Aman Previews Upcoming Legislative Session for South Windsor Council

The new state legislative session will bring serious discussions on, among other things, the budget, gun control, school safety, genetically modified foods and alcohol pricing, according to state Rep. Bill Aman.

Aman, a Republican who represents South Windsor at the state capitol, said at the Town Council meeting Monday that this year’s focus will primarily be on the state’s budget deficit, which figures to be around $600 million to $1.2 billion.

Aman said that the “fiscal cliffs” at the state level are the same as at the federal level.

“Expenditures exceed revenues,” he said.

What that means for South Windsor is that the town can, at best, expect nothing more than what it received in state aid last year. But Aman also left open the possibility that the state could come in with even less than what the town received.

“Hopefully, the town will stay whole,” he said. “We’ll be lucky to get the same amount of money.”

Residents could also expect something to come out of the General Assembly concerning gun control, Aman said.

When it comes to that issue, Aman said that he considers three things: what South Windsor Chief of Police Matthew Reed has to say; what rank-and-file police officers have to say; and what urban legislators have to say.

Aman said that the attitudes from all three sources may be different. For example, if South Windsor police officers were to say that a measure that is being considered by the legislature won’t make the town any safer, but urban legislators say that specific proposal will make their communities more secure, “I may take a different attitude.”

On the issue of school safety, particularly in the wake of the Newtown tragedy, Aman said that he would prefer to leave the discussions to localities, as what measures need to be taken at South Windsor High School may be different than that of those in Darien or Weaver High in Hartford.

“I’d rather those decisions be made by you than up at the state capitol,” Aman said.

Aman said that the state will also examine how genetically modified food labeled on its packaging, though he said that he would prefer the federal government to take the lead on this issue, as there is a possibility for 50 different regulations - one for each state.

Alcohol pricing is also on the state legislature’s radar, Aman said. More specifically, Aman said that Connecticut towns - particularly ones on the border - were losing sales to stores in Massachusetts, which tend to have more competitive pricing.

Aman also cautioned town officials not to be “overly optimistic” with regard to either property tax reform or the creation of new revenue sources, such as a local sales tax, for municipalities.

“If anything, the state is going to take [any new tax] off the top,” Aman said.

One interesting measure that could be considered now that Brendan Sharkey is the House speaker is the setting of a statewide, uniform mill rate for automobiles.

“The mill rate [for cars] would be the same for all communities,” Aman said. “There will be some winners and some losers. I’ll monitor that very carefully.”

Finally, the issue of tolls may also be addressed by the General Assembly. The problem is, while legislators may want them in theory, they don’t want them on their nearby roads.

Aman said that, in his opinion, tolls are “a very inefficient way of raising money.”