February 2010

  

 

 

LWVCT BOARD REPORT

February 11, 2010

 

CALENDAR 2009-2010

 

March 2010

3/9                   LWVCT Board meeting, Hamden

3/18                 LWVCT Transportation Forum, Norwalk Community College

 

April 2010

4/1                   4^th-quarter PMP payments become due

4/13                 LWVCT Board meeting, Hamden

4/28                 LWVCT SIR on “Women’s Participation in Society and Government: a Global

Perspective,” Quinnipiac University, Hamden

 

May 2010

5/11                 LWVCT Board meeting, Hamden

5/29                 LWVCT Council, Lyceum, Hartford

 

 

Announcements

 

Regional Round Table Luncheon “Education Reform”

 

The League of Women Voters of New Haven and a consortium Including the Amity, Cheshire - Wallingford, East Shore, Hamden, New Haven / West Haven and North Haven Leagues invites you to a 2009 - 2010 Regional Round Table Luncheon buffet at the Graduate Club, 155 Elm Street, New Haven, at 12:00 noon on Tuesday, February 23, 2010.  Cost is $15.00, to be paid at the door.  The speaker will be Alex Johnston, CEO of Conn(ecticut).CAN, and his topic will be “Education Reform: Where Connecticut is Heading”  Please let Margot Kohorn know if you are coming: 203-795-3151.

 

State League Trying On-Line “VOTER”

 

Please find the newest issue of the LWVCT VOTER at http://www.lwvct.org/members/CT%20VOTER/midwinter2010.pdf

 

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90^th Anniversary

 

Exhibit Photos, Governor’s Proclamation Posted

 

Many photos from the League’s January 7^th grand opening event, as well as the Governor’s proclamation, are posted on the LWVCT website.  As the pictures show, it was a great success: http://www.lwvct.org/events/010710-photos.htm.  To see the proclamation, go to http://www.lwvct.org/events/90th%20Anniversary%20Gov%20proclamation%20League_of_Women_Voter's_Month%2009dec.pdf

 

Public Issues Team Report

Submitted by Cheryl Dunson with

Directors Karen Burnaska, Christine Horrigan, Naomi Schiff Myers and Specialists

 

GOVERNMENT (Christine Horrigan, Specialist)

 

Campaign Finance Reform/SEEC:  During January, the Second Circuit Court of Appeals heard oral arguments on the constitutionality of Connecticut’s 2005 campaign finance reforms.  (A lower court previously upheld the lobbyist bans, but declared the Citizens’ Election Program, which provides public financing of campaigns, unconstitutional.)  The Second Circuit’s decision has been complicated by the US Supreme Court’s recent ruling in the case of Citizens United v. FEC, which overturned 100 years of campaign finance reforms on free speech grounds and created a new constitutional right allowing corporations to spend tremendous sums of money on elections.  The Second Circuit has requested letter briefs from the parties on an expedited basis regarding the impact of the Citizens United decision on the Connecticut lawsuit.

 

Meanwhile, the League has been working with its Coalition partners to put pressure on legislators to find a constitutional “fix” for Connecticut’s Citizens’ Election program through action alerts, letters to the editor, press releases, educational forums and meetings with legislators.  We sincerely thank all of you have responded to our numerous alerts.

 

Government Administration and Elections c-chair Representative Jamie Spallone informed us that the two priorities for his Committee this session will be campaign finance reform (including fixing the Citizens’ Election Program and responding to the US Supreme Court’s decision in Citizens United) and government reorganization in light of the fiscal crisis.  We are pleased to report that a bill to “fix” the program was introduced in the GAE committee on the first day of the legislative session (February 3).  While the House seems ready to move quickly on the issue, there seems to be significant resistance to taking action in the Senate.  A public hearing on the bill was scheduled for February 10 but cancelled due to snow.  Keep a lookout for more updates.

 

Election Laws/Good Government:  The Secretary of State (SOTS) has submitted three bills for consideration by the legislature this session: a technical bill similar to the one that failed to pass last year, a bill to “clean up” statutory language dealing with lever machines and a bill to streamline the absentee ballot process for military voters stationed overseas.  The League is in the process of reviewing these bills.

 

Voting Machines/Audits:  Following the 2009 municipal elections, the League again participated in audit observations as part of The Connecticut Citizen Election Audit Coalition.  The Coalition issued its Report on February 2^nd and will be posted on our website in near future.  Previous reports can be found by going to the League’s website.

 

Deputy Secretary of the State Lesley Mara is convening a working group to review current post-election audit procedures and suggest improvements.  LWVCT Board member Carole Young-Kleinfeld graciously agreed to represent the League on the working group.

 

Ethics:  The Office of State Ethics has submitted seven bills for consideration by the legislature.  The League is reviewing these bills.

 

Election Laws Study Update:  Two of the six members of the group have resigned due to other conflicts.  We are currently in the process of looking for new members and encourage anyone with an interest in election laws to join the group.

 

Media Issues Portfolio (Pua Ford, Specialist)

 

Broadband Internet:  The National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) awarded the Connecticut DPUC a grant for mapping broadband availability, as part of a nationwide mapping effort.  According to an article on broadbandbreakfast.com, Connecticut received “approximately $1.3 million for broadband data collection and mapping activities over a two-year period and nearly $500,000 for broadband planning activities over a two-year period in Connecticut, bringing the total grant award to approximately $1.8 million.” There are two other grant applications out, one to support a municipal network and another for state public safety and education networks.

 

At their December meeting, CBICC (Connecticut Broadband Internet Coordinating Council) mentioned trying to pass a bill (one House version, one Senate version) that nearly succeeded last year.

 

Community Access TV:  Protecting the PEGPETIA grant fund from constant sweeps and raids (e.g., funding the AT&T/CT-N connection) will likely be a priority item for all PEGs (public, educational and government programmers) in the state during this legislative session.

 

The CT chapter of Alliance for Community Media (CTacm) filed papers with SOTS as a nonprofit corporation and is in process of setting up membership meeting dates.

 

Representative Baldwin’s bill HR 3745 “Community Access Preservation Act” is pending in Congress.  Congressman John Larson, who was responsible for some basic state law protecting the interests of PEG access, signed on as a co-sponsor to the bill.  The Alliance for Community Media is interested in getting co-sponsorship from Congressman Chris Murphy, who sits on a key subcommittee.

 

NATURAL RESOURCES

 

Transportation by Jara Burnett:   The planning for the March 18 Forum: “Can We Keep Fairfield County Moving” is progressing.  Two speakers are committed and we are working on getting two more.

 

CT received $40 million in federal funds to begin double tracking on the New Haven-Hartford-Springfield rail line that will extend to St. Albans, VT.  Total federal funding for this project in the northeast was $160 million.

 

In addition to money for the New Haven-Hartford-Springfield rail line, CT will receive $45 million in federal funds to begin work on the New Britain-Hartford busway.

 

In conjunction with the Regional Plan Association, Transit for Connecticut released the “Missing Links” report that analyzed vehicular trip patterns to determine where additional transit might serve the most new riders.  The 13 bus improvements proposed in the report provide transit options that could reduce the 64,000 vehicle trips each day along those corridors.  Increased bus transit benefits the economy and the environment and provides necessary transportation options to residents across the state.  The League has advocated for this cost-effective program and we plan to follow this closely.

 

Water by Cheryl Dunson: The CT Department of Environmental Protection published for public comment long-overdue proposed streamflow standards and regulations. The League submitted testimony to the DEP.  The testimony supported the purpose of the proposed streamflow regulations to protect CT’s rivers and streams and recommended specific changes to the regulations that would amend the definition of a river or stream system; clarify and reserve DEP authority during the phase-in period; add more specificity in standards of enforcement; and refine classification provisions. The testimony is posted on the action page of our website.

 

LWVUS Clean Air Act by Karen Burnaska: The LWVCT signed on to a letter to Sens. Dodd and Lieberman asking them to oppose an amendment to the Clean Air Act that would strip the EPA’s authority to regulate global warming pollution under the Act.  The proposed amendment would undermine efforts to fight global warming and create a clean energy economy.

 

SOCIAL POLICY

 

School Finance by Kathy Wilson: The State Board of Education has decided that the way the state distributes money to charter, magnet, technical, and local schools is a tangled mess of funding formulas and should be reformed.  The Board passed a resolution February 3 calling on the Commissioner to put together a list of candidates for a task force representing all interests, from teachers and principals to charter school advocates, legislators and the governor's office, to overhaul the school finance system.  The group would be expected to complete its work by September so that the Board can prepare proposals for the 2011 legislative session.  The Board expects to designate the task force at its March meeting.

 

Governor Rell’s budget adjustments for FY ’11 leave state aid to education largely intact, but she is proposing 10% cuts to the school transportation, bilingual education, and special education excess cost grants.

 

Local League Support

 

LWVUS Program Planning – A Word to the Harassed

 

The Program Planning deadline for all Leagues is March 1.  Leagues can respond only by completing the online form; the LWVUS has no paper or downloadable response forms.

 

Each League may submit a maximum of one recommendation for Program Planning.  The LWVUS says that even a “no recommendation” response is valuable for the Program Planning Committee to gauge the level of participation in the process.  The “LWVUS Program Planning Leader’s Guide 2010-2012” and other material can be found in the “For Members” section of the LWVUS website under “Council & Convention.”

 

League Communications:

Who Gets What

 

The LWVUS e-mails out three kinds of communications:

• the League E-Voice newsletter, which goes out once a month to every League member in the US for whom they have an e-mail address;

• the League Leaders Update, which goes out bi-weekly to League presidents;

• action alerts, which go out to everyone on an as-needed basis.

 

The LWVCT e-mails out five kinds of communications:

• Constant Contact e-mails, which go out as needed to every League member in Connecticut for whom we have an e-mail address; these include the links to the on-line version of our “Voter” newsletter, notifications of important League activities, and some action alerts of general interest, such as the recent plea for everyone to contact their state senator and state representative about keeping the campaign finance reform law.  These e-mails can be identified by the LWV logo at the top of the page, and are sent by the LWVCT President; recipients who do not want to receive these may opt out;

• the Board Report, which goes out monthly to every local League board member for whom we have an e-mail address – but we hope that you, our League leaders, will forward pertinent parts of the Board Reports to your entire membership in your own newsletters or other communications;

• targeted action alerts, which go out as needed and only to those League members who have indicated an interest in advocating in one or more specialized areas, such as education funding, voting technology, or air quality;

• targeted e-mails to local League presidents, usually headed “Mme Presidents, which go out as needed;”

• targeted e-mails to selected local League board members; these can involve items of purely regional interest, such as a forum or event intended to draw from a limited geographic area, or items involving board members with a specific portfolio, such as membership advice or requests for help with advocacy, and also go out only as needed.

 

 

Voter Service

Are You Helping With High School Voter Registration?

 

A quick reminder: many towns will be holding high school voter registration sessions in the spring.  If your registrars are in charge of these sessions, have you contacted them to see if they’d like you League’s help?  If your superintendant of schools is in charge, have you contacted him or her?  It’s a good way to keep your League’s name and presence alive in your communities.