Hartford Business Journal

16 Hartford Business Journal • January 14, 2019 • www.HartfordBusiness.com By Matt Pilon mpilon@hartfordbusiness.com W ith what's been deemed a regres- sive tax system, wide income disparities and an eroding middle class, Connecticut is an increasingly tough place for a com- mon person to build wealth and climb society's slippery mobility ladder, ac- cording to state Rep. Joshua Elliott. Those challenges, which aren't unique to Connecticut, are part of what drives the Hamden Democrat, who hopes to chip away at them this legisla- tive session by pushing his party as far to the political left as possible. "We've come into this paradigm where people confuse how the stock market does and how good our GDP is with how well the economy is doing," Elliott, 34, said in a recent interview at Season & Thyme, a Hamden health and food market he manages. "We hear news about how good things are, but in our pocketbook, we still feel it's tighter than it's ever been." The law school graduate and co-owner of a second, similar market in Shelton was reelected to a second term in No- vember. He drew his fair share of head- lines for a freshman legislator, openly discussing his own after-hours mari- juana use, and jousting with business interests, Republicans, and even fellow Democrats he deemed not sufficiently on board with what he views as non- negotiable pieces of the party platform. That includes support for a $15 minimum wage (or higher, if possible) and creating a paid family medical leave program for private employees, actions that could impact the bottom line of his and other businesses, which is why employer lobbying groups have fought both policies in recent years. Companies with a stake in the horse trading at the state Capitol may not be all that familiar with Elliott, but as the 2019 legislative session kicks into gear, his name will likely become more prevalent. He could be one of the main foils for the Connecti- cut Business & Industry Asso- ciation and other groups that rep- resent employers. His work over the past two years helping organize a coalition of progres- sive Democrats has proven fortuitous following November's election, which saw the party widen its lead in the House, retake a healthy margin in the formerly split Senate and send another one of its own, Ned Lamont, to the governor's office. Claiming ap- proximately 45 members and an- other dozen or so that might soon join, the House's Progressive Caucus, which was officially revived last spring, is ready to test out its newfound clout. "Because we have such large num- bers within the Democratic caucus, we can have more strength," Elliott said. "I'm definitely excited." Several key Democratic and pro- gressive policy initiatives defeated by Republican and employer opposition in 2018 and 2017 now appear poised to pass this year. That includes increasing the state's $10.10 hourly minimum wage and cre- ating an insurance program, funded by a surcharge on worker pay, to ensure employees are paid some or all of their salary if they need time off to have a child, recover from an illness or help care for an ailing loved one. Polls have shown that both policies are popular with Connecticut voters by fairly wide margins. "Minimum wage and paid family medical leave will in some form pass [this session]," Elliott predicted. "It just so happens that we have a Democratic Progressive Influence Major policies opposed by businesses loom in Democrat-controlled legislature Themis Klarides, GOP House Minority Leader Andrew Markowski, State Director, National Federation of Independent Business (NFIB) Rep. Josh Elliott (D-Hamden), pictured here in one of two markets he runs, has been a key organizer of the Progressive Caucus in the state House of Representatives. In the 2019 legislative session, the Hamden Democrat thinks that work is going to bear fruit. HBJ PHOTO | STEVE LASCHEVER

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