HARTFORD — Gov. Dannel P. Malloy vetoed his first two bills of the legislative session on Friday, compared to 77 that he has signed into law. One of the vetoes was the center of political horse trading on the last night of the recent session, when opposition to a bill that would have allowed the harvest of immature eels evaporated in exchange for a favorable vote on a moratorium against fracking waste coming into the state.
The young eels, called glass eels, fetch $2,000 a pound for the sushi market, but Malloy, citing an active U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service study of the eel fishery, said it’s too early to approve harvesting of the seafood, so he vetoed it. “I believe we must be good stewards of the environment,” Malloy said. “While I realize this passed both chambers, I have heard from a number of legislators and other activists including environmentalists who have serious concerns about the bill. Any bill which takes a step toward allowing these creatures to be taken from the waters of our state would be premature and would send mixed messages.”
Malloy has also vetoed a managed care bill, which, like the glass eel bill wouldn’t have takes effect until 2016. The point of the healthcare bill, recommended by the legislative Program Review and Investigations Committee, was to provide additional transparency for substance-abuse programs. “I think this bill could lead to inaccuracies in the information that is in fact gathered,” he told reporters this morning. “I believe that there are a significant number people who seek substance abuse treatment, but are reported to (insurance) carriers as being treated for other issues, such as depression, anxiety and other mental health issues. Inaccuracies in data reporting could lead to policy decisions or consumer decisions that will not help reduce the ultimate goal of reducing the number of people who fall victim to substance abuse.” Malloy said he would be happy to work with lawmakers next year to create more-acceptable legislation.
Malloy also signed the $19-billion budget that will take effect July 1.