When Senator Bill Finch was elected to be the Mayor of Bridgeport, nearly everyone anticipated that he would resign his 22nd District seat in the Connecticut State Senate, made up of a portion of Bridgeport, Trumbull, and Monroe. But much to their surprise, the Senator/Mayor let it be known that he was considering keeping both offices.

Eventually, public pressure lead Bill Finch to reluctantly vacate his seat, but perhaps the delay was caused by the fact that the Senator/Mayor knew all to well what would happen when he did.

On March 11, and on his third try for the 22nd District Senate Seat, Republican Robert Russo handily defeated Democrat Thomas Mulligan by claiming nearly 61% of the vote. Robert Russo first made the headlines in Bridgeport in 2004 when he ran against then Senator Finch and again in 2006 losing both times by a considerable margin.

But the third time has proven to be a charm for not only Robert Russo, but for the Connecticut Republicans. The Republican victory ends the Democrats' veto- proof majority in the State Senate and makes it the third special election in a row where the Republicans have been victorious.

The loss of the super majority in the Senate pretty much assures that there will be no veto override sessions this year. Good news in terms of legislators planning summer vacations! Congratulations to State Senator Robert Russo!

Workers across Connecticut are bound to get sick once in awhile. The question is do they still come to work and potentially spread their illness to their coworkers or do they take a sick day? In an effort to ensure that the former does not happen, Senator Edith Prague (D-Columbia), Chair of the Labor Committee, and other legislators unveiled their plan to create a uniform paid sick leave policy in Connecticut.

"A uniform, paid sick leave policy will help Connecticut businesses stay productive, because employees who are ill will simply stay home, they won't spread illness among coworkers and they'll no longer go to work for the day's pay simply to support their families," Prague said. "What good is healthcare if you can't take a day off to take your child to the doctor without losing pay?" added Sharon Patterson Stallings of the Working Families party. Currently about 40% of the workers in the state do not receive a single paid sick day all year.

SB 217 An Act Mandating Employers Provide Paid Sick Leave to Employees was raised to address this problem. The bill would require all companies to provide working people in Connecticut to award paid sick days and allow employees to use them to take care of themselves or family members when ill. Full time employees would earn 6.5 sick days over the course of a year.

The bill would allow companies to cap the amount of days an employee could earn each year. They can also require documentation of illness from a doctor. Small businesses, defined as those with fewer than 25 employees, are exempt from this bill.

This bill passed the Connecticut Senate last year, but was never brought up in the House. Congresswoman Rosa DeLauro supports similar legislation on the national level. If passed, Connecticut would be the first state in the nation to pass a bill guaranteeing paid sick days, although San Francisco and Washington D.C. recently passed similar ordinances.

It's a hot topic at the LOB - how to get cars, buses, trucks, trains and planes moving people and things around and through the state in a safe and efficient manner.

In 2007, Governor Rell appointed a Commission on the Reorganization of the Department of Transportation. The Commission concluded that, "the entire system of planning, funding, delivering, and maintaining transportation services, of which ConnDOT is a central part, needs serious re- examination." In response, Governor Rell has proposed that the Department of Transportation (DOT) be broken up into two parts: the Department of Public Transportation, Aviation, and Ports and the Department of Highways.

The Department of Public Transportation, Aviation, and Ports will be responsible for bus and rail passenger transportation, rail freight, non-motorized transportation, ferries, ride-sharing and van-pooling, that State Pier in New London, other maritime programs, Bradley International Airport, and the state's general aviation airports. The Department of Highways will be responsible for interstate and state highways and bridges.

Governor Rell explained that DOT "has not evolved at the same pace as our transportation needs have evolved." She elaborated that even with proper funding; DOT "cannot move these projects forward in an efficient, coordinated, and timely manner." By splitting the Department, Gov. Rell hopes to have two new and focused agencies.

The legislation that the Governor introduced, HB 5041 AN ACT CONCERNING THE CREATION OF A DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION, AVIATION AND PORTS AND A DEPARTMENT OF HIGHWAYS, was referred to the Transportation Committee. The Governor submitted testimony in favor of the legislation for the public hearing on March 3. The bill has been voted favorably out of the Transportation Committee to the House floor. With such big changes come big budget needs and an examination of how best to leverage federal transportation dollars as well.

When introduced, the idea caught the attention of many different constituencies. Some felt it was too ambitious for such a short session, some applauded the Governor's actions, and others were quick to say no need to unravel DOT, it just needs more focus and clearer direction. You can bet it will be a major part of the Governor's negotiations when the six leaders sit to negotiate the final budget proposal.