Hartford (AP) — The public will have a chance to offer opinions on how Connecticut's environmental laws can be improved.

The Council on Environmental Quality has scheduled a public forum on Dec. 5 at the Legislative Office Building, beginning at 9:30 a.m.

Besides offering their own ideas, members of the public can comment on the council's draft recommendations to the General Assembly, which convenes in February. They include maintaining the current capital budget for the Clean Water Fund to prevent raw sewage discharges, as well as maintaining the current capital budget for farmland preservation efforts, protecting about 2,000 acres annually.

The Council also is calling for sufficient funding to allow all state parks to open in 2014 with staff, as well as enough money to mount an effective defense against invasive species.