HARTFORD—House Republican Leader Vincent Candelora (R-North Branford) and State Rep. Nicole Klarides-Ditria (R-Seymour), House Ranking Member of the Public Health Committee, released the following statement Friday in response to committee Democrats' decision to limit to midnight the March 11 public hearing on H.B. 5044 and S.B. 450, bills that would grant the governor's public health commissioner unchecked authority to mandate vaccines for schoolchildren without legislative approval and erode religious freedom:

"Residents should take note: this is the new way Democrats are doing business in the legislature. This decision comes on the heels of their recent omnibus bill, passed under an emergency certification that conveniently bypassed public hearings altogether, and now they're capping testimony on bills that strip parents of their voice, their rights, and for many families, close the courthouse door on their ability to challenge the state's controversial elimination of the religious exemption for school vaccines.

Governor Lamont wants to give his public health commissioner unilateral power to add vaccine mandates to school requirements, cutting out the legislature and parents entirely and setting a precedent that could ultimately extend to the workplace too. That's a dramatic departure from Connecticut law and the legislature should offer the public the maximum input possible—so it's telling that Democrats have chosen to limit this hearing to midnight. They can't praise Connecticut's open public hearing process, including the ability to testify remotely, and then slam the door shut the moment residents line up to oppose their agenda. Every Connecticut citizen who wants to be heard deserves that right."