Newton’s third law of motion says that for every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction. So it should come as no surprise that after a special session devoted to creating jobs and improving the state’s economic climate, the Democrat-dominated General Assembly feels the need to reassure its labor and bureaucrat constituents that it hasn’t really changed teams.
All that talk about rehabilitating Connecticut’s anti-business reputation is, well, so last year.
To be sure, Governor Malloy has some successes to tout as he chats up businesses searching for new locations. Unemployment is down and we’re investing in job training. There are no overt tax increases this year. The incentive-laden First Five has room to grow and its successor is already in place. Some tweaks to the programs passed last fall — particularly SB 1 and SB 81, both of which lower the size threshold for participation in incentive programs — offer the hope of spreading the largesse to a broader pool of companies.
But wait. Before the ink is even dry, here come a string of amendments that reassert our commitment to high costs and mind-numbing regulatory micromanagement.
Consider:
• SB 181 adds a requirement that employers who receive state economic development assistance must accept the state’s prevailing wage law. Really? That doesn’t seem to make it easier for small cash-starved growth-oriented companies to take part.
• HB 5487 tinkers with health insurance laws in a way that allows small businesses access to the state’s self-funded employee program. It’s a plan that drives up costs for both the state and any small businesses that try the scheme. Isn’t that the definition of a lose/lose?
• SB 316 thrust the state into the business of policing introductory rates, trial periods and automatic subscription renewals.
• SB 97, 98 and 206 add new health insurance mandates that raise the cost of coverage.
• And, of course, there’s HB 5291, which raises the minimum wage from $8.25 per hour, to $8.75 on Jan. 1 and to $9.25 one year later. After that, the rate would be tied to the Consumer Price Index. Nothing says ‘we want your business’ like the highest labor costs in the nation.
Each of these measures has passed out of committee and is on track to passage. Other counterproductive measures — and to be fair, a couple of positive ones — are still languishing in the legislature’s version of purgatory.
By any measure, the net effect of this session seems destined to be another step backward. Nothing says ‘open for business’ like a series of measures that add cost and red tape while accomplishing little of value.
All in all, it’s just another missed opportunity to chart a new course.
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On poopie patrolÂ
Police on horseback are a sure sign that spring has come to Hartford.
They’re quaint; they’re charming; in some special circumstances, they’re effective. And the kids just love them.
But the horse patrol loses some of its luster when Trigger relieves himself in the street. And it happens way too often. Nothing says ‘no sale’ like a customer returning to the car only to be greeted by a steaming pile of manure.
This might have been a cost of doing business in 18th Century Hartford. But why is it acceptable now?
Dog owners are expected to pick up after their pets. People carrying plastic bags and scoops are a common sight downtown. Is it too much to ask for police to carry scoops and bags in their saddlebags so they too can maintain the health and decorum of the city’s streets?
It’s time for the mounted patrol to pick up its game and pick up the manure. There’s probably a good use for that by-product in maintaining Bushnell Park but it has no place on downtown streets.
