Last week I wrote about a bill, proposed by Senate Majority Leader Martin Looney, D-New Haven, that would essentially provide the Democratic-majority General Assembly a greater say in how the state distributes federal stimulus money.
Currently that power, as outlined in the federal stimulus regulations, lies with Republican Gov. M. Jodi Rell.
She in turn organized a working group to help prioritize which proposals get the cash.
Democrats have complained the working group is top heavy with staff from the Governor’s office and the legislature’s four appointees (one for each caucus) have little to no authority.
Perhaps the Democrats are also envious of the automatic PR boost Rell gets from holding the stimulus purse strings. Practically ever day now her office sends out e-mails (both general and those tailored to a specific city/town) announcing the release of stimulus grants for local and state-wide projects.
[...] The legislature’s Appropriations Committee today passed Sen. Majority Leader Martin Looney’s, D-New Haven, bill setting up a legislative committee to recommend to the Governor how she should spend the state&… [...]