Duff Announces Priorities for 2007 Legislative Session
by State Sen. Bob Duff
Jan. 23, 2007

State Senator Bob Duff (D-Norwalk), chair of the General Assembly's Banks Committee and vice chair of the Energy & Technology Committee, today announced his priorities for the 2007 regular legislative session, which convened on January 3.

"My goals for this year focus on bringing funding and improvements, from transportation initiatives to state aid, to Fairfield County in what is shaping up to be an especially fiscally tight budget season," said Senator Duff. "I'm also looking to enhance our state's environmental initiatives through funding of the Clean Water Act and placement of high energy standards on new construction projects and to encourage transparency and honesty in the ways that we assess affordable housing and energy pricing in Connecticut."

Senator Duff's priorities for the session include:

• Returning 1 percent of the state's 6 percent sales tax generated within a municipality's borders to the municipal government to provide real property tax relief to Connecticut's residents.
• Requiring the state Department of Transportation to develop a timeline for construction completion of the Super 7 Highway from Norwalk to Danbury.
• Creating a fiscally sound budget for the entire state and increasing the amount of state aid sent to the 25th District cities of Norwalk and Darien.
• Banning the practice of zone pricing in Connecticut to help reduce the price consumers pay for gasoline.
• Legislation, cosponsored by Senator Andrew McDonald (D-Stamford), to install sound barriers along Fairfield County's state highways, including Interstate 95, to provide relief from traffic noise and other issues for residents.
• Amending the Connecticut General Statutes to require that the state's weigh stations extend their hours of operation to increase highway safety and reduce highway maintenance costs by removing unsafe trucks. Specifically, legislation would require that the Greenwich weigh station remain open 18 hours per day and that the hours of the Greenwich station rotate on a regular basis.
• Legislation, cosponsored by Representative Terry Backer (D-Stratford), to add $100 million from the 2006-07 fiscal year and $50 million from the 2007-08 fiscal year to the state's Clean Water Fund to help the fund meet its objectives.
• An Act Concerning Affordable Housing, which would require a study to examine whether the formula and procedure used to determine whether housing units are "affordable" should be revised in order to clarify the state's affordable housing laws and regulations. The act would also increase financial incentives for construction and rehabilitation of affordable housing and would adopt affordable housing initiatives, such as smart growth zoning districts to enable towns to direct affordable housing to determined areas.
• A bill to require that the executive boards or managing agencies of common interest communities disclose accounting records and financial information, meeting minutes, voting records, and other books and records to any condominium unit owner who requests them in order to ensure accountability and transparency. The legislation would also require term limits for executive boards members and association officers.
• Legislation to require Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) green building Silver-level energy standard certification to all new construction in the state as a minimum requisite. Construction projects that achieve Gold or Platinum LEED certification would be eligible for tax credits.

The 2007 legislative session adjourns on June 6, 2007.

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