Judiciary Committee Hearing Felt 'Like A Busy Doctor's Office'

People who attended a public hearing in Hartford on Monday about the site-selection process sex-offender treatment center the state wants to put in Montville came away from the meeting overwhelmed and, in some cases, a little awed.

The Judiciary Committee was holding a variety of public hearings Monday, on a slew of topics. They ranged from a question about exempting family members of murder and manslaughter victims from jury summonses in criminal actions; to a question of limiting the time to bring a civil action for damages caused by sexual abuse, exploitation or assault suffered by a person below the age of majority; to an act concerning traffic stop information, and much, much more.

Tony Bacewicz, who covered the event for the Montville Patch, said that there were several sigh-up sheets. State legislators are allowed to testify first. A municipality’s highest elected official goes next.

Bacewicz said it felt a little like a busy doctor’s office.

The reasoning for these priorities, said Mayor Joe Jaskiewicz, is to allow the legislators and mayors or selectmen to return to work quickly.

Then, other people sign up to give their testimony.

The sign-ups are not by topic. They are first come, first heard.

So Donna Jacobson, Chairman of the Montville Town Council, never was heard by the Judiciary Committee; she was No. 165 on the list.

“I never gave my testimony,” she said.

Gary Pike also traveled to Hartford, hoping to speak to the Judiciary Committee. He never got the chance.

Still, Pike said, he was fascinated. The number of bills that the committee considered was just overwhelming, he said.

“One thing that’s striking is that so many of them are geared toward the offenders,” he added.

Pike said he really wanted to thank the members of the committee for revising the original bill, and bringing it up for hearing.

Jaskiewicz said the members of the committee asked no questions of anyone testifying. They just listened, as one person after another gave his or her opinion on whatever piece of legislation concerned them.

The members of the committee “were respectful,” Jaskiewicz said. “They listened.”

To read a story on the testimony of the people who spoke and those who entered written testimony on the site-selection process, and to see video of the testimony of Jaskiewicz and Rep. Kevin Ryan, click .