Special Session: What Should We Expect?

Legislative Overtime Hopefully Begins Today

The special legislative session, which was supposed to have begun yesterday, will instead, with any luck, convene today. Here's what we can expect:

1. Slow but deliberate movement on campaign finance reform. I don't know how likely it is that something will be passed, but we can always hope. The House and Senate versions of the bill can be reconciled, if lawmakers are willing to compromise a bit more.

2. A transportation bill. Some kind of legislation is going to pass and be signed. Whether it's anything like the one the governor proposed back at the beginning of the session is up in the air.

3. The beginnings of a change on eminent domain. Legislators have everything to gain from acting to block cities and towns from taking land for private development in the wake of the unpopular Kelo v. New London decision. A passed bill may be a bit farfetched, though. Next year?

4. Grandstanding and posturing. Gov. Rell, fresh off a couple of vetoes of bills aimed at limiting the power of her office, is probably going to resort to more strongarm tactics to get campaign finance reform and transportation passed. Also, we should expect to see Blumenthal desperately trying to convince a reluctant legislature to endorse his No Child Left Behind lawsuit against the federal government. And what's a legislative session without Jim Amann saying something stupid? I can't wait.

The session probably won't last more than a week or so. After it's done, we have a long summer of waiting for Rell and Blumenthal to make up their minds ahead of us.