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HARTFORD- At a public hearing of the General Assembly’s Planning and Development Committee, State Rep. Anne Dauphinais (R-44) testified on behalf of legislation she proposed that would restore funding for fire training schools.

“Maintaining and operating our state fire training schools positively impacts the general welfare of every town and citizen in Connecticut and trains thousands of citizens to best provide public safety to our citizens,“ Rep. Dauphinais said.

Per her proposal, HB-6680, AN ACT CONCERNING THE FUNDING OF MUNICIPAL VOLUNTEER FIRE DEPARTMENTS, Dauphinais emphasized the importance of these training schools and the financial impact on local municipalities if they are now required to fund them.

“Think of 18-19 year old kids who have just recently graduated from high school and want to do something for their communities by volunteering. “The costs for these training schools are beyond affordable to them,” Rep. Dauphinais said.

“Citizen volunteers cannot afford by themselves to pay for state mandated licensing and certification requirements,” she said.

Dauphinais said “Funding of Connecticut’s Fire Schools should be a first principle of government. It should be a priority, not an afterthought, not a throw-away consideration, not a throw-away government budget cut.” “Volunteer firefighters matter to the communities I serve, and I am thankful for their service.”

To view all legislation proposed by Rep. Dauphinais, sign up for her newsletter and get the latest updates from the state capitol, visit www.repdauphinais.com.