Posted on January 30, 2019 by jpheasant
HARTFORD – State Representatives Anne Dauphinias (R-44), Doug Dubitsky (R-47), and Rick Hayes (R-51) are a part of a Republican drafted bill that would seek to prohibit the merger or closure of an institution within the Connecticut State Colleges and Universities without the review and approval of the General Assembly.
HB6474, AN ACT CONCERNING THE MERGER OR CLOSURE OF INSTITUTIONS WITHIN THE CONNECTICUT STATE COLLEGES AND UNIVERSITIES, seeks to remove the power for school consolidation and closing across the Connecticut State Colleges and Universities from the CT Board of Regents for Higher Education without legislative review and input.
State Rep. Dauphinais said that she has heard from several people affiliated with QVCC who have expressed serious concern over the future of the school.
“We wanted to be a part of this bill to allow our voices and those of the communities we serve to be heard and to protect the great work QVCC has done in educating people in northeast Connecticut,” Rep. Dauphinais said.
QVCC has one of the largest endowments in the community college system. These endowments help fund scholarships and programs for the school. The future of these endowments should the Board of Regents seek to consolidate schools would be in doubt
State Representatives will be able to track and offer input during the legislative process. They will also be able to alert the public of the progress and opportunities for the public to offer comment on this legislation.
“It’s only appropriate for a decision as far reaching as closing state colleges and universities to allow the legislature to be involved in the decision. We wouldn’t want unelected bureaucrats to make these decisions. The General Assembly is accountable to the people we represent,” said Rep. Dubitsky.
“I couldn’t be more committed to protecting QVCC and I will continue to monitor bills that affect our communities and will work hard for the people of Putnam, Thompson, and Killingly,” said Rep. Hayes.
The bill currently sits in the Higher Education & Employment Advancement Committee awaiting review and debate.
Posted on January 10, 2019 by jpheasant
HARTFORD – State Representative Anne Dauphinais (R-44) has been selected to serve as the Ranking Member of the General Assembly’s Housing Committee by House Republican Leader Themis Klarides.
In her role as Ranking Member, Rep. Dauphinais will work alongside fellow committee leadership on legislation relating to housing. During last session, the joint standing committee addressed issues related to funding for rehabilitation of unsafe homes, group homes and supportive housing, mortgages and foreclosures, and rental housing assistance.
“I am honored to have been selected as the Ranking Member of the Housing Committee by House Republican Leader Themis Klarides and look forward to using the experience I’ve gained over the past two years to aid me in my new role,” Rep. Dauphinais said.
Dauphinais, re-elected to her second term in November 2018, will also serve on the legislature’s Appropriations and Public Safety Committees.
The Appropriations Committee is one of the joint standing committees of the Connecticut General Assembly. It is composed of 52 members 12 Senators and 40 Representatives. The committee has jurisdiction on all matters relating to appropriations and the budgets of state agencies. Other issues under the committee’s jurisdiction include matters relating to state employees’ salaries, benefits and retirement, teachers’ retirement and veterans’ pensions and collective bargaining agreements and arbitration awards for all state employees.
The Public Safety and Security Committee has cognizance of all matters relating to the Department of Emergency Services and Public Protection, civil preparedness and homeland security, state police, the state-wide organized crime investigative task force, municipal police training, fire marshals, the fire safety code, the state building code, and legalized gambling.
Her new committee assignments begin at the start of the 2019 legislative session which convened yesterday.
Posted on December 14, 2018 by jpheasant
HARTFORD – Throughout Eastern Connecticut, many parents struggle to afford the day-to-day expenses of raising a family on limited means. Thanks to programs like Tommy Toy Fund, local donations, and volunteers like State Representative Anne Dauphinais (R-Killingly), many of these children will now receive a Christmas that wasn’t otherwise possible.
“For so many of us the Christmas season is such a magical time of the year, but then there are some that it’s not so magical for. For the last several years I have been volunteering with the Tommy Toy Fund and it’s a real pleasure to be a part of something that adds a little bit of magic to those that wouldn’t have any,” said Rep. Dauphinais.
The Tommy Toy Fund uses a vacant building located in the Killingly Commons in order to facilitate the donations collected through various ‘stuff a cruiser’ events held throughout the 44th District and other Eastern Connecticut locations. Toys are then sorted and organized based off of age and gender with lists being filled by various day and weekend volunteers.
All pertinent information for the children such as; name, age, and gender of children is logged to ensure everyone receives the same amount of age appropriate toys. The items are then sorted and organized based off of age and gender with lists being filled by various day and weekend volunteers.
Due to the high volume of donations, Tommy Toy Fund has expanded to include a pick-up raffle where families can enter their names for a chance to win others larger toys and kids bikes.
Families who want to participate in the program must sign up through a registration application posted in the Norwich Bulletin in early November.
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