Posted on April 27, 2021
Hartford – On Monday afternoon the House of Representatives convened to act on several pieces of legislation. Notably, State Rep. Billy Buckbee (R-New Milford) spoke in favor and supported a bill establishing a commission to study the various impacts of the pandemic. The commission has been specifically charged with determining how COVID-19 affected different racial, ethnic and socioeconomic groups.
“Creating the Commission on the Disparate Impact of COVID-19 is an important start to get an understanding…
Posted on April 15, 2021
We are roughly half way through the current legislative session. This session has been atypical, with very little in-person business being conducted. This has meant a quick adaptation by both the public and legislators to stay involved with the legislative process. At the beginning of session, I had proposed several bill topics that will help improve life here in New Milford and across our state. Now that we are through the public hearing and committee processes, we have a little bit better of an…
Posted on March 11, 2021
To the Editor,
The first responsibility of any elected person acting in the best interests of our community. The legislature is considering many ideas this session, many more in fact than I had originally thought we would be able to consider based on the constraints of the COVID-19 pandemic.
To me, and in the perspective of my fellow residents, our state government should be focused on legislative initiatives that create a clear pathway to recovery. Recovery has different meanings for everyone. An…
Posted on March 4, 2021
HARTFORD – State Rep. Billy Buckbee, who represents the community of New Milford, participated in several public hearings this week at the State Capitol. Buckbee supported a range of initiatives, which spanned from providing greater recovery resources to overdose victims to re-introducing commuter rail service to New Milford. Additionally, Buckbee advocated for a new class of energy resource alongside State Sen. Craig Miner (R-Litchfield).
Addressing Instances of Expected Overdose
Buckbee testified…
Posted on February 26, 2021
Hartford – The House of Representatives met on Wednesday to discuss far-reaching legislation that removes already promised municipal funding from the Town of New Milford. State Rep. Bill Buckbee (R-New Milford) voted against the proposal, which changes the state’s Payment in Lieu of Taxes (PILOT) formula.
“I’m all for helping out those in need but taking money from one pocket to put in another is not equitable,” explained Buckbee. “The reality is, our community is going to have to come up with a…
Posted on February 12, 2021
HARTFORD – The legislature’s Public Safety and Security Committee held a Public Hearing on Thursday, February 11, on several pieces of legislation. State Rep. Bill Buckbee (R-New Milford) testified on five separate pieces of legislation. Three are aimed at curbing the opioid crisis, one is intended to provide firefighters an exemption on personal income, and one to update the state’s regulations on video visual effects.
The committee heard 27 bill proposals during today’s hearing. “This is perhaps…
Posted on February 10, 2021
I have been getting some excellent questions about the virtual public hearing process. All committees have their own rules on how each hearing is conducted. However, there are a few basics you should know about testifying virtually:
Posted on February 9, 2021
Residents over the age of 65 can now begin to sign up for vaccination appointments. The following data represents the total number of COVID-19 vaccinations administered in Connecticut, as reported to the state as of Monday, Feb. 8:
So far, the state has vaccinated 56 percent of its population over the age of 75. Connecticut remains in the top four states in the nation for vaccine distribution.…
Posted on February 8, 2021
The Public Safety and Security Committee will hold a public hearing on Thursday, February 11, 2021 at 1:00 P.M. via Zoom.
The public hearing can be viewed via YouTube Live. In addition, the public hearing may be recorded and broadcast live on CT-N.com. Individuals who wish to testify via Zoom must register using the On-line Testimony Registration Form. Registration will close on February 10, 2021 at 3:00P.M.
Speaker order of approved registrants will be listed in a randomized order and posted…
Posted on January 28, 2021
HARTFORD – It is the early stages of the 2021 legislative session. Rep. Buckbee has put forth a package of proposals that seek to eliminate the abuse of opioids and provide resources for those seeking recovery from addiction. Buckbee has introduced over 10 individual proposals to date, many already gaining traction in this year’s legislative process, that are intended to curb the opioid pandemic.
“We are looking, at the state level, to expand Brian Cody’s Law, which is a package of bills that will…