Agenda: For The Legislature

1-2-2011 Connecticut:

Job No. 1 for the Connecticut General Assembly this year is balancing the budget — a herculean task that The Courant addressed in last Sunday's editorial. But many non-budget tasks demand attention as well. Here is our list for the legislature for 2011.

Some of the items on this to-do list are leftovers from years past. Some needed fixes became obvious during the 2010 elections, such as this first:

...Skipping forward we find:

Open the courts even more. There have been both progress and setbacks over the past year in opening up the state courts to public scrutiny. The Judicial Branch's pilot program allowing cameras in Hartford Superior Court — for former Hartford Mayor Eddie Perez's corruption trial, among others — has been a success. A recommendation that it be expanded statewide is being considered by the courts' Rules Committee. It should be approved.

However, the state Supreme Court recently barred release of the names of any judges, court clerks or attorneys involved in keeping secret the identity of sex offenders, reversing a Freedom of Information Commission decision. The court should rethink this ruling, which is against the public interest. The names of judges who rule in favor of secrecy will themselves be secret.

The legislature should repeal the law that keeps confidential the names and addresses of people who have gun permits. Such information was once part of the public record and should be again.

..Source.. by Courant.com