Sens. Harding & Seminara statement on CT Child Advocate report

For Immediate Release

Senate Republican Leader Stephen Harding and Sen. Lisa Seminara, Ranking Senator of the Committee on Children, issued the following statement regarding a report released today by Connecticut’s Child Advocate which indicates that state agencies failed to follow some of their own safety practices in dealing with the family of New Haven infant Marcello Meadows who died of fentanyl poisoning last June.

“This report shines a bright light – yet again – on several instances where state government has failed a child under its supervision. This is the third report from the Child Advocate in a year which has pointed to systemic shortcomings. That is simply unacceptable. Equally galling is that new protective guidelines weren’t followed in Marcello’s case. What we want as lawmakers, and what the people of Connecticut deserve, is accountability. They want government to learn from its mistakes and not repeat them. We must hear directly – as soon as possible – from state child protection officials on what steps they are taking to bring about that accountability and prevent future senseless tragedies.”