Senator Markley Receives 2013 Legislative Committee Assignments
January 9, 2013
Sen. Joe Markley (R-Southington) on opening day 2013 at the Legislature in Hartford.
Hartford, CT – State Senator Joe Markley (R-Southington) received four major committee assignments for the 2013 legislative session and will be sworn in for a second term at the State Capitol on Wednesday, January 9th.
Senate minority leadership recently announced that Senator Markley will serve as a ranking member of the Human Services and Labor and Public Employees Committees. He will also serve as a member of the Appropriations and Program Review & Investigations committees.
As a member of the Program Review & Investigations (PRI) committee Sen. Markley championed a recent study focused on the gap in insurance coverage for adolescents who are addicted to drugs. The report showed that insurance companies often lack clear standards for coverage, don’t have qualified practitioners making decisions, and disallow the most appropriate treatment for children who are fully-insured and should receive the care.
Sen. Markley says having more clearly defined standards would benefit insurers allowing them to make responsible changes. He adds it is imperative to have an open conversation with insurers, families and care takers.
“Prescription drug abuse is a national problem, by no means confined to our young people,” said Sen. Markley. “Recent statistics indicate that drug overdoses now kill more Americans than traffic accidents–a sudden and alarming development. I will try to find a way that we can address this plague as a state; this report is a first step in that effort.”
New to his duties Sen. Markley will now be the ranking member on the Labor and Public Employees Committee. He will continue his work as the ranking member on Human Services and serve as a member of the Appropriations Committee.
- Labor and Public Employees Committee has cognizance of all matters relating to workers’ compensation, unemployment compensation, conditions of employment, hours of labor, minimum wages, industrial safety, occupational health and safety, labor unions and labor disputes; all matters relating to the Department of Labor; and all matters relating to conditions of employment of state and municipal employees and the substantive law of state and municipal employees’ collective bargaining.
- Human Services Committee has cognizance of all matters relating to the Department of Social Services and the Department of Children and Families, including institutions under their jurisdiction; the Office of Child Day Care; the Office of Protection and Advocacy for Persons with Disabilities; the Commission on the Deaf and the Hearing Impaired; and the Board of Education and Services for the Blind.
- Appropriations Committee has cognizance of all matters relating to appropriations and the budgets of state agencies. Other issues under the committee’s jurisdiction include matters relating to state employees’ salaries, benefits and retirement, teachers’ retirement and veterans’ pensions and collective bargaining agreements and arbitration awards for all state employees.
- Program Review & Investigations Committee with no specific subject matter boundaries, the committee’s primary charge is to examine “state government programs and their administration to ascertain whether such programs are effective, continue to serve their intended purposes, are conducted in an efficient and effective manner, or require modification or elimination.” It may raise and report out bills related to these examinations.
Sen. Markley represents the 16th Senatorial District which includes the communities of Cheshire, Southington, Wolcott, Waterbury and Prospect. Markley is a Southington native and graduate from Southington High School (1974). He earned a bachelor’s degree magna cum laude from Amherst College, and a master’s degree in English from Columbia University.
After serving on the Southington Library Board of Trustees, Joe was elected to the State Senate in 1984 – the first town resident to sit in that chamber in over forty years. During his first term in the legislature, Markley chaired the Human Services Committee, and the Welfare Subcommittee of Appropriations. In that role, he cut more than $100 million from the state budget, pressed for the consolidation of agencies, and cosponsored the largest tax cut in Connecticut’s history.
Markley was re-elected to the state senate in 2010. As senator, Markley will continue his efforts to reduce the cost and size of government and will hold to his pledge to never support tax increases. He is committed to common-sense principles that will restore government by the people.
Sen. Markley also cofounded the Connecticut Taxpayers Committee and helped lead the fight against the state income tax.