Republicans Urge Investigation into Growing School Construction Scandal

HARTFORD—State Representative Tami Zawistowski (R-61) joined calls for the General Assembly to invoke the legislature’s broad investigatory power to launch a formal inquiry into the burgeoning school construction bidding scandal involving members of Gov. Lamont’s administration.

“The news keeps growing and growing, we are hearing from more and more school districts that felt pressured to use certain contractors,” said Rep. Zawistowski. “Over a billion dollars in school construction funds have been allocated since 2018 to schools in every corner of our state. We need to review what has transpired with these contracts and demand accountability.”

Republicans urged the House Speaker and Senate President to exercise the General Assembly’s investigatory power granted through state statute (CGS sec. 2-46), saying that when lawmakers return to Hartford March 2nd to consider other business, Democrat leadership should put up for vote a resolution creating an official investigatory panel to examine the state’s school construction funding program.

In a joint statement House Republican Leader Vincent Candelora and Senate Republican Leader Kevin Kelly commented, “We know from many media reports that the FBI has turned an eye toward some of the actions tied to this governor’s administration, and while those federal investigators determine whether criminal activity has transpired, it’s incumbent upon our body—the legislature—to figure out whether bond money and other taxpayer dollars have been handled properly in the school construction process.”

Candelora and Kelly said the legislature’s broad investigatory reach includes authority to subpoena witnesses and documents (OLR 200-R-0249, Op. Atty. Gen. No. 84-130), and the power to prosecute witnesses that fail to testify when summoned (CGS sec. 2-48). Additionally, the legislature can delegate its investigative power to either a standing committee or a specially created committee.