WE RESIST. WE BUILD. WE RISE.
On the 100th day of Trump's presidency more than 300,000 people in Washington DC and across the country joined together in a powerful demonstration of unity for jobs, justice and climate action.
Together, we will chart a different path forward: away from Trump’s agenda of a cruel, polluted, and divided country, and towards a clean energy economy that works for everyone.
#climatemarch
On the 100th day of Trump's presidency more than 300,000 people in Washington DC and across the country joined together in a powerful demonstration of unity for jobs, justice and climate action.
Together, we will chart a different path forward: away from Trump’s agenda of a cruel, polluted, and divided country, and towards a clean energy economy that works for everyone.
#climatemarch
CCAG Comments Made to DEEP Concerning the Draft "Comprehensive Energy Strategy," or CES.
Delivered on September 25, 2017 by Executive Director Tom Swan.
Go to "Home" on the menus above to see how to get your own opinion to DEEP before the final CES is issued.
Delivered on September 25, 2017 by Executive Director Tom Swan.
Go to "Home" on the menus above to see how to get your own opinion to DEEP before the final CES is issued.
WE RESIST. WE BUILD. WE RISE.
On the 100th day of Trump's presidency more than 300,000 people in Washington DC and across the country joined together in a powerful demonstration of unity for jobs, justice and climate action.
Since then, we have charted a different path forward: away from Trump’s agenda of a cruel, polluted, and divided country, and towards a clean energy economy that works for everyone. #climatemarch
On the 100th day of Trump's presidency more than 300,000 people in Washington DC and across the country joined together in a powerful demonstration of unity for jobs, justice and climate action.
Since then, we have charted a different path forward: away from Trump’s agenda of a cruel, polluted, and divided country, and towards a clean energy economy that works for everyone. #climatemarch
2017 ARCHIVES
CCAG Fights To Save The Citizens Election Program. AGAIN!
Counterattack at GOP effort to repeal public financing (article link) Sen. Heather Somers, R-Groton, says she is grateful that she never ran for state office in the days before Connecticut’s public financing system, when a major portion of fundraising took place in Hartford and was geared to collecting checks from lobbyists and their clients. But that didn't stop her from voting Friday for a budget that would repeal the system.
(2017 Budget Threat) CCAG Exec Dir Tom Swan at left.
Counterattack at GOP effort to repeal public financing (article link) Sen. Heather Somers, R-Groton, says she is grateful that she never ran for state office in the days before Connecticut’s public financing system, when a major portion of fundraising took place in Hartford and was geared to collecting checks from lobbyists and their clients. But that didn't stop her from voting Friday for a budget that would repeal the system.
(2017 Budget Threat) CCAG Exec Dir Tom Swan at left.
Capitol Demonstrators Seek Preservation Of Medicaid Funding CBS Connecticut October 18, 2017 at 6:30 pm
Connecticut Citizen Action Group Organizing Director Ann Pratt says increasing taxes on wealthy people could preserve health coverage for people with less money.
Pratt says under both the Democratic and Republican proposals, large numbers of low-income people would lose health coverage under Medicaid. Click to watch video.
Connecticut Citizen Action Group Organizing Director Ann Pratt says increasing taxes on wealthy people could preserve health coverage for people with less money.
Pratt says under both the Democratic and Republican proposals, large numbers of low-income people would lose health coverage under Medicaid. Click to watch video.
Oh, another wrinkle on budget deal: Millstone’s profitability The CT Mirror By: MARK PAZNIOKAS October 23, 2017
“I can’t believe that Connecticut policy makers are stupid enough to stick it to Connecticut ratepayers,” said Tom Swan, the executive director of the Connecticut Citizen Action Group. “It’s already being addressed at the federal level.” Read more...
“I can’t believe that Connecticut policy makers are stupid enough to stick it to Connecticut ratepayers,” said Tom Swan, the executive director of the Connecticut Citizen Action Group. “It’s already being addressed at the federal level.” Read more...
Tucked in budget: Shorter leash on election watchdogs The CT Mirror By: MARK PAZNIOKAS October 30, 2017
A one-year deadline for the commission’s investigations was proposed as a Senate bill during the regular 2017 session, drawing opposition in public-hearing testimony from state prosecutors and representatives of grass-roots groups such as the League of Women Voters, Common Cause, the Connecticut Citizen Action Group and the Sierra Club. Read more...
Policymakers eye legislative action to address HHC-Anthem stalemate
HartfordBusiness.com By: PATRICIA DADDONA November 16, 2017
"Ted Doolittle, the state's Healthcare Advocate, Frances Padilla, president of Universal Health Care Foundation of CT, and Tom Swan, director of CT Citizen Action Group, are also expected to call for legislative action.'' Read more...
A hospital-insurance fight, and 'a dead zone' of care The CT Mirror By: MARK PAZNIOKAS November 17, 2017
"This situation exemplifies the danger of the corporatization of health care and the urgency to update our state's regulatory framework," said Swan, the executive director of CCAG. Read more...
Jepsen’s art of the deal CT Post By: Dan Haar December 3, 2017
Tom Swan, the state’s leading consumer advocate as executive director of the Connecticut Citizen Action Group, named a few actions he’d still like to see from Jepsen’s office. “While he may have been more judicious in selecting cases than I would have been, where he’s chosen to weigh in, he’s usually made a positive difference. Read more...
Tom Swan, the state’s leading consumer advocate as executive director of the Connecticut Citizen Action Group, named a few actions he’d still like to see from Jepsen’s office. “While he may have been more judicious in selecting cases than I would have been, where he’s chosen to weigh in, he’s usually made a positive difference. Read more...
Lawmakers Firm Up Session On Medicare Savings, Set Aside Deficit For Now
CT News Junkie By: CHRISTINE STUART December 14, 2017
Gov. Dannel P. Malloy has refused to call the legislature back into special session. He’s maintained that if they want to reconvene to increase spending then they should also address the $208 million budget deficit. Read more...
CT News Junkie By: CHRISTINE STUART December 14, 2017
Gov. Dannel P. Malloy has refused to call the legislature back into special session. He’s maintained that if they want to reconvene to increase spending then they should also address the $208 million budget deficit. Read more...
Opponents Call to Restore Funding to Medicare, Medicaid Programs NBC CT News By Jamie Ratliff Dec 14, 2017 Those affected by cuts to the Medicare Savings (MSP) and Husky A Medicaid programs joined together on Thursday to demand the cuts be fully restored.
About 113,000 seniors and people with disabilities are expected to lose MSP coverage unless the legislature acts.
"This program is a lifeline for so many people across the state. It is a lifeline," Ann Pratt with CT Citizen Action Group said. Read more...
About 113,000 seniors and people with disabilities are expected to lose MSP coverage unless the legislature acts.
"This program is a lifeline for so many people across the state. It is a lifeline," Ann Pratt with CT Citizen Action Group said. Read more...
Issues, Specific Bills, and Associated Explanation from the 2017 Legislative Session Relating to Environment
ENERGY
SB 106 AAC the Diversity of Baseload Energy Supplies in the State and Achieving Connecticut’s Greenhouse Gas Emissions: Nuclear Shakedown: CCAG opposes this bill as it would raise the already high electric rates by subsidizing the profits of Millstone Nuclear Power Plant, which is owned by Dominion Energy in Virginia. It also puts nuclear power in the same class as renewables based on the “no carbon emission” aspect of operation. Dilution of “renewable” as a legal term would reduce incentives for phasing out climate-warming fossil fuels.
At this time this bill is tabled for the senate calendar. We are urging Connecticut citizens to call and tell them to Vote NO on Connecticut's Senate Bill 106. You can use this toll free number for instruction and to make the call, you will be directed to your senator’s office. 1-844-220-5524
HB 6546 AAC Prohibiting Surcharges from Being Levied on Utility Customers to Subsidize Interstate Natural Gas Pipeline Capacity: This project remains effectively halted after Massachusetts and New Hampshire blocked the funding mechanism involving their own ratepayers. But beware. Technically, Connecticut’s Eversource ratepayers remain “on the hook” from previous legislative authorization. With a new administration focused on fossil fuels, HB 6546 stands as an important tool to truly safeguard CT ratepayers. Eversource originally estimated the cost at $3.2B. Independent analysts warn that the cost is more than double ($6.6B). This bill remains in the Energy and Technology Committee awaiting further action.
SB 630 AAC Clean and Renewable Energy Opportunities and Use of Renewable Energy Sources: CCAG strongly supports the concepts put forward in SB 630.The bill would increase targets for truly renewable energy as a percentage of total energy production. This bill was referred by the Senate to Committee on Appropriations on May 17th.
Shared Solar: Shared solar is at work all around us (MA, NY, and VT). There are no serious technical hurdles, yet utilities resist. Shaded homes and rental properties in Connecticut cannot legally establish any nearby shared site for local energy sharing with utility net-metering for payback. CCAG demands that we open the renewable markets to more residents immediately. With an authorized yet fatally limited “pilot project” remaining stalled while the Department of Energy and Environmental Protection (DEEP) seeks clarification from PURA, CCAG would like to see further legislative action to cut through the administrative fog currently blocking solar access for the majority of CT residents. Even the pilot project (a delay tactic if we ever saw one) is woefully behind schedule and no end is in sight.
TOXICS
HB 6329 AAC Hydraulic Fracturing Waste in Connecticut: This bill would permanently prohibit the storage, disposal, handling and use of hydraulic fracturing waste in Connecticut. Fracking waste is the byproduct of drilling for natural gas.
The House has already voted 141-6 to ban fracking waste from Connecticut. There is currently a moratorium on fracking waste due to expire, but a ban should eliminate any uncertainty about where Connecticut stands on the issue. The bill now heads to the state Senate. We urge you to contact your senator in support HB 6329
Consumer Safety: With the Federal EPA hobbled by a hostile Cabinet Secretary, action at the state level must increase. CCAG will work to remove useless flame retardants from furniture and children’s products, to require non-toxic state procurement rules, and to require proof of safety before deployment of chemicals.
WATER AND CLIMATE:
SB 753 AAC Commercial Bottled Water Operations and State Streamflow Regulation and the State Water Plan: After a public hearing and a favorable referral from the Environment Committee, this bill is tabled for the Senate Calendar as of March 27th. CCAG would like to see it die there unless it is amended substantially. Bottlers are looking to buy Connecticut water, essentially privatizing our most important public resource. SB753 is a sham bill that purports to “study” possible problems. (See “shared solar,” similar delay tactics.) Instead of simply another study, CCAG supports enacting the obvious protections: no water removal during droughts, bottlers pay a fair share of infrastructure costs, no sales before analysis to insure adequacy of supply, and fee structures that do not discount large-scale siphoning of public supplies.
SB 996 AAC Establishing a Bottle Recycling Fee in Lieu of a Refundable Deposit: CCAG strongly opposes the current version of the bill. To truly strengthen the very successful “Bottle Bill” (achieved in 1978 after a five-year campaign), we need to increase the amount of the deposit and expand what is covered.
This legislation would repeal the Bottle Bill and replace the bottle deposit with a non-refundable bottle tax. Eliminating the deposit would be a significant step backward for our state's recycling goals and would inevitably lead to more litter in our communities, higher taxes, and the loss of green jobs in Connecticut.
It's time to tell our legislators in Hartford that the Bottle Bill works! Vote No on SB 996!
Take Action! Contact your legislators re: the issues you care about.
House Democrats
1‑800‑842‑8267
Senate Democrats
1‑800‑842‑1420
House Republicans
1‑800‑842‑8270
Senate Republicans
1‑800‑842‑1421
2017 Legislative Wrap-up-
ENERGY
SB 106 AN ACT CONCERNING THE DIVERSITY OF BASELOAD ENERGY SUPPLIES IN THE STATE AND ACHIEVING CONNECTICUT'S GREENHOUSE GAS EMISSIONS MANDATED LEVELS is an example of the classic misleading name. (Think “Patriot Act” for a more familiar example.) CCAG fought it hard. It did not pass. The bill attempted to weaken CT’s renewable portfolio by subsidizing nuclear power as a “renewable.” Not incidentally, this would have made the profitable Millstone Plant even more profitable, at your expense. (In true Trump fashion, Dominion had the chutzpah to claim otherwise, no serious reasoning given, no open books.) You will find that subsidy-intent mentioned exactly nowhere in the summaries or titles. Identifying and killing a stealth bill like this is a CCAG specialty. Kudos to AARP, which threw its considerable weight behind the CCAG effort to protect true “renewables” as a category to encourage and protect. Now this issue has come back as a rat in the budget talks. CCAG remains vigilant.
HB 6546 AN ACT CONCERNING PROHIBITING SURCHARGES FROM BEING LEVIED ON UTILITY CUSTOMERS TO SUBSIDIZE INTERSTATE NATURAL GAS PIPELINE CAPACITY did not pass. CCAG was in favor. The appearance of the bill and the fight over it was still helpful in killing the long-term, multi-session campaign by private interests. They want to fund a new natural gas pipeline by making electrical ratepayers foot the bill. But profits, of course, would go to those private entities. (Massachusetts and New Hampshire had already officially blocked charging their own ratepayers.) If this rock needs to be rolled up the hill again next session, CCAG remains watchful and ready.
ENVIRONMENT
SB 753 AN ACT CONCERNING COMMERCIAL BOTTLED WATER OPERATIONS AND STATE STREAM FLOW REGULATIONS AND THE STATE WATER PLAN did not pass. CCAG fought against it. As is so often the case, the bill was a wolf in sheep’s clothing. While masquerading as “protection” of public water, the bill offered virtually none. In fact, companies wanting to buy and bottle municipal water supplies championed it because it offered no real impediment to their de facto privatization plans for precious public water. CCAG offered real protections instead: 1) no water removal during droughts; 2) bottlers pay a fair share of infrastructure costs; 3) no sales before analysis that insures adequacy of supply; and 3) fee structures that do not discount large-scale siphoning of public supplies.
SB 996 AN ACT ESTABLISHING A BOTTLE RECYCLING FEE IN LIEU OF A REFUNDABLE DEPOSIT
would have repealed a signature CCAG achievement dating from the 70s! We beat it back. Community recycling is clearly a key to sustainable living. The modest bottle fee, returned to the bearer of empties for re-use, has dramatically incentivized the success for decades. This legislation would have replaced the deposit fee with a non-refundable tax. Hmmm. Higher stealth taxes? At the expense of the loss of green jobs? No, and no.
Expansion of the bottle bill remains a part of budget talks. See The Container Deposit Modernization in the 2018-2019 Biennium Budget proposal. Two months into the new fiscal year, there is no budget agreement. Special Session continues. Connecticut’s bottle deposit law generates $33.4 million a year to the General Fund. It supports at least 1,200 jobs. It quietly creates millions in cost savings for municipalities who would bear the burden and litter otherwise. CCAG’s recommendation: 1. Expand to all juices, teas, sports drinks; 2. Increase handling fees to redemption centers/retailers to 3.5 cents per container; 3. Allow beverage distributors to keep 20% of unclaimed deposit revenue to help offset the costs of the increased handling fees.
HB 6329 AN ACT CONCERNING HYDRAULIC FRACTURING WASTE IN CONNECTICUT was not called for a Senate vote. Building on an earlier CCAG victory, the bill would have permanently prohibited importation, storage, disposal, handlinganduse of hydraulic fracturing waste in Connecticut. Short-term profit-seekers stand ready to get paid for dumping waste anywhere folks are not watchful enough. The House voted 141-6 for the ban. The Senate kicked it down the road.
Continuing developments: Good news! Local bans on drilling waste are continuing to rise and pass. For instance, Pomfret just passed an ordinance. More than 30 other towns have similar significant citizen/selectmen activity. State law requires that fracking waste… regulations be submitted no later than July 1, 2018. Therefore, the Department of Energy & Environmental and Protection (DEEP) must soon submit a draft of appropriate rules. Upon that submission, the twelve legislators on the “Regulations Review Committee” can ask for edits and second drafts. (They lack the power to ban such waste completely.) CCAG thinks it unlikely that any current state facilities can adequately treat such waste. For instance, Radium 226 is common in fracking leftovers (which are massive in volume). Radium 226 half-life is 1,600 years. It is known to cause breast, bone and liver cancers. If future state regulations allow private handlers to import this waste, it would necessarily move by trucks (thousands of trips) on roadways across the state. But chemical and radioactive contamination has escaped in fracking states: accidents, leaks, leaching into groundwater, and even after treatment and subsequent discharge into surface waters. CCAG is collecting local stories on these towns voting to ban. Please forward information from any local source.
PROTECT HEALTHCARE
SB445 In cooperation with the Comptroller Kevin Lembo, bi-partisan Senate Leadership, Universal Health Foundation and other allies, CCAG helped win a critical victory to lower drug costs. Governor Malloy signed this bill into law on July 10th. Contracts between Pharmacy Benefit Managers (aka “PBMs”, who represent insurance companies) and Pharmacists (the person you actually see) have increasingly included a “gag clause.” It prevents your Pharmacist from alerting you to lower priced alternatives to your prescription! SB445 outlaws this outrage. PBMs have also begun to force pharmacies to charge co-pays even when the price of the drug is less than the copay. Thus, you pay more than the price of the drug! The insurer pockets the difference as profit. This is also outlawed as of July 10th. Since both practices have inflated your drug costs in the past, the bill authorizes AG George Jepsen to collect damages for these or any other anti-competitive practices. CT and 39 other states are currently suing 6 drug manufacturers seeking such awards.
SB 795 AN ACT ESTABLISHING THE OFFICE OF HEALTH STRATEGY AND IMPROVING THE CERTIFICATE OF NEED PROGRAM did not pass. It offered a way to carry voices for patient and worker protections into the complex negotiations with for-profit mega-chains. CCAG’s focus? Improving the Certificate of Need (CON) requirements. For-profits cut needful but less-profitable services, along with staff. CON improvements would have improved transparency BEFORE cuts could be made. CCAG continues to organize and inform stakeholders around this issue.
HUSKY A is likely to be cut in any budget that is finally approved, so as to cover thousands fewer parents of children in households near or below poverty level. Past cuts show that many children will also lose coverage as parents drop. Check CCAG for updates as Special Session continues. We must continue to work to restore funding to the Medicaid program so that 80,000 Connecticut residents have access to health care.
DEMOCRACY
CCAG’s landmark Clean Elections Program (publicly-owned elections) remains at risk. The budget which passed the legislature on September 15th eliminated this essential program. Through action and funding from our coalition partners and members we were able to save the program but with significant cuts. We must continue to work to restore the funding and protections so that Connecticut’s democracy is protected from dark money.
Legislative solutions under consideration in the current 2017 Legislative session:
Watch this site for the full legislative wrap up. Join our email list for updates and next steps..
ENDING THE AUSTERITY MADNESS: Connecticut continues to give huge financial packages to some of the most profitable corporations in the world while demanding painful cuts in the services that make Connecticut a great place to live. D.U.E. Justice is the CCAG-led coalition focused on equity, racial justice, and protection of the safety net. On Tax Day, April 18th, D.U.E. Justice organized a “Tax Dodger” march of several hundred people. Led by a two-story tall puppet of Donald Trump, the group marched from the Federal Courthouse in Hartford to the Legislative Office Building. At the LOB, and with press attending, the group gave a Pledge to the Republican Leadership. It asks their signatures “to break with Donald Trump’s regressive and punitive leadership on tax and budget issues.” Contact CCAG’s Ann Pratt to volunteer/join in these ongoing efforts: [email protected]
ELECTRIC RATES: This project remains effectively halted after Massachusetts and New Hampshire blocked the funding mechanism involving their own ratepayers. But beware. Technically, Connecticut’s Eversource ratepayers remain “on the hook” from previous legislative authorization. With a Trump administration focused on fossil fuels, HB 6546 stands as an important tool to truly safeguard CT ratepayers. Remember, Eversource originally estimated the cost at $3.2B. Independent analysts warn that the cost is more than double ($6.6B). Fewer ratepayers participating? Substantially higher costs? This bill is an important line in the sand. It remains in the Energy and Technology Committee awaiting further action.
NUCLEAR SHAKEDOWN: Dominion (Millstone owner) wants to put nuclear power in the same class as renewables based on the “no carbon emission” aspect of operation. CCAG is firmly against it. Nuclear has unique risks fundamentally different from distributed renewable sources such as solar, wind, and water. And Millstone has been quite profitable as evidenced in all reports to shareholders. More importantly, dilution of “renewable” as a legal term would reduce incentives for phasing out climate-warming fossil fuels. This bill, SB106, sits on the Senate Calendar after being referred favorably from the Energy and Technology Committee. It may not be called for a vote at all, or it may be amended to remove the dilution of the renewable portfolio by the intrusive and profiteering inclusion of Millstone’s nuclear power output. CCAG urges citizens to contact legislators to vote No on SB 106 and to voice their concerns to their senators. You can use this toll free number to make the call: 1-844-220-5524. CCAG has partnered with AARP on this issue.
You can hear specific discussion (including that of CCAG’s Tom Swan) in this recording of an open conference call in which the public asked questions. Hear it ALL HERE
SHARED SOLAR: Shared solar is at work all around us (MA, NY, and VT). There are no serious technical hurdles, yet utilities resist. Shaded homes and rental properties in Connecticut cannot legally establish any nearby shared site for local energy sharing with utility net-metering for payback. CCAG demands that we open the renewable markets to more residents immediately. With an authorized yet fatally limited “pilot project” remaining stalled while the Department of Energy and Environmental Protection (DEEP) seeks clarification from PURA, CCAG would like to see further legislative action to cut through the administrative fog currently blocking solar access for the majority of CT residents. Even the pilot project (a delay tactic if we ever saw one) is woefully behind schedule and no end is in sight.
WATER RESOURCES AND CLIMATE CHANGE: After a public hearing and a favorable referral from the Environment Committee, this bill is tabled for the Senate Calendar as of March 27th. CCAG would like to see it die there unless it is amended substantially. Bottlers are looking to buy Connecticut water, essentially privatizing our most important public resource. SB753 is a sham bill that purports to “study” possible problems. (See “shared solar,” similar delay tactics.) Instead of simply another study, CCAG supports enacting the obvious protections: no water removal during droughts, bottlers pay a fair share of infrastructure costs, no sales before analysis to insure adequacy of supply, and fee structures that do not discount large-scale siphoning of public supplies.
TOXICS: With the Federal EPA hobbled by a hostile Cabinet Secretary, action at the state level must increase. CCAG will work to remove useless flame retardants from furniture and children’s products, to require non-toxic state procurement rules, and to require proof of safety before deployment of chemicals. At the moment, HB 6329 AAC Hydraulic Fracturing Waste in Connecticut is perhaps the most important focus. This bill has made it through several committees and sits tabled on the House Calendar as of April 4th. The legislature passed a moratorium three years ago. The moratorium has ended. Fracking and fossil fuels in general only look worse. CCAG supports the permanent ban that this bill entails, and is pushing for a floor vote.
LOWERING PRESCRIPTION DRUG PRICES: In the chaos of current Washington, there is little to like and much to fear. But babies and bathwater being different, CCAG notes that the President said he wants to reign in drug prices. This could be a year of opportunity. In 2017, CCAG’s focus will be on market transparency and price limitations for expensive drugs. The transparency approach emphasizes putting hard-to-find price information into the hands of regulators, the public, or both. (Easy price comparison is the engine of market competition, and it is in short supply thanks to the Big Pharma lobby.) On the other hand, price controls can include outright setting of upper limits, or merely the triggering of cost transparency in the face of a rising prices. Roughly 40 states are working on bills in these areas. CCAG is bringing the results to legislative discussion in CT.
PROTECT HEALTHCARE: CCAG raised the issues that led to the blocking of anti-competitive mergers in the insurance industry (Anthem- CIGNA, Humana-Aetna). Good, but this drama may not be over. Meanwhile, HUSKY A is under attack at the Legislature. The proposed budget would separate approximately 9500 low-income parents from their healthcare. Past cuts (2 years ago about 16,000 were cut) indicate that many eligible children also lose coverage due to confusion. With tax revenues falling an estimated $200M short of expectations, the working poor under Husky A are an easy target. The issue requires continued attention, with the Legislature and Governor working furiously for a financial solution.
HOSPITAL MERGERS: These mergers threaten competition on a more local level. CCAG continues information/organizing meetings with local constituents, particularly in Eastern Connecticut and greater Waterbury. We carry voices for patient and worker protections into the complex negotiations of for-profit mega-chains eating up local (often non-profit) hospitals. Specifics include CCAG support for HB6035 and SB248 (e.g., service providers would need to show need when reducing services in a given community). We oppose HB5168 (removes consumer protections/service guarantees). We support SB451 and HB6051, protecting patients from unreasonable and surprise billing.
EDUCATION RESET (the CJEF ruling): Judge Thomas Moukawsher ruled that the Connecticut school funding mechanism is unconstitutional. CCAG agrees. But while there are things to like in Malloy’s budget response, it worrisomely diverts $400M from public education. He also drops a full third of teacher pension costs, assigning them magically to municipalities. Most problematic of all, the proposal pits one school system against another in a redistribution of funding that is not adequately vetted. Rather than robbing Peter to pay Paul, Connecticut has an obligation to increase the size of the pie and get education right. This is very much a budget issue as well, and with tax revenues currently falling short at an estimated $200M on top of an initial budget deficit that was much larger, and with “losing towns” pitted against “winning towns” under the initial budget proposal, the fight remains fierce.
DEMOCRACY: CCAG was instrumental in establishing our landmark Clean Elections Program (publicly-owned elections). The duress over tax shortfalls and budget deficits increases the pressure on this system. CCAG is doing everything in its power to avoid raids or damage to this critical element of good democracy. CCAG continues to support bills that align CT with adopting the national popular vote as binding in Presidential elections, including HB5205, HB5434, HB5435, and SB9. CCAG opposes bills that entrench the current electoral college system: SB108, SB133, and SJ11. We also think HB6575 is very important, aligning CT with a requirement that Presidential candidates disclose their tax returns.
ENERGY
SB 106 AN ACT CONCERNING THE DIVERSITY OF BASELOAD ENERGY SUPPLIES IN THE STATE AND ACHIEVING CONNECTICUT'S GREENHOUSE GAS EMISSIONS MANDATED LEVELS is an example of the classic misleading name. (Think “Patriot Act” for a more familiar example.) CCAG fought it hard. It did not pass. The bill attempted to weaken CT’s renewable portfolio by subsidizing nuclear power as a “renewable.” Not incidentally, this would have made the profitable Millstone Plant even more profitable, at your expense. (In true Trump fashion, Dominion had the chutzpah to claim otherwise, no serious reasoning given, no open books.) You will find that subsidy-intent mentioned exactly nowhere in the summaries or titles. Identifying and killing a stealth bill like this is a CCAG specialty. Kudos to AARP, which threw its considerable weight behind the CCAG effort to protect true “renewables” as a category to encourage and protect. Now this issue has come back as a rat in the budget talks. CCAG remains vigilant.
HB 6546 AN ACT CONCERNING PROHIBITING SURCHARGES FROM BEING LEVIED ON UTILITY CUSTOMERS TO SUBSIDIZE INTERSTATE NATURAL GAS PIPELINE CAPACITY did not pass. CCAG was in favor. The appearance of the bill and the fight over it was still helpful in killing the long-term, multi-session campaign by private interests. They want to fund a new natural gas pipeline by making electrical ratepayers foot the bill. But profits, of course, would go to those private entities. (Massachusetts and New Hampshire had already officially blocked charging their own ratepayers.) If this rock needs to be rolled up the hill again next session, CCAG remains watchful and ready.
ENVIRONMENT
SB 753 AN ACT CONCERNING COMMERCIAL BOTTLED WATER OPERATIONS AND STATE STREAM FLOW REGULATIONS AND THE STATE WATER PLAN did not pass. CCAG fought against it. As is so often the case, the bill was a wolf in sheep’s clothing. While masquerading as “protection” of public water, the bill offered virtually none. In fact, companies wanting to buy and bottle municipal water supplies championed it because it offered no real impediment to their de facto privatization plans for precious public water. CCAG offered real protections instead: 1) no water removal during droughts; 2) bottlers pay a fair share of infrastructure costs; 3) no sales before analysis that insures adequacy of supply; and 3) fee structures that do not discount large-scale siphoning of public supplies.
SB 996 AN ACT ESTABLISHING A BOTTLE RECYCLING FEE IN LIEU OF A REFUNDABLE DEPOSIT
would have repealed a signature CCAG achievement dating from the 70s! We beat it back. Community recycling is clearly a key to sustainable living. The modest bottle fee, returned to the bearer of empties for re-use, has dramatically incentivized the success for decades. This legislation would have replaced the deposit fee with a non-refundable tax. Hmmm. Higher stealth taxes? At the expense of the loss of green jobs? No, and no.
Expansion of the bottle bill remains a part of budget talks. See The Container Deposit Modernization in the 2018-2019 Biennium Budget proposal. Two months into the new fiscal year, there is no budget agreement. Special Session continues. Connecticut’s bottle deposit law generates $33.4 million a year to the General Fund. It supports at least 1,200 jobs. It quietly creates millions in cost savings for municipalities who would bear the burden and litter otherwise. CCAG’s recommendation: 1. Expand to all juices, teas, sports drinks; 2. Increase handling fees to redemption centers/retailers to 3.5 cents per container; 3. Allow beverage distributors to keep 20% of unclaimed deposit revenue to help offset the costs of the increased handling fees.
HB 6329 AN ACT CONCERNING HYDRAULIC FRACTURING WASTE IN CONNECTICUT was not called for a Senate vote. Building on an earlier CCAG victory, the bill would have permanently prohibited importation, storage, disposal, handlinganduse of hydraulic fracturing waste in Connecticut. Short-term profit-seekers stand ready to get paid for dumping waste anywhere folks are not watchful enough. The House voted 141-6 for the ban. The Senate kicked it down the road.
Continuing developments: Good news! Local bans on drilling waste are continuing to rise and pass. For instance, Pomfret just passed an ordinance. More than 30 other towns have similar significant citizen/selectmen activity. State law requires that fracking waste… regulations be submitted no later than July 1, 2018. Therefore, the Department of Energy & Environmental and Protection (DEEP) must soon submit a draft of appropriate rules. Upon that submission, the twelve legislators on the “Regulations Review Committee” can ask for edits and second drafts. (They lack the power to ban such waste completely.) CCAG thinks it unlikely that any current state facilities can adequately treat such waste. For instance, Radium 226 is common in fracking leftovers (which are massive in volume). Radium 226 half-life is 1,600 years. It is known to cause breast, bone and liver cancers. If future state regulations allow private handlers to import this waste, it would necessarily move by trucks (thousands of trips) on roadways across the state. But chemical and radioactive contamination has escaped in fracking states: accidents, leaks, leaching into groundwater, and even after treatment and subsequent discharge into surface waters. CCAG is collecting local stories on these towns voting to ban. Please forward information from any local source.
PROTECT HEALTHCARE
SB445 In cooperation with the Comptroller Kevin Lembo, bi-partisan Senate Leadership, Universal Health Foundation and other allies, CCAG helped win a critical victory to lower drug costs. Governor Malloy signed this bill into law on July 10th. Contracts between Pharmacy Benefit Managers (aka “PBMs”, who represent insurance companies) and Pharmacists (the person you actually see) have increasingly included a “gag clause.” It prevents your Pharmacist from alerting you to lower priced alternatives to your prescription! SB445 outlaws this outrage. PBMs have also begun to force pharmacies to charge co-pays even when the price of the drug is less than the copay. Thus, you pay more than the price of the drug! The insurer pockets the difference as profit. This is also outlawed as of July 10th. Since both practices have inflated your drug costs in the past, the bill authorizes AG George Jepsen to collect damages for these or any other anti-competitive practices. CT and 39 other states are currently suing 6 drug manufacturers seeking such awards.
SB 795 AN ACT ESTABLISHING THE OFFICE OF HEALTH STRATEGY AND IMPROVING THE CERTIFICATE OF NEED PROGRAM did not pass. It offered a way to carry voices for patient and worker protections into the complex negotiations with for-profit mega-chains. CCAG’s focus? Improving the Certificate of Need (CON) requirements. For-profits cut needful but less-profitable services, along with staff. CON improvements would have improved transparency BEFORE cuts could be made. CCAG continues to organize and inform stakeholders around this issue.
HUSKY A is likely to be cut in any budget that is finally approved, so as to cover thousands fewer parents of children in households near or below poverty level. Past cuts show that many children will also lose coverage as parents drop. Check CCAG for updates as Special Session continues. We must continue to work to restore funding to the Medicaid program so that 80,000 Connecticut residents have access to health care.
DEMOCRACY
CCAG’s landmark Clean Elections Program (publicly-owned elections) remains at risk. The budget which passed the legislature on September 15th eliminated this essential program. Through action and funding from our coalition partners and members we were able to save the program but with significant cuts. We must continue to work to restore the funding and protections so that Connecticut’s democracy is protected from dark money.
Legislative solutions under consideration in the current 2017 Legislative session:
Watch this site for the full legislative wrap up. Join our email list for updates and next steps..
ENDING THE AUSTERITY MADNESS: Connecticut continues to give huge financial packages to some of the most profitable corporations in the world while demanding painful cuts in the services that make Connecticut a great place to live. D.U.E. Justice is the CCAG-led coalition focused on equity, racial justice, and protection of the safety net. On Tax Day, April 18th, D.U.E. Justice organized a “Tax Dodger” march of several hundred people. Led by a two-story tall puppet of Donald Trump, the group marched from the Federal Courthouse in Hartford to the Legislative Office Building. At the LOB, and with press attending, the group gave a Pledge to the Republican Leadership. It asks their signatures “to break with Donald Trump’s regressive and punitive leadership on tax and budget issues.” Contact CCAG’s Ann Pratt to volunteer/join in these ongoing efforts: [email protected]
ELECTRIC RATES: This project remains effectively halted after Massachusetts and New Hampshire blocked the funding mechanism involving their own ratepayers. But beware. Technically, Connecticut’s Eversource ratepayers remain “on the hook” from previous legislative authorization. With a Trump administration focused on fossil fuels, HB 6546 stands as an important tool to truly safeguard CT ratepayers. Remember, Eversource originally estimated the cost at $3.2B. Independent analysts warn that the cost is more than double ($6.6B). Fewer ratepayers participating? Substantially higher costs? This bill is an important line in the sand. It remains in the Energy and Technology Committee awaiting further action.
NUCLEAR SHAKEDOWN: Dominion (Millstone owner) wants to put nuclear power in the same class as renewables based on the “no carbon emission” aspect of operation. CCAG is firmly against it. Nuclear has unique risks fundamentally different from distributed renewable sources such as solar, wind, and water. And Millstone has been quite profitable as evidenced in all reports to shareholders. More importantly, dilution of “renewable” as a legal term would reduce incentives for phasing out climate-warming fossil fuels. This bill, SB106, sits on the Senate Calendar after being referred favorably from the Energy and Technology Committee. It may not be called for a vote at all, or it may be amended to remove the dilution of the renewable portfolio by the intrusive and profiteering inclusion of Millstone’s nuclear power output. CCAG urges citizens to contact legislators to vote No on SB 106 and to voice their concerns to their senators. You can use this toll free number to make the call: 1-844-220-5524. CCAG has partnered with AARP on this issue.
You can hear specific discussion (including that of CCAG’s Tom Swan) in this recording of an open conference call in which the public asked questions. Hear it ALL HERE
SHARED SOLAR: Shared solar is at work all around us (MA, NY, and VT). There are no serious technical hurdles, yet utilities resist. Shaded homes and rental properties in Connecticut cannot legally establish any nearby shared site for local energy sharing with utility net-metering for payback. CCAG demands that we open the renewable markets to more residents immediately. With an authorized yet fatally limited “pilot project” remaining stalled while the Department of Energy and Environmental Protection (DEEP) seeks clarification from PURA, CCAG would like to see further legislative action to cut through the administrative fog currently blocking solar access for the majority of CT residents. Even the pilot project (a delay tactic if we ever saw one) is woefully behind schedule and no end is in sight.
WATER RESOURCES AND CLIMATE CHANGE: After a public hearing and a favorable referral from the Environment Committee, this bill is tabled for the Senate Calendar as of March 27th. CCAG would like to see it die there unless it is amended substantially. Bottlers are looking to buy Connecticut water, essentially privatizing our most important public resource. SB753 is a sham bill that purports to “study” possible problems. (See “shared solar,” similar delay tactics.) Instead of simply another study, CCAG supports enacting the obvious protections: no water removal during droughts, bottlers pay a fair share of infrastructure costs, no sales before analysis to insure adequacy of supply, and fee structures that do not discount large-scale siphoning of public supplies.
TOXICS: With the Federal EPA hobbled by a hostile Cabinet Secretary, action at the state level must increase. CCAG will work to remove useless flame retardants from furniture and children’s products, to require non-toxic state procurement rules, and to require proof of safety before deployment of chemicals. At the moment, HB 6329 AAC Hydraulic Fracturing Waste in Connecticut is perhaps the most important focus. This bill has made it through several committees and sits tabled on the House Calendar as of April 4th. The legislature passed a moratorium three years ago. The moratorium has ended. Fracking and fossil fuels in general only look worse. CCAG supports the permanent ban that this bill entails, and is pushing for a floor vote.
LOWERING PRESCRIPTION DRUG PRICES: In the chaos of current Washington, there is little to like and much to fear. But babies and bathwater being different, CCAG notes that the President said he wants to reign in drug prices. This could be a year of opportunity. In 2017, CCAG’s focus will be on market transparency and price limitations for expensive drugs. The transparency approach emphasizes putting hard-to-find price information into the hands of regulators, the public, or both. (Easy price comparison is the engine of market competition, and it is in short supply thanks to the Big Pharma lobby.) On the other hand, price controls can include outright setting of upper limits, or merely the triggering of cost transparency in the face of a rising prices. Roughly 40 states are working on bills in these areas. CCAG is bringing the results to legislative discussion in CT.
PROTECT HEALTHCARE: CCAG raised the issues that led to the blocking of anti-competitive mergers in the insurance industry (Anthem- CIGNA, Humana-Aetna). Good, but this drama may not be over. Meanwhile, HUSKY A is under attack at the Legislature. The proposed budget would separate approximately 9500 low-income parents from their healthcare. Past cuts (2 years ago about 16,000 were cut) indicate that many eligible children also lose coverage due to confusion. With tax revenues falling an estimated $200M short of expectations, the working poor under Husky A are an easy target. The issue requires continued attention, with the Legislature and Governor working furiously for a financial solution.
HOSPITAL MERGERS: These mergers threaten competition on a more local level. CCAG continues information/organizing meetings with local constituents, particularly in Eastern Connecticut and greater Waterbury. We carry voices for patient and worker protections into the complex negotiations of for-profit mega-chains eating up local (often non-profit) hospitals. Specifics include CCAG support for HB6035 and SB248 (e.g., service providers would need to show need when reducing services in a given community). We oppose HB5168 (removes consumer protections/service guarantees). We support SB451 and HB6051, protecting patients from unreasonable and surprise billing.
EDUCATION RESET (the CJEF ruling): Judge Thomas Moukawsher ruled that the Connecticut school funding mechanism is unconstitutional. CCAG agrees. But while there are things to like in Malloy’s budget response, it worrisomely diverts $400M from public education. He also drops a full third of teacher pension costs, assigning them magically to municipalities. Most problematic of all, the proposal pits one school system against another in a redistribution of funding that is not adequately vetted. Rather than robbing Peter to pay Paul, Connecticut has an obligation to increase the size of the pie and get education right. This is very much a budget issue as well, and with tax revenues currently falling short at an estimated $200M on top of an initial budget deficit that was much larger, and with “losing towns” pitted against “winning towns” under the initial budget proposal, the fight remains fierce.
DEMOCRACY: CCAG was instrumental in establishing our landmark Clean Elections Program (publicly-owned elections). The duress over tax shortfalls and budget deficits increases the pressure on this system. CCAG is doing everything in its power to avoid raids or damage to this critical element of good democracy. CCAG continues to support bills that align CT with adopting the national popular vote as binding in Presidential elections, including HB5205, HB5434, HB5435, and SB9. CCAG opposes bills that entrench the current electoral college system: SB108, SB133, and SJ11. We also think HB6575 is very important, aligning CT with a requirement that Presidential candidates disclose their tax returns.