HARTFORD, Conn. (AP) - The Latest on the closing day of the legislative session
(all times local):
8:40 p.m.
A bill requiring boaters to pay a new fee to help cover the cost of combatting invasive aquatic plants is moving to the governor's desk.
The Senate on Wednesday voted 34-2 in favor of a bill that imposes a $5 fee for Connecticut residents and a $20 fee for out-of-state individuals who register vessels intended to operate on state waters. The General Assembly's Office of Fiscal Analysis estimates the fee will generate approximately $400,000, to be used by Department of Energy and Environmental Protection for various invasive species programs, including grants for research on managing state lakes, rivers and ponds.
Proponents of the bill say various lakes around the state are experiencing pervasive and invasive aquatic species and toxic cyanobacteria blooms, a problem that can be expensive to address.
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8:20 p.m.
Police and paid firefighters who suffer a permanent and severe injury on the job and can no longer work could receive full pay after their worker's compensation expires.
The Connecticut House of Representatives on Wednesday gave final legislative approval to the legislation, which provides municipalities with the option of approving the additional benefits. It would require a two-thirds vote of a community's governing body.
Republican Rep. Doug Dubitsky of Chaplan voiced concern about how a small number of people might decide to provide what could be lifetime benefits. He also raised concerns about how the bill doesn't apply to volunteer firefighters.
The bill allows a community to pay the difference between workers compensation and the injured worker's full salary and potentially cover the full salary after workers compensation benefits expire.
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7:40 p.m.
Secretary of the State Denise Merrill is urging Connecticut lawmakers to pass legislation in the final hours of the session aimed at modernizing the state's election system and fixing problems with election-day registration.
The Democrat said she was told by Democratic Senate leaders they didn't plan to bring the bill out for a vote on Wednesday because the minority Republicans planned to debate it for the rest of the night. The legislative session adjourns at midnight.
Senate Republican Leader Len Fasano of North Haven denies the GOP intended to kill the legislation. He says Republican senators didn't have time to review the bill, which also eliminates a requirement that felons forfeit their voting rights if they're confined to an in-state or out-of-state community residence.
The bill previously cleared the House.
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7:15 p.m.
Connecticut lawmakers are taking additional steps to address the state's opioid abuse problem.
The Senate on Wednesday, the final day of the legislative session, advanced legislation to Democratic Gov. Ned Lamont that builds on past efforts to keep greater tabs on opioid prescriptions. For example, it requires pharmacists to offer consultations to all patients about drugs and their usage when they're dispensing a prescription and to keep those records for three years.
The bill also requires practitioners who prescribe an opioid with more than a 12-week supply to establish a treatment agreement with their patient and discuss a care plan for chronic opioid drug use, which includes non-opioid treatment options. It also requires colleges and universities, beginning in 2020, to develop policies on making overdose reversal medications available to students.
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4:20 p.m.
Connecticut lawmakers are wrapping up the regular legislative session, their first in years with a stronger Democratic legislative majority and a new Democratic governor.
In traditional fashion, the final day is filled with a flurry of activity at the state Capitol, with members of the House of Representatives and Senate busy trying to pass bills before Wednesday's midnight adjournment.
Gov. Ned Lamont is scheduled to address legislators shortly after the fast-approaching deadline. He'll officially close out a session marked by the on-time passage of a two-year, $43 billion state budget on-time _ one of Lamont's priorities.
But lawmakers are expected to return to Hartford for a special legislative session to tackle some unfinished business, including the possibility of authorizing electronic tolls. Lamont has expressed disappointment the legislation hasn't been passed yet.
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