Gale Mastrofrancesco

From the Desk of Rep. Gale Mastrofrancesco: 

The new legislative session has begun, which means that the majority will be flooding the Capitol with new (and likely bad) bills. I will of course stand up to legislation that I disagree with, but I have also proposed commonsense bills that I believe will benefit our communities and students, strengthen the integrity of our elections and enhance public safety.

I wanted to share with you several of those bills below. I have included summaries of some of the legislation, but in some cases the title of the legislation is self-explanatory.

Our Schools:

SB 40 – To study the feasibility of allowing parents to visit their child’s classroom during the school day.

Parents should have the right to know what is going on in the lives of their children, and having the opportunity to visit a class to view what is being taught is crucial to their development.

HB 5314 – An Act Permitting School Districts to Opt Out of The Common Core State Standards

When local school districts implement successful programs that work, why should they be required to use Common Core (a confusing educational program that has failed to produce better outcomes for our students)? We need to support districts that are getting it right and allow them the flexibility to implement their own curriculum.

HB 5313 – An Act Concerning Freedom of Expression and of the Press for Students

Protection of student expression and student publications, including political and religious views, is important, and this bill protects the expression or publications except when they are obscene, libelous, slanderous or disrupt school activities.

Your Rights:

HB 5340 – An Act Prohibiting the State from Mandating a Covid-19 Vaccination

HB 5341 – An Act Prohibiting Employers and Public Officials from Requiring Proof of a Covid-19 Vaccination

HB 5344 – An Act Permitting a Moral or Philosophical Objection as an Exemption to the School Immunization Requirements

The decision to take a vaccine should be left up to individuals, not mandated by the government, and I will continue to support your freedom to make the choices that you feel are best for you, and your family.

Protecting Women and Girls:

My Republican colleagues have introduced legislation that would protect our children by prohibiting the prescription of puberty blocking drugs for minors, stop the prescription of artificial cross-sex hormones for minors, and prevent the practice of surgical intervention for minors for the purpose of sex reassignment or treatment of gender dysphoria.

Another of our proposals would prohibit biological males from participating in girls’ sports and from accessing girls’ locker rooms and bathrooms. These are commonsense solutions that would help prevent injuries in girls’ sports and stop the irreversible, live-changing medical treatments on children.

Safeguarding the Community:

SB 345 – An Act Ensuring that Local and State Government Officials Fully Cooperate with Law Enforcement Personnel in the Enforcement of Federal Immigration Law

Connecticut has become a sanctuary state for illegal immigration (which needs to be reversed), and this bill would require the state to abide by federal law and ensure that local and state officials cooperate with law enforcement agents while they enforce immigration laws. We have seen many cases where violent criminals entered the United States illegally and were released from custody after committing new crimes while in the country. That practice needs to end.

SB 352 – An Act Restricting Early Release for Persons Convicted of Crimes Involving Sexual Assault or Firearms

As we have seen in recent headlines, felons who have committed horrific crimes continue to be released early from prison due to faulty criminal justice policies put in place by the Democrat majority. Too often the focus at the Capitol has been on making laws that benefit offenders, not legislation that considers victims, and it is about time the most dangerous in our communities serve the sentences they are given so society can be protected.

And we will again introduce legislation that reduces electric energy costs and removes Public Benefits Charges from electric bills. As ranking member of the Government Administration & Election Committee I have proposed legislation that strengthens our election laws, including adding a requirement that voters present a photo ID before they cast a ballot, that signatures on absentee ballots be verified and that mandatory minimum sentences for elections crimes be instituted.

I have submitted several other bills that I believe will improve our communities and you can view the entire list at this link: https://tinyurl.com/My-2025-Bills

As the session progresses, please contact me about any issue related to legislation or state government that you feel is important.

I can be reached by email at [email protected] or by phone at (800) 842-1423. You can also follow my legislative activity on my Facebook page at www.facebook.com/repgale.