June 4th Capitol Update

These past few weeks at the Capitol have been a flurry of activity and legislation. I wanted to share a few important updates and make myself available to answer any questions you may have about the legislative session so far.

DOT Public Info Meeting
RE: Haddam Roundabouts

The Department of Transportation will conduct a virtual public information meeting concerning the proposed State Project No. 0060-0160, Modern Roundabouts at Route 82 and Route 154 on Tuesday, June 8 at 7:00 p.m.

While this project is in Haddam, construction in this area has the potential to significantly impact traffic near the Swing Bridge in East Haddam. I know this issue is important to many of you, so I thought you may appreciate an opportunity to provide some input.

Click here for more information, and click here to access the meeting or provide comments.

Higher Education Omnibus Bill

On June 1, the Higher Education committee was able to pass its “omnibus” bill, or a large bill comprised of multiple committee proposals. As the Ranking Member of the Higher Education and Employment Advancement Committee, I was very proud of the work we did together as a committee, as well as the bipartisan vote.

Click here to read more about the proposals included.

“Clean Slate” Legislation

Late last week, the House of Representatives passed two bills that impact public safety and criminal justice in our state.

The first, SB 1019, seeks to automatically erase criminal records for those who commit misdemeanors after seven years and those who commit class D or E felonies after 10 years. The second, SB 1093, removed the eligibility of some class D or E felonies from erasure.

I voted no on the first, as I felt that there are proper avenues in place for those convicted of crimes and they did not include protections for the victims of these crimes. I voted yes on the second, as it made positive changes to SB 1019 and included provisions to improve the Police Accountability legislation passed last year.

Click here to read more about my votes on these bills.

The “Bottle Bill”

The “bottle bill” seeks to change bottle redemption policy in Connecticut. It allows for the redemption of new beverage bottles like energy drinks, sports drinks and hard seltzers and increases the $0.05 redemption fee for cans and bottles to $0.10.

This is intended to incentivize more Connecticut residents to redeem their recyclable items rather than discard them as litter, but unfortunately it still does little to resolve the issue of roadside trash.

While we can all agree that plastic littering is an issue that needs to be resolved, I don’t believe that increasing costs for consumers is the answer. This is quite clearly an added point-of-sale tax for consumers across this state and one which I could not support.

Click here to read more about this bill.

HB 6520: Aiding Victims of Domestic Violence

Nobody has the right to violate the rights of anyone else. Over the years, the legislature has taken steps to protect victims and support law enforcement efforts. This year, House Republicans introduced HB 6520 to further assist domestic violence victims.

This bill suspends the income threshold to qualify for benefits by not counting the income of the spouse/domestic partner/household member who is accused of domestic violence. By removing that individual’s income from consideration, it make it possible for the other spouse/partner (the victim) to apply for benefits since their “household” income would be lower.

The legislative intent is to make it easier for victims to make the decision to separate themselves from an abusive situation knowing that they can secure state financial assistance. It is hoped that this will encourage more victims to come forward knowing that financial dependency on an abusive spouse/partner is no longer an obstacle to finding safety.

I voted yes on this bill. The bill passed unanimously in the House and awaits action in the Senate.

Click here to read more about this bill.

June is LGBTQ+ Pride Month!

On June 1st, I was honored to stand with my colleagues as Governor Lamont signed the Parentage Act into Law as a celebration of the start of LGBTQ+ Pride Month. This act ensures that all Connecticut children — regardless of the circumstances of their birth or the marital status, gender, or sexual orientation of their parents — have equal access to the security of a legal parent-child relationship. We heard from multiple speakers who pushed this legislation forward and raised the Pride Flag over the Capitol, where it will remain for the whole month of June.