A Time To Fight for Connecticut’s Future

May 1, 2018

With only a few days left in the 2018 legislative session I thought it was important to update you on a few bills that will likely be coming to the Senate Floor. While there are some important pieces of legislation that are good for Connecticut, there are a few bills that will hurt our state – bills that I will be standing against.

Some of these bills include raising the minimum wage to $15 an hour, mandating paid family medical leave and instituting the national popular vote. All of these bills are bad for the future of Connecticut.

Raising the minimum wage to $15 would have a disproportionate impact on our restaurant industry and will also hurt business all across Connecticut. Every week we see small and large businesses close their doors and move out of our state, and with Connecticut’s economy continuing to teeter now would be the worst time for the legislature to force another mandate on our employers and businesses. I am adamantly opposed to increasing the minimum wage; I voted against this concept in committee and will continue to stand against it.

Similarly, paid family medical leave is also an unfriendly mandate on private sector employers. This bill would require all private sector employees to contribute .5 percent of their paycheck to a fund that they could then use to take leave – unfortunately there would be no option for businesses to opt out of the program. Mandating that businesses offer 12 weeks of leave will be very challenging, especially for small businesses in North-Central Connecticut. In recent years businesses have absorbed two of the largest tax increases in Connecticut’s history. It is unacceptable for the state to force another mandate onto Connecticut businesses.

Another bill that passed through the House in a very close vote, 77-73, is the national popular vote compact. The compact would take effect only when enough states sign on to it. The result of the bill would be that the winner of the popular vote would win the presidency for those respective states. I am strongly opposed to this bill as it is a direct challenge of our constitution and the safeguards our founding fathers put in place. I am strongly opposed to Connecticut signing onto this compact as it would undermine the attractiveness of small states for candidates seeking the presidency.

I will continue to fight for legislation that I believe will help our state move forward and stand against legislation that will hurt Connecticut’s economy and put more mandates on our businesses. Please contact me if you have any questions by calling 800-842-1421.