There is no other time during the legislative session that the LOB really takes on a life of its own than before the committee’s Joint Favorable Deadline (otherwise known as the hearing season). During these tumultuous weeks, committee members are accustomed to being at the LOB from 9 am to nearly midnight depending on the sheer volume of people signed up to testify. With so many contentious issues this year such as the Governor’s $1.4 billion education spending plan or the initiatives of CT’s cities and towns for property tax relief, midnight is quickly becoming the more common departure time.

At the beginning of this long session, we spoke about the large number of bills that were being introduced. This isn’t surprising since the legislature has a fairly large freshman class. It was estimated that the number of bills would hit an astounding 20% increase over the previous session! And with more bills, comes more hearings. This is especially true for the Appropriations and Finance Committees. Standard agency budget presentations that take place before the Appropriations Committee each budget year already have members of Approps at the LOB until late into the evening. On top of that, the Appropriations and Finance Committees have both been known to have lengthy hearings of their own as the majority of bills introduced in a budget year either contain a revenue or expenditure.

It is common to see lobbyists and members of the public waiting in line to sign up at 5 am for each public hearing just so they can be at the head of the line for their 3 minutes to testify on their bills of interest. There are legislators constantly moving from one hearing room to another trying to hear testimony of interest to them, and then there are the members of the public trying to navigate their way through the crowded atrium to finally arrive at their still more crowded hearing room. Legislators, staff, and members of the public become so overwhelmed during this phase that there is usually a lull of inactivity immediately following the JF Deadline so everyone can regroup.

The hearing season is exhausting, but it is an exciting beginning to what will be a long and very productive session in 2007.

Fittingly, just as Hollywood prepares for the Oscars this weekend, CT held its own special award ceremony on Wednesday. Ok, so maybe no one was wearing an evening gown, but all the local “paparazzi” (read: local news stations) turned out for the CT Hall of Fame induction ceremony at the LOB. And this year’s three inductees are arguably bigger than any of today’s Hollywood stars. In fact, one inductee downright defined the film industry: Katharine Hepburn.

Katharine Hepburn was born in Hartford, CT in 1907. By the end of her film career, she had earned an astounding 12 Oscar nominations and 4 wins – the latter is still a record for an actress. Hepburn died in her home in Old Saybrook, CT at the age of 96. The American Film Institute (AFI) ranked Hepburn the #1 woman for their "50 Greatest Movie Legends” and now she deservingly holds one of the first spots in the CT Hall of Fame. Her award was presented to her brother-in-law, and former West Hartford Mayor, Ellsworth Grant. Grant generously donated Hepburn’s crystal CT Hall of Fame award to be displayed in the Capitol.

Just as inspiring is the second inductee: Mark Twain. Twain, whose real name was Samuel Clemons, is best known for his novels Adventures of Huckleberry Finn and The Adventures of Tom Sawyer. American author William Faulkner called Twain "the father of American literature.” Although born in Missouri, and having lived all over the country, Twain built his two homes here in CT – one near the NY border and one in Hartford. The latter was preserved and is now home to The Mark Twain House & Museum. Executive Director and Chief Curator, Debra Petke, accepted the CT Hall of Fame award on behalf of Mark Twain. The plaque on the wall of the Hall of Fame currently lists Twain’s real name, but it is scheduled to be changed after Debra pointed out that even Twain’s own wife called him Mark!

The legacy of the third inductee surrounds us everyday in CT: Igor Sikorsky. Sikorsky was a pioneer of aviation who designed the first four-engine fixed-wing aircraft and the first successful helicopter. The company he developed in CT, Sikorsky Aero Engineering Company, is still thriving today as a part of United Technologies, and the Sikorsky Aircraft Corporation in Stratford, CT is still one of the world's leading helicopter manufacturers. Sikorsky’s two sons, Igor Jr. and Nickolai, accepted the CT Hall of Fame award on behalf of their father. Sikorsky’s sons told the story of how their father, a Russian immigrant, described that he needed the United States when the country did not need him, and yet he felt that the U.S. accepted him and allowed him to pursue his dreams.

The CT Hall of Fame project has been in the works for the past 4 years and was spearheaded by Senator Joe Crisco and his committee including Senator John McKinney, Rep. Betty Boukus, and Rep. Michael Caron. The goal is to celebrate “genius and talent in CT”, while locating the Hall of Fame in the LOB so that inductees will be recognized by the hundreds of people and students who visit throughout the year.

The parking lot next to Sullivan & LeShane on Capitol Avenue is now open to the public! Anyone parking in the lot should let the guard know that they will be visting the LOB for a meeting or public hearing.