Carpino Op-Ed: Working to Protect Our Community

Each session multiple bills come before me with the laudable goals of making Connecticut residents safer and punishing those who break the law. Here are just a few that are making their way through the legislative process.

I voted in favor of SB-465, An Act Concerning Ignition Interlock Devices, an attempt to get tough on drunk drivers in Connecticut. The bill prohibits people arrested for driving under the influence from operating a vehicle unless it is equipped with an Ignition Interlock Device (IID).
This bill is of particular importance to Portland in light the recent fatalities on our roads. I’ve worked in concert with law enforcement and DOT to improve the safety of Route 66 and a crackdown on drunk driving will reinforce those efforts. MADD supports this bill.

I also voted to support HB 5525, An Act Concerning Child Pornography, which will update Connecticut’s law regarding the possession of child pornography. If it passes, this bill will go a long way to make sure that criminal penalties match the harm done to the victim.

HB 5029, An Act Concerning Sexual Assault and Intimate Partner Violence on Campus, which I cosponsored, will require all private and public colleges in Connecticut to provide formal documentation to all victims of sexual assault that their complaint has been reported and explains their rights to get help. Colleges would also be required to establish a sexual assault response team to better coordinate the work of campus counselors, health service providers and others.
It is unacceptable for any sexual or domestic violence victim, male or female, to have their victim crime report ignored or dismissed without investigation. I’m proud to say the bill has bipartisan support.

Finally, I continue the fight against shrinking “drug free zone” areas from within 1,500 feet of a school, day care, or public housing complex, to within 200 feet. We should be making it more difficult for drug dealers to obtain access to our children, not easier.