On Monday, I was very proud to testify, with my constituent and Griswold resident Natasha Greczkowski Mozden, on HB 7157 before the Public Health Committee.

We are advocating for the committee to tuck the concept of my proposed bill, H.B. No. 5196, into H.B. No. 7157. This legislation would create a short form death certificate in Connecticut that would not include the cause and manner of death on it. The goal of this legislation is to respect the privacy of the families and those who passed away.

Mrs. Mozden shared very powerful testimony surrounding her son’s, Kaine Sherman, death and the terrible intrusion of privacy that her and her family experienced. Through almost twenty minutes of testimony and questioning by members of the Public Health Committee, Natasha detailed the difficult probate process. Her words left immediate impact of members of the committee, and I commend her for her bravery and advocacy.

I was very honored to host her and her family at our State Capitol. Our goal is to ensure that no family across our state ever needs to endure this type of experience again during a time of tremendous grief. Across our country, there are 22 states that have a short form death certificate available to the surviving families. It is my intent to make Connecticut the 23rd.

I encourage you to view the video from Monday’s public hearing below-

Thank you, Natasha, for your courage and very impactful testimony.