownfields
• Computer upgrades to foster seamless communication between business and the state
• Workforce development, education and training
• Allowing the Airport Authority to designate new Development Zones
• Investments in roads and bridges
• Replenishing the Manufacturing Assistance Act (MAA)
• Main Street commercial centers improvement initiative

In addition, the legislature signed off on Jackson Laboratory’s plan to build a $1.1 billion research facility at the UConn Health Center campus in Farmington. The State of Connecticut will invest $291 million and Jackson Laboratory will raise the balance of $860 million for the project.

According to the state Department of Economic and Community Development (DECD), the project is expected to create over 660 positions at Jackson Laboratory in Farmington within 20 years. DECD estimates more than 4,600 bioscience jobs would be generated through spin-off companies, and another 2,000 would be added to local service and area retail stores. The project would yield more than 840 construction jobs as well.

DANBURY -- State Rep. Joseph Taborsak announced Thursday that $4 million in state bonding money has been secured for the construction of a new community health center on Main Street.

State Rep. Joe Taborsak, at podium, speaks during a press conference at the old police station on Main Street in Danbury on Thursday, Oct. 20, 2011. Rep. Taborsak announced a $4 million state grant for what will become the new state-of-the-art Community Health Center of Greater Danbury. Photo: Jason Rearick

The money will "significantly accelerate" the construction of the center, according to James Maloney, the president and chief executive officer of the Connecticut Institute for Communities that operates the center now on North Street.

Construction of the downtown center, which is part of the redevelopment of the former police station property along southern Main Street, can start as early as next spring.

That is well in advance of the three-year conservative estimate Maloney said was set previously for the project to commence.

City officials sold the former police station property in the summer to Union Savings Bank for $2.3 million.

The bank in turn immediately sold a portion of the property to the institute for $1.1 million while retaining a portion of the land for a new branch office on Main Street.

The project also includes at least 48 units of housing for the elderly planned by the institute on the property behind the new center.

Taborsak, D-Danbury, said the $4 million was placed on the state's Bond Commission agenda for its meeting Friday with the assistance of Gov. Dannel P. Malloy and House Speaker Chris Donovan.

"This bonding couldn't have come at a better time," said Taborsak, adding that the money reflects a significant investment by the state in the downtown's future. "The construction of the new community health center will put people back to work."

The lawmaker, who made the announcement during a press conference in front of the former police station building Thursday, estimated that the project will create 60 "good-paying construction jobs" during the building phase of the project and that 75 new health care employees will be required to staff the center when it's completed.

Maloney said the money will pay for the construction of the core of the building and that an additional $5 million will be needed to complete the center, which was designed to be built in stages as funding becomes available.

Former Danbury Mayor Gene Eriquez, who said he has been involved in the redevelopment effort of the property since the beginning, said the project will not only provide more health care services for area residents, but also will "help to spur the downtown economy further enhancing revitalization efforts of CityCenter."

Dr. Thomas Draper, the medical director for the center, said that besides offering services to low-income residents and those without insurance, the center also provides a training ground for primary care physicians.

"I am enormously pleased to be here today," he said. "This money will help to provide a remarkable health care center located right on Main Street."

The state Bond Commission has approved $4 million for the health care center proposed at the former police headquarters at 120 Main St.

With the state Bond Commission giving $4 million Friday, work on demolishing the old police headquarters on Main Street could start within a few weeks and new construction is likely to start with the spring.

James Maloney, former 5th District congressman and president of Connecticut Institute for Communities, said his group, which is sponsoring the health center, is seeking architects now.

Maloney said with the architects in place this fall, work could start with the spring building season, and the building could be completed in 2012.

The proposed health care center will create 60 construction jobs and another 100 jobs for health care providers and support staff. The entire project is proposed to include a new Union Savings Bank branch, the health care center and senior housing. The entire project will still take at least three years to complete.

"This project will be a solid boost to the Danbury economy and a very important on-going benefit to our region's residents for generations to come," said Maloney.

State Rep. Joe Taborsak said in announcing the Bond Commission's decision, "there has never been such an infusion of state support in Main Street Danbury, and such an investment in the health and well being of Danbury area residents."

The new health care center, which will be called the CIFC Community Health Center of Greater Danbury, is part of a public/private partnership with Union Savings Bank. The bank began demolition already on two former city buildings across Boughton Street from the former police station.

Union Savings Bank's goal is to complete a new bank on its site in 2012.

Maloney said once the demolition work is completed over the next few weeks next door, the demolition vehicles will move across the street and remove the old police station. The lead and asbestos is already removed from the police station.

Maloney also said recent zoning changes in Danbury may make it possible to add more housing units to the 48 housing units already approved.

"We may be going back to the planning commission," Maloney said.

“This is a historical moment for Danbury for two reasons: There has never been such an infusion of state support into Main Street Danbury and such an investment in the health and well-being of Danbury area residents. It’s a great win-win,” Taborsak said.

“In an era where my constituents are telling me that access to affordable quality health care is a concern, this new and expanded health center goes a very long way to meeting their needs.” Rep. Godfrey stated. “We have worked long and hard as a team in securing the state’s support. I applaud Governor Malloy for his backing and am delighted to see this coming to fruition. I look forward to the ground breaking and ribbon cutting.”

The funds, expected to get approval when the State Bond Commission meets Friday, will make a significant economic development impact on downtown by creating over 150 permanent and temporary jobs that will help improve the local economy, provide accessible health care and enhance Danbury’s revitalization efforts.

"There are many residents in Danbury and the surrounding towns who rely on the medical, behavioral and other health services that the Community Health Center of Greater Danbury provides,” Governor Malloy said. “This grant for its expansion will help the Center improve the delivery of care to its patients, whether it be primary, dental or behavioral health services, and continue its core mission of improving the health and well being of the community it serves.”

"The people of greater Danbury deserve to have access to a first-rate community health care facility," said House Speaker Christopher G. Donovan (D-Meriden). "This grant gives them that. Combined with new jobs and help to revitalize downtown, this is a significant project for the Danbury community. I want to thank Reps. Taborsak, Godfrey and Lyddy, as well as the Connecticut Institute For Communities and former Congressman Maloney for their hard work to help secure the funding, and for understanding the beneficial impact this facility can have on the community."

"This is great news for greater Danbury residents," said Rep. Chris Lyddy (D-Newtown). "The new facility will enable many residents to receive the health care already enjoyed by others. Construction of the facility also will provide a boost to the local economy.  It has been an honor to work with Rep. Taborsak, Jim Maloney and the Governor's Office on this initiative and trust that as a result of our collaborative efforts more people will have access to health care.”

The $4 million grant is expected to create at least 60 constructions jobs and approximately 100 permanent jobs including health care providers as well as support and administrative positions.

“I would like to especially thank Governor Malloy and Speaker Donovan for their strong support of this important project,” Taborsak said. “They have both been critical in making this happen and have shown a real commitment to the health and well being of Danbury area residents.”

“This is wonderful news for the CIFC Community Health Center of Greater Danbury and for the entire Danbury community. Governor Dannel Malloy, Speaker of the House Chris Donovan and Representative Joe Taborsak have done magnificent work in making this project possible,” Hon. James H. Maloney, Esq., President/Chief Executive Officer Connecticut Institute For Communities, Inc. (CIFC) said. “They have shown their deep commitment both to downtown Danbury and to the people in our community most in need of health care services. This project will be a solid boost to the Danbury economy and a very important on-going benefit to our region’s residents for generations to come.”

“What great news! This new state-of-the-art community medical facility will more than double the patient-services capacity of our Health Center, and it will also allow us to fully integrate medical care, dental care, and behavioral health care into a single facility that will secure for Danbury area families the best possible health services,” Dr. Thomas F. Draper, MD, MPH Medical Director CIFC Community Health Center of Greater Danbury stated. “Our CIFC Health Center was recently honored to be designated as a “Patient Centered Medical Home” by the National Committee For Quality Assurance, one of only two Community Health Centers in all of Connecticut (out of 14) with such accreditation. This new building will enable us to continue our high quality health care in an equally high-quality facility.”

The health center is sponsored by the Connecticut Institute For Communities, Inc. (CIFC), a Danbury-based community development organization that also sponsors a number of other social services programs in Danbury, including Head Start of Northern Fairfield County.

Video

Rep. Taborsak (far right) attending the Safety Assessment Building Groundbreaking Ceremony at Boehringer Ingelheim's Ridgefield Campus.

"Boehringer Ingelheim has a bright future ahead as a leader in our highly competitive industry,” said Greg Behar, president and Chief Executive Officer, Boehringer Ingelheim Pharmaceuticals, Inc. “This innovative $42.5 million facility has a singular purpose that is aligned with our corporate mission to bring new, innovative medicines to patients and families.”

"The fact that Boehringer Ingelheim continues to invest in its campus and create jobs is great news for Connecticut," said Governor Malloy. "This new facility expands the company's research and development capacities, and reaffirms its reputation as an innovative and forward-looking company. Boehringer Ingelheim is a valued member of the Connecticut business community and a key partner in our collective efforts to strengthen the state's bioscience industry."

The company also hopes to gain approval this year for a $65 million Pilot Plant Replacement facility on its Connecticut campus. The pilot plant is where the New Chemical Entities discovered in Research make the transition from the lab bench to the chemical processing environment and the Active Pharmaceutical Ingredients (APIs) are made in quantities sufficient to support Development activities. This new facility is a world class design combining state-of-the-art technology, compliance with current Good Manufacturing Practice and process flexibility to handle production of the many different types of APIs discovered in Research.

About Boehringer Ingelheim
The Boehringer Ingelheim group is one of the world’s 20 leading pharmaceutical companies. Headquartered in Ingelheim, Germany, it operates globally with 145 affiliates and more than 42,000 employees. Since it was founded in 1885, the family-owned company has been committed to researching, developing, manufacturing and marketing novel products of high therapeutic value for human and veterinary medicine.

As a central element of its culture, Boehringer Ingelheim pledges to act socially responsible. Involvement in social projects, caring for employees and their families, and providing equal opportunities for all employees form the foundation of the global operations. Mutual cooperation and respect, as well as environmental protection and sustainability are intrinsic factors in all of Boehringer Ingelheim’s endeavors.

In 2010, Boehringer Ingelheim posted net sales of approximately $16.7 billion (about 12.6 billion euro) while spending almost 24% of net sales in its largest business segment, Prescription Medicines, on research and development.

For more information, please visit http://us.boehringer-ingelheim.com.

The forum featured guests, members and representatives from federal and state veterans’ organizations who discussed programs and initiatives currently available, and others in the process of becoming available.

"My fellow veterans have given so much for our country that we are thankful for," said Godfrey. "I applaud each and every one of them for their unselfish contributions. This Forum is to show them about the many ways we can return the favor, through state and federal assistance that will help them."

"I am pleased to have partnered again with Rep. Godfrey and Rich Raymond of the Catholic War Veterans to host another great Danbury Veterans' Forum,” Taborsak stated. “By having this open public forum, local Veterans are able to speak directly to their state and federal government about issues affecting them. If we are able to help even one veteran today, the event is worth it to me."

"The Catholic War Veterans of Danbury are pleased to provide the facilities for the Veterans’ Forum,” said Commander Raymond. “We thank Rep. Joe Taborsak, Deputy Speaker Bob Godfrey and the other participants for devoting their time and effort to assist our veterans in a variety of ways."

Both, Godfrey and Taborsak worked with CWV Commander Raymond to ensure veterans participation at the informational forum and expressed their satisfaction of the turn out.

HARTFORD -- A bill with major implications for the recent national trend toward legalized ticket scalping for athletic and entertainment events was abruptly killed for the legislative season on Monday.

The co-chairman and ranking members of the General Law Committee passed off the issue to the Department of Consumer Protection, admitting that the bill that was approved by the committee and sits on the House calendar doesn't adequately protect consumers.

The bill would have prohibited restrictions on the resale of entertainment event tickets in subscriptions or season-ticket packages and would have prevented venues from refusing to honor resold tickets. It would have also prohibit systems -- such as the paperless process in which consumers pick up tickets at the venue after showing ID and a credit card -- that do not give consumers the option to transfer tickets.

William M. Rubenstein, commissioner of consumer protection, whose agency is six weeks into a probe of the ticket industry, said in a Monday interview that he is eager to look at possible changes to make the market operate "correctly," allowing ticket buyers to resell and ticket-brokering operations to function without gouging consumers.

The issue, being watched around the country as major music acts finalize schedules for the lucrative summer concert season, pits artists who want to keep ticket prices low for their fans against ticket agents who sometimes raise prices by 10 times or more over the face value of the ticket.

In the middle are venues such as the XL Center in Hartford that want to attract national acts like Bruce Springsteen. Springsteen favors so-called paperless tickets, which restrict reselling of tickets because they require purchasers to show up the night of the show and display ID.

"As people know that follow this issue, the resale of tickets is a legal business in this state," said Rep. Joseph J. Taborsak, D-Danbury, co-chairman of the committee. "One of the issues we deal with on this committee and that people have to understand is that generally speaking, when we try to do something that increases a consumer's rights as far as ticket holders, we generally are also increasing the rights of ticket resellers."

Lawmakers said they were disappointed not to have heard more from consumers about the legislation. "I think slowing it down and looking at this issue longer is going to be a good thing for this bill," Taborsak said in a morning news conference in the Capitol complex.

Taborsak said that the committee will ask Rubenstein's office to identify all complaints on ticket sales, venue behavior and ticket broker practices.

"There's a place in the world for a secondary ticket market," Rubenstein said in a phone interview. "It's much better to have it operate than not, for the benefit of both primary and secondary ticket sellers, so whoever puts their rear end in the seat has been treated fairly in the process."

He said that fans of a team or musical act have to have fair access to tickets. He warned that some unscrupulous resellers have created websites that look like the box offices of various venues and have not disclosed that information to ticket buyers.

Then there are the computer programs used by resellers to gobble up tickets and resell them for large amounts of money, effectively closing fans out. Asked whether he thought that nationwide legislation should be developed in Congress, Rubenstein said that Internet sales would be better regulated that way.

"But there are things we can do in Connecticut to protect Connecticut," Rubenstein said, adding that he thought the legislative panel did a smart thing in abandoning the legislation for the year. He said that the bill would have not been kind to consumers who would obtain paperless tickets, then realize they couldn't make an event.

"I think the focus has to be on the person who bought the ticket for their own use," Rubenstein.

Don Vaccaro, president and CEO of Ticket Network Inc., which has 350 employees in Vernon that handled half a billion dollars in ticket-sales transactions last year, said that because the lawmakers dropped the legislation, the industry may suffer.

"Consumers are going to be hurt because of the delay of this bill," Vaccaro said in a phone interview. He said the action Monday indicates the lawmakers' vulnerability to lobbying.

Vaccaro said that about 40 percent of tickets transacted through Ticket Network sell below face value. People who sell tickets through the company set their own price and pay a 10 percent fee. Buyers get their tickets via overnight delivery.

Sen. Paul Doyle, D-Wethersfield, the other committee co-chairman, said that the committee has recently heard from industry sources that if the bill became law, Springsteen would bypass Connecticut in his summer tour.

Two calls for comment to Springsteen's publicists, the Brooklyn-based Shore Fire Media Inc., were not returned Monday.

Keith Sheldon, manager of business affairs at the XL Center, said the venue was pleased that the lawmakers will let the bill expire.

"Putting restrictions on how the artist does business is going to restrict content in Connecticut," he said. "When you're having a 40-day tour and Connecticut is the only state that you can't utilize paperless ticketing or a `will call' only option, then the artist is just going to bypass Connecticut to our neighbors in Massachusetts or our neighbors in New York."

Speaking before the alliance, Rep. Godfrey highlighted some of the proposed legislation impacting young children and the programs that service them. “We must keep in mind that the children are our future,” said Rep. Godfrey. “In a year marked by budget deficits, program cuts and reduction in services to young children, the state must focus on what is truly important and the impact any funding cuts would bring.”

“Danbury receives only 21% of its education funding from the state, so at least maintaining the state level funding is critical to our children’s education,” said Rep. Taborsak. “This is particularly important in these tough economic times with cities getting less tax and other revenue while experiencing a higher demand for services by residents. “

“The Governor’s budget mostly maintains early childhood services funding, educational grants to cities, and parent leadership funding,” said Linda Kosko, Executive Director Danbury Children First. “The Governor’s priorities are our priorities that ensure our children’s services are maintained in this tough economic climate.”

Having all children ready to succeed in school is Danbury Children First’s priority. For the 2011 legislative session, the goals are to continue current funding levels that:

1. Supports quality, affordable childcare while parents work, (school readiness, state funded-centers, Care4Kids, and quality enhancement)
2. Maintains state education funding for schools,(ECS, state grants)
3. More effectively delivers early childhood services (SB 1106, An Act Concerning the Establishment of the Dept. of Early Education and Child Development)
   
4. Support the parent leadership trust at $500,000 per year

According to Director Kosko of Danbury Children First, 500 Danbury children benefit from school readiness and state funded childcare centers and 434 children benefit from the Care4Kids subsidy program. “Cuts to these programs would put our neediest children at risk from getting a good start in school,” said Kosko. “The Governor’s budget has maintained flat funding for these programs except for a small decrease in the Care4Kids program. At least 400 more young children could use subsidized childcare services in Danbury.”

State high school students would get world language credit for taking American Sign Language under a bill being considered by the legislature.

The proposal is part of a larger bill of minor revisions to education legislation and was unanimously supported by the education committee last month.

ASL is offered in some school systems for credit under language arts. That practice, said Harvey Corson, vice president of the Connecticut Association for the Deaf, is outdated.

"Connecticut is the only state that considers sign language as part of language arts," Corson told the education committee during a recent public hearing.

Corson said that as of March 2010, 166 colleges and universities accepted ASL as a foreign or world language. Corson also said the phrase "signed English," which is now used in the state statutes, should be deleted.

The bill, proposed by Sen. Michael McLachlan, R-Danbury, and Rep. Joseph Taborsak, D-Danbury, would change the classification of ASL to world language — as it is in 34 other states.

"It's an interesting step, a policy step," said Thomas Murphy, public information officer for the state Department of Education.

In testimony to the education committee, George Coleman, the state's acting education commissioner, said his department agrees with the concepts of the bill.

Murphy said that the department views the legislation as an opportunity for an more students to gain skills for jobs requiring ASL.

"Sign language has become far more part of people's lives today. It has become more of a part of the community," said Sen. Andrea Stillman, D-Waterford, the co-chairwoman of the education committee. "I think it's a wonderful idea for well-rounded students."

Both Stillman and Taborsak said the change would not have any financial impact or consequence.

According to the National Institute on Deafness, origins of ASL, can be traced to French teacher Laurent Clerc, who co-founded the first permanent school for the deaf in Hartford, in 1817. Clerc began teaching students French Sign Language.

"I would venture to say that in my town and in this state there is a great awareness and appreciation of ASL," said Sen. Andrew Fleischman, D-West Hartford.

Support for the change also came from Jaya Vijayasekar, the immediate past president of the Connecticut Council of Language Teachers. Vijayasekar said that ASL absolutely has separate grammar and vocabulary and that the group of foreign language teachers has always stood by it being included. ASL is even included in its annual poetry recitation contest.

Mary Silvestri, who has been an ASL teacher at Danbury High School for 15 years and is deaf, said the potential change would mean a lot to her and her family. Silvestri raised three deaf children.

"More ASL classes would be set up by interested schools, resulting in more people learning ASL," Silvestri wrote in an e-mail. "The more people learning and using ASL, the more people we can communicate with in our community."

Silvestri said the bill does not require a school to offer ASL, but rather classifies it as a world language should schools choose to offer it.

"I would like to see many schools and colleges in Connecticut offering ASL. We also need more ASL interpreters," Silvestri said. "Just as it takes a Spanish interpreter years before becoming fluent enough to interpret in two languages, it also takes an ASL interpreter years to become fluent enough to interpret."

"We continue to face tough economic times as we find ways to deal with our statewide budget deficit,” Donovan said. “In the meantime, we are reaching out to homeowners who are having difficulty with their mortgages. This program is an alternative to consider for those who want to keep their homes from being foreclosed.”

The forum highlighted resources and assistance available through the Connecticut Fair Housing Center. Mediation classes are offered across the state, with this evening's forum a brief introduction. Topics discussed ranged from home loan modification and negotiating a home exit strategy to housing counselors and demystifying the process. An 80-page manual which walks homeowners through the Connecticut foreclosure process, including all forms needed for court was distributed. To date, some 5000 owners have kept their homes thanks to this mediation process.

"Facing foreclosure is devastating to families, communities and the economy,” Taborsak stated. “We are trying to provide necessary tools to help homeowners that are facing this crisis. It is my hope that as more people learn about how this program works, that we will have many taking advantage of it.” 

“Danbury is a great city to put down roots and buy a home. During this past recession families have been hit hard economically and found it difficult to make ends meet and pay their bills,” said Rep. Godfrey. “People facing foreclosure need the opportunity to keep their homes. Achieving the American dream of owning a home, only to lose it to the bank is a tragedy that profoundly impacts families and neighborhoods.”

"The Connecticut Fair Housing Center is the only non-profit organization in the state that provides legal assistance and resources, free of charge, to homeowners facing foreclosure," said CFHC Staff Attorney Jeffrey Gentes. "One in 13 Connecticut homeowners is either 90 days behind on their mortgage or in foreclosure. It is critical that we continue to support and educate people about resources like the Foreclosure Mediation Program so that we can prevent as many foreclosures as possible."

For assistance with foreclosure, please contact:

Connecticut Department of Banking
Foreclosure Assistance Hotline: 1-877-472-8313
www.ct.gov/dob

Connecticut Fair Housing Center
Phone: (860) 247-4400
www.ctfairhousing.org

Housing Development Fund
Phone: (203) 798-6527
www.hdf-ct.org

Neighborhood Housing Services of Waterbury
Phone:  (203) 753-1896
www.nhswaterbury.org

Community Action Center of Danbury
Phone: (203) 744-4700
www.cacd-caa.org

HARTFORD -- The lingering battle over Sunday sales of alcohol became a daylong skirmish Tuesday as both sides argued about projected tax revenue in the depths of Connecticut's fiscal crisis.

During a public hearing before a crucial legislative committee, the Washington-based Distilled Spirits Council claimed that up to $8 million in annual tax revenue would result from extending liquor sales to Sunday.

And state grocers said their customers want to be able to buy beer on Sundays, one of the busiest shopping days of the week.

Their arguments fueled the position of some lawmakers, including General Assembly members from border towns, who believe state businesses are losing out to Massachusetts and New York towns where consumers can buy liquor in retail outlets on Sundays.

Carroll Hughes, lobbyist for the 1,100-member Connecticut Package Stores Association, which opposes the measure, said that the reality of Sunday sales would be a minuscule $140,000 in extra excise and sales tax revenue for the state.

"We would burn that up in additional public safety costs alone," Hughes said.

He said that nonpartisan legislative researchers who investigated the issue miscalculated in predicting that as much as $8 million in additional annual excise and sales tax would be generated for the state.

Rep. Joseph Taborsak, D-Danbury, co-chairman of the committee, said the panel will have to fully explore the issue to find the true fiscal impact.

"It seems pretty clear that it's something that's very hard to measure, based on the information we have," Taborsak said.

If the state adopts Sunday sales, Hughes said, 20 percent of package store beer sales will migrate to supermarkets.

And state police chiefs said they are concerned about more crime and underaged drinking if the bill passes.

For people like 44-year-old Mitch Ancona, of Redding, proprietor of the third-generation Ancona's Wines & Liquors in Ridgefield and Wilton, Sunday sales would mean the same amount of business, spread out over seven days instead of six, and would further stress his staff.

"What it really comes down to is, I've spent a fair amount of time cultivating a wonderful staff," he said. "These people aren't minimum wage people. These are people with family. These are people who make a fair wage and I'm going to have to try and figure out a way to fairly schedule these people on a Sunday, when they're used to spending that day with their families."

About 300 people, mostly package store owners opposed to the bill -- wearing lapel stickers that said "No Sunday Sales" and "Save My Job" -- packed a legislative meeting room Tuesday in a major showdown before the General Law Committee, whose former chairman, a staunch opponent of Sunday sales, lost his re-election bid last November.

Connecticut is the last Northeastern state that prohibits Sunday alcohol sales in retail establishments and is one of only three states in the country that has the ban.

Even though his stores are a short drive from Vista, N.Y., Ancona said he's not losing business there. "My costs of operating that seventh day would still have to be paid for with the theoretical six days worth of sales," he said, adding that about 70 percent of his business is wine sales.

While Gov. Dannel P. Malloy has said he would sign a bill authorizing Sunday retail sales, the bill faces votes in that committee as well as further scrutiny in as many as five other committees.

DANBURY -- Don't pass any new unfunded laws. Continue constant state aid to schools. Work to lengthen the school day. Review unions to reduce the power of seniority in staff contracts.

Danbury school officials made urgent requests to the state legislators who joined them at district's offices Tuesday night before Wednesday's start of the legislative session. School officials are looking for help not just from legislators, but from parents, as they prepare budget proposals for 2011-12.

"Much of the discussion has been on the economy and how the financial environment has taken its toll over the past three to four years, not only in our district but across the whole state and the country," school board Chairman Irving Fox said at the start of the session.

"We have cut more than $10 million out of our programs in the last two years. Danbury can't afford to shoulder any more erosion of funding."

Danbury state Rep. Jan Giegler, a Republican, and Rep. Joseph Taborsak, a Democrat, and Republican state Sen. Michael McLachlan asked school board members and staff how they could help the district.

"The current commissioner (Mark McQuillan, who stepped down and was replaced Thursday by interim commissioner George Coleman, of Newtown) focused a lot of resources with us and now we will need strong leadership going forward to continue that," Superintendent Sal Pascarella told them.

During the 90-minute meeting, school officials said the city expects enrollment to increase in the next few years and it will need more room for at the middle schools first, then elementary level, then at the high school.

Giegler said because Danbury is growing, she's frustrated by the formula for state education aid.

"This year will be tremendously frustrating. It's going to be very, very difficult. We know we'll have to make some really, really hard decisions," Giegler said.

Taborsak was hopeful the budget process would be smoother this year.

"It will not be a political football, with a Democratic governor and Democratic Legislature," he said. "There's no incentive to use it as a political football, as it has been in the past. There won't be two sets of numbers."

Taborsak said Gov. Dannel Malloy has a good track record with education and it is a priority for the Democratic Legislature. Still, the budget is an unknown.

"What I'm hoping is that it's fair to our public schools and that it makes education a priority," Taborsak said. "The proposal in February will provide a better sense of where we are going than it did in the past."

McLachlan wants to ensure no unfunded mandates exist that lawmakers could delay implementing as a way to help schools save money this year, but Pascarella said the Danbury schools have mandates because of the state's accountability law, so the city can't postpone many initiatives.

Pascarella said the state's urban superintendents hope for "robust leadership from the state Department of Education."

The group wants the state to require more instruction time, including a longer school day and school year. Superintendents also would like the Legislature to help school districts assign staff based on experience, training and qualifications, instead of having seniority trump all those qualities, which is a union issue.

Pascarella said, the hope is for the state to help teacher preparation programs be more accountable.