Monday March 24, 2008
Today was the “JF” day for the powerful Judiciary Committee.
Their 5 p.m. deadline for action meant death by legislative neglect for a bunch of things, including the resolution that would have exonerated the dozen or so people who were executed for witchcraft in Connecticut in the 1600s.
Time management on the committee, a two-and-a-half-hour caucus, plus a little slowdown from pouty Republicans – still bitter over the trumping of their so-called three-strikes legislation last week – worked against the witches.
By the time the clock pushed to 5, there are about 31 bills left on the agenda and about 54 acted upon, according to Blog-o-rama’s little agenda/scorecard.
Among those that were approved was the legislation that would encourage bars and restaurants to offer Breathalyzer tests to tipsy patrons.
On every Judich JF day, I think about the late Chief State’s Attorney Jack Bailey, who always sat in Room 2-C of the Legislative Office Building and watched the annual death by neglect of An Act Concerning Investigatory Grand Juries. It died at 5 p.m., again, a couple hours ago.
Another bill would allow the Judicial Review Commission to offer judges ethics rulings before possibly embarrassing action on the part of the jurists.
Rep. Mike Lawlor, co-chairman of the committee, said after the meeting that the witches resolution had bipartisan support, but, like the Yankees, will have to wait until next year.