Ah, nothing saying ethics reform quite like the majority hashing out the details behind closed doors and away from any members of the minority.  Good place to start the reform process.  The Advocate:

Lawmakers yesterday met briefly to try to bridge the divide over ethics reforms.

State Sen. Gayle Slossberg, D-Milford, and state Rep. Christopher Caruso, D-Bridgeport, met for about half an hour in the conference room of the Government Administration and Elections Committee, of which they are co-chairmen.

“We had a very productive meeting,” Slossberg said. “We’re making positive movement, and I’m hopeful we’ll be able to come to a resolution.”

Caruso agreed, but neither divulged details of their discussion.

“It’s a very delicate matter,” Slossberg said. “Presumably at some point there will be an agreement, which will become public very quickly.”

Slossberg and Caruso have been on opposite sides of the debate over how far lawmakers should go in penalizing corrupt state and municipal workers.

Senate Democrats, Republicans and Gov. M. Jodi Rell want to pass a bill that would allow judges to reduce or revoke the pensions of corrupt elected officials and public employees.

But last month, House Democrats amended the Senate bill, limiting the amount a worker’s pension could be revoked to the total cost of fines, restitution and incarceration.

Caruso and state Rep. Diana Urban, D-Stonington, vice chairwoman of the committee who sat in on the meeting, said the Senate bill is illegal because it would interfere with union agreements.

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