Hartford Business Journal

20 Hartford Business Journal • May 1, 2017 www.HartfordBusiness.com OPINION & COMMENTARY EDITORIAL Hartford dysfunction underscores need for full-time legislature F urther evidence that our state legislature is ill-equipped to handle their govern- ing responsibilities was on stark display in Hartford last week, reinforcing the notion that part-time lawmakers are unable to effectively govern Connecticut through its fiscal crisis. In two separate public hearings on April 25, lawmakers on both sides of the aisle demonstrated incompetence when it came to tackling the state's ever-increasing $3.6 billion deficit projected for the next two fiscal years. First, the budget-writing Appropriations Committee dissolved a key meeting with- out a planned vote for a Democratic-led, two-year $41 billion budget that would have restored some of the municipal aid cuts proposed by Gov. Dannel P. Malloy — and added $403 million to the budget without any likely way to pay for it except tax increases. Democrats, who have a slight majority in the House and equal representation in the Senate, blamed Republicans for not taking any ownership of the budget or providing their own remedies to tackle the projected deficit. The GOP quipped back that Democrats simply didn't have the votes or support to pass their bill. Meantime, the out-of-touch Finance, Revenue and Bonding Committee was holding its own public hearing on new or higher taxes to help balance the budget. Proposals included increasing the top income tax rate (to 7.49 percent from 6.99 percent) and/or the sales tax, and assessing new taxes on nonprofits. By the end of the day — and after the Appropriations Committee failed to vote on a budget — Senate Democratic leaders declared they wouldn't support any broad-based tax hikes, essentially rendering their public hearing meaningless and a waste of time. Lawmakers' inability to adopt a budget out of committee more than two months after Malloy proposed his spending plan significantly increases the chances that the legislature won't complete its business by the end of the session, June 7. It also demonstrates lawmakers' inability — particularly Democrats — to come to grips with Connecticut's new economic reality in which structural deficits can no longer be dealt with through tax increases; raising the cost of living and doing business in the state has been counterproductive to economic growth. After experiencing two of the largest tax hikes in state history over the last seven years, Connecticut has experienced one of the slowest-growing economies in the nation. Meantime, we are losing population, including some of our highest earners. Just last week we got news that April income tax receipts were coming in much lower than anticipated, by 30 percent or $450 million, which will likely exacerbate the deficit. It's a positive step that Democratic leadership is moving away from broad-based tax hikes, which would only exacerbate the problem (although forcing tax-exempt nonprofits to contribute more may have some merit). Connecticut's fiscal crisis will only be solved by economic growth, not raising tax rates that will continue to drive wealth out of the state. The GOP shouldn't be heralded either. While we support their resistance to tax increases, Republicans weren't timely in pitching their own comprehensive budget, although they did propose a spending plan late last week. Of course, we aren't saying there are any easy options on the table. Many oxen will be gored when lawmakers eventually pass a budget sometime this summer, or fall, if it takes that long. But the inability of the legislature to come up with budget solutions in a timely man- ner continues to hamper the state and lead to bad decision-making. It was only a few years ago that legislators approved last-minute business tax hikes that had to be par- tially rescinded following major outcry and threats from our state's largest employers. Our part-time state legislature has proven time and time again it's unable to grapple with the complexities of state government. The need to adopt a professional, full-time legislature has never been more apparent. n OTHER VOICES Ballpark can be a magnet for Hartford By Carlos Mouta I f you build it, they will come. Dunkin' Donuts Park blew my mind. Everything about downtown Hartford's new minor-league baseball stadium was just perfect (i.e. the field, facilities, conces- sion stands, staff, big screen, etc.). Hartford will be a better city with the stadium and the Yard Goats, and soon all of the vacant land around the stadium will be developed (in three to six years). When the commer- cial spaces across the street from downtown Hartford's Connecticut Convention Center were first built, many people had doubts if anyone would occupy all of those spaces. It took some five years, but look at the Front Street Enter- tainment District today, how it transformed that part of the city. It takes vision, time and believing in the product you are selling and never giving up on your idea. We need to appreciate what Hartford has and continue to have a positive attitude that Hartford is and will become a better city. To be completely honest, when I arrived at the stadium I felt like a kid in a candy store. I could not stand still. I wanted to see in detail the whole facility and taste everything they were selling. The atmosphere was electric and I could hear the cash registers ringing. Literally, I purchased every type of memorabilia they had to offer. After this experience at the ballpark, I will no longer accept Hartford residents complaining about Hartford. We all have to be positive and patient and be part of the solu- tion for our great city to thrive. Interesting enough, most of the people I meet that come from other states find Hart- ford to be a terrific city. We are not New York or Boston and we never will be. But Hart- ford has its own jewels and its own special neighborhoods. Every city has its challenges and all it takes is one person, one idea, one corpora- tion, to begin to change the landscape and the minds of everyone. After the game, there were people every- where. While I was walking six or seven blocks to my car, all I could think about was how great this experience was and safety never entered my mind. The world evolves every day. If we don't move forward we will stay back and other cit- ies will surpass us and will hurt the future of Hartford. Everyone who is skeptical should come to this great city and see as many games as they can possibly see or afford. Come early (enjoy all the bars and restau- rants) and stay after the games, and you will see Hartford change. I am a believer and I have proof that if you build it they will come. I was so impressed with Dunkin' Donuts Park that I bought sea- son tickets. Let's make the Yard Goats have the best attendance in the league and let's all be proud of Hartford. In the end, if we all support what we have, Hartford will retain more Millennials and attract new residents, stores, shops and developers. Then, corporations will see Hart- ford as the great hidden jewel that resides between New York City and Boston and all of that translates to jobs, jobs and more jobs. n Carlos Mouta is a Hartford entrepreneur- developer who has built the city's first micro- apartments and is planning its first food hall. HARTFORDBUSINESS.COM POLL Will state lawmakers raise taxes to balance the budget? ● Yes ● No To vote, go online to HartfordBusiness.com. Last week's poll results: Has Gov. Dannel P. Malloy been an effective chief executive of Connecticut? 13.2% Yes 86.8% No Carlos Mouta LETTER TO THE EDITOR Online eye exams not a form of telemedicine In your April 10th article, "Telemedicine eye-test businesses face CT opposition," you characterize online eye exam vendors as tested and proven practitioners of telemedicine. That could not be further from the truth. I strongly support Connecticut's current telemedi- cine statutes that mandate care rendered remotely must meet the same standard of care delivered per- sonally. The online application for eye exams do not meet our standards. That's why it is so important to pass House Bill 6012, "An Act Concerning Eye Care," to protect con- sumers who wear contact lenses. This bipartisan leg- islation requires patients to get an annual, in-person eye exam in order to receive a prescription for contact lenses. According to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), complications associated with contact lens wearers is a major health risk. Approximately 980,000 cases of corneal complications associated with contact lens wearers were reported in 2010. Currently, the only way to assess the fit of a con- tact and the health of a contact lens wearers' cornea is through an in-person evaluation. Furthermore, the CDC recommends annual evaluations by your eye doctor to reduce the risk of these complications. For many contact lens wearers, a visit to an optometrist is their only interaction with a licensed physician. We can find illnesses and com- plications that could go undetected if those patients were not required to have an in-person visit. As an optometrist, my primary concern is my pa- tients' eye health. These online eye exam vendors are out-of-state corporations whose primary concern is their profit margins, not how healthy their patients are. These out-of-state corporations are misrepresenting their capabilities and hurting Connecticut's consumers. These concerns were shared by the Public Health Committee who voted favorably on this legislation by a bipartisan vote of 23-3. Who knows what the future will bring. Possibly the technology to examine patients online will be- come a reality. Then we could all examine our pa- tients remotely. House Bill 6012 is an attempt to clarify our cur- rent telemedicine statutes as they apply to contact lens care. Connecticut eye doctors support it because it is good healthcare policy and will protect patients. Dr. Brian Lynch Optometrist Branford Optometric Associates

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