Hartford Mayor
Luke Bronin “It’s always important for cities and towns to have a voice at the state Capitol, and it’s never been more important than now. Local leaders have faced unprecedented challenges during the pandemic, but we now have some significant opportunities if we work in partnership with each other and with the state -- opportunities to accelerate the recovery of our communities, to help young people reconnect and heal, and to support inclusive economic growth.” Watch the full interview on our YouTube page, or by scanning the QR code below!
PUBLIC POLICY & ADVOCACY
Brian O’Connor Director of Public Policy boconnor@ccm-ct.org
For our Public Policy & Advocacy team, this was the year to get back to work. After COVID shortened and cancelled the short legislative session in 2020, they knew that the Governor and the General Assembly were going to have a lot on their plate. From COVID relief and PFAS to on-
Watch the interview:
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line gambling and legalized marijuana, this year’s bills were sure to be complex and, at times, controversial. The first area of note was the tiered Payments-In-Lieu-Of-Taxes program that was proposed early on in the session. Many leaders from around the state and joined us in support of this legislation. But while our support was there, we issued a statement saying that this cannot be another broken promise. All too often, these programs are passed and signed without the appropriate funding behind it. We also came out in support of bills that would allow municipalities to continue holding hybrid meetings. This bill’s passage seemed obvious until last minute changes nearly altered the bill to mandate these hybrid meetings instead of making it simply
