1. Campaign Finance Reform 

Before 2007 Connecticut legislators financed their campaigns by raising money from private organizations and individuals.  Many of those contributors supported certain legislation and hoped that their campaign contributions would encourage the representative to vote their way.  Even lobbyists have legally donated money to legislative campaigns. 

This type of legal financial pressure is unthinkable in most democracies.  They fund all of their campaigns with government money to avoid corruption.  After years of hard work by advocates in the community, the Connecticut General Assembly finally passed legislation for comprehensive campaign finance reform in 2005. 

The Governor signed the bill and it became law.  Now Connecticut will have the opportunity to find out whether the new campaign finance system will improve the atmosphere of corruption that has plagued our state. 

The new system of public funding was used for the first time in October 2007 for a special election of a new state representative in Shelton.  Although legislators from the Republican Party tended to oppose this reform, a Republican candidate was the first one to qualify to receive the public money.  The Democratic candidate also qualified and they both used the money to fund their campaigns.  (The Republican won the election.) 

The vote tally used in the rating system was for Senate Bill 2103.  A vote in favor of campaign finance reform is considered a "GOOD" vote.
 

2. Election Day Registration (EDR) 

One way to strengthen democracy is to make it possible for more people to vote.  In most democracies Election Day is a holiday or on the weekend.  In many, universal registration is automatic.  The voter turnout in the U.S. is extremely low compared to most other democratic countries. 

On Election Day in Connecticut’s cities and towns, local registrars are typically swamped with people who thought they were registered but are not on the voter list.  Many are turned away at the polls and do not have time to go to City Hall to wait in line to try to fix the problem. 

This bill would make it possible for a voter to register and then vote on the day of the election.  There is a computerized statewide system in place to check voter lists and minimize fraud.  

The bill, Senate Bill 1312, was passed by the Senate but the House never voted on it.  A vote in favor of Election Day Registration is considered a “GOOD” vote.
 

3. Clean Contracting 

In 2007 both the Senate and the House passed Senate Bill 1600, the clean contracting bill.  The Governor signed it and it will become law.  The purpose is to improve the monitoring of contracts between the state government and private entities to reduce the amount of corruption involved in those transactions. 

A vote in favor of clean contracting is considered a “GOOD” vote. 

HUMANITY

4. Social Services 

In 2003 the state experienced a severe budgetary crisis and deep cuts were made in many programs, including social services for low-income people.  In 2004, with a better financial situation, the legislature voted to restore funding to those programs (House Bill 5692).  

A vote in favor of the restoration of funding is considered a “GOOD” vote.
 

5. Capital Punishment 

Capital punishment is a direct violation of the most basic of human rights, the right to live.  Most democratic countries abolished it many years ago and think it is barbaric.  There is extensive data that shows that it has been applied in a racially discriminatory manner in this country.  Since DNA evidence has been available, large numbers of prisoners, some on death row, have been found to be innocent.  

In 2005 the House of Representatives voted on House Bill 6012, to abolish capital punishment.  The bill was not approved and there was no vote in the Senate. 

A vote in favor of the abolition of capital punishment (that is, a vote against capital punishment) is considered a “GOOD” vote.
 

6. In-state Tuition for Children of Immigrants 

Many children have been brought to Connecticut by parents who do not have legal immigration documents.  Often the young children are unaware that their immigration status is any different from that of their friends who are citizens.  They work hard and dream of going to college.  

However, when they are ready to apply they discover that  they are required to pay the tuition that applies to students who are not residents of Connecticut – two or three times the cost of in-state tuition.  They are not eligible for state or federal financial aid and even if they work full-time they are not normally able to raise the full cost of the out-of-state tuition.  They are blocked from the pursuit of their dreams of higher education and better jobs.  One result of this policy is that each year the state economy is hurt by the absence of a number of well-educated workers, along with the higher taxes they would have paid. 

The bill, House Bill 5656, would have allowed any student who was educated for four years in Connecticut and graduated from a Connecticut high school to qualify for the in-state tuition rate at the state’s public institutions of higher learning.  Students would still not be eligible for financial aid but through hard work to earn money while studying they might be able to attend college. 

In 2007 the bill was approved by the House and the Senate but Governor Rell vetoed it and the legislature was unable to obtain the 2/3 majority needed to override the veto. 

A vote in favor of allowing these young people to pay in-state tuition is considered a “GOOD” vote.
 

7. Progressive Taxation 

In 2007 both the House of Representatives and the Senate approved a progressive tax package.  According to the non-partisan Office of Fiscal Analysis, it would have reduced taxes for most families with incomes below $250,000 per year and increased taxes above that level.  It also contained an Earned Income Tax Credit modeled on the federal EITC to benefit low-income working people.  The bill, House Bill 7400, was vetoed by Governor Rell. 

A vote in favor of progressive taxation is considered a “GOOD” vote.
 

8. Paid Sick Days 

In 2007 the Senate passed a bill requiring that all employers with more than 50 employees offer one hour of paid sick leave for each forty hours worked.  The bill number was Senate Bill 601.  It was not voted on in the House. 

A vote in favor of mandatory paid sick leave is considered a “GOOD” vote. 

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Ratings

Complete Vote Tallies