DERBY – State Representatives Themis Klarides and Nicole Klarides-Ditria met with local Board of Education members, Superintendents, Principals, teachers on Wednesday morning to hear their top issues impacting schools K-12. The annual legislative breakfast is hosted by the Connecticut Association of Boards of Education.

In attendance were superintendents, principals, teachers, and BOE Members, from Ansonia, Derby, Orange, Milford, Seymour, Woodbridge, and West Haven.

Many in attendance expressed their concerns about school safety for both teachers and students. In addition, funding teachers’ pensions, providing more opportunities for advanced manufacturing training, and ECS funding were discussed.

Rep. Klarides said, “Today’s classrooms are much different than they were ten years or even five years ago. I give teachers a lot of respect for the work they do day in and day out to teach our children. It’s important that we work this session to protect ECS funding for our communities and continue to prevent teachers’ pensions from being placed on the backs of our towns and cities.”

Rep. Klarides-Ditria added, “Teachers or students not feeling safe in a classroom is something that we need to fix. Having a safe classroom for all makes the learning experience more productive, which will lead to better performance by students. I will be talking to my colleagues this session to see if we can repass legislation to address school safety.”

Last year, Governor Dan Malloy vetoed S.B. 453, a school safety bill that made several changes to school safety laws – the bill was co-sponsored by both Reps. Klarides and Klarides-Ditria. Also, Governor Malloy vetoed a bill that would have prevented future governors from being able to cut ECS funding midyear.

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DERBY – State Representatives Themis Klarides and Nicole Klarides-Ditria will be hosting a Coffee Hour on January 18th from 8:00 to 9:00 a.m. with Senator George Logan.

HARTFORD – State Representative Nicole Klarides-Ditria took the oath of office for her second term in the General Assembly on Wednesday.

“It’s an honor representing the 105th district in the General Assembly,” said Rep. Klarides-Ditria. “I am hopeful that the new administration will work collaboratively with Republicans and Democrats this session. We all know the many issues impacting our state and we should all be putting our heads together to find the best possible solutions that will move our state in a better direction.”

The General Assembly will be entering a “long session”, which will run from January 9th to June 5th. During the long session, the lawmakers are able to propose legislation and will be tasked with framing a two-year state budget.

Rep. Klarides-Ditria can be reached by email at Nicole.Klarides-Ditria@housegop.ct.gov or by phone at 860-240-8700.

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Dear Neighbors,

I wanted to let you know that today marks the start of the 2019 Legislative Session. The House of Representatives is scheduled to commence at 10:00 a.m.

You can view the daily schedule of the legislature by visiting www.cga.ct.gov. Also, you can follow the action live on www.ct-n.com.

As always, please contact me with any questions or concerns you may have at Nicole.Klarides-Ditria@housegop.ct.gov or 860-240-8700.

State Rep. Nicole Klarides-Ditria

As you may have heard or read, electric rate increases affecting Eversource and United Illuminating customers went into effect January 1st.

The rate increases were approved last fall by the Public Utility Regulatory Authority (PURA), which operates independent of the legislature and is statutorily charged with providing oversight for the rates and services of Connecticut’s investor owned electricity, natural gas, water and telecommunication companies.

The standard service generation rates for Eversource customers will increase from 8.53¢ per kilowatt hour (kWh) to 10.14¢ per kilowatt hour (kWh), an overall increase of 18.9%. Standard service generation rates for United Illuminating customers will increase by approximately 24% from its current rate of 9.05¢ per kilowatt hour (kWh) to 11.23¢ per kilowatt hour (kWh).

On average, Eversource standard service customers that use 750 kilowatt hours/month will see a monthly bill increase of $12.08 per month. The monthly bill for United Illuminating standard service customers will increase by $16.35.

I’m writing to remind you that Eversource and UI customers have the option of searching for cheaper standard service generation rates through the Engergize Connecticut web portal. Click here to view a full list of suppliers and their rates. As always, customers who are considering an alternative supply should carefully review price, terms, length of contract, enrollment, early termination, and other potential fees when comparing options.

Click here to see a full list of all the bills that took effect on January 1st.

HARTFORD – State Representative Nicole Klarides-Ditria will take the House Republican lead on the Legislative Regulation Review Committee when the 2019 Legislative Session begins on January 9th. Rep. Klarides-Ditria will also continue serving on the Public Health and Finance, Revenue, and Bonding Committees.

“Overly burdensome regulations have frustrated many residents and industries in Connecticut,” said Rep. Klarides-Ditria. “I think for our state to move in a new direction we need to make sure any new regulation that is put into place is looked at very closely and all stakeholders have a voice. This is the approach I will take as the Ranking Member of the Regulation Review Committee.”

The Legislative Regulation Review Committee is responsible to review regulations proposed by state agencies and approve them before regulations are implemented. This position was adopted since all regulations have the force of law, and it is important that regulations do not contravene the legislative intent, or conflict with current state or federal laws, or state or federal constitutions.

Rep. Klarides-Ditria can be reached at 860-240-8700 or by email Nicole.Klarides-Ditria@housegop.ct.gov.

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SEYMOUR/BEACON FALLS – Funding the new fire training school in Beacon Falls was something supported by both sides of the aisle in the legislature but is now being put aside by the majority party and Governor Dan Malloy said State Rep. Nicole Klarides Ditria.

“The majority party continues to let Governor Dan Malloy run the show,” said Rep. Klarides-Ditria. “Democrats on the Bond Commission have the majority, they decide what is put on the agenda and what gets approved. It’s a shame that Governor Dan Malloy and the majority believe that bonding money for splash pads and giving more money to Hartford is more of a priority than funding a new training school for firefighters.”

Klarides-Ditria added, “This project was started by Governor Jodi Rell’s administration and Governor Dan Malloy continues to prevent the project from moving forward. Valley firefighters need a safe facility that will prepare them for the risks they face daily to protect our communities and family.”

The legislature authorized $26 million for fire schools and lawmakers called for the Bond Commission to allocate the needed $14 million from that pool of money. Because the project has languished, the approved 2016 bid for has since expired and it will have to be re-bid. Construction was supposed to be completed by January of 2018 but has never begun.

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SEYMOUR – State Representative Nicole Klarides-Ditria announced on Tuesday that improvements will be made by the Department of Transportation to the exit 22 on and off-ramps on Route 8.

Rep. Klarides-Ditria wrote a letter in 2017 asking the Department of Transportation to review the safety of the exit 22 on and off-ramps on Route 8 in both directions.

“I received many complaints that exit 22 on Route 8 was unsafe,” said Rep. Klarides-Ditria. “I want to thank the Department of Transportation for reviewing this matter and making the necessary improvements to the area to prevent accidents and keep residents safe.”

The DOT will enhance the visibility of the curve in the vicinity of exit 22 by installing signing and will relocate existing warning signs to warn drivers earlier of the curve. In addition, retroreflective delineators will be installed on the median barrier.

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