Gale Mastrofrancesco

HARTFORD—Senator Rob Sampson and State Representative Gale Mastrofrancesco, the Ranking Members of the Government Administration and Elections (GAE) Committee, released the following joint statement today in response to the Democrat majority on the committee voting to advance SJ 36, a Resolution Proposing a State Constitutional Amendment Concerning Environmental Rights.

“This was a terrible idea when it was proposed last year and it failed to gain passage in the House or the Senate. It is still a bad idea. We are all concerned about the environment, but this proposal fails to make meaningful improvements. Connecticut already has many environmental protections, which makes this proposal more about political posturing. Instead of advancing vague, feel-good bills, we should be focusing on issues that truly impact our residents— affordability, fiscal responsibility, the integrity of our elections and maintaining our fiscal guardrails to reduce costs for all state residents.”

They continued: “The way this proposal is worded, it seems to open the door to allow frivolous lawsuits for nearly any perceived environmental transgression, whether it is neighbors suing each other, or residents suing the state. The wording is unclear, there are many unanswered questions and it could end up costing all of us millions. Could Connecticut residents face a lawsuit because they use a gas-powered leaf blower on their lawn, or cook with a gas stove? Could residents be sued for riding a gas-powered motorcycle or driving to work in a car with a combustion engine? It is absolutely absurd. Democrats seem to be more focused on punishing residents for living their lives, rather than easing their financial burdens.”‘

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Sen. Rob Sampson represents the 16th Senate District serving residents of Cheshire, Prospect, Southington, Waterbury, and Wolcott

Rep. Gale Mastrofrancesco represents the 80th House District serving residents of Wolcott and Southington