Newtown State Delegation Reflects on 2015 Legislative Session, Looks to Future
August 22, 2015NEWTOWN – The town’s state delegation engaged in an open conversation with residents Wednesday night on a range of issues, from Connecticut’s economy and taxes, to education, affordable housing, and the idea of regionalizing certain services as a potential cost savings to taxpayers.
The delegates – state Sen. Tony Hwang (R-28) and state Reps. Mitch Bolinsky (R-106), J.P. Sredzinski (R-112) and Dan Carter (R-2) – started the forum with a moment of silence in honor of Newtown resident Julia Wasserman, a former state Representative who passed away Tuesday at the age of 91.
The legislators said Ms. Wasserman set the bar for public service during her 18 years in the General Assembly and through her many civic roles in the community, and that they felt privileged to carry on that tradition.
With that in mind, the legislators spoke candidly with residents during a two-hour forum at the C.H. Booth Library. Among those in attendance were Newtown First Selectman E. Patricia Llodra and Betsy Paynter, the town’s Economic Development Coordinator.
All attendees were provided with a copy of the 2015 Major Public Acts, a report produced by the nonpartisan Office of Legislative Research (OLR) that provides “brief summaries of the most significant, far-reaching, and publicly debated acts passed by the General Assembly in its 2015 regular and special sessions,” as well as OLR’s report, Acts Affecting Taxes, which provides highlights of new laws affecting taxes enacted during the 2015 regular and special legislative sessions.
“By working in a bipartisan manner we were able to pass legislation that will have a positive impact on people’s lives, improve and preserve our environment and natural resources, protect consumers, support caregivers, and enhance our children’s education. Indeed, there is much to be proud of,” Sen. Hwang said. “But we still have a great deal of work ahead of us, especially to improve and accelerate our economic growth and prosperity, and I am looking forward to tackling these challenges for the people of Newtown and every community in our great state.”
Rep. Bolinsky said, “We had another great turnout for this post-session review and forum! I want to thank all my Newtown neighbors who attended, expressed their concerns, contributed ideas and helped us establish our local priorities as we prepare for the 2016 legislative session.”
“Once again the citizens of Newtown have demonstrated their interest in state government and showed up to listen, engage with each other and provide their representatives good ideas for the future. As has been the case for most of my term, affordability in our state continues to be a major concern for those at all stages in their lives,” Rep. Sredzinski said. “There were some positive pieces of legislation passed this session but I will continue to encourage my colleagues in Hartford, particularly those in the majority party, that Connecticut cannot continue to tax and spend like we have been.”
Rep. Carter said, “While we have been able to produce some great legislation working together in Hartford, economic policies continue to divide the legislature and are driving more people out of the state every day. Like previous sessions, the majority fails to see the need to rein in spending and continues to focus on finding new and creative ways to separate you from your money.”
While the delegates noted that the 2015 session was mired in controversy and concern over the new state budget and the historic tax increases it carries – (all four of Newtown’s delegates voted against the budget) – they were pleased to have worked on a bipartisan basis to pass several key pieces of legislation, including:
- The Long Island Sound Blue Plan (H.B. 6839) – A landmark piece of legislation that passed both the House and Senate unanimously, the bill sets in motion an unprecedented comprehensive mapping of The Long Island Sound, in terms of natural resources, topography, wildlife, recreation, commerce and a myriad of other factors, to serve as a blueprint for future uses and preservation efforts.
- Supporting Caregivers at Home (S.B. 290) – Known as the CARE Act, the legislation ensures that individuals who will be caring for a loved one at home following a hospitalization receive the appropriate and necessary information and resources to provide the best possible care.
- ABLE Act Enabling Legislation (H.B. 6738) – With the passage of the federal Achieving a Better Life Experience (ABLE) Act of 2014, Connecticut’s enabling legislation authorizes the establishment of tax-exempt accounts in the state to help eligible individuals and families save private funds to pay for qualifying expenses related to disability or blindness.
- Relief from Minimum Budget Requirement (H.B. 7019) – Presenting municipalities with a mechanism to provide meaningful property tax relief, the bill gives towns facing declining student enrollment greater flexibility to reduce spending so long as it does not sacrifice educational excellence.
- Combating Veteran Homelessness (H.B. 6855) – Because no veteran should be homeless, the legislation requires the Commissioner of the Department of Veterans’ Affairs to provide or arrange housing for any veteran residing at a Veterans’ Home that closes or ceases to provide housing to such a veteran.
- A Ban on Variable Electric Rates (S.B. 573) – A powerful consumer protection bill, Connecticut became the first state in the nation to ban these potentially deceptive variable-rate electricity contracts, which often start with an attractive low rate but skyrocket soon thereafter with no notice.
- Protecting Consumers Impacted by Data Security Breaches (S.B. 949) – In light of the growing issue of data security, this legislation puts in place legal protections for consumers impacted by breaches, to ensure they are notified in a timely manner and that identity protection programs are provided at no cost.
- Expanding Financial Literacy Education (S.B. 319) – To help ensure future generations have the knowledge and skills to be responsible managers of their money, the bill broadens the topics in State Department of Education’s financial literacy instruction plan (offered to public high schools and public institutions of higher education) to include banking, investing, savings, and the handling of personal finance matters.
- Improving Teaching for Dyslexic Students (H.B. 1054) – To better support students with dyslexia, the legislation requires an employee of the state Department of Education to be responsible for providing information and assistance to the public relating to dyslexia, include specific programmatic requirements for teacher preparation courses relating to dyslexia, and include dyslexia instruction as part of the in-service training for educators.
Looking to the future and the next legislative session, which starts in January 2016, the delegation committed to working collaboratively to advance legislation to give municipalities like Newtown greater control over affordable housing developments, protect children and teachers from threats of violence on our schools, support local regionalization efforts that don’t negatively impact the delivery of critical services, and that will help businesses small and large succeed and grow in Connecticut.
The four legislators also stressed their commitment to remaining accessible and available to their constituents, and encouraged folks to reach out anytime. Contact information for each is available on their website: