Hartford – Senate Majority Leader Bob Duff (D-Norwalk) and Deputy Senate Republican President Pro Tempore Kevin Witkos (R-Canton) are applauding the state Senate’s passage of a bill that removes barriers to employment by reforming the state’s occupational license laws. Senate Bill 191 phases out occupational licenses for jobs that don’t have educational or professional prerequisites. Currently, Connecticut has many occupational licenses workers are required to pay a fee to obtain even for certain occupations that have no educational or certification requirement. In these cases, such licenses amount to a fee on an occupation. This bill removes barriers to employment while still maintaining health and safety protections for consumers. “Here in Connecticut, we need to create more pathways to…
UNANIMOUS PASSAGE OF BILL TO IMPROVE EDUCATION FOR STUDENTS WITH DYSLEXIA
#Bridgeport CT--Senator Marilyn Moore (D-Bridgeport) celebrated the unanimous, bipartisan passage of a bill on Wednesday that will ensure special education teachers are trained to identify and address dyslexia. House Bill 7254 aims to improve the quality of education received by students with dyslexia by requiring special education teachers to complete a course of study and have supervised practicum hours in the detection and recognition of students who have dyslexia. “Children with dyslexia deserve a proper education, but that can’t happen unless they are first properly diagnosed. There are too many cases where children in our school systems aren’t receiving the help they deserve because of misdiagnosis. It’s frustrating for the teacher, for the parent, and most importantly it’s…
City Of Bridgeport Hosts The Mobile Vietnam Veterans Memorial
BRIDGEPORT, CT –The City of Bridgeport and The Association of Naval Veterans Port 5 is hosting the world traveled Vietnam Veterans Memorial ‘The Wall that Heals’. ‘The Wall that Heals’ is a mobile half-scale replica of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial located in Washington, D.C. built by The Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund, Inc. through Sunday at Seaside Park. The wall was opened to the public on Friday with a ceremony that opened with a Huey Helicopter Eagle One from the Stratford Police Department. State Senator Tony Hwang reminded the audience that freedom is never free. City Council Member Tom McCarthy delivered remarks on behalf of Mayor Joe Ganim who is currently out of the country. McCarthy said that when the…
Governor Reappoints Katz To Consumer Counsel
#Hartford CT--Governor Dannel P. Malloy today announced that he is re-appointing Elin Swanson Katz of West Hartford to serve another five-year term as Consumer Counsel for the State of Connecticut. The Consumer Counsel is responsible for advocating on behalf of Connecticut consumers on issues relating to electricity, natural gas, telecommunications, and water. “Throughout her tenure in the position, Elin has been a strong advocate on behalf of the Connecticut’s utility customers to serve as their voice in state government on a wide variety of complex issues,” Governor Malloy said. “I thank her for her willingness to continue in this role for another term.” “Representing Connecticut’s consumers as Consumer Counsel has been the highest honor of my career, and…
Governor- Seagull To Oversee Consumer Protection
HARTFORD, CT – Governor Dannel P. Malloy today announced that he is appointing Michelle Seagull of Glastonbury to serve as Commissioner of the Connecticut Department of Consumer Protection (DCP). Seagull has served as Deputy Commissioner of the agency since 2011, and has filled the position of Acting Commissioner since Jonathan A. Harris stepped down from the position last month. Previously, she was a partner at Axinn, Veltrop & Harkrider LLP, where her practice focused on issues related to unfair competition laws. “Since joining the Department of Consumer Protection in 2011, Seagull has served as a strong advocate to protect Connecticut citizens from unfair business practices and unsafe products, while enforcing the federal and state laws that ensure a…
Governor’s Statement On The Budget
#HARTFORD, CT – Governor Dannel P. Malloy released the following statement regarding the inability of the state legislature’s fiscal committees to adopt a budget today: “I am profoundly disappointed that neither Democrats nor Republicans could produce a budget that makes responsible progress toward addressing our fiscal challenges. I stand ready to work with leaders of both parties as they come to terms with the real and growing challenges facing Connecticut. “For now, the only balanced budget proposal is the one I put on the table in February. I will continue to share and discuss that plan publicly, listen to new ideas, and work toward a substantial cost-saving agreement with our state employees. What I will not do is…
Congressman Himes Investigates Russian Hack
As a member of the House Intelligence Committee investigating Russian interference in the 2016 election, I want to let you know where we stand. First of all, this investigation should move to an independent bipartisan commission. That’s the best way to assure the American people of the facts. Nevertheless, we must move forward. At this point, there are clear facts emerging. We know we were very deliberately attacked – and we’re not alone. The core democratic values of our nation were targeted in an attempt to make Americans question whether our system actually works. Russia is using a strategic plan to undermine the democratic process in countries across the West, including Europe. What did the attack look like? We know…
Averting Cuts To Human Service Programs State Wide
#Bridgeport CT--Today State Senator Tony Hwang, The CT Community Nonprofit Alliance (The Alliance) & The Kennedy Center and held a press conference in the Gallery of the Maggie Daly Arts Cooperative (MDAC), 1042 Broad Street, Bridgeport, to talk about how the state can avert devastating cuts to human service programs and save $1.3 billion over the next five years. The majority of Connecticut’s human service programs are provided by nonprofit, community-based agencies like the Kennedy Center, that contract with the state. The State also provides some services for individuals with developmental disabilities and mental health and substance abuse treatment at significantly higher costs. The Alliance is Connecticut’s statewide association of community nonprofits, which serve over 500,000 people each year and…
Malloy Not Running For Third Term
Today, Governor Dannel Malloy announced he will not seek a third term. How do you think history will remember him? How will you remember him? I began my first run for Governor on February 3, 2004, more than 13 years ago. And now, a little past the midway point in my second term, I’ve obviously had to consider what the future might look like for myself and my family, for the Democratic Party, and for our great state. I’ve thought a great deal about the areas my administration has tried to prioritize these past six years. Throughout our work, we’ve tried to play the long-game for Connecticut, not doing what is politically expedient, but rather what we believe…
BiPartisan Effort To Make Connecticut Biomedical Research Leader
HARTFORD, CT- With precision medicine becoming big business in Connecticut, the Commerce Committee has produced bipartisan proposals to coordinate efforts across the state, prepare Connecticut’s workforce and position Connecticut as a national leader in biomedical research. Members of the committee today stressed the need for cooperative support from government, education and private business in growing Connecticut’s bioscience sector. The legislators highlighted several bills they intend to support, and called for continued cooperation between the University of Connecticut, Yale University, The Jackson Laboratory and other stakeholders. “The Connecticut Health Data Collaborative has identified precision medicine and personalized health as a sector in Connecticut with tremendous power and potential,” said Senate President Pro Tempore Martin M. Looney (D-New Haven). “This…