Connecticut Politics Week in Review: Gov. Ned Lamont ‘sleeping a little easier’ as Joe Biden is sworn in as president

Connecticut Democrats looked ahead Wednesday after a tumultuous four years under President Donald Trump as Joe Biden was inaugurated as president. “I’m sleeping a little easier tonight,” Gov. Ned Lamont said hours after the swearing-in ceremony. Meanwhile, Connecticut lawmakers have begun meeting virtually and discussing bills they plan to tackle during the ongoing legislative session. High-profile issues like legalizing recreational marijuana and tightening vaccine requirements in schools — topics that drew big crowds to public hearings in past years — are on the agenda once again.

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The big story

Sigh of relief for Connecticut Democrats as Biden is sworn in: Lamont and other Democratic elected officials in Connecticut breathed a sigh of relief as Biden was sworn in as the 46th president Wednesday, hoping for a return to normalcy after a rocky four years with President Donald Trump in the White House. “We have friends in the White House now,” Lamont said during a conference call Wednesday with fellow Democrats. “This is our opportunity to get things done. We don’t overplay our hand, but we play our hand. … This is a time for us a party and we as leaders to show that we can lead.” Others remarked on the historic nature of the day as Kamala Harris was the first woman and first person of color to be sworn in as vice president. “Her presence in the White House provides an incalculable level of validation and empowerment to millions of Americans who have never seen someone who looks like them hold such power and responsibility,” said U.S. Rep. Jahana Hayes. D-5th District, the first Black woman elected to Congress from Connecticut. On the policy front, Lamont and others said they hoped Biden and the Democratic-controlled Congress would pass additional coronavirus relief measures and tackle other issues of high importance to Connecticut, like repealing the $10,000 limit on state and local tax deductions.

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Connecticut man charged with assaulting cop at U.S. Capitol: Patrick Edward McCaughey III, a 23-year-old from Ridgefield, was charged Wednesday with the violent assault of a Washington, D.C. police officer who was seen in a widely circulated video being crushed by rioters attempting to storm through doors and into the U.S. Capitol. Federal prosecutors allege McCaughey was front and center and used a police riot shield to pin Officer Daniel Hodges against a door while another rioter violently ripped off his gas mask, exposing his bloodied mouth. Law enforcement caught up with McCaughey after they shared images of him at the Capitol from videos that had been posted to social media, many by the rioters themselves. McCaughey has no criminal history, lives with his mother and has worked for his father’s construction company. Under the sentencing scheme used in federal court, federal prosecutors said he faces a minimum of five years in prison even if he pleads guilty.

Lawmakers will revisit vaccine exemptions for schoolchildren: The legislature’s public health committee will again debate a bill that would eliminate the religious exemption that allows schoolchildren to opt out of otherwise-mandated vaccines. The thorny issue drew thousands of protesters to the Capitol early last year who accused lawmakers of trampling their parental rights. But Rep. Jonathan Steinberg, a Westport Democrat and co-chair of the committee, said another attempt at passing the bill would be made this year. “The bill has the intent of protecting the public ... and particularly children who may not be eligible for vaccinations due to autoimmune conditions and the like,” he said. Lawmakers first eyed tightening vaccine requirements after a 2019 measles outbreak and after receiving data from the state that showed more than 100 Connecticut schools had vaccination rates below what public health experts recommend. Republicans on the committee unsuccessfully argued it should pass on controversial bills and focus on coronavirus-related measures.

State budget numbers continue to improve: Connecticut’s budget projections continue to get rosier and rosier, with a new projection showing a $137 million surplus in the current fiscal year that ends June 30, compared to earlier projections of a $2 billion shortfall when the coronavirus pandemic first took hold in Connecticut and forced many businesses to shutter. Lamont’s budget director said federal stimulus — and a soaring stock market — have helped to close that gap. The upbeat report came less than a week after the state released revenue estimates that showed a dramatic surge in the estimates and finals portion of the state income tax that is largely paid by high earners. But tax revenue has risen across the board, including the sales tax and real estate taxes. House Speaker Matt Ritter, D-Hartford, said recently the numbers could get even better if Congress passes an additional stimulus bill. “This is incredibly positive news,” he said.

Lamont charts course forward on legal marijuana: After signaling in his State of the State address that he planned to pursue legalizing recreational marijuana this year, the Lamont administration has begun discussions with state agencies to develop the framework of what a legal marijuana market in Connecticut would look like. A draft bill obtained by The Connecticut Mirror set specific tax rates, including a 3% surcharge that would be shared with cities and towns as well as specific taxes by weight. It also would automatically erase low-level marijuana convictions. The draft bill also prohibits marketing marijuana toward children, increases the number of trained drug recognition experts in police departments and updates regulations so marijuana smoking faces the same restrictions as cigarette smoking. “Sports betting, internet gaming, and legalized marijuana are happening all around us,” Lamont said in his Jan. 6 State of the State. “Let’s not surrender these opportunities to out-of-state markets or even worse, underground markets.”

Legislators crafting reimbursement bill for remote workers: With the number of employees working at home exploding during the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, Connecticut lawmakers are crafting legislation that would stipulate the types of equipment and reimbursement companies would have to offer workers who are no longer showing up to the office but bearing new or increased costs at home. Sen. Julie Kushner, a Danbury Democrat and co-chair of the legislature’s labor committee, said lawmakers are seeking to strike a balance to make sure any new regulations don’t hurt struggling businesses that don’t have the resources of larger corporations. “We all recognize how important it is to make sure that workers can survive economically during this very difficult period, and we’ll also be looking to make sure that our small businesses survive, as well,” she said. Kushner said legislators have been forced to work from home too, so they are keenly aware of the issues workers are facing.

Odds and ends

New Haven Mayor Justin Elicker announced Thursday that he plans to seek another term leading the Elm City. “There is so much work to be done,” Elicker said at a noon news conference. He highlighted continuing to tackle the COVID-19 pandemic, schools and housing as top issues. Elicker was elected in 2019, defeating incumbent Mayor Toni Harp in a Democratic primary and again in the general election. … Glenn Moss, a Connecticut man who pleaded guilty in 1998 for health care fraud, was among dozens pardoned by Trump on the eve of his departure from office. Moss, who lives in Brookfield, admitted to conspiring to pay kickbacks to obtain referrals for the medical laboratory company that employed him. The News-Times reported Moss had once called Trump and his family “great friends for many years.” … White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki is yet another Connecticut native who has risen to a prominent position communicating on behalf of the president. Psaki, who began her new job on Wednesday as Biden was sworn in, lived in Stamford as a child before later moving to Greenwich. “It’s sort of ironic, she was Greenwich High School and so was [former White House Communications Director] Hope Hicks, so there’s something in the water down there,” Lamont said Thursday. … U.S. Sen. Richard Blumenthal and six of his fellow Democratic senators are asking the Senate Ethics Committee to investigate Sens. Ted Cruz and Josh Hawley “to fully understand their role” in the violent Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol by Trump supporters. Hawley and Cruz have faced criticism for leading objections in the Senate that day to certifying Biden’s Electoral College victory that gave Trump supporters false hope he would see another term. … George Jepsen, a former Connecticut attorney general who declined to seek reelection in 2018, has registered as a lobbyist for health insurance giant Anthem. The move, first reported by Courant columnist Kevin Rennie, comes as lawmakers plan to reintroduce legislation to create a so-called public health care option that was defeated in 2019 amid fierce opposition from the state’s insurers.

Russell Blair can be reached at rblair@courant.com.

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