WESTBROOK – State Representatives Jesse MacLachlan and Devin Carney talked with constituents at the Westbrook Public Library on Thursday night about the start of the legislative session and legislation they see being debated in the House and Senate.

“I want to thank the residents that came out to talk to us about their concerns and ideas on how to move our state in a better direction,” said Rep. MacLachlan. “I will be working on a number of key proposals this session that if passed will make government more efficient and affordable and I look forward to collaborating with lawmakers from both sides of the aisle.”

A new governor, Ned Lamont, has officially taken over and the lawmakers are now meeting in their assigned committees to go over legislative proposals explained Reps. MacLachlan and Carney.

Rep. MacLachlan will be sitting on the Transportation, Education, Environment committees. And, Rep. Carney will be sitting on the Transportation, Finance, Revenue, and Bonding committees and will help House Republican leadership screen proposals before they make their way to the House.

In addition, the lawmakers discussed tolls, $15 minimum wage increase, paid family leave, and the legalization of marijuana.

Rep. MacLachlan and Carney encouraged residents to contact them and to follow their frequent updates on their websites and social media accounts, which can be found at RepJesseMac.com and RepCarney.com

HARTFORD – State Representatives Jesse MacLachlan took the oath of office on Wednesday, commencing the 2019 legislative session.

In addition, newly elected Governor Ned Lamont, addressed the joint session of the legislature laying out his priorities for the 2019 session, which include jump-starting the economy, transportation, paid family leave, $15 minimum wage, and a mention of looking at new voting initiatives.

Rep. MacLachlan responding to Governor Lamont’s address said, “Today is an exciting day and a new fresh start for the state of Connecticut. I think both parties can agree that fixing the state finances and improving our transportation infrastructure our top priorities. I look forward to working with my colleagues in the legislature to find common ground on ways we can make Connecticut a better place for residents and businesses.”

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. MacLachlan encourages residents to follow the legislative action by visiting the General Assembly’s website, www.cga.ct.gov and signing up for his email updates at www.RepJesseMac.com.

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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 Jesse.MacLachlan@housegop.ct.gov or 860-240-8700.

State Rep. Jesse MacLachlan

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

HARTFORD – State Representatives Jesse MacLachlan (R-35) and Devin Carney (R-23) have announced they will be co-hosting office hours in January in order to allow Westbrook residents an opportunity to meet with them as the 2019 session gets underway.

WHEN: Thursday, January 17th from 6:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m.
WHERE: Westbrook Public Library (Community Room),
61 Goodspeed Dr., Westbrook

These events are designed to provide constituents with an opportunity to speak with the representatives about issues impacting the district, bill proposal ideas, or other legislative related topics.

If you have any questions, or would like to connect with Rep. MacLachlan or Rep. Carney, please call (800) 842-1423, or email them at Jesse.MacLachlan@housegop.ct.gov or Devin.Carney@housegop.ct.gov for more information.

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All 71 members of the House Republicans have signed and submitted petitions to the Secretary of the State to request a special session in order to prohibit the $10 million dollar feasibility study for the purpose of implementing electronic tolls.

In order for the special session to occur, we need support from our colleagues on the other side of the aisle so we are asking them to join in our fight to help stop Governor Malloy from circumventing the legislature and the will of Connecticut’s residents in order to conduct another toll related study.

Unfortunately, the petition for a special session can only be conducted by the legislature, but if you are interested in helping there is something you can do. I would like to urge you to contact our House representatives on the other side of the aisle at (800) 842-1902 and ask them to join our petition to stop this costly and unnecessary study.

We can’t afford to borrow ten million dollars of taxpayer money to study whether or not the state needs tolls.

HARTFORD – Tuesday night, Governor Malloy announced he will be imposing his power of executive order to request the Department of Transportation conduct a $10 million dollar feasibility study for the purpose of implementing electronic tolls.

In his statement, Gov. Malloy said “During this past legislative session, we heard time and again from legislators that they wished for more information regarding electronic tolling, including specific recommendations with respect to its possible implementation.”

“Borrowing $10M to study tolls is a complete waste of money,” Rep. MacLachlan said. “We have plenty of data at our disposal to decide whether or not tolls will help us pay for transportation infrastructure and at what cost to commuters. This is a perfect example of Connecticut’s borrowing and spending problem and one of the reasons why we are drowning in debt.”

According to the Governor’s executive order, DOT will conduct the following:

• Prepare a comprehensive assessment for possible electronic tolling on I-95, I-91, I-84, the Wilbur Cross Parkway, the Merritt Parkway, and any other limited access highways as determined by the DOT Commissioner, which includes potential toll monitoring and specifies proposed toll charges;
• Explore potential ways to provide discounts, tax credits, or other value-pricing options to Connecticut residents while ensuring out-of-state drivers contribute their fair share;
• Explore plans that could reduce motor vehicle fuel taxes; and
• Study the environmental impacts of electronic tolling systems.

“Governor Malloy’s decision to utilize his power of executive order in order to bypass the legislature and the will of Connecticut’s residents is exactly why we are in this fiscal mess,” MacLachlan said.

The Special State Bonding Commission is scheduled to meet at 10:30 a.m. next Wednesday, July 25th to approve funding requests submitted by Governor Malloy. As chairman of the commission, Gov. Malloy has the discretion to determine which items are included in this meeting.

HARTFORD – Just recently, State Representative Jesse MacLachlan (R-35) and his legislative colleagues were called back into session to review bills recently vetoed by Governor Malloy this year.

Going into the session, legislators had expected to address a bill to expand school safety for teachers and students (P.A. 18-89), another to prohibit the governor from making cuts or reductions to educational cost sharing grants (P.A. 18-157), and also restructure the amount promised by Governor Malloy to the capitol city in the bailout bill (P.A. 18-35).

“I was proud to stand up against Governor Malloy’s vetoes to legislation that would have made our state safer and more fiscally stable. Unfortunately, politics and not good public policy won the day to the detriment of Connecticut families,” Rep. MacLachlan said.

The four other bills vetoed by the governor include:

• Public Act 18-18, An Act Extending the Manufacturing Apprenticeship Tax Credit to Pass-Through Entities.
• Public Act 18-140, An Act Establishing the State Oversight Council on Children and Families
• Public Act 18-156, An Act Concerning an Animal Abuse Registry
• Public Act 18-119, An Act Concerning Election Day Registration Locations

During the regular session, all of the bills received more than favorable support from both caucuses in the House and Senate. Despite this, none of the legislation that had been previously vetoed by the governor were overridden by the legislature.

WESTBROOK – State Representatives Jesse MacLachlan (R-35) and Devin Carney (R-23) held a sit down legislative update with Westbrook residents who had questions about this years’ shortened session.

Residents asked various questions about how the recent special veto session effects municipal and educational funding, school safety, and future obligations made by Governor Malloy to bailing out the capitol city.

Earlier this week, lawmakers met to override vetoes made to seven different pieces of legislation by Governor Malloy. Despite all of the bills receiving more than favorable votes in each chamber, none of the legislation vetoed by the governor was overridden.

“Meeting with constituents and listening to their concerns is an integral part of my role as a state representative,” Rep. MacLachlan said. “I enjoyed being able to sit down face-to-face with Westbrook residents and talk about the bipartisan state budget and all that it does to protect our small towns.”

“I am always grateful for the opportunity to meet with constituents. These conversations about local and state matters help me to fully understand the concerns and the issues impacting those I represent at the Capitol in Hartford,” said Rep. Carney. “Hearing from constituents is a strong priority of mine, which is why my door is always open.”

Rep. Carney, who serves as Ranking Member of the General Assembly’s Transportation Committee, provided an update about tolls and discussed findings from a study conducted by the Department of Transportation.

The lawmakers are expected to host similar updates throughout their districts over the remaining Summer months.

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Reps MacLachlan and Carney field questions about items contained within the compromise budget from area residents during a Legislative Update in Westbrook.