Posted on April 16, 2019 by Greg MacKinnon
Photo: Rep. Buckbee presents a legislative citation to Essay Contest Winner, Aiden Rustigan.
New Milford – State Rep. Bill Buckbee (R-New Milford) sponsored an essay contest asking students at Schaghticoke Middle School to write on Founding Father and local hero, Roger Sherman. Rep. Buckbee recently visited the school and presented the contest’s first place prize to Aiden Rustigan, with Shayne Kayfus taking the second place prize.
“Roger Sherman’s 298th Birthday is this year. The pieces Aiden and…
Posted on April 10, 2019 by Greg MacKinnon
HARTFORD – State Representatives Bill Buckbee (R-New Milford) and Christie Carpino (R-Cromwell), along with several other House Republican members, have submitted a proposal that would cut pay to legislators, if the state budget is not passed by the statutory deadline. According to current state law, the budget must be passed by the final day of the legislative session.
“Our first priority should be to pass a state budget. It is unfair to state residents and local communities to have to live in fear…
Posted on April 9, 2019 by Greg MacKinnon
NEW MILFORD – During a special assembly on Friday morning, the third grade class at Sarah Noble Intermediate School learned the process of how a bill becomes a state law when State Representative Billy Buckbee (R-New Milford) met with them. He was invited to the school to speak with the students and presented a slideshow about the legislative process before opening up the floor for questions.
“This is what being a representative is about! It’s critical that people get engaged with politics at an…
Posted on March 21, 2019 by Greg MacKinnon
HARTFORD – The Environment Committee recently took favorable action on legislation that will provide greater protection to farmers and property owners regarding the state’s overpopulation of American black bears. According to Rep. Buckbee, the new bill clarifies the situations in which lethal force can be used to remove an eminent threat from one’s property, but does not establish a full hunting system or mechanism.
“This is a good compromise in lieu of fully implementing a hunting season or program.…
Posted on March 19, 2019 by Greg MacKinnon
Tomorrow, the legislature’s Transportation Committee will likely decide whether to advance a bill to implement tolls in Connecticut. The meeting begins at 10:30 a.m., and it will likely be shown on CT-N.
I want you to know that I remain opposed to the installation of tolls in Connecticut. Residents and employers simply can’t afford it—especially when combined with the numerous tax hikes being proposed by Governor Lamont and the legislature’s Democrat majority. Yes, they’re considering taxing everything…
Posted on March 4, 2019 by Greg MacKinnon
HARTFORD – State Rep. Bill Buckbee (R-New Milford) put forth a legislative proposal that would expand jobs and help increase the membership of the state’s workforce by incentivizing businesses to hire full-time employees. In the event that a business does employ a full-time, new hire, that business will be eligible for a tax credit.
“I believe the creation of a job expansion tax credit and program to be necessary to help our state’s employers by offering incentives for the hiring and retention of new employees. Providing Connecticut’s workforce with more full-time job opportunities would better assist our citizens, their families and the economy within Connecticut. This tax credit would afford businesses the opportunity to take on more employees than they would have considered previous to the creation of this tax credit,” explained Rep. Buckbee.
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Posted on February 19, 2019 by Greg MacKinnon
Hartford – State Representative Bill Buckbee (R-New Milford) spoke in favor of a new law proposal that would allow veterans or active military to use their military identification cards to enter public buildings that require one to present a form of personal identification. Currently, a driver’s license is the standard form of proving one’s identification, but not all veterans have a driver’s license.
Rep. Buckbee said, “Without question, one’s military identification should be sufficient to enter state buildings and other public buildings that require any individual to show some form of identification. A friend of mine, one of our veterans, was denied access to a building when he produced his military identification to prove who he was. To deny any member of the active military or veteran access to a building after they have shown who they are is just wrong!”
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Posted on February 15, 2019 by Greg MacKinnon
Photo: Sergio Liguori – Northville Volunteer Fire Department, State Rep. Bill Buckbee, Rachel Holmes – Connecticut Interstate Fire Crew, Michael Kronick – West Port, CT Fire Deputy Chief
HARTFORD – State Representative Bill Buckbee (R-New Milford) testified before the Public Safety Committee regarding a bill adding a layer of greater public safety and preserving our environment. Ultimately, the new law will allow the mobilization of qualified forest firefighters within Connecticut to fight forest fires in the most effective way possible. Prior to speaking in favor of the bill, Rep. Buckbee assembled wildfire experts from across the state to show the committee that the intent of the bill is about getting all of the trained firefighters in the state working together.
“Currently, in the event of a forest fire within our state, some firefighters may not legally be allowed to help fight the flames. The Department of Energy and Environmental Protection administers training for forest firefighters and state statute requires that those fighting forest fires be employed by DEEP. If this law were to pass, then qualified forest firefighters, regardless of employer, would be able to help fight in the event of an emergency,” explained Rep. Buckbee.
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Posted on February 14, 2019 by Greg MacKinnon
HARTFORD – State Representative Bill Buckbee (R-New Milford) testified today before the Transportation Committee on two initiatives that will make a positive impact on the local community. One proposal focused on bringing commuter rail back to New Milford and the other was concerning the registration of all motorized vehicles that operate on roadways.
“1971 was the last year that we had commuter rail in New Milford. Over the last decade, the state has invested over $4.6 billion to rail infrastructure. It’s unfortunate that none of those dollars found their way to New Milford,” stated Rep. Buckbee.
According to Buckbee, there would an influx of roughly 100 to 150 additional riders daily on the Greater Danbury Line if an extension was made to connect New Milford. Riding the train would alleviate the congested I-84 corridor and lessen traffic flows on even smaller throughways, like Route 7. Additionally, studies have shown that younger generations prefer to utilize light rail in areas that it is available to them. State policy should mirror this social trend.
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Posted on February 8, 2019 by Greg MacKinnon
To the Editor,
I do not put party first and never will. It’s not what you’ve put me there to do, and I take this job seriously. I take pride in being bipartisan. I consider every single vote and say:
- Is it the right thing to do?
- Is it best for the people of New Milford?
- Is it best for the State?
I ensure that I have answered these questions before I put forth a legislative proposal. I took an optimistic approach to this session. We were promised a fresh outlook, a new approach on doing business at the Capitol. So far, that hasn’t happened. It’s déjà vu, all over again.
The top proposals coming from the governor and some legislators across the aisle are focused on new taxes and tax increases.
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