The 2020 session has started.  This is the short year, beginning the first week of February and ending the first week of May.  The process is the same.  They just squeeze 5 months of work into 3 months.  I attended opening day which usually contains little committee activity.  Both the House and Senate convened at 10 A.M., set some rules for the session and recessed to await the Governor’s budget message at 12 noon.  Depending on your opinion, there was little included to advance the fire service.  Most budgeted items were funded to the same levels as last year.  I believe Jeff Morrissette has already published most of that information.  Bills to address the Governor’s proposals were published on Thursday (attached).

Both the Environment and Public Health committees met on Thursday.  They both passed agendas that have many CONCEPTS at this time.  Environment had one concept that concerned AFFF.  The Public Health (P/H) agenda contained concepts concerning PFAS and “Mental Health First Aid Training for EMS personnel.”  Again, these are concepts with specific language now to be drafted.

Coming up next week:

• Planning & Development (P & D) will be meeting on Monday to raise concepts.  On their agenda is a concept entitled “Requiring a Study to the Obstacles to Merging or Consolidating Municipal Fire Districts and Fire Departments”.  I will try to find out what I can about it’s origin.  DOES ANYONE KNOW IF THIS IS COMING FROM WITHIN THE FIRE SERVICE? 
• Public Safety will be having a Forum on Tuesday relating entirely to various gambling, betting, and lottery items.  NO Fire Service items.
• Appropriations (Approps) begins their budget public hearings this week with the State Agencies.  The DESPP will have their agency hearing on Friday 2/14 between 3 P.M. and 3:30 P.M.  Then the public hearing for the public to speak will start at 5 P.M.  If anyone has an interest in any other agency hearings, you can look at the Bulletin portion on the CGA  website or contact me by email and I will get the information for you.

At this time there are no other agendas published for the last half of the week.  If there are any questions on the information provided, you can contact me back at the email address at the bottom of this message.

Ted Schroll Jr., Legislative Representative
Connecticut State Firefighters Association