Sens. Kissel, Guglielmo Named to Legislative Leadership Posts

December 19, 2014

Republican state senators from north-central Connecticut have received legislative committee assignments and leadership posts for the upcoming session of the Connecticut General Assembly.

State Senator John A. Kissel of Enfield has retained his seat as lead Republican senator on the legislature’s Judiciary Committee, which has cognizance of all matters relating to the Department of Correction, prisons, courts, and criminal law.

A Chief Deputy Minority Leader, Sen. Kissel will serve as ranking Republican on the Program Review and Investigations Committee, which examines the effectiveness of state government programs. He will serve on the Appropriations Committee, which oversees state government spending, and the General Law Committee, which oversees all matters relating to consumer protection.

“It is such an honor for me to serve the people of north-central Connecticut,” Sen. Kissel said. “Serving on these committees will allow me to make a positive impact on policies which affect our lives every day. I look forward to this challenge and urge area residents to continue to contact me on any issue that they feel is important.”

Entering his 12th term in office, Sen. Kissel represents Connecticut’s 7th Senatorial District, which includes East Granby, Enfield, Somers, Suffield, Windsor Locks and portions of Granby and Windsor. An attorney, Sen. Kissel holds degrees from the University of Connecticut and Western New England College School of Law. He lives in Enfield with his wife, Cynthia, and their sons, Nathaniel and Tristan.

State Senator Tony Guglielmo of Stafford will also be sworn into a 12th term on January 7 at the State Capitol in Hartford.

Guglielmo will be the ranking member on the Public Safety Committee and sits on the Program Review and Investigations, Internship, and Executive and Legislative Nominations Committees. Sen. Guglielmo was also named Chief Deputy Minority Leader of the Republican Caucus. As ranking member on Public Safety, Sen. Guglielmo has always taken an active role in making sure the policies passed by the committee keep the citizens of Connecticut safe.

“I have always believed government has three key roles: to educate, keep the food and water supply safe and to protect the public safety of residents. Some public safety policies have served the public well but some have been concerning to say the least. I recently fought for a slow-down of the consolidation of the state police barracks around the state. There were some scary instances and we needed to be thoughtful and not rush. I look forward to working hard on finding solutions once again,” said Sen. Guglielmo.

  • The Public Safety committee has cognizance of all matters relating to homeland security, the Department of Public Safety, including but not limited to state police, the fire safety code, legalized gambling, and military and veterans’ affairs, except veterans’ pensions.
  • The Internship Committee a major objective of the program is to prepare interns to analyze bills, tracking them, research, draft news releases and speeches, liaison work, constituent casework, etc.
  • The Executive and Legislative Nominations Committee reviews all executive and legislative nominations requiring action of either or both chambers including, nominations of workers’ compensation commissioners, nominations to the Board of Pardons and Paroles.

Guglielmo, who retired as president and owner of the Penny-Hanley & Howley Co., Inc. in Stafford, was appointed by President Bush to the U.S. Small Business Administration National Advisory Council in 1989. Prior to this, Sen. Guglielmo was appointed by President Reagan to the Federal Council on Aging in 1981.

A graduate of the University of Connecticut, Sen. Guglielmo served in the U.S. Army from 1962-1968. He holds a B.A. in political science from the University of Connecticut and a Master’s Degree in history from Trinity College.