School Superintendent Retiring, Trail Grant Awarded, District Memorial Day Commemorations, Session Coming to a Close

This is an update from the Capitol and the 62^nd Legislative District: bidding farewell to a retiring superintendent of schools, celebrating a trail grant, commemorating Memorial Day, and closing out the legislative session.

Memorial Day

Memorial Day weekend is the unofficial kick off to summer. More importantly, on Monday we honor the men and women who died while serving in the U.S. military. Here are commemorations taking place in the 62^nd District:

Granby

The parade starts at the Bank Street Parking Lot at 10:00 a.m. and continues to the Granby Center Cemetery for a ceremony. Following the ceremony, the parade proceeds to the Granby Green where there will be a band concert with hot dogs and hamburgers provided by American Legion Post 182.   

Hartland 

The parade starts at the Elementary School at 10:00 a.m. and proceeds to the Center Cemetery for a ceremony. After the ceremony, the parade departs before the crowd. Immediately following, there will be a small ceremony at the West Hartland Cemetery on West Street, West Hartland.

New Hartford 

Ceremonies will take place at 10 a.m. at Chapin Park in Pine Meadow, followed by a second ceremony at 11:00 at Memorial Park (Town Hill and Hoppen Roads).

 I hope that you have a great and safe weekend with your friends and family.

New Hartford Trail Grant

The governor’s office recently announced release of about $9 million in grants to plan, design and build 50 recreational trails throughout the state. The Town of New Hartford will receive an allocation of $616,000 for the first phase of a multi-use trail project.

I strongly supported the grant application when it was submitted. I am pleased when we can bring funds back to the district for projects that enhance residents’ and visitors’ enjoyment of our beautiful outdoor spaces. I look forward to the ultimate completion of this project and its future positive impact on our community.

Superintendent Dr. Judith Palmer Recognition

Earlier in the week, I was proud to join my colleagues of the Northwest Corner in recognizing Superintendent Dr. Judith Palmer. Having served the Northwest Regional School District No, 7 as the Superintendent for the last 13 years, Dr. Palmer has aggregated 38 years of education service. We are grateful for her service!

Upcoming Session Topics

With 12 days until the session ends at midnight on Wednesday, June 7^th, 332 bills and resolutions remain on the House Calendar with another 193 Senate bills and resolutions that have yet to make it to the House. These bills and resolutions deal with such trivial matters such as designating a state food, pet, and candy, to how to spend $50 Billion of your hard-earned money over the next two years.

We have eight scheduled session days left so as you can imagine there is a lot left to do and not much time. Many bills will be combined for expediency, resulting in what we sometimes refer to as “aircraft carrier bills.” The problem with large bills is that these are often published minutes before debate begins, and combine dozens of sections, with a mixture of good and bad legislation. As you can imagine, the challenge is determining if the good outweighs the bad in each bill. Some bills, although voted out of committee, will not make the final cut.

To review the House and Senate Calendars, click the buttons below.

We are expected to be in session every day from May 30th – June 7th, except for Sunday, June 4^th. You can watch on your local cable provider or online by clicking here.