About

A Chief Deputy Republican Leader, Senator Tony Hwang is serving his fifth term representing Connecticut’s 28th Senatorial District, which includes the towns of Bethel, Easton, Fairfield, and Newtown.

Tony serves as the Ranking Member of the Transportation and Insurance and Real Estate Committees. He is a member of the Planning and Development Committee and the Finance Revenue and Bonding Committee. He is the Ranking Member of the Bonding Subcommittee of the Finance, Revenue and Bonding Committee, and serves as co-chair of the legislature’s bipartisan Bioscience Caucus.

Previously, Tony served as Vice-Chair of the Aging and Energy & Technology Committees and Ranking Member of the Housing, Higher Education, Public Health, Planning & Development, and Public Safety & Security Committees.

Tony is a Fairfield resident and a married father of two. He was born in Taiwan to parents who had escaped Communist China as teens and lived under martial law in Taiwan. Tony graduated with a Bachelor’s Degree in labor relations and organizational behavior from Cornell University. After working briefly with United Technologies, he entered the executive search business, ultimately founding his company recruiting technology executives. For the past several years, Tony has been involved in residential real estate.

A town educational issue in 2005 motivated Tony to roll up his sleeves. His public service began with Fairfield’s Representative Town Meeting. In 2008, Tony ran for and won the State Representative seat representing the 134th district (Fairfield, Trumbull). He quickly established a track record of what he termed “fiscal responsibility, moderate and responsible social views, and an unwavering passion and commitment” to his community. In 2010 and 2012, Tony was re-elected by nearly 70% of the voting members in his district.

In 2014 Tony became the first Asian-Pacific American State Senator in Connecticut history. In that year, he received the Legislative Champion Award from the Connecticut Alliance of YMCAs for his commitment to strengthening communities, youth development, healthy living, and social responsibility.

In 2015, 2016, and 2019 citing his environmental leadership, the Connecticut League of Conservation Voters (CTLCV) named Tony an “Environmental Champion” in its scorecard. In 2017 he was named to the CTLCV Legislative Champion Hall of Fame and received the highest score of any legislator in the 2018 Environmental Scorecard.

In 2016 Tony received recognition from organizations for his efforts:

• Connecticut AARP Legislative Award for his efforts to provide support to individuals who care for a loved one at home.
• Co-Legislator of the Year by the Uniformed Professional Fire Fighters Association of Connecticut for his efforts in helping craft legislation that provides wage replacement benefits to all of Connecticut’s firefighters diagnosed with cancer.
• Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD) Public Policy Award for his legislative work in promoting road safety.
• CT Parent Power lauded his efforts to support early childhood care, education, health, and wellness.

In 2016, Tony introduced new legislation to increase the penalties for when a threat involves a preschool, K-12 school or an institution of higher education. The new law makes threats of felonies which would result in a prison sentence.

In 2019, Sacred Heart University selected Tony to serve as one of two “Legislators in Residence” to better involve college students in public service and mentor those aspiring to run for office.

In 2022, Tony was recognized for his tireless advocacy on housing and other development issues affecting small towns by the Connecticut Council of Small Towns (COST). Also in 2022, the Connecticut Psychological Association chose Tony as its “Distinguished Legislator of the Year” award for his commitment to addressing inequities in healthcare and mental health services that impact state residents.

At the State Capitol, Tony continues to be focused on cost containment regarding insurance and utilities. In addition, Tony continues to strive to protect local zoning regulations and oppose any attempts by Hartford to mandate ‘one size fits all’ zoning regulations. Tony believes that one-size-fits-all state-mandated housing laws such as (8-30g) have not worked to address the critical need for affordable, accessible, and diverse housing in Connecticut. He continues to push for collaborative solutions from local, state, and federal leaders to increase housing availability in our suburbs, rural, and urban communities.