Latest News - June 2011

June 3, 2011
'Captive audience' bill dies in Senate after lawyers advise against it
Source: Republican American
By: MARK PAZNIOKAS CT MIRROR

Legislators say that Attorney General George Jepsen, a staunch ally of labor, effectively has killed a legislative priority of the Connecticut AFL-CIO by advising them that federal labor law appears to pre-empt the state from passing a "captive audience" bill.

The House of Representatives passed the controversial bill two weeks ago, 78 to 65, after an 11-hour debate in which the key sponsor, Rep. Zeke Zalaski, D-Southington, relied on a letter from Jepsen assuring him that the bill was legally sound.

An unhappy Zalaski said that Jepsen visited him earlier this week to inform him that additional legal research by his staff concluded that the state cannot bar employers from requiring employees to attend a meeting called to discuss religious or political matters.

"I just said, 'You couldn't tell me that before I did the bill?' " Zalaski said. "Come on, I gave it 11 hours."