State Senator Donald DeFronzo (D-New Britain), chair of the General Assembly’s Transportation Committee, today led the Senate in overriding Governor M. Jodi Rell’s veto of legislation concerning the state Department of Transportation (DOT).
The Senate’s vote represented final action on the veto override; the governor’s veto was overridden by the state House of Representatives earlier this afternoon in a bipartisan 136-to-5 vote. The Senate voted to override in a 28-to-8 bipartisan vote.
“I’m disappointed by the governor’s veto of this bill,” Senator DeFronzo said. “Neither the governor nor a member of her staff nor the commissioner of the Department of Transportation ever indicated any objection to warrant a veto of this legislation. In fact, the Transportation Committee worked in a highly bipartisan manner, consulting with the Executive Branch, to work out each section of this bill. This override is warranted to uphold the bipartisan manner in which the bill was originally crafted and overwhelmingly approved.”
The omnibus bill covered several legislative initiatives. Specifically, it:
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Authorizes the State Traffic Commission director to certify documents and records;
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Modifies the methods DOT must use to advertise for consultant services;
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Permits DOT to sell property for potential use as the Route 7 Expressway from Danbury to Norwalk;
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Prohibits DOT from starting any phase of the Stamford Transportation Center parking garage demolition project unless it makes alternative parking spaces available nearby;
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Prohibits a town from terminating, reorganizing or modifying a port authority without the DOT commissioner’s written consent;
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Requires DOT to develop a plan to implement zero-emission buses throughout the state and identify locations for hydrogen refueling stations;
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Requires DOT to analyze the potential impact of establishing tolls in Connecticut;
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Exempts certain types of wheelchair-accessible taxis from certain DOT regulations;
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Authorizes an East Lyme boy scout troop to conduct an annual Labor Day weekend coffee stop at the Waterford weigh station;
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Designates 17 road segments and 11 bridges for commemorative or memorial names;
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Establishes a process for mediation for certain types of property sold by DOT because it is no longer necessary for highway purposes;
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Requires DOT to study the feasibility of providing commuter bus service to the Bridgeport train station; and
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Requires DOT to provide copies of any reports required under the federal American Recovery and Reinvestment Act to the General Assembly’s Transportation Committee.
