About three years ago, a New London police officer investigating the fatal overdose of a young National Guardsman sent pictures of the dead man's body to some friends.

The incident caused the victim's family enormous grief and now it has resulted in legislation to prohibit similar acts. The state Senate this afternoon approved a bill that bars emergency responders -- police officers, EMTs, firefighters and others -- from the unauthorized distribution of crime scene photos.

The bill aims "to make sure people who are in the position of trust do not take advantage of that trust,'' said Sen. Eric Coleman, D-Bloomfield. 

Sen. Kevin Witkos, a Canton Republican who also works as a police officer, questioned whether the bill was worded in such a way that it would prevent first-responders from taking the photos they may need to to do their jobs.

But Coleman said the bill will not impact responders fulfilling their official duties.

The measure passed on a vote of 29 to 5. It now goes to the state House of Representatives.

The 2012 U.S. Senate election won't be held for another 544 days but two Democratic contenders are already sniping at one another.

Former Secretary of the State Susan Bysiewicz kicked things off with a press release accusing U.S. rep. Chris Murphy of hypocrisy on Afghanistan.

On the campaign trail, Murphy has been calling for U.S. troops to return home from Afghanistan. Yet Bysiewicz says he did not vote in favor of a resolution in march that would have required an immediate withdrawal by U.S. forces.

"The voters of Connecticut deserve an explanation from Congressman Murphy on why he says that he is using his vote to bring American troops home but actually voted against an immediate withdrawal of US forces from Afghanistan," said Bysiewicz spokesman Mark Bergman.

"This is exactly the type of political doublespeak we have come to expect from Washington politicians like Congressman Murphy. Susan Bysiewicz is the only candidate in the US Senate race that supports an immediate withdrawal of US forces from Afghanistan. Connecticut voters deserve a true progressive voice in the US Senate to replace Joe Lieberman, not another Washington insider that will say one thing but vote another way."

Reached this afternoon, Murphy's chief of staff, Francis Creighton, dismissed the Bysiewicz allegations. 

"Here are the facts - Chris isn't just talking about ending the war in Afghanistan, he's doing something about it,'' Creighton said. "He voted against the war funding bill last year, and recently joined 80 of his colleagues in a letter to President Obama demanding that troops begin coming home in large numbers this summer."

"But calling for troops to be withdrawn in 30 days is just political gamesmanship - it can't be done safely that fast. And this isn't a political issue for Chris - he cares about bringing our troops home because it's the right thing to do for them and for our national security, not because it gets him political points. He ran for Congress as an opponent of the Iraq War, and now he's turned his attention to ending the War in Afghanistan."

2010 U.S. Senate write-in candidate Brian K. Hill is running again in 2012, this time as a Republican.

Hill has registered as a Republican and said he intends to meet with GOP leaders to discuss his run.

Hill has been critical of both major parties in the past. "There's too much blind partisanship in Washington,'' Hill said in an interview in September of 2010. That same month, he ran an ad depicting photos of the Democratic nominee, Richard Blumenthal, and the Republican nominee, Linda McMahon, with the tagline "same circus, different clowns."

But Hill now says his fiscally conservative philosophy fits better with the Republican party. A lawyer and former military JAG officer, Hill is a resident of Windsor.

With Democratic U.S. Senate candidates Susan Bysiewicz and Chris Murphy trading jabs over the war in Afghanistan, some were wondering where William Tong, the latest candidate to enter the race, stood on the issue.

Reached this morning, Tong's campaign issued the following comment via email: "It is time that we stand with President Obama and begin the process of ending our 10-year long commitment in Afghanistan starting with a substantial reduction in our front line combat troops, beginning this summer,'' said Tong, a state representative from Stamford. 
 
"I want to see our courageous service men and women come home as soon as possible, and ensure a safe and permanent withdrawal from the region. As Senator, I will work with the President and military leadership to make certain that we do not leave a destabilized Afghanistan that returns to a breeding ground for extremism, threatening our long-term national security. We need to focus on the critical task at hand - safely bringing our troops home from Afghanistan."

And, he added, "making this issue another tiresome line of attack and response in a campaign is not productive."

Gov. Dannel P. Malloy has reached a deal with the state-employee unions after months of talks that will save $1.6 billion over the next two years in exchange for a four-year, no-layoff deal.

Malloy came up short of his goal of $2 billion in concessions and savings over two years, but the $400 million shortfall will be covered by spending cuts and better-than-expected tax collections.

"I'll confirm there's an agreement,'' Roy Occhiogrosso, Malloy's senior adviser, told Capitol Watch on Friday afternoon. "That's it.''

Malloy, Occhiogrosso, and the unions all declined to provide any details until the unionized workers are notified of the deal - a process that will last into next week. But multiple sources confirmed the outlines of the deal to Capitol Watch.

While the provisions are tentative, sources said the deal is a four-year, no-layoff agreement through June 2015 that applies only to current union employees. In exchange, there would be a hard wage freeze for all unionized employees that includes wages, longevity pay, increments, and lump sums that would last for two years. There would also be no longevity pay for newly hired state employees.

After those two years, the unions would receive 3 percent pay increases on the first day of the new fiscal year on July 1, 2013, 2014, and 2015, according to sources.

The agreement also calls for the creation of a Tier III in the complex state pension system for new employees hired after July 1. This would be the fourth level in the system, following the most lucrative Tier I for the longest-serving state employees, along with Tier II and Tier IIa.

The deal does not include any unpaid furlough days, which have become common in recent years as a cost-saving measure.

The plan also calls for extending the 2017 SEBAC agreement by five additional years, but there would be some changes in the deal that was originally signed by then-Gov. John G. Rowland and ratified by the legislature.

None of the details would be confirmed by the Malloy administration or union officials, but insiders spoke about it on the condition of anonymity. Union officials have also told their members that plenty of rumors have been flying around state offices, and they should wait to hear details from their individual unions.

Despite statements by Republicans, the Malloy administration is emphasizing that the deal does not provide any guarantees of job security for non-union managers, and there is no job guarantee for any state employee - union or non-union - who is hired after the start of the new fiscal year on July 1.

While the top four Democrats in the legislature surrounded Malloy for the announcement on the third floor in the state Capitol, Republicans immediately questioned the deal. The state Republican chairman said it was another victory for the unions that was awarded by a Democratic governor.

House GOP leader Lawrence Cafero of Norwalk said it seems that the state employees got the upper hand in the negotiations.

"It's not like we're looking for everybody to bleed a little bit, but just from what I understand now, if you were to measure who got the better of this deal, I'm sure that the state employee union feels that they do - that they got the better of the deal,'' Cafero told The Courant's Jon Lender at the Capitol.

Cafero noted that there are no furlough days and a guarantee of no layoffs for four years, regardless of economic conditions, for unionized employees.

"No one loses their job. No one loses a nickel of pay," Cafero said. " And ...  we're bound the next four years with ...  a no-economic-layoff [provision] ... That means regardless of what happens to the world economy, by this agreement, we are bound to keep the exact same number - 54,000 full-time employees - as we do right now. That could be troublesome."

Occhiogrosso strongly rejected Cafero's statement and came to the Capitol press room Friday afternoon to say that non-union employees can be laid off and that there will be fewer than 54,000 fulltime employees as the years progress.

Malloy repeatedly said that he wanted $2 billion in concessions, but the deal actually reached $1.6 billion. The savings are expected to be spread from $700 million in the first year and $900 million in the second year of the two-year budget.

The deal that was announced Friday means that Malloy will not need to lay off 4,742 workers who were expected to receive layoffs.

It is also a long way from over. The deal  must be approved by 15 unions and 34 bargaining units. That does not mean there will be 34 separate votes, but the unions could not provide the exact number of votes Friday.

Real estate mogul Donald Trump is not running for president.

Both ABC News and the Washington Post are reporting that Trump has decided not to face President Barack Obama in November 2012. His decision comes on the heels of a similar one by former Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee, who is not running and will continue with his show on the Fox News Channel.

A summary of the agreement between Gov. Dannel P. Malloy and the state employee unions has been circulating among state employees.

The summary is highly detailed in many areas, and the precise details are very important to state employees who are considering retirement. Based on the upcoming changes in health care and pension benefits that will start on July 1, some insiders believe that a higher than usual number of state employees will be rushing to put in their retirement papers by June 30.

The Malloy administration continued to refuse comment on the details Monday, citing a confidentiality agreement with the unions that no comment would be made until union members had been notified of the details of the agreement. The unions have also repeatedly refused to comment on the specifics of their agreement with Malloy.

Matt O'Connor, a spokesman for the unions, said that a summary will be available on the web site of the State Employee Bargaining Agent Coalition, known as SEBAC, on Tuesday morning.

"We are circulating the summary of the framework of the tentative agreement that we reached on Friday,'' O'Connor said, adding that the unions will comment on the summary Tuesday.

The detailed summary is as follows:

Among the principles that the parties agreed to in their discussions, the most important was "maximizing the gain while minimizing the pain."   This principle was not perfect, nor perfectly honored.   But ultimate agreement resulted from a combination of this principle and the recognition from both sides that the costs of failure to reach agreement could be disastrous for state employees, the administration, and all Connecticut residents.    Here are the elements of the Agreement:

A. A Declaration of Peace, A Process for Stable Transformation

1. JOB SECURITY:  No agreement would mean anything in these times without job security.  SEBAC 2009's two plus years of job security will be extended four more years until June 30, 2015.  In those areas where the promise was abused, new protections will make sure that job security is stronger.  Job Security is available to any bargaining unit that ratifies an agreement within the parameters of the framework described below.

2. TRANSFORMATION:  For decades, the ideas of frontline workers have been ignored, the ranks of high paid contractors and consultants have grown, and the levels of bureaucracy have multiplied.  Much of the discussion with the Malloy administration, and much of the savings from the agreement, involved these issues, and the parties have agreed (in addition to the administration following the pre-existing statutory mandates for the Contracts Standards Board and the Innovations Review Panel), to the following permanent structures to help transform state government: 
a. A joint information technology committee will be established as soon as possible following the appointment of the CIO that will consider, among other things, utilizing new technologies and reducing licensing procurement and consulting costs.
b. No later than September 1, 2011, a joint labor management committee will be comprised and begin to work to harness the creativity and experience of front-line bargaining and non-bargaining unit state employees to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of state government; to streamline and flatten organizational structures  to concentrate on service delivery; to examine and redress barriers to the most efficient use of in-house resources to address agency and cross agency needs; to discourage the use of outside contractors and consultants when internal capacity exists or can be reasonably developed, except issues that impact matters of collective bargaining.  
c. The Governor will issue an Executive Order no later than June 1, 2011, or similar appropriate directive to agencies that will make best efforts to ensure that vendors and service providers doing business with the state do so at reasonable rates of return and under terms that reflect the shared sacrifice being asked from all sectors of Connecticut society.

3. CONTRACT EXTENSIONS:    Only 6 years remain on "SEBAC 5", the Pension and Health Care agreement covering all state workers.   Since long term positive transformation requires stability, the agreement extends SEBAC 5 for five more years, until June 30, 2022.   At the same time, bargaining unit agreements are offered that provide the administration substantial needed savings during the upcoming 2 years where the state faced $7 Billion in total deficit, but offer improvements in the future.   There are no furlough days (which had cost members about 1.3% of salary in fiscal 2011.   But there are sacrifices.   Almost all state employee contracts are set to expire June 30, 2012.   The framework offers contracts with economic terms fixed through June 30, 2016.   The wage pattern offered is 0, 0,3,3,3, all on time, and with increments and top step bonuses (in those units that have them) in each of the last 3 years.   Non-increment based units will receive 2% additional in lieu of increments.  The only other contractually related sacrifice is in longevity.   The administration had sought to end longevity.  Instead, workers in "capped units" -- those that have had their longevity amount fixed since 1977 - will give up one payment in October 2011.   Uncapped units will give up the same amount as if they were capped, assuring equal sacrifice (managers will be asked to give up at least as much, and if not, workers will not give up anything).  After July 1, 2011, newly hired workers with no prior state service will not be eligible for longevity payments unless they had prior military service. All other longevity payments for current workers are maintained, although workers won't progress into new longevity levels  (first time payments for 10, 15, 20, or 25 years of service) until the third year of the contract -2013.  The same thing is true for the state's OJE system.   The administration had sought to eliminate it, but the only change is that no new OJE adjustments can be effective before July of 2013, again to provide savings during this biennium.

4. AN INVESTMENT IN RETIREE HEALTHCARE:   The benefit most at risk for state workers has been retiree health care.  Not only has it been successfully attacked by almost all other employers, it is almost entirely unfunded.   The result is a nearly $20 billion liability for the state, which is both irresponsible, and has a huge negative factor whenever any union bargains wages or other financial improvements.   The extension of SEBAC 5 until 2022 helps with this, of course.  But the agreement calls for both parties to begin investing in the trust fund, a provision which by the accounting rules of the Government Accounting Standards Board, instantly reduces the unfunded liability by billions.    All state workers not currently contributing to the Retiree Health Care Trust Fund will begin contributing ½% to the trust fund in fiscal 2014 (which starts July 1, 2013), a total of 2% in fiscal 2015, and a total of 3% in 2016.    Each workers contribution ends after paying the equivalent of 3% for 10 years, (assuming they don't retire first), and those who were previously paying under SEBAC 2009 will continue paying 3% but will get credit for all years they have already paid (so they'll finish sooner).   Just as important, beginning in July 1, 2017, the state will match each employee's contributions with a 3% contribution of its own.   These two changes together constitute a tremendous investment in the long-term viability of our most vulnerable benefit.  The state, of course, will continue paying the healthcare costs of current retirees out of the general fund.  Finally, the parties had a mutual interest in reserving free retiree healthcare for long-time employees (thus reducing the costs and making it easier to preserve).   The new agreement requires 15 years of actual state service to be eligible for retiree healthcare, but is phased in so as not negatively impact current employees, .  Finally, the Tentative Agreement will have provisions committing the administration to consider additional payments towards unfunded liability in pension and healthcare in surplus years.

The White House has released a transcript of President Barack Obama's remarks in the East Room of the White House during a visit by the University of Connecticut men's basketball team.

The NCAA champions visited the White House on Monday.

The transcript is as follows:

     THE PRESIDENT:  Hello, everybody!  (Applause.)  Welcome.  Please, have a seat, have a seat.  Have a seat.  Welcome to the White House, and congratulations to the Huskies on being the best college basketball team in the land.  (Applause.) 

Before we start, I want to acknowledge a big Huskies fan that's in the house -- Senator Joe Lieberman is here.  (Applause.)  I know he is proud of this team. 

I have to be honest -- this is a bittersweet day for me.  (Laughter.)  On the one hand, I get to congratulate a great team and a great coach on winning the national championship.  On the other hand, I'm reminded once again that my bracket was a bust.  (Laughter.)  I did not pick UConn to win it all.  That was a big mistake.  (Laughter.)  I was just mentioning to Coach that it was because Andy Katz of ESPN told me there's no way Uconn was winning.  (Laughter.)  I did have these guys going to the Elite Eight, and I was doing pretty well in my pool at the beginning of the tournament, and then things completely fell apart.

But I was not alone.  Let's face it, this was a tough year for a lot of brackets because teams like this one shocked the world.  So next time you guys decide to reel off 11 straight wins, please let me know ahead of time.  (Laughter.)

Because the truth is, UConn's perfect run through the Big East and the NCAA tournament was a surprise to everybody but themselves and Coach.  These guys knew they had something special.  And even though they finished the regular season tied for ninth in the Big East, even though there were some rough spots during the season, these players just put their heads down, they worked hard, and they focused on winning the games that counted. 

They succeeded because everybody knew that they had a role to play.  There was, of course, Coach Calhoun, who now joins John Wooden, Adolph Rupp, and Mike Krzyzewski and Bobby Knight as the only coaches ever to win three national championships.  That's pretty good company there, Coach.  (Applause.) 

There's Shabazz Napier, who sang and danced and talked his way through a incredible freshman season.  (Laughter.)  If he's making rabbit ears behind me or anything like that, please stop him.  (Laughter.)

At the other end of the spectrum there's Jeremy Lamb.  He's sort of the anti-Shabazz.  (Laughter.)  He's quiet.  (Laughter.) But he let's his play do the talking, and exploded to average 15 points a game during the postseason. 

     And then there's Kemba Walker who -- (applause) -- this is a guy who wanted to go to UConn so badly in high school that he recruited them.  Never afraid to take a last shot.  A player who will go down in history as one of the greatest ever to wear the Huskies' uniform.  And a player who always lived by his dad's advice that, "it's not the size of the person, it's the size of the heart."

     So if you put all that together -- young team, long-shot odds, and then a postseason run and the Kemba show -- that was a pretty inspiring season. 

I want to thank all the players, all the coaches who held the basketball clinic earlier this afternoon and inspiring some future stars here from D.C.  I think you made their year.  And I want to thank everybody who is involved in the UConn family, because obviously this has been a great program for many, many years, Coach.  And I know that you could not do it without all the folks who are represented here today -- assistant coaches, trainers, folks in the athletic department, everybody who has been so supportive of this outstanding, outstanding program.

     So, congratulations to all of you.  Hopefully, we will see you again soon.  You got a bunch of freshmen, so I don't see why these guys couldn't go on a pretty good run here.  But we couldn't be prouder of them, and I know that the great state of Connecticut couldn't be prouder of them as well. 

So, congratulations.  (Applause.)

     COACH CALHOUN:  Well, thank you, Mr. President.  As you know, Kemba was waiting for you -- when you were up in the air, he was down on the ground, because -- unfortunately, he actually was up in the air stuck at LaGuardia Airport for three hours.  But he did want that one-on-one game with you.

     THE PRESIDENT:  I'm ready.  (Laughter.)

     COACH CALHOUN:  Does he have enough game, you think?

     THE PRESIDENT:  As long as he's wearing street shoes and a suit.  (Laughter.) 

     COACH CALHOUN:  I like a guy with edges.  (Laughter.)  President and folks, I just want to say it's a thrill for us to be here representing the state of Connecticut, certainly the University of Connecticut.  Joe Lieberman was there a long time ago before we started going to the White House occasionally.

     THE PRESIDENT:  It was a really long time ago.  (Laughter.)

     COACH CALHOUN.  Matter of fact -- no, we'll get into that at another time.  But it's been a thrill.  This year was reminding me in many, many ways, between my wife and myself, rooting you on.  We stopped with the team at the Lincoln Memorial, and I know how much you admired Lincoln.

     I was telling our kids just when great things happen, like  -- I happened to be buying some bookmarks for the kids that you might recognize.

THE PRESIDENT:  Absolutely.

COACH CALHOUN:  And I said simply that people like Lincoln and Martin Luther King and so on, maybe our President, were speeding along in the process of being something special that he truly is.  And I believe that and feel that way.

     This basketball team, by the way, was kind of an underdog, much as you were.  And who would have thought, 15 years ago -- who would have thought maybe nine months ago we would be here. 
But you know what?  Yes, we can.  (Laughter and applause)

     THE PRESIDENT:  Yes, we can.  I like that.  (Applause.)

     COACH CALHOUN:  And like you, Mr. President, yes, we did.  We did because we cared.  We cared as a family.  We cared about each other.  We accepted our roles.  We accepted who we are, and did anything possible to be the best we possibly can become.  I watched your rise -- magnificent.  I've watched their rise, and it's been one of the most emotional seasons of my entire life.

     I'm proud of what you've done, certainly, and I'm certainly proud of my kids.  And I just thank you very much for having us here.  And I want to especially congratulate you, because last night I knew you were pretty excited to watch the Chicago Bulls. Am I correct?

     THE PRESIDENT:  I was.  (Laughter.)

     COACH CALHOUN:  That was an easy call.

     THE PRESIDENT:  What do you think?  Some of you guys may want to look at the Bulls organization.  They could use a shooter.  (Laughter).

     COACH CALHOUN:  But once again, thank you for everything, Mr. President.

     THE PRESIDENT:  Thank you so much.

     COACH CALHOUN:  We really appreciate having you here, and you're an inspiration to so many young people -- definitely a lot of the people I've coached.  And I just want to say that you make us all feel proud about our country, and certainly feel proud when you interject athletics and education, because it's very important to us. 
 
     THE PRESIDENT:  Thank you. 

COACH CLAHOUN:  And I've got someone special to bring up now -- Kemba Walker.  Kemba, come on.  (Applause.)

     MR. WALKER:  I just want to say -- I want to thank everybody for coming out.  I have one question for the President.  I wanted to ask you, can you teach me that walk?

     THE PRESIDENT:  That walk?  (Laughter.)  That's a special presidential walk.  (Laughter.)  But maybe in a few years.  You look pretty good behind the podium, I got to say.  (Laughter.) 

     MR. WALKER:  I'm looking forward to that.  (Laughter.)  But on behalf of the team, we all just -- we want to give you this jersey.

     THE PRESIDENT:  All right.  Oh, man, that's outstanding.  Thank you.  (Applause.)  That's a good-looking jersey there. 
Absolutely.  There you go.  (Applause.)  Fantastic. 

All right, we're going to strike the podium and get a good picture with the whole crew.

                           END                    5:53 P.M. EDT

Gov. Dannel P. Malloy will announce a major transformation of the University of Connecticut Health Center today, including adding 100 students to the medical school, 48 students to the dental school, and 3,000 construction jobs in Farmington.

The $864 million plan includes the construction of a new, $318 million patient tower and parking garage, which would be used to treat patients. The current tower would be renovated for $163 million and would be used for research, Malloy said in an interview Monday with The Hartford Courant.

A new ambulatory care center would cost $203 million, while another $155 million would be spent to renovate the existing research facilities on the Farmington campus.

Malloy is taking the $362 million proposal that was already approved last year by the state legislature under Republican Gov. M. Jodi Rell and is more than doubling it.

"I was underwhelmed by the approach that the prior administration took,'' Malloy said in the interview. "It ignored the job-creating potential of that institution. It's a multi-pronged approach.''

While the Malloy plan is both larger and more expensive than the Rell proposal, it includes $338 million in bonds that have already been approved. As such, the latest plan calls for $254 million in new bonding, $203 million in private fundraising, and $69 million from the health center, according to Malloy's outline of the proposal.

A key change from the Rell plan is that the state lost its high-profile quest to obtain $100 million in federal money for a public hospital that had been inserted into a bill by then-U.S. Senator Christopher J. Dodd. Many insiders believed that Connecticut would receive the money because Dodd inserted the language into the landmark healthcare bill at the 11th hour, but the measure was a competitive grant that was won by Ohio State University's medical school.

Although he is not ruling out the possibility of receiving federal money in the future, Malloy noted that no federal funds are anticipated for the new plan.

The proposal would need approval by the Democratic-controlled legislature, but Malloy did not set an immediate timeframe as the General Assembly is rushing to complete its work by the deadline of June 8.

"It could be done by the end of the session. It could be done in a special session,'' Malloy said. "There's lots of different ways to do it.''

Senate Republican leader John McKinney, who was briefed on the plan by UConn officials and a representative of the governor's office, has questions about the funding of the project. Besides UConn, the state is considering spending millions of dollars on multiple projects, including the New Britain-to-Hartford busway and the rail line from New Haven to Massachusetts.

"The state has huge issues with respect to debt and unfunded liability,'' McKinney said Monday night. "At some point, we're borrowing too much money. ... The UConn people bristle when I say it, but Harvard does not have their own hospital, and Harvard, as far as I know, is world-renowned as the best there is.''

Veteran Republican operative Scott Will has signed on to manage Justin Bernier's congressional run.

Will worked on John McCain's 2008 presidential bid. He also served as deputy manager of Linda McMahon's 2010 U.S. Senate campaign, helping to orchestrate McMahon's somewhat surprising endorsement at last year's GOP state convention.

Bernier is running for the 5th District, a seat he sought but did not win in 2010.

State Republican chairman Christopher Healy is slamming Gov. Dannel P. Malloy's $864 million expansion plan at the University of Connecticut Health Center as "a waste of taxpayer dollars'' and "a failed public policy model.''

Healy says it is a bad idea to pour millions of dollars into a public hospital at a time when many other community hospitals are barely breaking even in the difficult world of healthcare financing.

"Changing the subject over his fraudulent state budget by asking the taxpayers to support a hopelessly inefficient public hospital won't fool anyone who understands you can't spend your way to prosperity," Healy said in a statement. "The UConn Health Center has long been a disaster for taxpayers and patients. It should be shuddered, not rewarded with millions and threaten community hospitals that do a good job providing quality health care."

He added, "If Democrats shower millions on the UConn Health Center, it will lead to more of the same - a waste of tax dollars while under-cutting health care providers that are hanging on for dear life. Fresh from his fiscal shell game on the budget, Gov. Malloy thinks he can break out another credit card to reward the unions who work at that facility."

The health center has had chronic financial problems, and the legislature has bailed out the Farmington institution four times since 2000. The huge infusion of funds often comes on the last day of the legislative session, which this year is June 8.

Democratic U.S. Senate candidate Susan Bysiewicz continues to court the party's left flank.

This afternoon, she put out a press release urging Congressional Democrats not to sacrifice "progressive priorities" in the debate over the federal debt.

"It is time to stand and fight, not to sacrifice our shared progressive priorities to the Tea Party who are bent on destroying everything we have worked for," Bysiewicz said in the release. "We must stand firm to safeguard our investments in health care, the economy and infrastructure while we protect Medicare and Social Security for the long-term. Middle class families should not have to shoulder the entire burden of the deficit. We can increase the debt limit and cut spending but we must not do it on the backs on middle class families."

Bysiewicz says the best way to reduce the deficit is to end the war in Afghanistan immediately. She also calls for an end to subsidies to big oil.

U.S. Rep. Chris Murphy, one of Bysiewicz' Democratic opponents in the Senate race, made headlines last year when he announced that he could not support any federal budget that does not cut all non-entitlement spending by at least 1 percent.

"The government's got to start trimming spending just as families across the district are cutting their own budgets,'' Murphy said in a conference call with reporters last year.

While a measure to decriminalize the possession of small amounts appears to be losing steam, a bill to legalize the use of pot for medicinal purposes is moving ahead.

The medical marijuana bill cleared another key committee this afternoon. By a vote of 32 to 14, the measure cleared the legislature's finance committee. It has already received the endorsements of the public health and judiciary committees.

Unlike the decriminalization bill, the medical marijuana measure has bipartisan support. In finance, Reps. Bill Aman, Clark Chapin, Livvy Floren, John Piscopo and Sen. Tony Guglielmo all voted in favor of the bill.

The measure, which now goes to the state Senate for a vote, would prevent the state from prosecuting people for possession of marijuana if they had written certification from their physician allowing them to use it. A patient would need to be certified as having a debilitating condition, such as cancer, glaucoma, AIDS, Parkinson's disease or multiple sclerosis. The bill would allow the possession of up to 1 ounce of marijuana, and up to four marijuana plants, provided they were no more than 4 feet high.

Gov. M. Jodi Rell vetoed a medical marijuana bill in 2007. This year's bill has Gov. Dannel P. Malloy's support. 
   

  

The state House of Representatives approved a bill this afternoon that grants limited legal immunity to municipalities that open their undeveloped land to the public for recreational use.

At the start of the legislative session back in January, the measure looked to generate significant controversy, pitting the state's trial lawyers against bicyclists, hikers, and municipal leaders fearful of lawsuits.

Yet when the vote was taken, it was 142 to 1. Andrew Fleischmann, a Democrat from West Hartford, the sole "no vote,'' said he was concerned about cases of negligence.

The lopsided vote -- and the fact that the bill had 80 cosponsors -- can be attributed to a compromise worked out last month that would still hold municipalities liable if they are found negligent in maintaining recreational facilities such as playgrounds and ball fields.

"This bill contains fair compromises that were addressed by multiple parties,'' said Rep. David Baram of Bloomfield, the measure's chief proponent. "I believe this bill is fair to all parties.''

In an unusual case revealed this week, a current state employee visited a hospital emergency room 150 times in a single year - an average of three times per week.

State union officials refused Tuesday to release the employee's name because of federal privacy rules, but they mentioned the case to illustrate a change in health benefits under a comprehensive deal with Gov. Dannel P. Malloy that is projected to save $1.6 billion over the next two fiscal years.

State employees will be required in the future to make a co-payment of $35 for each visit to the emergency room, but that fee will be waived if the person is admitted to the hospital or had no reasonable alternative to obtaining care from the emergency room. Currently, state employees have no co-payments for emergency room visits.

That change is one of many on healthcare, pensions and wages that are part of a package that was negotiated over the past two months by Malloy and the union leadership. The deal, which must be ratified by the individual unions and the Democratic-controlled legislature, is being hailed by Democrats and criticized by Republicans.

The biggest cost savings is a two-year wage freeze that includes all forms of payment and would save a projected $450 million over two years.

But Republicans ripped the deal Tuesday, saying it is a "smoke and mirrors'' agreement with questionable cost-saving assumptions and a giveaway to the unions. House Republican leader Larry Cafero said that Malloy - and thus the state - got taken "to the cleaners'' in the deal.

"Unfortunately, the more we see the details, the less there is to like,'' said Senate Republican leader John McKinney of Fairfield. "A four-year, no-layoff pledge, which no one in the private sector has, leaves us four years from now, right where we started. Unemployment in the private sector is 9.1 percent. Unemployment in government is zero percent. Extending the SEBAC agreement to the year 2022 is a terrible mistake. It binds us for another 11 years. And now we find out that most of the savings that the governor touts as historic are either not concessions or not achievable.''

He added, "These numbers make very little sense. I understand the governor has done a tremendous job of spin. I understand maybe he announced his presidential ambitions last night at the JJB, defending labor across the country. ... We've been sold a bill of goods on this concession package.''

Malloy's senior adviser and chief spokesman, Roy Occhiogrosso, responded that McKinney and other Republicans are "very frustrated'' by Malloy's stances on the budget and the unions.

"This governor has done more to stabilize the state's finances in four months on the job than the past two governors did in 15 years on the job,'' Occhiogrosso said. "They should be applauding what he is doing, but their party label prevents them from doing it. They're Republicans. .. They're frustrated that there's a Democratic governor who is succeeding where two Republicans failed.''

He added, "They're looking behind every tree for some conspiracy figure.''

The comprehensive deal calls for changes in the expensive healthcare benefits that state employees currently receive - by encouraging employees to become healthier and thus save the state money in the long run. That would be accomplished through annual physical exams, two free dental cleanings per year, and a colonoscopy for those of the appropriate age. Those who refuse to sign a commitment form to improve their health would be subject to additional premiums of $100 per month, plus a $350 per year deductible.

"We hope no employees will make this decision, but every employee will have that choice,'' the union leaders said in a summary of the deal.

The deal calls for no change in the co-pay of prescription drugs for maintenance reasons, such as high blood pressure or cholesterol. Those co-pays will remain at $5 for generic, $10 for preferred brand-name drugs, and $25 for brand-name drugs that are not on a special list of approved drugs.

President Barack Obama's plane aborted its initial landing and circled around Bradley International Airport this morning before finally landing.

The immediate White House pool report, sent via BlackBerry by a Christian Science Monitor reporter who was traveling with Obama, stated as follows:

"On the record from White House Spokesman Nick Shapiro:

"AF1 did a go-round at Bradley Intl Airport this morning because of weather. They circled around and landed safely a few minutes later, at 10:05 a.m.

"The pilot was in the process of landing but due to weather the pilot decided to circle around and then landed the plane, this is a standard and safe procedure.''

The Hartford Courant's business columnist, Dan Haar, is reporting that the paid sick leave bill has been watered down in an attempt to gain more support.

The highly controversial bill has been debated numerous times in recent years, but it has never passed the House and Senate in the same year.

Haar credits the intense lobbying of CBIA's Kia Murrell for helping to delay the bill and holding up passage.

The state House of Representatives voted overwhelmingly Wednesday for a bill that links cases of child abuse with cases of animal cruelty.

The bill requires local animal control officers and employees at the state Department of Children and Families to report cases of animal cruelty to the state agriculture department. The agriculture commissioner would then be required to issue a monthly report, starting in November 2011, to the DCF commissioner, who would determine whether anyone suspected of animal cruelty is also simultaneously on the list of families at DCF.

The measure passed by 127 to 12 with all 12 negative votes by Republicans. 

State Rep. Diana Urban, a former Republican who is now a Democrat, said that the connection "has been well documented since first recognized by the FBI'' decades ago. She said that the Center For Youth Leadership at the Brien McMahon High School in Norwalk had studied the link between child abuse and animal cruelty

Children, Urban said, have described tales of an adult male who "kicks, punches, and slaps the family pet, just as he kicks, punches, and slaps Mommy.''

But Rep. John T. Shaban, a Redding Republican who voted against the bill, was concerned that the local animal control officers "should not be charged with flagging a person whose name is going to be potentially flagged with the tinge of potential child abuse if it is done improperly. ... I don't think it's in the officer's skill set.''

Shaban, an attorney, said the bill had laudable goals but would lead to "people's reputation and character impugned.''