In This Issue:



On The Marble

New Legislator Spotlight

Municipal Roundup

Federal Focus

CT Agency Corner

This Day in CT History

This Week's News:

CT energy future: Nuclear power, natural gas, saving residents money

PURA to investigate itself over alleged administrative problems

The Screening Process

Two weeks have passed since the start of the legislative session and committees are ready to raise concepts and bills. The last of the organizational meetings were held this week and all committee meetings moving forward will be to take official action on setting the agenda for the legislature.

Some clients may be familiar with this stage of the session where each legislative committee has a “screening” committee which reviews prospective legislation to take up in committee. On the committee sits the chairs and ranking members who thoroughly evaluate whether or not, (1) the bill is within the appetite of committee members, and (2) if the scope of the legislation matches the priorities of the leadership for each of the four caucuses. While most of the committee works bipartisanly, there will always be topics that divide party lines where the chairs ultimately decide if it deserves to be on an agenda or not. This was very complicated in the 2017-2018 sessions when the Senate was spilt 18/18 and each committee had three chairs to decide the fate of legislation.

Remember, for the vast majority of items there’s consensus between the parties on what should receive a public hearing. However, the screening committee also decides the fate of legislation to be voted out of committee. What factors are used to determine this? A mixture of everything. From the feedback coming out of the public hearing and the political will to pass something, to the willingness for language to change if necessary.

Hopefully this insight in the internal vetting process of considering legislation is helpful to for the next steps when working with S&L.

This week we sat down with Representative MJ Shannon. Throughout our conversation, Representative Shannon shares insights into their experiences as a legislator, the mentors who have shaped their leadership style, and their commitment to bringing diverse, underrepresented perspectives to policy discussions. 

Representative MJ Shannon

District 117

What inspired you to pursue a career as a legislator?

MJ Shannon: “What really inspired me was being a staffer here. I was here for two years as the General Law committee clerk, and in that position it was part of my job to be in all of our committee meetings, public hearings and session days. I really had a front row seat to the legislative process and how it all works. During one committee meeting I was sitting there listening to the conversation and I thought, where are the young folks? Where is the representation of young people in the state? I thought in that moment that I could be having these conversations and do it better for my generation.”

Is there something you previously thought about the State Capitol that changed when you took office?

MJ Shannon: “It isn’t something that I thought was different, but something I didn’t necessarily think about. It was the process of coming up with bill ideas and pushing them. It was the process of talking to other legislators, knocking on the office doors and then having conversations with them about the ideas and the possibility of co-sponsoring. I didn’t have a vision previously about what this process looked like or how it actually goes down behind the scenes. So now being a part of it has been very cool and it’s a very interesting process.”

Who are some of your role models or people who have influenced your approach to leadership?

MJ Shannon: “My biggest mentor/role model that I am forever grateful to is Senator Maroney. He is somebody that I look up to and he has a lot of respect in the building, a lot of people like him. He’s also a national leader now with AI legislation so he is definitely someone that I look up to.”

What are some of your interests or hobbies outside of politics?

MJ Shannon: “I enjoy hanging out with my friends and being outdoors. I also like helping out in the community and volunteerism.”

What do you want people to know about you as a legislator?

MJ Shannon: “I think it is really important that as a young LGBTQ legislator, that we get more voices like mine and more representation for all the different communities in our state. I want to bring more voices to the table in policy decisions.”

This will get to the local angle but starts from the top. President Trump has expressed support for repealing the $10,000 cap on state and local tax (SALT) deductions, a measure introduced during his 2017 tax reform. This cap disproportionately affects homeowners in high-tax states like Connecticut, where property taxes often exceed the limit, leading to what critics call "double taxation." Representative Mike Lawler, a New York Republican, emphasized the importance of Trump’s backing for ongoing negotiations on tax reform, which could include eliminating or raising the SALT cap. While Trump’s campaign promises to repeal the cap resonate with blue-state Republicans, concerns remain about offsetting the potential revenue loss, estimated at $1.2 trillion over 10 years. This policy shift could provide significant relief for Connecticut homeowners burdened by high state and local taxes.

Connecticut’s fiscal guardrails, implemented to address decades of financial mismanagement, are central to debates between state and local leaders over funding priorities. While these measures have stabilized the state’s finances and reduced pension liabilities, cities like New Haven face mounting pressure to fund critical services like education amid tight spending limits. Mayor Justin Elicker has urged the state to increase education funding, arguing that continued underinvestment could lead to higher long-term costs through a less educated workforce and increased demand for social services. However, loosening the guardrails, such as raising the volatility cap, risks reducing savings, and complicating debt management, leaving local governments like New Haven to rely on property tax hikes to support public schools. Balancing fiscal responsibility with immediate community needs remains a pressing challenge for Connecticut’s policymakers.

A Freeze on Funding

It’s the first week of the Trump Administration, and we have already seen fireworks. From the inauguration and festivities on Monday, to the first executive orders only hours after, it has been an eventful start for the President and his team. In terms of relevance to Connecticut, executive orders have already started to impact our state. There has been a heightened stress level that agency leads have had since November around potential funding cuts. In the U.S. senate Reception Room on Monday, President Trump signed several executive orders that have secondary impacts here. Let’s take a look at one of those executive orders.

One of the more impactful executive orders of the new administration is named, “Terminating the Green New Deal.” This freezes all Inflation Reduction Act funding disbursements and pauses all funding for the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, commonly known as the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law. These two laws led to significant injections of funds in the first few years of their existence. Our state has been a significant beneficiary of these laws. The two laws were hallmarks of President Joe Biden’s policy agenda, rolling out billions of dollars in federal funding for roads, trains, clean energy construction and manufacturing projects. There is currently a fight underway with congressional leaders and the administration to determine whether or not the President has jurisdiction over federal spending that has already been approved. The new executive orders around this funding calls for agencies to stop sending dollars as of Monday afternoon. Federal agencies have obligated $378 billion in the infrastructure law dollars as of November 30, including $162 billion that the government has actually paid out, according to federal spending data. This could turn into a legal fight as this executive order usurps Congress’ spending power. There will be a lot more to unpack around this executive order and certainly a lot more to come. 

The Public Utilities Regulatory Authority (PURA) has been getting a lot of press lately. In the last six months, the agency has:

-         traded barbs with the state’s largest utilities over proposed rate increases,

-         taken hits from Republican leadership over their relationship with the Department of Energy and Environmental Protection (DEEP),

-         been criticized over the fact that only three out of their five seats are filled.

Now, PURA Chairman, Marissa Gillett, has been accused by Eversource and Avangrid of making decisions independently and unilaterally under the guise of the executive secretary’s signature. While PURA denies any wrongdoing, asserting that it followed proper procedures, the agency is opening a docket to review its own processes, particularly regarding how presiding officers are appointed and the authority for issuing motions in its proceedings.

The timing of the docket is significant, as Gillett is set to appear before the Executive and Legislative Nominations Committee for reappointment. The docket could limit her ability to respond to the allegations due to an ex parte provision, which prevents any communication about the case outside of formal hearings. Gillett retains the steadfast support of Governor Lamont and Democratic leaders. At the same time, the Energy and Technology Committee has raised a concept bill intended to facilitate a public conversation about the relationship between DEEP, PURA, and the way the agencies operate.

January 25: Total Eclipse Brings State to a Standstill

In the chilly winter of 1925, Connecticut found itself in the rare and remarkable position of being the nation’s prime viewing spot for a total eclipse of the sun. All along the path of totality, which in the United States swept from Niagara Falls to Montauk Point, millions suspended their regular activities to experience the once-in-a-lifetime celestial phenomenon. The eclipse threw Connecticut into total darkness just after nine in the morning on January 24, 1925, with the totality lasting about a minute and a half.

Unsurprisingly, the eclipse – and how to view it safely – was big news in the days and weeks leading up to the 24th.

The amateur astronomer Lewis Ripley, a Glastonbury resident with a hefty telescope and the discovery of a sunspot to his name, wrote a half-page article in the Hartford Courant with advice for readers on getting a good view. His two biggest pieces of advice were to, first, find a high hill with a clear view towards the northwest; and

second, bring a piece of smoked glass at least four by six inches in size to use as a safe viewer (looking directly at an eclipse is dangerous to the naked eye and can cause damage to vision).

In response to demand, the Gustave Fisher Company of Hartford developed an eclipse viewer it named “Filmeo,” consisting of a piece of developed photo film attached to a card. According to the Hartford Courant, the company produced more than 7,000 viewers but this was “not sufficient to accommodate the throngs at the Fischer store on Asylum Street and, at 3 o’clock Friday afternoon – the day before the eclipse – the supply was exhausted, although the store had limited sales to a maximum of three to a customer.”

It was clear that the eclipse would be a sensation: special trains had been scheduled to bring in would-be observers from surrounding states, and Connecticans took every opportunity to make a social occasion of the viewing. Some scheduled eclipse parties with their friends, repairing to the roof of their buildings after breakfast. Others, despite the brutally cold weather (temperatures hovered around zero), tromped out to the nearest local peak or tall building for a good view. Five thousand people gathered at Hosmer Mountain in WiIlimantic, and similar crowds amassed at Hubbard Park in Meriden, on East and West Rock in New Haven, and throughout the campus of Trinity College, which had been opened to spectators. Hundreds of cars parked on Town Woods Hill in Glastonbury for an eclipse drive-in party. The artist Howard Russell Butler wanted to observe and paint the event, and though he had been invited to view the eclipse from the observatory at Wesleyan University, he decided to station himself on the roof of the Arrigoni Hotel in Middletown so he could see in more than one direction.

Newspapers enthusiastically reported the popularity of the event. The Bridgeport Telegram claimed “Business Halts as 20,000,000 People View Sun’s Eclipse.” The front page of the Meriden Daily Journal‘s noon edition was stuffed with eclipse headlines, giving a sense of just how many people of different ages and professions were fascinated by the eclipse. Yale scientists holed up in their observatory to collect once-in-a-lifetime data. Harvard researchers, cooperating with Trinity scientists and using the radio equipment of the Travelers Insurance Company, used the opportunity to determine that short-wave radio signals faded as the eclipse approached its totality. Army pilots hoping to see what things looked like from above the clouds reported no luck (a navy dirigible hovering over Nantucket, however, got better results).

In the end, millions of Connecticans stopped and seized the opportunity to watch the eclipse, even if it took a while to thaw out afterward. January 24, 1925 was a day people would remember, primarily for leaving them in the dark in the middle of the morning.

The next total eclipse viewable from Connecticut is not expected until May 1, 2079.

To view the full story on the CT Historian's website, click here.