State Budget Update

The House and Senate will be going into session on Tuesday to pass a deficit mitigation bill for the 2016 budget and extend deadlines for the Finance and Appropriations committees to finish revising the 2017 budget, which currently has the deficit of $900 million. This will give the committees an additional week to figure out how to fill the hole in the 2017 budget. The increasing fear is the real number will go over $1 billion as the first quarter revenue numbers come in at the end of this month. 

Why Do We Need to Raise Wages for Early Childhood? Tell Your Story TONIGHT 

Connecticut's Low Wage Employer Advisory Board wants to hear the needs of underpaid workers. The board will make recommendations to the Office of Early Childhood, which funds child care and early learning programs in Connecticut. The meeting is Tuesday, March 22, at 6:30 p.m. at the City of New Haven Hall of Records, 200 Orange Street, Room G-2 (ground floor). Parking is available on the street or in public garages. Please RSVP to Shola Ajayi at 202-288-3378 or at [email protected]. One last step - let us know you're going to this meeting by RSVP'ing to the Alliance HERE.

This Week at the Capitol

As we get closer to May, committees are moving bills forward. The Children's Committee has issued "JF Reports" (joint favorable reports), with a deadline of March 10. To see the list of JF'd bills from the Children's Committee, click HERE. 

The Education Committee has scheduled meetings this Wednesday, Friday and next Monday to finish their bills. Education's Joint Favorable deadline is March 21. 

Senate Bill 216, "AN ACT EXPANDING THE SALES TAX EXEMPTION TO INCLUDE FEMININE HYGIENE PRODUCTS AND DISPOSABLE OR REUSABLE DIAPERS," had a public hearing on March 7 before the Public Health Committee. 

The Labor Committee passed SB 221, "AN ACT CONCERNING PAID FAMILY AND MEDICAL LEAVE," out of committee with joint favorable substitute language and now has been filed with the Legislative Commissioner's Office.  

SB 391, "AN ACT CONCERNING THE RECOUPMENT OF STATE COSTS ATTRIBUTABLE TO LOW WAGE EMPLOYERS," was referred to a public hearing before Human Services on March 8. It was JF'd at the March 15 Human Services Committee meeting. CT NewsJunkie has more on the bill. 

House Bill 5370, "AN ACT INCREASING THE MINIMUM FAIR WAGE," was referred to the Labor Committee and had a public hearing on March 3. The bill was not called at the 3/10 Labor Committee meeting and the committee is not scheduled to meet again before the committee deadline.