It had been eight years since the last inaugural ball, and unlike past attendance, this year’s ball included not only an array of politicos, but also over 300 members of the public who wanted to join in and celebrate the beginning of something new. This was a welcome addition to an event that was once viewed as being far too ceremonial and scripted to be a “ball”.

Of all the venues in Connecticut worthy of holding a ball, the CT Expo Center in Hartford is not the first place one might expect to host such an extravagant event. A former food warehouse that resembles the architecture of an airplane hanger was converted to a sparkling venue filled with flowers, flags, and enough blue, white, and yellow skirting to turn any warehouse into a welcoming paradise.

The ball was a celebration of not only Governor Rell, but also the entire State of Connecticut. The event attracted elected officials from both sides of the aisle who were all upbeat and optimistic about the direction of Connecticut’s future. A fifteen minute military scribed entrance of distinguished guests topped off the night. Both the Governor’s Foot Guard and a full complement of state military units also participated in the parade of statewide officials from downtown Hartford to the Legislative Office Building earlier in the day.

After a bright and upbeat swearing-in ceremony, attention turned to family and friends. Promptly at 7 pm, the door of the CT Expo opened and over 2,000 guests made their way to tables and boxes for the night’s festivities. For most, there wasn’t a better way to celebrate the swearing in of the Governor and the other statewide officers – Secretary of State, Comptroller, Treasurer, and Attorney General - on the first day of session than by socializing with those in elected office and dancing the night away.

Great food, a terrific band, and lot and lots of networking and New Year’s greetings made for a great night. As guests departed, they received a commeratitive blue and yellow coaster to take home or to the office to remember the night where Democrats, Republicans, and Independent friends toasted each other and pledged to work together for the benefit of all CT’s residents.

There are those who look to the first day of session as the beginning of a long six months of hard work, but for those elected officials escorting their families around the Capitol smiling and shaking hands, the first day is a state celebration. What better way to top off the beginning of a new adventure than a gubernatorial ball!

With Democrats controlling of 24 out of 36 seats in the Senate and achieving a supermajority status to override a gubernatorial veto, the Senate agenda is being looked at as the roadmap for the 2007 legislative session. What are they flagging as the must-dos for 2007? Take a look...

Universal Health Care and affordable electricity rank #1 and #2 for the Senate Democrats. Connecticut ranks fifth in the nation for highest health care costs. Neighboring Massachusetts led the way to change last year by passing a Universal Health Care bill. Connecticut is poised to join MA by addressing what has been declared a national crisis.

Governor Rell and the Senate Democrats have introduced multifaceted plans while the Speaker of the House has advocated for preventive care. This past week, a Fairfield business group announced a revised managed care scenario and today, the state unions announced their single payer plan. Many believe that Universal Health Care is a work in progress and will take several years to fully address, but the wheels have been turning and legislators are prepared to take a bold and creative direction to get something meaningful on the CT books.

Luck would have it that CT has so far had milder than the normal temps, even though the temperature of many legislators in Hartford is starting to rise as they struggle to address the short and long term issue of energy costs. The energy crisis begun with gas prices last spring has been worsened as a result of both state utility companies’ recent rate hikes. The Governor, Senate, and the House all have plans for how to solve this concern. Just what direction the state takes in order to solve this problem for homeowners, commercial entities, and businesses is the million dollar question. New generation can’t be created overnight, projects take several years to get off the ground, and homeowners and businesses need immediate relief. Almost everyone agrees that conservation is a critical part of the solution. The expansion of alternative fuels is quickly becoming the focus of this session. An issue this complex will surely take everyone to resolve and many, many small group, late night sessions to find the final answer before either chamber takes it out on the floor for debate.

Property tax relief, gun control, mass transit rail freight lines, and usage of the state deep water ports, along with education cost sharing and school security will also headline the Senate agenda.

Not surprisingly, many of the topics of this week’s OLR reports mirror the subjects of newly released bills. Topics related to energy, in particular, dominate the list. “Electric Restructuring and Rates”, a common topic discussed at the Capitol, outlines what states have restructured their electric industries and how their rates compare to states that did not restructure. “Recent Power Plant Construction” lists power plants recently built in New England. “Regulation of Non-Utility Generators” explains why CT’s DPUC does not regulate non-utility generators the way it does utility-owned generators. Finally, “Municipal vs. Investor Owned Utility Electric Rates” compares the rates of municipal-owned utilities and investor-owned utilities and explains why they are different. OLR reports are especially useful for putting what can otherwise be complicated subjects, such as energy, into layman’s terms.

Reports on alternative energy sources are also represented on this week’s list. “Solar Technology Incentives and Installers” describes the tax incentives available for installing solar technology and what is required to receive these incentives. Alternative energy sources including solar, wind, and water power, and alternative fuels such as biodiesel and ethanol will all be explored this session as talk of an energy crisis continues across the nation.

Below is a link to the most recent OLR reports, including the ones outlined in this article. If you have any questions or if you are interested in a certain topic, please give James Desantos a call at (860) 560- 0000 or email him at jdesantos@ctlobby.com.