This Friday, June 21^st, State Rep. Gail Lavielle and I will be at Orem’s Diner in Wilton to discuss major legislative topics including the state budget, minimum wage, paid family and medical leave, regionalization, the opioid crisis, tolls, and more.

Here are the details:

Who: State Representatives Gail Lavielle and Tom O’Dea

What: Coffee Hour/Legislative Update

Where: Orem’s Diner, 167 Danbury Road, Wilton

When: This Friday, June 21^st from 8:00 a.m. to 9:00 a.m.

This is your opportunity to discuss…

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The 2019 legislative session has ended and there is much to discuss. Major items this year included the budget, a $15/hour minimum wage, a new 0.5 percent payroll tax to fund a state-run paid family and medical leave program, the ongoing tolls debate, the opioid crisis and more.

This Monday, June 17^th, I will be hosting a Post-Session Legislative Update at the New Canaan Library, 151 Main Street, New Canaan, from 6:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m.

This is your opportunity to discuss any issues we covered this…

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Bills Advance to Senate

HARTFORD – State Representative Tom O’Dea (R-New Canaan, Wilton), Deputy Republican Leader-at-Large, voted for and celebrated the passage of two bills addressing the opioid crisis – H.B. 5524, An Act Increasing the Penalties for the Sale of Fentanyl, and H.B. 7190, An Act Extending Good Samaritan Protections for Persons or Entities that Include an Opioid Antagonist within a Cabinet Containing an Automatic External Defibrillator. Rep. O’Dea has signed on as a cosponsor to both…

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CT State Rep. Tom O’Dea (R-New Canaan, Wilton), a member of the legislature’s Transportation Committee, joined WTIC News Talk host Todd Feinburg on April 11th to discuss the latest on tolls. Rep. O’Dea says the math on Gov. Lamont’s latest proposal does not add up. The governor’s plan calls for rates similar to legislative Democratic proposals and projects the same revenue, but his plan calls for about 50 tolling locations as opposed to…

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On March 26, CT State Rep. Tom O’Dea (R-New Canaan, Wilton), a member of the Transportation Committee, joined WTIC News Talk host Todd Feinberg to discuss three tolls proposals recently approved by the committee – S.B. 423, H.B. 7202 and H.B. 7280. Rep. O’Dea and fellow Republican members voted against the bills citing multiple concerns:

• The cost to install and operate tolls

• The cost to bill individuals who do not have EZ passes or those with unreadable license plates

• A provision deeming the…

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Bills Approved by Committee Along Party-Line Votes

HARTFORD – State Representative Tom O’Dea (R-New Canaan, Wilton), a member of the legislature’s Transportation Committee, voted against three toll proposals. Despite opposition from Rep. O’Dea, as well as House and Senate Republicans, the bills made it out of committee along party-line votes.

“In addition to safety concerns, one of the main reasons we dismantled tolls in the 1980s was because it placed an unfair burden on commuters. This holds true…

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On Thursday, March 28, I will be hosting a State Legislative Update with Rep. Gail Lavielle at Orem’s Diner, 167 Danbury Road, Wilton, from 8 a.m. to 9 a.m.

Governor Lamont’s budget proposal, released on February 20, contains several items worthy of discussion:

• Expansion of the sale tax to currently exempt goods and services including legal and accounting services, home renovations, winter boat storage, veterinary care, non-prescription drugs, and more

• New taxes on bottle deposits, plastic bags,…

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Tomorrow, the Finance, Revenue & Bonding and Planning & Development Committees will hold public hearings about bills that would have major consequences for Connecticut taxpayers, businesses, students, parents and our local communities as a whole.

Finance, Revenue & Bonding – Tomorrow, 10:30 a.m., Room 2E

S.B. 877: An Act Concerning Revenue Items to Implement the Governor’s Budget

This bill deals with the implementation of the Governor’s budget plan, namely the taxes that will be used to fund it.…

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The Transportation Committee has scheduled a public hearing on two bills concerning tolls:

• H.B. 7202, An Act Concerning the Sustainability of Connecticut’s Transportation Infrastructure. This bill is part of Gov. Lamont’s budget proposals and would place 53 electronic toll gantries on major highways and routes throughout the state.
• H.B. 7280, An Act Concerning Support for Transportation Infrastructure and the Creation of the Connecticut Transportation Finance Authority. This bill was introduced…

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HARTFORD—House Republican legislators at a Friday news conference joined Connecticut residents in opposing legislative proposals aimed at forced school regionalization.

The event at the Legislative Office Building preceded an Education Committee public hearing on bills (S.B.457, S.B. 738, S.B. 874) concerning the topic. Republican lawmakers echoed the concerns of parents, educators, school administrators and local officials who descended on the Capitol for the hearing.

“These bills have hit a nerve,…

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