March 25, 2026 · 26,114 words · 51 speakers · 643 segments
House come to order. Members, staff, and guests, please rise and direct your attention to the dais for our House Chaplain, Erica Thompson, will lead us in prayer. Erica, how are you?
So if we could just all take a deep breath and let us pray. Holy One, Source of Wisdom and Mercy, in this sacred season, when the rhythms of faith call so many into deeper reflection, through the fasting of Ramadan, the prayerful journey of Lent, the joy and remembrance of Purim, and the approaching story of Mg/ak 2 liberation in Passover - we pause together in humility and gratitude. Across traditions, this is a time when hearts turn inward, when communities remember who they are, and when people ask and seek to realign their lives with what is just, compassionate, and true. In that spirit, we gather in this chamber mindful that our work too requires reflection, honest, courageous, and ongoing. Grant these leaders may have clarity of mind and openness of heart. Help them to listen deeply to one another, to those they serve, and to the quiet wisdom that calls them toward justice. Steady them in moments of tension. Ground them in a shared commitment to the common good. May this be a time not only of deliberation, but of discernment, where decisions are shaped not by haste or division, but by care, integrity, and a vision for the flourishing of all people. Remind us that the work of governance is at its best an act of service, rooted in dignity, guided by compassion, and accountable to something greater than ourselves. In this season of sacred reflection, may each of us be renewed for the work before us. Amen. Mg/ak 3
And will Representative Iris Sanchez of the 25th join us for the Pledge of Allegiance? (Members): I pledge allegiance to the Flag of the United States of America, and to the Republic for which it stands, one Nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.
Thank you, Representative Sanchez. She did a far better job than the other Representative Sanchez from New Britain would do. I'm convinced of that. All right. Let's do business on the Clerk's desk before we do announcements and introductions, please.
Mr. Speaker, I have favorable reports, House Resolutions, and House Joint Resolutions. Mg/ak 4
Mr. Majority Leader? We're on favorable reports, Mr. Majority Leader.
Okay. I say that we waive the reading of them, and that the bills be tabled for the calendar and printing.
So ordered. (gavel)
Favorable reports, house bills?
Mr. Majority Leader, got you again.
Could the clerk repeat what he's asking me to do? Mg/ak 5
Favorable reports or House bill?
Favorable reports or house bills?
Well, I'm going to waive a reading of the House's favorable reports.
So ordered. (gavel) Table?
Table for the calendar and printing. So ordered. Mg/ak 6
And the daily calendar.
All right. Hey, everybody's got to give the Majority Leader a little breathing room at the beginning of the day. You got to give them a little bit of time to get this stuff done. All right. Representative Foster, what do you got? Representative Foster. You have the floor, madam. Hey, we are off to a bumpy start. Let's focus, let's get locked in, get out of here on a good time. Representative Foster, here we go.
Good morning, Mr. Speaker. I am going to reclaim the bumpy start. I rise for a point of personal privilege, and I'm waiting for a couple of guests to join us. I'm standing here with some of my esteemed colleagues in the legislature who are the very, very lucky beneficiaries of interns from our Coast Guard Academy. Mg/ak 7 I learned today that this is the first time that we have had cadets from the Coast Guard Academy to be legislative interns. And as the House Chair of Veterans and Military Affairs, I have to say that I'm awfully excited to present this crop of interns who have been astounding, really fantastically talented interns, legislative citations. This is the first of what we hope is a really wonderful partnership with the Coast Guard Academy. They have been wonderful interns to us this year, and so we are going to be presenting each of them with the legislative citation and challenge coins from the Chief of Capitol Police. And so I'm joined today by Representative Pizzuto, Representative Shannon, and Representative Howard, and we are presenting our legislative interns with their citations that read the same for all three of them. And it says, be it hereby known that all of the Connecticut House of Representatives hereby offer its sincerest congratulations to first-class cadet Lila Atawacker, Edward Massell, and Daniel Fredericks. You took my script. Your commissioning at the US Coast Guard, Sector Northern New England Post in Maine, and they all have their corresponding posts on Mg/ak 8 it. It's an honor that reflects your exceptional academic achievement, extracurricular excellence, unwavering bravery, and a deep dedication to service. Your assignment marks the start of your transition from cadet training to operational service, a monumental first step in your career as a military officer, representing not only the US Coast Guard Academy but the entire nation. And we look forward to all that you will accomplish throughout the next five years of active duty in the United States Coast Guard. And on behalf of the entire membership, we wish them our congratulations. And I just want to say, they've been fantastic.
Thank you. And thank you to our interns from the Coast Guard Academy. And thank you for, and best of luck in the future. And thank you for your service to our state and our country. Representative Gaiewski of the fortieth, what do you have for us, sir?
Mg/ak 9 Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I rise for the purpose of an announcement.
All right. Monday, April 13th, will be the 5th Annual Kickball Game between the Democrats and Republicans. It will be at Dunkin Park as usual. Tickets are now live. They are $10. And our charity of this year we will be playing for is the United Way of Connecticut. So I just wanted to make that announcement for the chamber.
How many people are on our team?
We have roughly, last count was 36 on the Democratic roster. Mg/ak 10
Well, we lost if that's the case.
There's no self-identification of kickball talent. I can tell you that. Representative Ackert, the 8th.
Good morning, sir. How are you?
How are you, Representative?
Point of announcement?
May proceed. Mg/ak 11
Maybe some accolades. So we had the basketball capital of the world in Storrs. Well, on the border of Storrs, Connecticut, is Coventry, Connecticut. And I think some of that talent is jumping to our students in Coventry High School, who the Lady Patriots are back-to-back Division III state title winners. So if I get a round of applause for them. And I wish Representative Johnson was here, who's a big proponent of Wyndham Tech. The first time in over 60 years, the Wyndham Tech men's basketball team won the Division IV state title. So a round of applause for them as well. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Representative Ackert. Representative Felipe from -- sorry, one second, Antonio. One second. Representative Butler. Yes. My apologies.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I rise for a point of personal privilege. Mg/ak 12
You may proceed, sir.
I'd like to announce the passing of an amazing man, Dr. Augustine Attiah. He was born in Ghana, the eldest of nine children to a minor Ashanti chief who held the title, which translated to keeper of the royal Ashanti swords. When his family looked to him to succeed his father as chief of the Ashanti, he declined and instead set out on his goal of becoming a doctor here in America. He did come to America with his wife, Anne. After the University of Chicago and medical school, he became a doctor. He moved to Dallas, Texas, where he practiced at Carlton Methodist Hospital and held a private practice. Mr. Speaker, he had three children, two daughters, and a son, Mark, who is my son-in-law. He inspired his children to be high achievers, especially his son that followed in his footsteps in the medical field and is currently a neurosurgeon. With his passing, it's very sad for my family and me. Mg/ak 13 Mr. Speaker, I ask that our members please rise and provide a moment of silence for an amazing man, Dr. Augustine Attiah, that has demonstrated people from other nations around the world can come to America and make significant contributions. Thank you.
Thank you, Representative Butler, and from the entire chamber, our condolences to your family. Chamber has risen for a moment of silence, please. Thank you. Thank you, Deputy Speaker Butler. Representative Felipe, sorry about that. You have the floor, sir.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I rise for the purpose of an announcement.
Yeah, proceed. Mg/ak 14
Everybody, this year, our Annual Spring Fling for the BPRC will be on April 9th. Tickets are live. Just want to let you know, go to your nearest BPRC member. Staff obviously have a staff discount. We'd love to see you there, and hopefully, we can get some tickets sold. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you. That is Thursday, April 9th, I believe. Correct, sir?
Thursday, April 9th. Okay. Red Sox will be 5-0 by then. We have a birthday in the chamber. Why don't we say happy birthday to Representative Morrin Bello from the 28th in Weathersfield? (applauding) We were texting nice and early today on her Mg/ak 15 birthday. Representative Courpas of the 149th through the floor, madam.
Hello, Mr. Speaker. I rise today for a point of personal privilege. Today, March 25th, is Greek Independence Day. So I'm joined with my fellow legislators of Greek descent, Representative Klarides, Representative Poulus, Representative Constantine, Representative Heffernan, and Representative Kavros DeGraw. Today marks the war of independence when Greece freed itself from the Ottoman Empire and became a state. So today, we have a lot of pride and joy in our Greek heritage and our culture, which brought the world democracy, which I know is important to all of us in this chamber. Thank you.
Thank you. Representative Meskers of the 150th, second to last in numbers, you have the floor, sir.
Mg/ak 16 Thank you. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. From the penultimate district, I like to say --
Oh, there's a word for you. Yes.
So March is always a difficult or complicated month for me. Beginning of March, I completed another birthday, which I always have mixed feelings about, but I guess it's always better to complete another birthday. The 18th is the birthday of my dearly departed mother. And then in a moment of joyous celebration, I join with my colleague, Amy Morrin Bello, to celebrate my son's birthday, which is today, the 25th. So I just want to bring a shout-out to my son, Christian, on his birthday. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. (applauding)
Always fun to have birthdays. Representative O'Dea. Tommy's not there. We'll get him -- all right. We'll wait for you. Mg/ak 17
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I rise for the purpose of an announcement and an introduction, if I may.
Sure. Why not?
First, an announcement. I wanted to make sure -- well, I probably should've done it before my colleagues came over, but Lucy Dathan and I represent New Canaan, as you may know. And guess who won the boys' state championship in ice hockey for the first time in 54 years?
Mg/ak 18 No, Mr. Speaker. But it's a good guess. I do love Westport. New Canaan Boys won the state championship for the first time in 54 years, and Representative Dathan and I were thrilled, and we're thrilled to announce that. So, if I can have a round of applause for New Canaan High School Boys. (applauding) Now equally compelling for my introduction, Mr. Speaker, I have with me Representative Steinberg, Representative Marr, and Representative Johnson, unfortunately, is doing the business of the state, and, actually, is right here in the well with our honorees. And I want to announce that the Science Olympiad, the prestigious nationwide STEM competition, was won for the second time in a row by the Fairfield County Homeschooler Science Olympiad team. Isn't that amazing? And with us here in the House is the winning team. They competed in 23 events spanning physics, engineering, chemistry, earth science, and biology. The national tournament included approximately 60 teams throughout the United States. And this middle school homeschooling team recently placed first in Connecticut and qualified for the national, hosted by the University of Southern California in LA on May 23, 2026. So the team is going to California to represent Connecticut. Mg/ak 19 I want to announce that the members of the team, I want to have them stand up as I announce them, and Representative Simms came up. There's Representative Johnson. We're all thrilled to have them. James Smeed, please stand up. Sasha Anikeev, Claire Mathissen, Link Mayfield, Dagne Mayfield, Levi Corrigan, and coaches, Nadia (inaudible), the head coach, Gosia Schmid, Tamika Mayfield, and Liza Matheson. What an amazing accomplishment. Please warm round of applause. (applauding)
Thank you, Representative O'Dea, and congratulations. It's quite an accomplishment. We wish you the best of luck in California in May when you go. Representative Godfrey of the 110th, you have the floor, sir.
Thank you. Good morning, Mr. Speaker. I have two introductions, if I may, Mr. Speaker.
Mg/ak 20 Of course, you may.
This young gentleman standing right next to me is Shepherd Fisher. He hails from Meriden. He's a junior at Maloney High School. But, more importantly, I think, for over 50 years, the Connecticut General Assembly has hosted the YMCA Youth and Government Program. They come in here every year. Only interruption was COVID. They come in every year. They take over this building. They have a legislature. They have a court. And this is the youth governor. Mr. Fisher has served this year. He's going to serve a second term next year. I'm very proud of him and all of the high school and middle school students that came in here about three weeks ago. I really would hope that my colleagues would give the young man a good round of applause. Thank you. (applauding)
Congratulations. I hope you're a benevolent governor. I hope you rule well. Mg/ak 21
You never know.
You know, it's true. Till they get an office now. It's true.
The legislature has hired graduates of the youth in government program. So it's a threshold operation. I really enjoy it. My second introduction. Of course, we've been involved and active in the Council of State Governments since its foundation during the great depression. We're the only national organization that encompasses all three branches of government. It's all 50 states, Canadian provinces, territories in the Caribbean, and the only one also that has four regions. Today, this is Wendell Hannaford standing in front of me. He's the interim executive director of CSG East. He's here with a number of his staff members; Tara Sad, Debbie Page, Charles Ellison, Jacqueline Odanga, excuse me if I'm mangling these Mg/ak 22 names, and Chris Kelleher. They're making their annual capital visit that they were going to be meeting with leadership. They're going to be meeting with many people who are involved. I want to give a shout out to Tami Zawistowski, who's the Republican House member who's been very much involved in CSG. And they asked me to invite you all to our annual meeting on December 13th through 16th, 2026. It's our 65th annual meeting in San Juan, Puerto Rico. Great place to be in December. So please give them a round of applause. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. (applauding)
Thank you, Representative Godfrey. Welcome to our guest from CSG. It is a little loud in here, so if people could just bring it down a little bit. It is hard to hear. Thank you. Representative Howard, you have the floor, sir.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I have two announcements, if I can. Mg/ak 23
One somber and one quite happy.
Some of my colleagues, especially when we bring out a bill later on, will recognize that my colleague Representative Nuccio will not be here today. Very uncharacteristic for Rep. Nuccio to miss any legislative day, but so folks are aware, her mother passed away last night, somewhat suddenly, somewhat unexpectedly. I'm not going to ask for a moment of silence.
Mg/ak 24 I would like to if that's okay. That's all right. We'll get back to your other announcement if that's okay. So Representative Howard just alluded to the fact that Representative Nuccio lost her mother unexpectedly last night. So why don't we stand for a moment of silence and recognize our colleague and her family and offer our thoughts, prayers, and condolences? Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Representative Howard, you may continue. Yes.
Thank you. Many folks know that, and she's sharing the floor that Rep. Nuccio came from some very humble beginnings. And I just wanted my colleagues to know why she's not here today and ask that you keep Rep. Nuccio and her husband, her daughters, and their family in your thoughts and prayers. And Mg/ak 25 I'm sure that Representative Nuccio, who despite those humble beginnings is a dominant legislator, a very successful lady, and I'm sure she wants to honor her mom when she comes back. And I look forward to her return. And it wouldn't shock me one bit, Mr. Speaker, if Representative Nuccio is listening right now, so I want her to hear from me and from all of us how much we will miss her today. We look forward to her return. We look forward to her honoring her mother on this floor, and we certainly love her very much. If I could continue with a point of personal privilege, Mr. Speaker.
May proceed, sir.
Mr. Speaker, the Stonington High School Girls' basketball team, coached by Paulla Solar, who this year recorded her 500th career win as a girls basketball coach for Stonington High School at Mohegan Sun this past Sunday night, took home the division four girls state championship game against a very difficult Morgan High School. Rep. Aniskovich, you have a Mg/ak 26 wonderful high school out there, and they gave our girls quite a hard time in the regular season. But on Sunday, led by the sole senior on the team and team captain Leah De Perri, and the NFHS player of the game, Cora Babin, who scored 19 points, the girls came out. They were undeterred. They were certainly not intimidated. They held their own during the first quarter and dominated the court from there on out, taking the third state title of coach Solar's career back to Stonington, the first one in 10 years. So I hope my colleagues will join me in congratulating the Stonington High School Girls' basketball team.
Representative Bonlisky. Representative Bolinsky. Representative Bolinsky, the floor is yours, sir.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. It's a pleasure to see you on this bright, sunny day. A point of introduction, if I might. Mg/ak 27
You may proceed.
Standing with me right now is a part of the army in red. So the AARP advocacy group, today's group led by John Wilson, they're here with us, and we're marking a whole new calendar this year in 2026 of good senior legislation in the Aging Committee. We had an earlier press conference. It's always great to stand amongst the volunteers in red. And we're looking forward to having a great session, and I just want everybody in the House to just take a moment and recognize the power of the people, and one of the nation's most influential groups of advocates, AARP. (applauding) Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Representative Bolinsky. Welcome to our chamber, and I hope it's not too cool for you. I know we keep it cold in here. Representative Heffernan, what do you got? Mg/ak 28
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I'd like to rise this morning for a point of personal privilege.
West Haven, the great city of West Haven, won not one, but two state championships. Our unified basketball team won the state championship, and our boy's basketball CIAC Division I won in a triple overtime against Staples to win the championship for the first time in 39 years. So I'd like everyone to join us in a little round of applause for our teams. Thank you. (applauding)
A lot of state champions today. Representative Kavros DeGraw. What do you have, Madam Chair?
Mg/ak 29 Thank you so much, Mr. Speaker.
What's going on in Avon?
I rise for a point of personal privilege. Yes. It's actually not something that happened in Avon, but I did want to honor my grandmother, who turned 94 last week. I just wanted to say, she's had a really difficult couple of years. I would say that my mother and I would both say that our independence comes sincerely from this wonderful woman who moved from Philadelphia at barely 19 years old to Alexandria, Virginia, to raise a wonderful family. Unfortunately, my grandfather passed away about a year and a half ago, and so it's been a real challenge for her to keep fighting. But it has also been an honor to see that she keeps putting one foot in front of the other, and we are so happy that she is still with us and celebrated that 94th birthday with her Mg/ak 30 entire family. So I just would appreciate a little round of applause for her time turning 94. (applauding) And the second half of that is that we had our wonderful announcement about Greek Independence Day. We invite all of you to join us today at 4:30 for a commemoration downstairs in the lobby. There will be Greek dancing and Greek music, and a little bit of a story about how important Greek Independence Day was in the United States and the relationship between Thomas Jefferson and one of the liberators of Greece. Thank you so much.
Thank you. Thank you. Happy birthday to your grandmother. Representative Vail.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I rise for a point of personal privilege.
You may proceed, sir. Mg/ak 31
I'm going to jump on the state championship bandwagon. I'd like to congratulate the Stafford High School boys basketball team on their first state championship in 73 years. They won Divsion V state championship Sunday at the Mohegan Sun. And first time since 1953 when the team won the class's state championship. So, hopefully, we'll have them up here and introduce them before the end of the session this year, but I just wanted to give a shout-out to him today. So thank you very much. (applauding)
Representative Mushinsky, 85. Wallingford.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
What do you got? Mg/ak 32
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I just want to announce and congratulate Lyman Hall High School in Wallingford. They won the CIAC hockey championship. Congrats to Lyman Hall. (applauding)
Could have you play O'Dea's High School. It'd be a good matchup. Representative Comey, the 102nd. Did you hit that button by accident, madam? We will take you off the board. Representative Puolus of the 81st. What do you got? Another state title to announce?
Thank you, Mr. Spooker. I rise for the point of a personal privilege.
Mg/ak 33 Okay. Today, I'm joined here in the chamber with Austin Florian. He was an Olympian in Italy from my district, a skeleton racer. He did quite well. He came in seventh in the mixed and 12th for the men's, just back from Lake Placid, where he secured another national championship. I want to give him a warm welcome.
Absolutely. Congratulations. Thank you for joining us, and congratulations on your success in the Olympics. So, welcome. Representative Menapace, you have the floor, sir.
Good morning, Mr. Speaker. I rise for a moment of personal privilege.
May proceed, sir.
Mg/ak 34 Thank you. And the same line of athletics, last October, our capital city soccer club, Hartford Athletic, won the inaugural USL Cup, defeating Sacramento one-nil and asserting that Hartford is officially better than Sacramento. They have brought a trophy to our great state. They have started this season undefeated on the road, and in honor of their home opener this Saturday, I was hoping that the assembly would join me in thanking the players, coaches, and the supporters group, the Bonanza and Raza Baza, for their commitment and passion. Let's all wish Hartford Athletic success this 2026 season. (applauding)
Okay. Let's get down to business. Will the Clerk please call House Calendar Number 1?
On Page 5, Calendar Number 1, House Joint Resolution Number 1, Resolution confirming the nomination of the Honorable Tammy T. Nguyen-O'Dowd of Bloomfield to be a member of the Judicial Mg/ak 35 Review Council. Favorable report of Executive and Legislative Nominations.
The chair will recognize Representative Concepcion from the city of Hartford, and District 4. The chairman of the Executive and Legislative Nominations Committee. You may proceed.
Good morning, Mr. Speaker, I move acceptance of the committee's favorable report and adoption of the resolution.
Questions acceptance of the joint committee's favorable report and the passage of the resolution. You may proceed, sir.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, Nguyen O'Dowd received her BA from the University of California in San Diego and her JD from the Catholic University of America in Washington DC. She Mg/ak 36 began her legal career as a legal research clerk at the Connecticut Judicial Branch in 2003 before transitioning to the office of the Attorney General's Child Protection Unit as the assistant attorney general. In 2017, she was nominated by then-Governor Malloy to the superior court, where she's been assigned to the judicial district right here in the city of Hartford. In her time behind the bench, she served on several judicial branch committees and has been an active presidential fellow and a member of the Bar Association. Her knowledge of this system and her temperament make her an ideal candidate. Her nomination passed unanimously out of committee. Mr. Speaker, I urge adoption.
Questions, adoption. Would you care to remark further? It looks like the ranking member, Representative Yaccarino of the 87th, has something to say. You have the floor, sir.
Good morning, Mr. Speaker, and go UConn. Mg/ak 37
Well said. That's all you're going to say?
You probably had a good reception. We'll see what you say after that.
I'm usually short. No. I say it every year, but it's a pleasure working with Chairman Concepcion in Exec Nom's. We had a lot of nominees this year. Judge, O'Dowd, yes, is a tremendous candidate, and all the good things that the Good Chairman said, I support her 100%. We need these arbiters. We need these judicial. The judicial review is very important for society, and I think it's important to support her. I stand in strong support. Thank you. Mg/ak 38
Okay. Thank you, Representative Yaccarino. Would you care to mark further? Would you care to remark further? Is there an objection to a voice vote? Is there an objection to a voice vote? Seeing none, I will try your minds. All those in favor, please signify by saying aye.
Those opposed, nay. The ayes have it. The resolution is adopted. (gavel)
Good morning, everybody. Will the Clerk please call House Calendar Number 2?
Mg/ak 39 Page 6, Calendar 2, House Joint Resolution Number Two. Resolution confirming the nomination of the honorable Eugene Calistro Jr. of Guilford to be a member of the Judicial Review Council. Favorable report of Executive and Legislative Nominations.
Representative Concepcion, sir, you have the floor.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Good to see you up there. Mr. Speaker, I move acceptance of the committee's favorable report and adoption of the resolution.
The question for the chamber is acceptance of the joint committee's favorable report and passage of the bill. Representative Yaccarino, you have the floor. Sorry. Representative Julio Concepcion, back to you. Sorry. Mg/ak 40
No. No worries at all. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, Judge Calistro received his BA from the University of New Haven and his JD from Mercer University. He began his legal career as an associate trial attorney at a firm in New Haven before becoming a senior assistant state attorney for the past 15 years. In 2018, Judge Calistro was nominated by, again, then Governor Malloy to be a judge of the state superior court, where he's been assigned to hear juvenile matters in Waterbury, Bridgeport, and Middletown. Since August 2020, he's been the presiding judge for the superior court in New Haven. During his testimony at our committee meeting, Judge Calistro spoke a lot about accountability, obviously, that you have to have, in this role. He truly does understand that the public's confidence in the judicial system comes with checks and balances and ensuring that the proper conduct is on and off the bench. His nomination passed unanimously out of committee. And with that, Mr. Speaker, I urge adoption. Mg/ak 41
Will you remark further on the resolution? Representative Yaccarino, sir, you have the floor.
Yes. Good afternoon, Mr. Speaker. Good to see you. Justice Calistro was tremendous. He just retired, I think, recently from the bench because of the mandate after, I think, age of 70. He's got a wealth of experience, wealth of knowledge, and I think he'll be a great asset to this board. I support him 100%. Thank you.
Thank you, Representative. Will you remark further on the resolution? Will you remark further on the resolution before us? Representative Quinn, sir, you have the floor.
Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. And not to correct my good friend, the Ranking Member, but Judge Calistro has not Mg/ak 42 reached the retirement age, and we're actually going to have him back for his reappointment. But in any event, I've known Judge Calistro for over a decade, first having cases with him when he was a prosecutor and have appeared before him a number of times since he's been a judge. He has the perfect temperament, to be a member of the Judicial Review Council, and I certainly encourage all of my colleagues to support his nomination. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Representative Quinn. Will you remark further on the resolution before us? Will you remark further on the resolution before us? And now, I will try your minds. Is there a request for a roll call vote? All those in favor, please signify by saying aye.
Mg/ak 43 All those opposed, say nay. Resolution is adopted. (gavel) Will the Clerk please call House Calendar Number 3?
On Page 6, House Calendar Number 3, House Joint Resolution Number 7. Resolution confirming the nomination of Samarth Bassant of South Windsor to be a nonvoting student member of the State Board of Education. Favorable report of Executive and Legislative Nominations.
Representative Julio Concepcion.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I move acceptance to the committee's favorable report and adoption of the resolution.
Mg/ak 44 Okay. The question for the chamber is acceptance of the House Committee's favorable report and adoption of the resolution. Representative Concepcion, you still have the floor.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, without a doubt, these next two nominees are my favorite ones. Mr. Basanth is currently a senior at South Windsor High School. He's ranked first in his class of 375 students with a weighted GPA of 4.39, which I didn't even know that was possible, and scored a perfect score on his AMC 12 exams. He was one of 14 students nationally to be selected to the American Heart Association Youth Leadership Council, where he worked to bring cardiovascular health education directly into the classroom. Mr. Basanth also created his own nonprofit. He's only 17, that has raised over $45,000, to deliver kits to NICUs. During his very impressive testimony at our committee, he truly understands that his voice is critical for functions of the board, and he hopes to build out a statewide suited board network. I was blown away by his testimony. His nomination Mg/ak 45 obviously went unanimously out of committee. And with that, Mr. Speaker, I urge adoption.
The question for the chamber is acceptance of the house committee's favorable report and adoption of the of the resolution. We recognize Representative Yaccarino. And if we could please take our conversations outside so we could hear the Representative. Go ahead.
I'd like to apologize. I was wrong about Judge Calistro. Well, there's another judge that's going to retire and I apologize about that. We had a lot of judges this year. I stand in strong support of this.
Continue, Representative.
Mg/ak 46 I appreciate that. Of the student State Board of Education member. Just blew us away. So articulate. Cardiovascular is such an issue in this country and for that young person to take that task on and brings hope to our society and our world. So I echo the words of our Good Chair. I stand in strong support. Thank you.
Thank you, Representative. Will you remark further on the resolution? Will you remark further on the resolution? If not, I will try your minds. Is there any opposition to a voice vote? All those in favor, please say aye.
Opposed? Resolution passes. (gavel) Will the Clerk please call House Calendar Number 4? Mg/ak 47
On Page 6, Calendar Number 4, House Joint Resolution Number 8. Resolution confirming the nomination of Hansika Lenkala of East Granby to be a nonvoting student member of the State Board of Education. Favorable report of Executive and Legislative Nominations.
Please take those conversations outside. We cannot hear the Representative. Representative Concepcion, you have the floor.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I move acceptance of the committee's favorable report and adoption of the resolution.
The question for the chamber is acceptance of the House Committee's favorable report and adoption of resolution. Representative Concepcion, you still have the floor. Mg/ak 48
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, this is our second of this student nominees and just as impressive as the first. Ms. Lenkala is currently a senior at East Granby High School, where she has a weighted GPA of 4.58. She served as a student representative at the East Granby Board of Education, where she has conducted student surveys, presented policy reports, and facilitated communications between students and school leadership. Ms. Lenkala is also interned at youth policy, as well as being a legislative intern for the Connecticut Commission on Women, Children, Seniors Equity and Opportunity. Similar to our last student, she too was remarkable during the testimony. We're currently really lucky to have such talent here in our state. Her nomination passed unanimously out of committee. And with that, Mr. Speaker, I urge adoption.
Thank you, Representative. Will you remark further? Representative Yaccarino, sir, you have the floor. Mg/ak 49
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I stand in strong support. Second State Board of Education student member. It's so important to have these young men and women on this board to bring the perspective of high school students and students across the state. The issues that they face every day and the potential policies they want to create for a better education system. I think it's important to have that youth's view. I stand in strong support. Thank you.
Thank you, Representative Yaccarino. Will you remark further? Representative Zawistowski from the 61st. Madam, you have the floor.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I stand in enthusiastic support for the nomination of Ms. Lenkala to the state board of education. She has the incredibly good experience and dedication for this post. I've gotten to know her in the years by letter because Mg/ak 50 I've sent out multiple congratulatory notes to her for all these different accomplishments that she's had between DAR essays, appointments to various spots in the town, and also for National Honor Society, things like that. And I finally had a chance to meet her and talk with her in person, when the Connecticut Association of Student Councils came to visit a a couple of months ago. I'm also extremely happy to have a nomination of for the State Board of Education from the state's smallest K through 12 school system. So I enthusiastically, again, support for nomination and urged approval. Thank you, Mr. Chair.
Thank you, Representative. Will you remark further on the resolution before us? Will you remark further on the resolution before us? If not, I will try your minds. Is there any opposition to a voice vote? Hearing none, all those in favor say aye.
Aye. Mg/ak 51
Opposed, nay. Resolution passes. (gavel) Will the Clerk please call House Calendar Number 25?
On Page 6, Calendar Number 25, House Joint Resolution Number 29. Resolution confirming the nomination of Janice C. Jermain of New Britain to be reappointed a member of the State Department of Education Arbitration Panel. Favorable report of Executive and Legislative Nominations.
Oh, hang on a second. Representative Julio Concepcion, please.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I move acceptance of the committee's favorable report and adoption of the resolution.
Mg/ak 52 The question before the chamber's acceptance of the House committee's favorable report and adoption of the resolution. Representative Concepcion, please continue.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, Ms. Jerman received her BA from Purdue University and her JD from UConn School of Law. Go Huskies. She began her career as a solo practitioner focusing on labor and employment law while collaborating on other sectors, including private law and representing administrative hearings. Since 1995, Ms. Jerman, has been a self employed neutral arbitrator, and hearing officer providing service to both public and private sectors. These include the Connecticut Employee Review Board, labor relations, and, of course, her work here with the Connecticut Department of Education. During our committee meeting, she was well-versed at the job she has to do. Her nomination passed unanimously out of committee. Mr. Speaker, with that, I urge adoption.
Mg/ak 53 The question for the chamber is acceptance of the House committee's favorable report and adoption of the resolution. Representative Yaccarino, sir, you have the floor.
Yes, Mr. Speaker. Ms. Jermane was just really impressive. Her career's her been spent in labor law. Their job, her job, and the other arbiters are to have a good outcome for both sides with the minimal cost and good solutions at the end of the day. So I stand strong support. Thank you.
Thank you, Representative. Will you remark further on this resolution? Will you remark further on this resolution before us? If not, I will try your minds. Is there any opposition to a voice vote? Hearing none, all those in favor signify by saying aye.
Aye. Mg/ak 54
Those opposed say nay. The ayes have it and the resolution passes. (gavel) Will the Clerk please call House Calendar Number 26?
On Page 6, Calendar 26, House Joint Resolution Number 30. Resolution confirming the nomination of Delwyn F. Cummings of Meriden to be a member of the Board of Regents for Higher Education. Favorable report of Executive and Legislative Nominations.
Representative Julio Concepcion, sir, you have the floor.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I move acceptance of the committee's favorable report and adoption of the resolution.
Mg/ak 55 The question before the chamber is acceptance of the House committee's favorable report and adoption of the resolution. Representative Concepcion, you still have the floor.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, Mr. Cummings is BS from Alfred University in New York and is MS from the University of Connecticut. Go Huskies. He has a very unique background, where he started at Advanced Technology Materials, which is located in New Milford, where he was responsible for research product development and marketing semiconductor materials. He then changed to the world of academia, where he became a professor of science at Naugatuck Valley Community College where he's taught for 27 years prior to his retirement in 2020. During his testimony at our hearing, Mr. Cummings spoke about the importance of the growing relationship between the private and public sectors, as well as the education system. His rare experience in both public and private make him an ideal candidate for this position. His nomination passed unanimously out of committee. Mr. Speaker, I urge adoption. Mg/ak 56
Will you remark further on the resolution? Representative Yaccarino.
Yes. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I was really impressed with Mr. Cummings. His private sector job experience, his academia experience, and bringing out to this important board to try to put emphasis on our higher education for tech jobs, for actually jobs that are for the real world and to work with AI, but also really have that experience with business partners and jobs and education. So I think it's very really important. I stand in strong support of Mr. Cummings. Thank you.
Thank you, Representative. Will you remark further on the resolution before us? Will you remark further on the resolution before us? If not, I will try your minds. If there is no opposition to a voice vote, will you please signify, if you're in favor, by saying, aye. Mg/ak 57
If you're opposed, say nay. The ayes have it and the resolution is adopted. (gavel) Will the Clerk please call House Calendar Number 31?
On Page 7, Calendar 31, House Joint Resolution Number 58. Resolution confirming the nomination of the Honorable Barry F. Armata of Suffield to be a member of the Judicial Review Council. Favorable report of Executive and Legislative Nominations.
Representative Julio Concepcion, you have the floor, sir.
Mg/ak 58 Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I move acceptance of the committee's favorable report and adoption of the resolution.
The question before the chamber is acceptance of the House Committee's favorable report and adoption of the resolution. Representative Concepcion, you still have the floor.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, Judge Armata received his MA from Boston and his JD from Syracuse. After admitting to the bar in 1984, he held several legal positions in a variety of law firms in the state, including being a general practitioner and eventually specializing in family law. In 2017, then Governor Malloy nominated him to be a Connecticut Superior judge, where he has served in multiple municipalities, including Waterbury, Tolland, and New Britain. During his testimony, Judge Armata spoke about the importance of holding all parties accountable and understands the importance of such a high profile position. His nomination passed unanimously out of committee. Mr. Speaker, I urge adoption. Mg/ak 59
Will you remark further on the resolution? Representative Yaccarino of the 87th, you have the floor.
Yes, Mr. Speaker. Judge Armata was very impressed with his wealth of experience, wealth of knowledge, and to be impartial, it's such an important role because nobody's above the law, including our courts, and I think it's important to have a strong judicial review. So I stand in strong support. Thank you.
Thank you, Representative Yaccarino. Will you remark further on the resolution before us? Will you remark further? If not, I will try your minds. All those in favor who will signify by saying aye.
Aye. Mg/ak 60
All those opposed say nay. The ayes have it and the resolution is adopted. (gavel) Will the Clerk please call House Calendar Number 32?
On Page 7, Calendar 32, House Joint Resolution Number 59. Resolution confirming the nomination of Janice Beecher of New Britain to be a utility commissioner of the Public Utilities Regulatory Authority. Favorable report of Executive and Legislative Nominations.
Representative Chaffee, sir, for what reason do you rise?
I would like to recuse myself to avoid the appearance of a conflict of interest.
Mg/ak 61 Proceed, sir. Representative Julio Concepcion, back to you, sir.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I move acceptance of the committee's favorable report and adoption of the resolution.
The question for the chamber is acceptance of the House committee's favorable report and adoption of the resolution. Representative Concepcion, you still have the floor.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, Dr. Beecher received her BA from Elmhurst College, and both her MA and PhD from Northwestern. She has dedicated, really, her entire professional career to studying and supporting the public utilities regulation beginning in 1983 as a utility commissioner assistant over in Illinois. Her most recent positions were as director of the Institute of Public Utilities at Michigan State University, Mg/ak 62 where they were tasked with delivering basic and advanced professional education on economic regulations. She has penned several dozen publications on utility regulations with a focus on structure, practices, funding, and financing. Her testimony at our committee was extremely impressive. She knows what she's talking about. I think she would make a perfect addition to the PURA board. With that, Mr. Speaker, I urge adoption.
Will you remark further on this resolution? Representative Yaccarino of the 87th, sir?
Yes, Mr. Speaker. We had four of the new PURA commissioners in front of Exec Noms about three weeks ago, and I think it's a good thing for our state. We're going to have five members now. Former member Arconti is the oldest member. He's only been there for about 13, 14 months. Yet, Ms. Beecher was very impressive. She's about 45 years of experience and knowledge of the Mg/ak 63 regulatory system, and I stand in support of her. And I hope we all do, especially the next member. So thank you.
Thank you, Mr. Yaccarino. Will you remark further? Representative Dillon, you have the floor, madam. Representative Dillon, did you want to speak on this resolution? Will you remark further on this resolution? Will you remark further on this resolution? If not, I will try your minds. Is there a request for a roll call vote? Hearing none, we will do a voice vote. All those in favor say aye.
Opposed? The ayes have it and the resolution is adopted. Will the Clerk please call House Calendar Number 33?
Mg/ak 64 Page 7, Calendar 33, House Joint Resolution Number 60. Resolution confirming the nomination of Holly Cheeseman of Niantic to be a utility commissioner of the Public Utilities Regulatory Authority. Favorable report of Executive and Legislative Nominations.
Thank you, Mr. Clerk. Representative Chaffee, sir, you have the floor.
I would like to recuse myself to avoid appearance of conflict of interest.
Thank you, Representative. Proceed. Representative Julio Conceacion, sir, you have the floor.
Mg/ak 65 Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I move acceptance of the committee's favorable report and adoption of the resolution.
The question for the chamber is acceptance of the House Committee's favorable report and adoption of the resolution. Representative Concepcion, you still have the floor.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, Former Representative Cheeseman received her MA from Mount Holyoke College over in Massachusetts. After graduation, she's held several positions, including executive director of LVA Corporate Communication and, of course, as the executive director of the Niantic Children's Museum. Former Representative Cheeseman, obviously, is no stranger to this chamber, and she spent eight years here at the General Assembly representing the Greek residents of the 37th district. As a legislator, she spent all eight years on the Energy and Technology Committee where, of course, she dealt with many Mg/ak 66 of the PURA's purview. During her testimony, she was clear and concise on the importance of PURA, both specifically on the commissioner's duties to be independent, judicious, and informed. She completely understands what PURA does. We did have a couple baseball references just for giggles with her. With that, Mr. Speaker, I urge adoption.
Will you remark further on this resolution? Representative Yaccarino, the 87h, you have the floor.
Yes, Mr. Speaker. It's an honor and pleasure to say a few words about our former colleague, Representative Cheeseman, and now one of the commissioners on the PURA board. She's just outstanding. She's thoughtful. She's considerate. She's got knowledge. She was a tremendous legislator. She really did her homework. And as a PURA commissioner, she'll continue to do her homework and be impartial and to call, like we said, balls and strikes and just play the game fair. And I think she's a tremendous asset to the state. Mg/ak 67 Hopefully, our utility bills in the future. But at the end of the day, she's got the knowledge and the temperament to do the job, and I think she'll do a tremendous job. Like I said earlier with the previous commissioner, it's good that we have a new board, a fresh start, and I think with Holly there, she'll be, I think, maybe the cleanup header, but thank you.
Thank you, Representative Yaccarino. Representative Rutigliano, the 123rd, sir, you have the floor.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I didn't prepare remarks before I came in today, but I would be remiss if I didn't stand up and talk about my friend and colleague, Representative Cheeseman, who happens to be one of my favorite people on the planet. I have never worked with somebody more thoughtful, smart, and we worked on so many issues together. She was interested in so many things. She gave up her time. She was always available by the call. She always had something Mg/ak 68 to add to every conversation with ever the issue, and she was learning. If she didn't know about something, she'd go out and learn about something. Holly truly is -- I mean, I'm happy for her today, but one of the saddest days I've ever had is when I didn't get to work with her in this chamber. And I just wanted to express myself. I hope she's listening to tell her how much I care for her. I love her and that we all miss her and we wish her well. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Representative Rutigliano. Will you remark further on this resolution? Will you remark further on this resolution before us? If not, I will try your minds. Is there an objection to a voice vote? Seeing none, all those in favor say aye.
Mg/ak 69 All those opposed say nay. The ayes have it and the resolution is adopted. (gavel) Will the Clerk please call House Calendar Number 41?
Page 7, Calendar 41, House Resolution Number 5. Resolution confirming the nomination of George Barrios of Fairfield to be a member of the Board of Trustees for the University of Connecticut. Favorable report of Executive and Legislative Nomination.
The question before the chamber is acceptance of this House committee's favorable report and adoption of the resolution. Representative Concepcion, you have the floor.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I move the acceptance of the committee's favorable report and adoption of the resolution. Mg/ak 70
Will you remark further on this resolution? Representative Concepcion.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, Mr. Barrios received both his BA and his MBA from the University of Connecticut. Go Huskies. He began his career as a senior finance and general management roles before becoming co-president and CFO of WWE, where he spent more than a decade, where he helped the organization through significant period of changes that it's transformed from the traditional media business to what, obviously, we know WWE is today. In 2021, he co-founded ISOS Capital Management, where he currently serves as co-CEO. Mr. Barrios also serves on several nonprofit boards, including nationally the Make A Wish America. UConn obviously played an important role in his life. His passion was evident during our committee meeting, and he'll make a fantastic addition to the Board of Trustees for the University Mg/ak 71 of Connecticut. His nomination passed unanimously out of committee. Mr. Speaker, I urge adoption.
Will you remark further on this resolution? Representative Yaccarino, you have the floor.
Yes, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Barrios is extremely impressive. His career. And all the Board of Trustees are all volunteers for the University of Connecticut. They give their time, and I think it's important for this. So I think he has the knowledge, the experience, and the dedication to do a really good job for our state. Thank you.
Thank you, Representative. Will you remark further on this resolution? Will you remark further? If not, we'll try your minds. Is there a request for a roll call vote? If not, we'll take a voice vote. All those in favor, please say aye. Mg/ak 72
All those in opposed say nay. The ayes have it, and the resolution is adopted. (gavel) Will the Clerk please call House Calendar Number 42?
Page 8, Calendar 42, House Resolution Number 6. Resolution confirming the nomination of Denis J. Nayden of Jupiter, Florida, to be a member of the Board of Trustees for the University of Connecticut. Favorable report of Executive and Legislative Nominations.
Representative Concepcion, sir, you have the floor.
Mg/ak 73 Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I move acceptance of the committee's favorable report and adoption of the resolution.
The question before the chamber is acceptance of the House committee's favorable report and adoption of the resolution. Representative Concepcion, you still have the floor.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, Mr. Nayden also received both his BA and MBA from the University of Connecticut. Go Huskies. His long career has seen him in a variety of roles, including chairman and CEO of GE Capital, where he spent over 25 years of his life. In this role, he was responsible for and represented over 500 billion of aggregate assets and 90,000 employees. If you follow UConn Athletics, this name should be familiar with you. Him and his wife have donated millions of dollars to the institution, including to the School of Business. They've provided multiple scholarships for individuals, and, of course, they donated money to the Basketball Hall of Mg/ak 74 Champions up at Storrs. He also founded the Bleeding Blue for Good, which is UConn's NIL collective. Obviously, with the uncertainty of the NIL landscape, throughout the country, having Mr. Nayden rejoin the Board of Trustees, I think, makes a heck of a lot of sense. His nomination passed unanimously out of committee. With that, Mr. Speaker, I urge adoption.
Will you remark further on this resolution? Representative Yaccarino of the 87th. Sir, you have the floor.
Yes, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Nayden is really impressive. He obviously has a great history at UConn. He's donated, he and his wife, millions and millions of dollars, and he really truly cares about the institution. So I stand in support of Mr. Nayden. Thank you. will say there were concerns. His residency is in Florida, but he could do Zoom, and he comes up to Connecticut when needed. But he's a very good asset to the Board of Trustees. Mg/ak 75
Thank you, Representative. Will you remark further on the resolution before? Will you remark further? If not, I will try your minds. If we're in favor, I would like to take a voice vote. All those in favor, say aye.
Opposed? The ayes have it, and the resolution is adopted. (gavel) Will the Clerk please call House Calendar Number 43?
Page 8, Calendar 43, House Resolution Number 7. Resolution confirming the nomination of Richard I. Vogel of New Canaan to be a member of the Board of Trustees for the University of Connecticut. Favorable report of Executive and Legislative Nominations. Mg/ak 76
Thank you, sir. Representative Julio Concepcion, the floor is yours.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I move acceptance of the committee's favorable report and adoption of the resolution.
The question before the chamber is acceptance of the House committee's favorable report and adoption of the resolution. Representative Concepcion, continue, please.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Vogel received his BS from UConn, his MBA from NYU, and received an honorary doctorate from UConn. His career began on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange with the firm E. E. Hutton, but he quickly moved to work for the largest magazine of the time, which is Time Magazine. Mg/ak 77 He worked in various roles at the Pulitzer before joining Synapse Group. He's currently the founding partner and CFO of Loebelter Enterprises, which launches or helps launch startups that pair capital with the support and expertise across various disciplines. Very much like our last two nominees, Mr. Vogel's passion for the University of Connecticut really runs deep. He truly understands how important the institution is for the state of Connecticut, for our economic growth, and for the future vitality of this state. I think bringing his wide range of experience to the university or to the Board of Trustees is important during these times. His nomination passed unanimously out of committee, Mr. Speaker. With that, I urge adoption.
Thank you, Representative. Will you remark further on this resolution? Representative Yaccarino of the 87th. Sir, you have the floor.
Mg/ak 78 Yes. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Vogel is extremely impressive with his business experience. And I think I might have asked him, with that experience, he could help the business school, and then you have the science school with intellectual properties. And I think he's a great asset to help the school along with that. So I stand in strong support of somebody with the business experience and the knowledge. Thank you.
Thank you, Representative Yaccarino. Will you remark further on the resolution before us? Representative O'Dea of the 105th. Sir, the floor is yours.
Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. I rise in strong support of this candidate. Mr. Vogel's family residence in New Canaan, a fine, outstanding individual, UConn grad, and a proud Husky, and I urge my colleagues to support him in this nomination. And I thank the Governor for putting it up. Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. Mg/ak 79
Thank you, Representative. Will you remark further on this resolution before us? If not, I will try your minds. Is there a request for a roll call vote? All those in favor of a voice vote, please say aye.
Opposed, nay. The ayes have it, and the resolution is adopted. {gave[) Will the Clerk please call House Calendar Number 72?
Page 8, Calendar 72, House Joint Resolution Number 61. Resolution confirming the nomination of Patricia M. Feeney of Plainfield to be a member of the Technical Education and Career System Board. Favorable report of Executive and Legislative Nominations. Mg/ak 80
Representative Julio Concepcion, the floor is yours.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I move acceptance of the committee's favorable report and adoption of the resolution.
The question before the chamber is acceptance of the House committee's favorable report and adoption of the resolution. Representative Concepcion, continue, please.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, Ms. Feeney received her BA from Wilkes University, which is located in Pennsylvania, and her master's from Eastern Connecticut State University. She began her career as an elementary school teacher here in Chaplin, Connecticut, moving on to teach at Plainfield Central School and retired after 12 years, serving as the principal of Cheney Tech in Manchester. Mg/ak 81 As a leader in one of those CTEC school systems, she worked, obviously, very closely with the academic and trade instructors to strengthen instructional practices and work closely to ensure the curriculum was well aligned with real- world experiences. Obviously, our technical schools are critical to the ecosystem of this state. I think, having her background, especially as a principal of one of those schools, would make her an ideal candidate for this position. Her nomination passed unanimously out of committee. And with that, Mr. Speaker, I urge adoption.
Thank you, Representative. Will you remark further? Representative Yaccarino of the 87th, sir.
Yes. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Ms. Feeney, I was just so blown away about her experience, but her vision for -- I just was talking this morning and that we're here. We really need to focus more on tech schools and jobs in our state. As much as we want everybody to go to college, and you still could go to Mg/ak 82 college and get a great education, but you need to have a skill, especially with AI, which we have to embrace it. But also, I think it's going to take away, at least initially, a lot of white-collar jobs for young folks. I think she has a vision for our tech schools. And I would hope our state would look at our tech schools and start -- I would say, there's a waiting list in so many cases that we should have more schools. We should have greater emphasis on tech schools. They're high-paying jobs. It's important, and they're clean jobs. So I stand in strong support of her. She's got a great vision. But we need to do a better job as a state to embrace this. But for today, I'm supporting her 100%. Thank you.
Thank you, Representative Yaccarino. Will you remark further on the resolution before us? Will you remark further on the resolution before us? If not, I will try your minds. Is there any opposition to a voice vote? Hearing none, all those in favor say aye.
Mg/ak 83 Aye.
All those opposed say nay. The ayes have it, and the resolutions adopted. (gavel) Will the Clerk please call House Calendar Number 73?
Page 8, Calendar 73, House Joint Resolution Number 62. Resolution confirming the nomination of Christina D. Ghio of Cheshire to be the child advocate. Favorable report of Executive and Legislative Nominations.
Representative Concepcion, sir, you have the floor.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I move acceptance of the committee's favorable report and adoption of the resolution. Mg/ak 84
The question for the chamber is acceptance of the House committee's favorable report and adoption of the resolution. Representative Concepcion, please continue.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, Attorney Ghio received her BA from Central Connecticut State University and her JD from Georgetown School of Law. After a brief stint as a public defender following graduation from Georgetown, she went to work for the New Hampshire Disabilities Rights Center, where she represented adults and children with disabilities, also building coalitions and policies to really protect this vulnerable population. In 2001, she became director of the Child Abuse Project at the Center for Children's Advocacy here in the capital city of Hartford, representing children of abuse and neglect, giving them a voice to fight back. Since 2022, Attorney Ghio has served as the associate child advocate in the Office of Child Advocate, overseeing Mg/ak 85 investigations, drafting reports, and helping lead legislative efforts. As we all know, this is not an easy position, but it's one that's very much needed. During her testimony, it was clear how much she cares about the people that she represents. And again, as I mentioned, one of the most vulnerable populations that we have here in the state. With that, I think she would make a fantastic child advocate. Mr. Speaker. I urge adoption.
Will you remark further on the resolution? Will you remark further on the resolution? Representative Yaccarino, sir, you have the floor.
Yes, Mr. Speaker. The day of the hearing, there was hesitancy on my part. I asked Ms. Ghio many, many questions. She answered everything honestly, I believe. And one of the couple of questions, if you can indulge me for a couple of minutes for a minute, is if the parents have a DCF case, their parents cannot take them out of school until the case is resolved. And I think that makes sense. If there's no case, there's no problem. Mg/ak 86 The parents could take the child out of school and homeschool them. So she clarified that that day. And then I asked about going into the home. She doesn't set the policy. They're not going to the home. What she advocated for, and people could have the right to ask any questions they'd like, is that, for parents at the end of the year, to have some sort of testing or what the child is learning and how much they're learning, which I think makes sense, actually. But she has no way to set the policy. What? She doesn't set the policy. So I know people are concerned, but she is a fierce, fierce child advocate. And at the end of the day, you want to keep kids safe. She has no authority to take people out of their homes. She has no authority to make policy. She could just advocate for children that have no voice. I had another discussion with her this morning, and it weird. She doesn't want to take kids out of -- she believes in homeschooling. She has no problem with homeschooling. But there's information that people have, and they could vote the way they want to vote. But at the end of the day, she's a fierce advocate for children. So thank you. After this, I'd like to have a roll call. Mg/ak 87
Thank you, Representative Yaccarino. Representative Dauphinais of the 44th. Madam, you have the floor.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I rise in strong opposition to this nominee. I am currently the ranking member on Children's, and I am also a committee member of the Education Committee. This nominee has stood up and advocated. While she may not make policy, she certainly influences policy. And that's what her job is to do. Her job is to advocate for children and influence the policy that we make here in this building. She came in and advocated strongly against homeschoolers. And while she may say differently, that is not true. Go listen to her testimony. What her primary job should be is to put out recommendations for DCF reform. None of her testimony gave anything, any suggestions about DCF reform. We have all kinds of problems in our public school system, starting with bullying. We have sexual assault. We have almost 90,000 children in this state that are truant. Almost 90,000. Mg/ak 88 There wasn't one recommendation on how to address that. Not one. She's supposed to look into deaths that have happened with children across the state, and she did do some of that. But there was misreporting with regard to some of the issues that she talked about. One was Minnie Torres, and the other was Mr. S in Waterbury. Neither one of those children was homeschooled, but she advocated for a policy to be put in based on those testimonies, which had nothing to do with homeschooling. Many, many people came out and spoke against that. She also presented data that was later quickly debunked by the UConn statisticians that came and sent in a report that said that the data she gave was false. And to my colleague who just spoke about she's advocating that any parent in this state who has an open case with DCF would not be allowed to homeschool until that case is closed. Well, we know there's many, many open cases across the state that are unfounded and reported simply because people don't like homeschoolers. They will report them for various reasons, and homeschoolers will attest to that. So, they would have an open case that would stop them and preclude them from homeschooling their children until that case was closed. I'm in Mg/ak 89 strong opposition today of this nominee and I hope that we're having a roll call vote on this. Thank you.
Thank you, Representative Dauphinais. Representative Linehan, 103rd. Madam, you have the floor.
Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. I rise in strong support of Christina Ghio to be the child advocate. As the former chairwoman of the Committee on Children, I've had the opportunity to work with her for years, as the assistant child advocate and even on many things where she actually didn't sign her name to policy ideas or in support or not in support of legislation, as the good ranking member had mentioned that that is part of her job to do. But what I will say unequivocally is that she has consistently been a strong advocate for children and holding DCF accountable. Accountability is a major issue when it comes to being a watchdog. It is something that a watchdog is required to Mg/ak 90 do. And there has never been a time when Ms. Ghio has backed away from holding DCF accountable, whether it be regarding legislation, whether it be regarding the data that comes in on their cases, their casework, and their caseworkers, whether it be things that are in the news that seem to be just the big headlines, or whether it's about the families that don't make the headlines but are equally as deserving. She has consistently stood up for children and for what is right. There are some ideas on the table now that perhaps she has maybe not made friends with the homeschoolers. I understand that. But she's not doing this with emotion. She is going back to data to show that there was, in fact, a study that she worked on in the state, where there was almost 30% of students who were pulled out for homeschooling did have an open DCF case, and that policy decision was made on that data. So I think it's really important that we take a step back and ensure that there is someone who's going to be impartial and look at the data and be able to stand up and say what's best for kids. And that is why I will always vote in favor of her now and at any time. There has never been any question in my heart of Mg/ak 91 hearts that Christina Ghio is capable and is the right person for this position. Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Representative. Will you remark further? Representative Kennedy of the 119th. You have the floor, madam.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. It's difficult to rise after that testimony. But, Mr. Speaker, I rise today with concerns with this appointment, and I understand and respect that she doesn't set the policy. And the last few weeks in the Legislative Office Building, the LOB have been very difficult ones for parents, for professionals, all sorts of people. And it's been emotional, and we want to protect our children, and we want to make sure that the right thing is being done. I look at her testimony, and I just have some reservations about her continuing in this position, and acknowledge she has done a wonderful job. But sometimes we come to a crossroads, and it's maybe time to look in a different direction. And perhaps Mg/ak 92 today is that day. I'm not really sure. It's really difficult to stand here, and I don't want to speak necessarily negatively, but I think we have to go back and look at the testimony that she gave to the Education Committee and make sure this is the person that we want to continue to direct this ship. Thank you very much,
Thank you, Representative Kennedy. Will you remark further? Representative Bolinsky of the 106th. Sir, you have the floor.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I appreciate the opportunity to speak. I am speaking in extremely non support of this particular candidate for child advocate. What I witnessed during a public hearing was when this individual used her position to try to manipulate an activist narrative to paint tens of thousands of homeschooling parents as child abusers based on something that was not statistically accurately represented. It was actually repugnant to listen to. Mg/ak 93 And then in playing the video over and over again, the amount of toxicity in her voice toward homeschooling families completely and totally lacks the objectivity for her to be able to, in my opinion, render the kind of advocacy that we need for all, all children, not just the ones in the public schools, but to accuse parents in a hearing room sitting there with their children of being potentially homeschooling so that they can abuse their children? Absolutely reprehensible. I don't know what all I can say to further express how frightened I am of having a child advocate out there, whose only objective is activism, and narratives versus facts, evidence, and helping legitimately abused children, which she clearly wasn't focused on. She was just focused on one group, and her language was, at the very least, discriminatory. So this is a no damn go for me. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Representative Bolinsky. Will you remark further on the resolution before us? Will you remark further? If not, will staff and guests please come to the well of the House? Will Mg/ak 94 the members please take your seats, and the machine will be open?
The House of Representatives is voting by roll, members to the chamber. The House of Representatives is voting by roll, members to the chamber.
Have all the members voted? Have all the members voted? Have all the members voted? Have all the members voted? Will the members please check the board to determine if your votes been properly cast? If all members have voted, the machine will be locked. And the Clerk will take a tally. The Clerk will announce the tally, please.
House Joint Resolution 62: Total number voting 139 Mg/ak 95 Necessary for passage 70 Those voting Yea 97 Those voting Nay 42 Absent not voting 12
The resolution is adopted. (gavel) Will the Clerk please call House Calendar Number 74?
Page 9, Calendar 74, House Resolution Number 8. Resolution Confirming the Nomination of Elena Trueworthy of Mansfield to be Commissioner of Early Childhood. Favorable report, Joint Standing Committee on Executive Nominations.
Representative Julio Concepcion.
Mg/ak 96 Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I move acceptance of the committee's favorable report and adoption of the resolution.
The question before the chamber is acceptance of the House committee's favorable report and adoption of the resolution. Representative Concepcion, you still have the floor.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, Ms. Trueworthy received her BA from UConn and her master's from Springfield College. Her entire career has been centered around early learning, including serving in several positions at Head Start here in the state, becoming the organization's director of collaboration in 2019. Few years ago in 2023, Ms. Trueworthy became Deputy Commissioner of the Office of Early Childhood, where she was responsible for the oversight of programmatic areas of the agency and supervised of other staff and directors. During her testimony at our committee, it was clear how passionate she was Mg/ak 97 for the work that she does, how passionate she is for the early children here in the state of Connecticut. And she had clear understanding of how important those early ages are for the development of our student population. Her nomination passed unanimously out of committee, Mr. Speaker. With that, I urge adoption.
Will you remark further on this resolution? Representative Yaccarino of the 87th, sir, you have the floor.
Yes, Mr. Speaker. Ms. Trueworthy was amazing. She has an important role. She has just taken over for our early childhood education. I did ask her a question about some funding, and we really need consistent funding for those programs. But that's another story, but we do need consistent funding. I think she'll be a strong advocate for the system, for our early child learners, and for reading to have a better life. So I stand in strong support of Ms. Trueworthy. Thank you. Mg/ak 98
Thank you, Representative. Will you remark further on this resolution before us? Will you remark further on the resolution? If not, I will try your minds. If there's no objection to a voice vote, all those in favor, please say aye.
All those opposed say nay. The ayes have it, and the resolution is adopted. {gavel) Will the Clerk please call House Calendar Number 95?
Page 9, Calendar 95, House Joint Resolution Number 63. Resolution confirming the nomination of James Donegan of Milford to be a member of the Board of Directors of the Connecticut Port Authority. Favorable report of the Joint Standing Committee and the Executive and Legislative Nominations. Mg/ak 99
Representative Julio Concepcion, you have the floor, sir.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I move acceptance of the committee's favorable report and adoption of the resolution.
Question before the chambers is acceptance of the House committee's favorable report and adoption of the resolution. Representative Concepcion, please continue.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, Mr. Donegan received his business management degree from Albertus Magnus College, down in New Haven. He began his career as director of field operations, then as vessel captain for the Rose Coastal Engineering, where, for 15 years, he worked with municipalities, marinas, and private property owners on the coastline on a Mg/ak 100 variety of issues, including permitting, dredging, planning, and design. For the last six years, Mr. Donegan has worked for the city of Milford as harbor operations manager, where he is responsible for the general care and supervision of the Milford Harbor and the Housatonic River. During his testimony, it was clear he was passionate about the maritime industry, the port, the information of the port, and understanding how important our ports are to economic development throughout the state of Connecticut. His nomination passed unanimously out of committee. Mr. Speaker, with that, I urge adoption.
Will you remark further? Representative Yaccarino, sir, of the 87th, you have the floor.
Yes, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Donegan has a wealth of experience on the water. He'll be a great advocate for our ports. Our ports are really important for economic development, and I think he's Mg/ak 101 a great advocate, and I think he'll do a tremendous job on the Connecticut Port Authority. Thank you.
Thank you, Representative Yaccarino. Will you remark further? Representative Kennedy of the 119th. Ma'am, you have the floor.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I rise in full support of Mr. James Donegan to the Port Authority. I've known him for about 15 years now, but something that stands out is his character. He is an esteemed member of the Milford community. He's been the harbor manager for many, many years. One thing probably most people don't know is since age six, he started with scouting. He's been a member of Boy Scouts Troop One currently, where he's a member of the board. He works with our young men and women on a regular basis to engage them in civic activities and to become civic- minded individuals. He will be he'll bring a wealth of information to the port authority. His passion, I can't speak highly enough. He's also a board member of United Way of Mg/ak 102 Milford, and I offer my full support, encourage everyone to do so as well. Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Representative Kennedy. Will you remark further on the resolution? Will you remark further on the resolution before us? If not, I will try your minds. Is there any objection to a voice vote? Hearing none, all those in favor, please signify by saying aye.
All those opposed nay. And the ayes have it, and the resolution is adopted. (gavel) Will the Clerk please call House Calendar Number 96?
Mg/ak 103 Page 9, Calendar 96, House Joint Resolution Number 64. Resolution confirming the nomination of Gerald Weiner of Woodbridge to be reappointed a member of the State Department of Education arbitration panel. Favorable report, Joint Standing Committee on Executive Nominations.
Representative Julio Concepcion, sir, you have the floor.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I move acceptance of the committee's favorable report and adoption of the resolution.
The question for the chamber is acceptance of the House committee's favorable report and adoption of the resolution. Representative Concepcion, you have the floor.
Mg/ak 104 Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, Attorney Weiner received both his BA and his JD from the University of Connecticut. He's been a practicing attorney since 1968 and began his labor arbitration career when he was appointed to the State Board of Mediation and Arbitration in 1993. Along with his work in the city, he also serves on a panel for the American Arbitration Association. The majority of his career, he's spent focused on the resolution of labor disputes and has heard and decided on numerous cases between union and municipal parties. Attorney Weiner, obviously, is committed to this panel and is well noted for his willingness to continue to serve on the panel. This is a reappointment, as was mentioned before. His nomination passed unanimously out of committee. And with that, Mr. Speaker, for the last time today, I urge your adoption.
Thank you, Representative. Will you remark further? Representative Yaccarino of the 87th. Sir, you have the floor.
Mg/ak 105 Yes, Mr. Speaker. Attorney Weiner has so much experience going back, I think, almost 50 years. And, like he and like the other arbiters, they want to settle the case as soon as possible. Both sides are happy with the outcome and to avoid any long-term costs. So I stand in strong support of Mr. Weiner for this position on the Department of Education arbitration panel. Thank you.
Thank you, Representative Yaccarino. Will you remark further on the resolution? If not, I will try out your minds. Is there any objection to a voice vote? Hearing none, all those in favor, please say aye.
Mg/ak 106 Opposed, nay. The ayes have it, and the resolution is adopted. (gavel) Representative Johnson, you have the floor, ma'am.
Thank you, Speaker. Good to see you.
I move that we recess subject to the call of the Chair.
Chamber of standards in recess.
And House Democrats will be meeting in the Caucus room. Thank you. Mg/ak 107
Will the House come back to order, please? Will the Clerk please call Calendar 69?
Page 25, Calendar 69, House Resolution Number 4. Resolution proposing approval of a tentative agreement between the state of Connecticut and the Connecticut Employees Union Independent NP-2 bargaining unit (CEUI). Favorable report of Appropriations.
Representative Elliott.
I move acceptance of the House Committee's favorable report and adoption of the resolution.
Mg/ak 108 Question for the chambers is acceptance of the House committee's favorable report and adoption of the resolution. Representative Elliott, you have the floor.
We have another contract here today between CEUI and the state. This covers four years of pay increases of two and a half percent a year, with step increases of the commensurate amount every year as well. This is going to cover service workers, people who do maintenance, repair, delivery, cleaning, cooking, and hospitals, among campuses across the state. The total cost is going to be just over $45 million over a four-year period. In that fourth year, there will be a wage re-opener. This is all very common practice. The negotiations went smoothly. We are here to ensure that the people that make our state run get compensated for the service they provide. Through you, Mr. Speaker.
Mg/ak 109 Thank you, Representative. Will you remark further on the resolution before us? Representative Corpus of the 149th, you have the floor, ma'am.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. And thank you to the good proponent of this resolution. Mr. Speaker, I believe that all employees should be paid fairly for a job well done, but Connecticut is on an unsustainable financial path. Today, the Hearst newspapers across our state ran an article entitled, the golden age for Connecticut State Employees while the tax Payer Gets Fleeced. It's a dramatic headline, but unfortunately, there are lots of facts which support it. And here are those facts, I find them impossible to ignore. From fiscal year 2020 to 2029, which this contract covers, Connecticut state employee pay has risen every year. Right now, the compound effect of those increases are 33%, while the private sector wages have increased 23%. If this contract passes, state employee pay will have risen almost 60% in 10 years. Mg/ak 110 Connecticut state employees are the second-highest paid in the country, second only to California. If this contract passes, we will become number one. A 2023 article cited a study by Georgetown University, which said that Connecticut's current health benefits for employees are number one most generous in the country. Two studies found that Connecticut state retiree health benefits are the number one most generous in the country. California trails by almost $4,000 a year per employee. State employee wages, healthcare benefits, and retirement comprise 40% of our entire state budget. If we look at state and municipal employee retirement as a percent of total spending, even on that measure, we are number two in the country. How are we going to keep paying for this? The answer is simply that we cannot keep paying for this. It's an unsustainable path, leading to a day where the good employees of the state who have worked for their retirement won't see those checks in the mailbox, and we will not have the money. I have a few questions to the good proponent on this particular contract.
Mg/ak 111 Representative Elliott, please prepare yourself.
The contract covers 3,600 employees. Is that correct? Who serve in maintenance, repair, delivery, cooking, and cleaning at airports, roads, bridges, and parks across the state. Is that correct? Through you, Mr. Speaker.
Representative Elliott.
That is correct. Through you.
Representative Courpas.
Mg/ak 112 Thank you. Here are the pay increases that state employees have received since 2020. And my question will be, have the employees in this contract received these pay raises? 2020, 5.5%. 2021, 5.5%. 2022, 4.5. '23, 4.5%. 2024, 4.5%. And 2025, 4.5%. Through you, Mr. Speaker.
Representative Elliott.
Through you, Mr. Speaker, the only thing I would make a correction on is that these were both step increases and general wage increases. I would also take us back to the early 2010s when there were years of no increases, and I would also remind the chamber that, during the pandemic, inflation was anywhere from seven to 9% a year. So there were years that our state workforce was actually taking functional cuts. Through you, Mr. Speaker.
Mg/ak 113 Representative Courpas.
That's an interesting point which was already made in Appropriations Committee. But the fact that with these increases, we will be number one in the entire country, a country that dealt with COVID, a country that's had years where they didn't pay their state employees, really, in my opinion, eviscerates that argument because we're number one in the country with this contract. To the good proponent, what is the cost of this contract to the state of Connecticut's taxpayers?
Representative Elliott.
Through you, Mr. Speaker, the cost estimated right now is just over 45 million. That could change after the wage reopener. Through you, Mr. Speaker. Mg/ak 114
Representative Courpas.
Thank you. If you don't mind, Mr. Speaker, could the proponent restate the answer?
Representative Elliott.
Through you, Mr. Speaker, the amount is just over $45 million over a four-year period.
Representative Courpas.
Mg/ak 115 Okay. My next set of questions will relate to how we are going to pay for that. So let's start with 2026, the fiscal year we are in right now. I see that this contract will cost $12 million this year. How will we pay for that? Through you, Mr. Speaker.
Representative Elliott.
Through you, Mr. Speaker, we have something called the RSA, which is a fund where when we know there are going to be raises coming to our workforce, we appropriate that money and put it in a fund so that we are prepared. That is how we have the money available. Through you, Mr. Speaker.
Representative Courpas.
Mg/ak 116 Thank you. I understand that the current RSA balance, which could be applied to this contract, is a $169 million as we sit here today. Are there any contracts coming after this contract which will do a draw on that RSA balance? Through you, Mr. Speaker.
Representative Elliott.
It is possible, not definite. Through you, Mr. Speaker.
Representative Courpas.
It is my understanding that we have over 30 more collective bargaining agreement contracts, which are coming to this chamber, which will be retroactive to July 1st, 2025. And that RSA of 169 million, of which 12 will go away from this contract, Mg/ak 117 is really all we have, or at least the main funding mechanism for all 34 of those contracts. And I'm very concerned that that will not be enough. Moving out to the out years. The fiscal note on this contract in its entirety says that in fiscal year 2029, the special transportation fund will be one of the main drivers of funding this to the tune of in that fiscal year, 2029, I believe, here it is, on Page 5 of the fiscal note, the special transportation fund in fiscal year '29 is going to be responsible for 21.2 million of this cost. Is that correct? Through you, Mr. Speaker.
Representative Elliott.
Yes. That is correct. Through you, Mr. Speaker.
Representative Courpas. Mg/ak 118
Well, I have concerns about that because, as everyone here knows, the special transportation fund draws on various transportation-related taxes like motor fuels, highway use, motor vehicle receipts, et cetera. And it funds not only employees like these who work on transportation matters, but it also builds the infrastructure of our state. And according to the budget book that was published for this fiscal year, the special transportation fund is going to be insolvent in 2029. The revenues projected are not going to be enough to cover the costs. So here, on the one hand, we have a $21 million expense in this contract. And on the other hand, we have an insolvent fund, which is going to be responsible for funding it. How do you resolve that discrepancy? Through you, Mr. Speaker.
Representative Elliott.
Mg/ak 119 It seems that we may have to find potentially new revenue to fund our special transportation fund. But when that time comes, we will be in a new biennium. And the question will be to the chamber and to the House and Senate then. So it's not a question we have to answer today. Through you, Mr. Speaker.
Representative Courpas.
Well, I have grave concerns about that because it's not the state employee's responsibility to figure out how to pay for this. If someone is willing to pay their salary and increase it, of course, they're going to accept that pay increase. It is our job in this chamber and in the other chamber to answer those questions before we put the obligations on the backs of the Connecticut taxpayer. And I'm concerned that on our own numbers, as we sit here today, this pay increase doesn't work. We don't have the money in the very fund where the money is supposed to come from. Mg/ak 120 Moving on. It says in this contract that these employees currently, when they work overtime, they don't get paid overtime additional salary. They get comp time, which, my understanding is, if you work two hours of overtime, you get to take two hours out of another workday to make up for that. But your overall pay doesn't increase. Is that correct? Through you, Mr. Speaker?
Representative Elliott.
That is correct. Through you, Mr. Speaker.
Representative Courpas.
Okay. But we're making a change in this contract to make these 3,600 employees, I assume for the first time ever, Mg/ak 121 eligible to receive additional pay in the form of overtime. Why was that change made? Through you, Mr. Speaker.
Representative Elliott.
I would make a minor correction to say this is not the first time ever. What I will say is this is reflective of a number of facts. The fact is that we are trying to ensure that everybody in the workforce, not just upper management, has access to overtime and to make it equal across the board. And it's also not always easy to access comp time as well. Through you, Mr. Speaker.
Representative Courpas.
Mg/ak 122 Thank you for that. How many people in the 3,600 pool of employees here will now, as a result of this contract, become eligible for overtime pay? Through you, Mr. Speaker.
Representative Elliott.
That is not a number I have readily accessible. Through you, Mr. Speaker.
Representative Courpas.
Okay. So that means for the purpose of, in my opinion, prudent budgeting, in the absence of that number, we have to assume that it's going to be all of them so that we can budget appropriately in case it, in fact, is all of them. We have a problem with overtime pay in the state of Connecticut. And the Mg/ak 123 reason we have a problem with it is because our pensions are set on the last three years in many employee categories on the average pay of those last three highest earning years, including overtime. One study shows that the top five correctional employees in the state of Connecticut in their last three years earned between 177% and 209% of their regular pay in the last three years of employment, which translated into a pension retirement in perpetuity for the rest of their lives, which was 35% higher than their last year of pay. We have a documented fiscal issue with this. Again, it's not the employees that are earning the overtime. It's the parameters we have set forth in this chamber which have caused this issue. So because we include overtime in the calculation of pensions, our state employee pensions are even greater than we could even estimate them here in this chamber because we can't decide or figure out how much overtime people are going to be paying. And yet in this bill, we are adding an entirely new class of people who could potentially have and pose that fiscal problem for Connecticut. Mg/ak 124 Mr. Speaker, I believe I have made my points. Connecticut state employee pay will have grown by 60% over a 10-year period if this contract passes. The private sector pay does not grow every year. Private sector pay has only grown 23% in the last six years. This contract will take us to the number one highest- paying state in the country in terms of employee pay. We sit here in this chamber over and over and talk about how we don't have enough money to fund the vital programs of the state of Connecticut, yet we repeatedly ignore the single biggest item in our entire budget as though that doesn't exist. This is a simply an unsustainable financial proposition. People should be paid well for work well done, but we are embarking on an unsustainable financial path. I urge my colleagues to vote no. Thank you.
Thank you, Representative. Will you remark further on the resolution? Will you remark further on the resolution? Representative Ackert of the 8th District, you have the floor, sir. Mg/ak 125
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Good to see you. I appreciate the dialogue already taken place between the proponent and the Good Representative on our side of the aisle. I just talked about sustainability, and I think that's a great piece to start with here, first and foremost. I was in the hearing and talked to them about how they arose to the budget of this agreement on this contract. Through you, Mr. Speaker, this contract includes two steps. And I don't remember very often seeing the two steps combined, and that is an allocation for a new step, essentially eliminating where they're at, in one way, not eliminating it, but moving it from one pay grade to a substantial step up, along with a percentage increase. Is that true, through you, Mr. Speaker, on how we're getting to this pay increase?
Representative Elliott.
Mg/ak 126 Through this contract in years '27 and '29, there are going to be some steps that have been combined into others, where we do have essentially multiple steps in one. Through you, Mr. Speaker.
Representative Ackert.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. And along with these wage categories, give you, for example, the transportation manager's assistance; their base pay now in FM 14 is 52,600. That's if you happen to be on your first day on the job. That one classification through this first year for this contract is going to jump to $60,500, along with the 2.5% increase on a yearly and that obviously they're going to be at this, so that gets to that four and a half percent. So when we look at some of the numbers that we're talking here, it's just not the two and a half percent per year that you would say, okay, listen, I can imagine that -- I kept hearing, Mg/ak 127 well, the private sector, the private sector, the private sector. Not many people in the private sector are getting two and a half percent, along with a step from one classification to another that gives them an $8,000 raise. In other classifications, we're looking at anywhere from 3,000 in just the job classification, as I mentioned, and up to 8,000, and then also the two and a half percent along with that. So when we were talking about, I kept listening that these are some of the lower wage earners in the state, through you, Mr. Speaker. And I guess it's not appropriate to ask this to what the thoughts are on the other side. But I don't think that the numbers I just mentioned are low-wage earners. Does the Good Gentleman know that one of the classifications is TC and FM 09? How many workers are in those classifications?
Representative Elliott.
Mg/ak 128 Could I ask my colleague to repeat the question to you? Through you, Mr. Speaker?
Representative Ackert.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Part of the classifications that we're talking about are job classifications TC and FM09. How many workers of the 3,661 members are in that pay classification? I believe they include assistant cook, DOT rest area attendant, a custodian, a maintainer, a storekeeper, mail handler. How many are in that classification through you, Mr. Speaker, or those classifications?
Chamber will stand at ease. Chamber will come back to order. Representative Elliott.
Mg/ak 129 The number is 838. Through you, Mr. Speaker.
Representative Ackert.
I heard the 100. Was there a number before the 100?
838. So, a percentage, about less than a third or about a quarter of them are what you would say would be the lower, sort of a pay that's lower than the other classifications because those are the ones that -- you know, if you came up here and said that in this classification, we can see -- and I have voted for contracts in the past, some individuals that definitely needed it. And those were those in personal care attendants and Mg/ak 130 those that were in those. Those were, hey, they needed that, you know? But as I look through all of this, when I look at some of the pay scales, some of the pay scales here are over $100,000 for some of the ones in this contract. And we think about sustainability in contract. I was amazed listening to, when I asked a question to the individual that was on the contract side of the employees saying that, "Oh, we wanted even more." And I said, "Wow." Through you, Mr. Speaker, we've talked about pay increases and steps. Other than that, was there anything else in this? I believe that there was some other items that are also included in here, benefits for the workers. Through you, Mr. Speaker.
Representative Elliott.
Apart from the step increases and general wage increases, there are some very slight differentials, usually about 10¢ an Mg/ak 131 hour, which reflects when shifts start after 2:00 in the afternoon or before 6:00 in the morning. And then there is additional cost of $1.50 to $2 an hour when somebody is on call. Alternatively, there's also the DOC mail handler on present duty, which is 20¢ an hour. All these costs are fairly minimal, considering the full scope of the contract. The largest cost is this $247,000 for fiscal year '28 and '29. I would just add that, of course, it makes sense that the folk who are negotiating on behalf of the unions are asking for more. My belief is that they deserve to be paid a fair and commensurate amount. And the fact that we are number one in the country is something I think we can and should be proud of, and we should be proud of our workforce. The standard of living is very high in Connecticut. Therefore, the cost of living is very high here in Connecticut. So, the fact that we are number one in the country makes total sense to me when you view this through those lens. Through you, Mr. Speaker.
Mg/ak 132 Representative Ackert.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I'd like to be number one in a lot of things. I don't mind it being something that we can afford though, to be quite honest with you. So, there is a line item for meals that have been added in and also for shoe allowances. Were those not part of their contract in the past, through you, Mr. Speaker?
Representative Elliott.
They've always been part of the contracts. There's not always been an increase. This just represents a minor increase. Through you, Mr. Speaker.
Representative Ackert. Mg/ak 133
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. And I can see that they -- and no disrespect to the contract negotiations. I always wonder who's on the side of the taxpayers. I know all these workers are also tax payers. You know, these workers or state workers are all also tax payers. But those in the private sector also that are like not seeing the increases like this. I'm going to continue to listen to this debate. I think that this is an area that we've got to sit there and pause at times, look at reasonable increases. I think that this might be outside that boundary from my perspective. But I'll continue to listen to dialogue. I believe this is one of maybe two dozen plus new contracts that I'm getting nervous about the state's checking account. When we look at the $45 million in this contract, granted, it's over a four-year period with a contract reopener. When we start to think about that, you know, and we look at we've had some good years, I'm not so sure that that's going to continue with -- our economy is cyclical. So, through you, Mr. Speaker, I'm going to be a no on this, but I thank the good gentleman for the answers. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mg/ak 134
Thank you, Representative. Will your remark further on the resolution? Representative O'Dea of the 125th, you have the floor, sir.
Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. Just a couple of comments and then a couple of questions, through you, Mr. Speaker. But briefly, you know, it's times like these where I miss our good colleague and friend, company accepted, Attorney D'Agostino who's now sitting on the bench. And we always used to say, I would open up these debates with the old Unforgiven quote, one of my favorite movies. Then Representative D'Agostino would say, you know, one of his earlier lines. He stopped saying it because he knew this line was coming, that the state employees deserve this raise. And I don't disagree with that. A lot of people deserve a raise. But as Will Munny said as he pointed the gun at Gene Hackman right before he shot him, he said, "Deserves got nothing to do with it." Mg/ak 135 I bring that up, Mr. Speaker, because truly deserves got nothing to do with it. I agree with my good colleague's comments. But the good proponent said, you know, being number one is a good thing based on the cost of living. But, you know, there's a couple of numbers being number one at is why we're in this jam. And again, through the good proponent, I'd ask if he understands or agrees that we're number one in total state liability at $94 billion. Is that the good proponent's understanding as well, through you, Mr. Speaker?
Representative Elliott.
Through you, Mr. Speaker, my understanding is we are closer to 11th from the bottom. Still not great when you're taking into account per capita. I'm not sure in terms of raw numbers, though.
Mg/ak 136 Representative O'Dea.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Yeah. My understanding is we're actually number one in debt per capita in the country, total state debt per capita, and in bonded debt, and that total is $95 billion. And as I understand it, and the good proponent, if he understands it well, we've done well in paying off approximately $9 billion since we had put the fiscal guardrails in place of that debt. Is that his understanding, through you, Mr. Speaker?
Representative Elliott.
That is my understanding, through you, Mr. Speaker.
Representative O'Dea. Mg/ak 137
Thank you. Unfortunately, we've added almost $10 billion to the debt because of our pension obligations increasing dramatically. As my good colleague from the 149th pointed out, our state employees who deserve every bit of it, unfortunately, the state can't afford it. They've gotten, I believe, my understanding is over a 30% increase in pay over the last six years. And because of that, our debt obligations and pension obligations have increased. In fact, our pension debt is second in the nation highest at about $10,000 per person, and it's only going higher now. So, bonded debt, the highest in the country, number one at $8,000 per person. So, those two numbers or those total numbers are very, very bad for if you look down the future at what's going to happen. Now, some would say, "Let's increase the taxes on those that can afford to increase their taxes." Well, guess what they do? New York has seen it. Flight of money. The Governor is now begging people to come back to New York that have left with their money. So, I'm going to continue to listen to the debate. But from a financial standpoint, I have voted for increases, you know, Mg/ak 138 particularly with the state police facing life and death situations, judiciary, those that are coming every day. We also have a problem of people showing up for work. I believe the at- home working isn't working sufficiently for our residents and constituents. So, I'm a hard no on this. I appreciate my good colleague on the other side of the aisle, but we just can't afford it. Deserves got nothing to do with it. Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Representative. Will you remark further on the resolution? Representative Candelora, the distinguished Minority Leader of the 86th, you have the floor, sir.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker, and good afternoon. I am also rising in opposition to this contract, and it certainly is not in opposition to our state employees. But it goes without saying, Connecticut cannot afford the situation that we're in right now. If you look at this fiscal note, and I think as our members on this side of the aisle had mentioned, this spending Mg/ak 139 goes from $12 million in the current year projected out to $45 million three years from now. And what concerns me most about the State of Connecticut right now is we have burned through our fiscal guardrails. Just in the last two years, between surplus and volatility money, there has been about $3 billion diverted for more government programs and additional spending. And when I think about our pension fund, I liken it to a bucket. You have a bucket with a hole in it, and you turn down the spigot and you're pouring water into that bucket. You're trying to fill it. We know it has a leak, so you got to put extra water in it to try to get it to the top. It's never going to get there because you have that constant demand, that constant leak. When we added the fiscal guardrails, we increased the amount of water going into that bucket. Over the last year, we have now turned that faucet off, and it is slowing down to a trickle. And that hole in the bucket has not changed. So, the bucket is now draining. And in fact, we have a bill in this session that is seeking to readjust the way the volatility cap is calculated. Mg/ak 140 That adjustment is only going to lead to less money going into the pension fund, and that bucket is going to run out of water a lot quicker. So, my struggle is we are acting as if we are fiscal stewards and have the ability to pay, when in fact we may have the ability to pay today, but the people that are going to get elected in November are not going to have that ability to pay. We have an unsustainable budget that we are putting together, and this is the first step of creating the unsustainability. Thank you.
Thank you, Representative Candelora. Will you remark further on the resolution before us? Will you remark further on the resolution before us? If not, will staff and guests please come to the well of the House. Will members please take your seats, go to your portals. The machine will be open.
The House of Representatives is voting by roll, members to the chamber. The House of Representatives is voting by roll, members to the chamber. Test. One, two, three, testing. Testing. Mg/ak 141 Testing. One, two, three, testing. Testing. Testing. One, two, three, testing.
Have all the members voted? Have all the members voted? Will the members please check the board to determine if your vote is properly cast. If all the members have voted, the machine will be locked, and the Clerk will take a tally. Will the Clerk please announce the tally?
House Resolution 4. Total number voting 141 Necessary for passage 71 Those voting Yea 110 Those voting Nay 31 Absent not voting 10 Mg/ak 142
The Resolution passes. (Gavel) Chamber will stand at ease. The chamber will come back to order. Will the Clerk please call Calendar No. 6?
On page 1, Calendar No. 6, House Joint Resolution No. 9. RESOLUTION CONFIRMING THE NOMINATION OF THE HONORABLE BARBARA A. HOFFMAN OF CLINTON TO BE A JUDGE OF THE SUPERIOR COURT. Favorable Report of Judiciary.
Representative Stafstrom of the 129th, you have the floor, sir.
Good afternoon, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I move for acceptance of the Joint Committee's Favorable Report and adoption of the resolution. Mg/ak 143
Question before the chamber is acceptance of the Joint Committee's Favorable Report and adoption of the resolution. Representative Stafstrom, you have the floor.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, this is the first of a series of resolutions we're going to take up this afternoon to reconfirm certain judicial nominees, or I should say actually sitting judges to continue to serve on the superior court bench. A lot of these nominees come from a very large class from eight years ago. Before us to start is the Honorable Barbara Hoffman who was appointed during that class in May of 2018. She is currently assigned to the New London Judicial District serving in the juvenile docket. I urge support for the resolution.
Mg/ak 144 Will you remark further on this resolution? Will you remark further? Representative Fishbein of the 90th, you have the floor, sir.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of the renomination, reconfirmation of the judges before us. She has shown to be a fine jurist, and I ask my colleagues to support. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Representative. Will you remark further on the resolution before us? Representative Aniskovich of the 35th, you have the floor, sir.
Thank you, Mr. Chair. I rise in strong support of the nominee. As a resident of Clinton, I've gotten to know Barbara very well and feel that she will continue to do the exemplary Mg/ak 145 job that she's done in the past. She is very common sense, and I know that she is going to continue to do a great job. Thank you.
Thank you, Representative. Will your remark further on the resolution? If not, Representative Stafstrom.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I move that we create a Consent Calendar and add House Joint Resolution No. 9 to the Consent Calendar.
Question before the chamber is placing House Resolution Calendar No. 6, place on the Consent Calendar. Is there objection? Hearing none --
Mr. Speaker? Resolution 9. Mg/ak 146
I said 6. Resolution 9. I stand corrected. Let me say that again. The question before the chamber is placing House Resolution 9 on the Consent Calendar. Is there objection? Hearing none, House Resolution 9 is on the Consent Calendar. Will the Clerk please call Calendar No. 7?
Page 2, Calendar No. 7, House Joint Resolution No. 10. RESOLUTION CONFIRMING THE NOMINATION OF THE HONORABLE DANIEL J. KLAU OF WEST HARTFORD TO BE A JUDGE OF THE SUPERIOR COURT. Favorable Report of Judiciary.
Representative Stafstrom.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, as you well know, there are a number of us who serve in the legislature who also have active practices of law. When that happens, we have certain Mg/ak 147 rules on which members of the legislature must recuse themselves from nominees. That is when we have a case that is individually assigned to a judge or where there is a decision outstanding for one of our clients before that judge. That happens to be the case for me with respect to Judge Klau. And so, I ask to recuse myself from this vote.
Thank you, Representative Stafstrom. Chamber will stand at ease. Representative Blumenthal.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I'm going to recuse myself from this vote.
Thank you, Representative. Representative Quinn.
Mg/ak 148 Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I move for acceptance of the Joint Committee's Favorable Report and adoption of the resolution.
The question before the chamber is acceptance of the Joint Committee's Favorable Report and adoption of the resolution. Representative Quinn, you have the floor.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, Judge Klau has a bachelor's degree from the University of California and his law degree from Boston University. He was first appointed in May of 2018 and has had various assignments over the last eight years. Currently, he's assigned to the complex litigation docket in Waterbury, which is appropriate for him given the amount of appellate work that he did as a private attorney. He has been a prolific writer, penning numerous articles for different legal magazines and treatises, and also authored Mg/ak 149 the book The Little Book of Appellate Tips, How to Write Persuasive Briefs and Excel at Oral Argument. From a personal standpoint, I got to know Judge Klau while he was still an attorney, and he represented me in an appeal. And, of course, it's always appropriate that the ranking member and I get to be together on something that we had been on in our previous lives. So, I encourage everyone to support his reappointment. He's an excellent judge. And we're very lucky to have him on the bench in Connecticut.
Thank you, Representative. Will your remark further on this resolution? Representative Fishbein.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Yes, Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of Judge Klau for another term on the superior court. Representative Quinn brings to our attention the case many years ago where I actually sued him. We ended up before the Connecticut Supreme Court. Judge Klau was involved in that case Mg/ak 150 representing now Representative Quinn. I was successful in that case. He's never let me live it down. But certainly, Judge Klau has shown to be a great fine jurist and just a nice guy. So, I ask my colleagues to support Judge Klau. Thank you.
Thank you, Representative. Will you remark further on this resolution? Will you remark further on this resolution? If not, will staff and guests please come to the well of the House? Will the members please take your seats, go to your portals. The machine will be open.
The House of Representatives is voting by roll, members to the chamber. The House of Representatives is voting by roll, members to the chamber.
Have all the members voted? Will the members please check the board to determine if your vote is properly cast. If all the Mg/ak 151 members have voted, the machine will be locked, and the Clerk will take a tally. Will the Clerk please announce the tally?
House Joint Resolution 10. Total number voting 138 Necessary for passage 70 Those voting Yea 138 Those voting Nay 0 Absent not voting 13
The Resolution is adopted. (Gavel) Will the Clerk please call Calendar No. 5?
Page 1, Calendar No. 5. House Joint Resolution No. 11. RESOLUTION CONFIRMING THE NOMINATION OF THE HONORABLE RONALD E. Mg/ak 152 KOWALSKI, II OF NORWALK TO BE A JUDGE OF THE SUPERIOR COURT. Favorable Report of Judiciary.
Representative Stafstrom.
Mr. Speaker, I move for acceptance of Joint Committee's Favorable Report and adoption of the resolution.
Question before the chamber is acceptance of the Joint Committee's Favorable Report and adoption of the resolution. Representative Stafstrom, you have the floor.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, Judge Kowalski again was appointed during that class in May of 2018, has served for one eight-year term in our superior court. I had the chance to appear before him on a few occasions when he was on the civil Mg/ak 153 docket, mainly in Bridgeport, as well as other places. I believe Stamford as well. But Judge Kowalski is now serving in the family division down in Stamford, Norwalk. I believe he's an asset to the bench, and I would urge support for his renomination.
Will you remark further on the resolution? Representative Fishbein.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of Judge Kowalski for another term on the superior court. He's shown himself to be a fine jurist, and I ask my colleagues to support. Thank you.
Will you remark further on the resolution? If not, Representative Stafstrom. Mg/ak 154
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I did neglect to mention that Judge Kowalski is also a graduate of the great Fairfield University. It is STAGiving Day today, so go Stags. And with that, without objection, I would move House Joint Resolution No. 11 to the Consent Calendar.
Question before the chamber is placing House Resolution No. 11 on the Consent Calendar. Is there objection? Hearing none, House Joint Resolution 11 is on the Consent Calendar. Will the Clerk please call Calendar No. 8?
Page 2, Calendar No. 8. House Joint Resolution No. 12. RESOLUTION CONFIRMING THE NOMINATION OF THE HONORABLE ANN E. LYNCH OF GRANBY TO BE A JUDGE OF THE SUPERIOR COURT. Favorable Report of Judiciary.
Mg/ak 155 Representative Osborne.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I rise to recuse myself in this vote.
Thank you, Representative. Chamber will stand at ease. The chamber will come back to order. Representative Stafstrom.
Mr. Speaker, I move acceptance of Joint Committee's Favorable Report and adoption of the resolution.
Question before the chamber is acceptance of the Joint Committee's Favorable Report and adoption of the resolution. Representative Stafstrom, you have the floor.
Mg/ak 156 Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, Judge Lynch, again, was appointed in May of 2018, graduate of the State University of New York at Albany and UConn Law School. Currently is serving in the Judicial District of Litchfield at Torrington, which, by the way, if folks haven't been up there, beautiful brand new courthouse up there. Highly recommend a trip. I urge support for the nomination.
Will you remark further on this resolution? Representative Fishbein.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of Judge Lynch for another term in the superior court, and I ask my colleagues to support as well. Thank you.
Thank you, Representative. Will you remark further on this resolution? If not, will staff and guests please come to the Mg/ak 157 well of the House? Will the members please take your seats, head to your portals. The machine will be open.
The House of Representatives is voting by roll, members to the chamber. The House of Representatives is voting by roll, members to the chamber.
Have all the members voted? Will the members please check the board to determine if your vote is properly cast? If all the members have voted, the machine will be locked, and the Clerk will take a tally. Will the Clerk please announce the tally?
House Joint Resolution 12. Total number voting 139 Necessary for passage 70 Those voting Yea 139 Mg/ak 158 Those voting Nay 0 Absent not voting 12
The resolution is adopted. Will the Clerk please call Calendar No. 9.
Page 2, Calendar No. 9. House Joint Resolution No. 13. RESOLUTION CONFIRMING THE NOMINATION OF THE HONORABLE STEPHANIE A. MCLAUGHLIN OF STAMFORD TO BE A JUDGE OF THE SUPERIOR COURT. Favorable Report of Judiciary.
Representative Fazzino of the 83rd, you have the floor, sir.
Mg/ak 159 Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I move acceptance of the Joint Committee's Favorable Report and adoption of the resolution.
Question before the chamber is acceptance of the Joint Committee's Favorable Report and adoption of the resolution. Representative Fazzino, you have the floor, sir.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. This resolution confirms the reappointment of the Honorable Stephanie McLaughlin to another term on the bench. She is a graduate of DePaul University College of Law and received her BA from American University. She has served in a number of different assignments on the bench, serving with GA20 out of Stamford/Norwalk Judicial District, as well as the family division of the same, and is currently the presiding judge of the family division in the Bridgeport Judicial District. She is an excellent nominee, and I urge your reappointment to the bench. Mg/ak 160
Will you remark further on this resolution? Representative Fishbein.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of Judge McLaughlin for another term on the superior court. I ask my colleagues to support as well. Thank you.
Thank you, Representative. Will you remark further on this resolution? If not, Representative Fazzino.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I move that we add HJ 13 to the Consent Calendar.
Mg/ak 161 Question before the chamber is placing House Joint Resolution 13 on the Consent Calendar. Is there objection? Hearing none, House Joint Resolution 13 is placed on the Consent Calendar. Will the Clerk please call Calendar No. 10?
On page 2, Calendar No. 10. House Joint Resolution No. 14. RESOLUTION CONFIRMING THE NOMINATION OF THE HONORABLE PETER A. MCSHANE OF MADISON TO BE A JUDGE OF THE SUPERIOR COURT. Favorable Report of Judiciary.
Representative Fazzino.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I move acceptance of the Joint Committee's Favorable Report and adoption of the resolution.
Mg/ak 162 Question before the chamber is acceptance of the Joint Committee's Favorable Report and adoption of the resolution. Representative Fazzino, you have the floor.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. This resolution concerns the reappointment of the Honorable Peter A. McShane for another term on the bench. A graduate of Saint Michael's College receiving his BA in 1984 and the Boston University School of Law. Judge McShane has served with distinction again in a number of different capacities, including most recently as presiding judge for criminal matters in GA2 located in Bridgeport. I urge his reappointment to the bench as well.
Will you remark further on this resolution? Representative Fishbein.
Mg/ak 163 Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of Judge McShane for another term, and I ask my colleagues to support.
Thank you, Representative. Will you remark further on the resolution? If not, Representative Fazzino.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I move that we add House Joint Resolution 14 to the Consent Calendar as well.
Question before the chamber is placing House Joint Resolution 14 on the Consent Calendar. Is there any objection? Seeing none, House Joint Resolution 14 is placed on the Consent Calendar. Will the Clerk please call Calendar No. 11?
Mg/ak 164 Page 2, Calendar No. 11. House Joint Resolution No. 15. RESOLUTION CONFIRMING THE NOMINATION OF THE HONORABLE MARGARITA HARTLEY MOORE OF MILFORD TO BE A JUDGE OF THE SUPERIOR COURT. Favorable Report of Judiciary.
Representative Fazzino.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I move acceptance of the Joint Committee's Favorable Report and adoption of the resolution.
Question before the chamber is acceptance of the Joint Committee's Favorable Report and adoption of the resolution. Representative Fazzino, you have the floor, sir.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. This resolution concerns the reappointment of the Honorable Margarita H. Moore to another Mg/ak 165 term on the judicial bench. She's a graduate of the great University of Connecticut, receiving her BA in English, as well as the New England School of Law, receiving her jurisactuate, as well as an LLM from Pace University School of Law. Like the previous two nominees, she has served in a variety of different capacities, serving as presiding judge of the family division in the Milford Superior Court most recently. She presented very well in front of the committee as did the previous nominees. And we urge her reappointment to the bench as well.
Will you remark further on the resolution? Representative Fishbein.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of Judge Moore for another term in the superior court. I ask my colleagues to support as well. Mg/ak 166
Thank you, Representative. Will you remark further on this resolution? Representative Kennedy of the 119th, you have the floor, ma'am.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I rise in full support of Judge Hartley Moore for this renomination as appointment as judge. For many, many years, she had -- her office is located in Downtown Milford, and she's a wonderful communicant of the City of Milford and actually the town of Stratford. And I urge full support. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Representative. Will you remark further on the resolution? If not, Representative Fazzino?
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I move that we add HJ 15 to the Consent Calendar. Mg/ak 167
Question before the chamber is placing House Joint Resolution 15 on the Consent Calendar. Is there objection? Hearing none, House Joint Resolution 15 is placed on the Consent Calendar. Will the Clerk please call Calendar No. 12?
On page 3, Calendar No. 12, House Joint Resolution No. 16. RESOLUTION CONFIRMING THE NOMINATION OF THE HONORABLE MAUREEN PRICE-BORELAND OF DURHAM TO BE A JUDGE OF THE SUPERIOR COURT. Favorable Report of Judiciary.
Representative LaMark Muir.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I rise to move for acceptance of the Joint Committee's Favorable Report and adoption of the resolution. Mg/ak 168
Question before the chamber is acceptance of the Joint Committee's Favorable Report, adoption of the resolution. Representative LaMark Muir, you have the floor, ma'am?
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. This resolution is for the reappointment of the Honorable Maureen Price-Boreland. She was first appointed in 2018. She served in New Haven and Middletown. She's currently the presiding judge of family court in Middletown. She's a graduate of the UConn Law School. And I would like to personally support the Honorable Judge Price-Boreland. She was a longtime colleague in working with me to help reform the state's criminal justice system, and I can think of no one better for the bench.
Thank you, Representative. Will your remark further on the resolution? Representative Fishbein. Mg/ak 169
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, Judge Price-Boreland also sat in Meriden for quite a time. I believe she was the presiding judge there also. I could tell you that up until about a year ago, I was going to that court just about every day of the week. I've been before Judge Price-Boreland a bunch of times. I've seen her grow. I was before her in New Haven, I was before her in Middletown and spent weeks and weeks and weeks with her in Meriden. She is a fine jurist. Haven't always agreed with her. But in the end, I understood what she was doing. She did a lot of family. She's doing a lot of family. Middletown's a big judicial district. A lot of cases there. I think she's a credit to the bench, and I ask my colleagues to support Judge Price-Boreland for another term. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Representative. Will you remark further on the resolution? If not, Representative LaMark Muir. Mg/ak 170
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I move that House Resolution 16 be placed on the Consent Calendar.
Question before the chamber is placing House Resolution 16 on the Consent Calendar. Is there objection? Hearing none, House Joint Resolution 16 is on the Consent Calendar. Will the Clerk please call Calendar No. 13?
Page 3, Calendar 13. House Joint Resolution 17. RESOLUTION CONFIRMING THE NOMINATION OF THE HONORABLE STUART D. ROSEN OF AVON TO BE A JUDGE OF THE SUPERIOR COURT. Favorable Report of Judiciary.
Representative Jacobson of the 148th, you have the floor, sir. Mg/ak 171
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I move for acceptance of the Joint Committee's Favorable Report and adoption of the resolution, please.
Question before the chamber is acceptance of the Joint Committee's Favorable Report, adoption of the resolution. Representative Jacobson, you have the floor, sir.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I move for the reappointment of Judge Rosen. Judge Rosen has been serving since May of 2018 in the Hartford Judicial District. He is a graduate of the University of Connecticut undergraduate and the Catholic University of America, Columbus School of Law. I urge adoption for reappointment. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Mg/ak 172 Will you remark further on the resolution? Representative Fishbein?
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of Judge Rosen for another term, and I ask my colleagues to support as well. Thank you.
Thank you, Representative. Will your remark further on the resolution? If not, will staff and guests please come to the well of the House. Members, take your seats. Machine will be open.
The House of Representatives is voting by roll, members to the chamber. The House of Representatives is voting by roll, members to the chamber.
Mg/ak 173 Have all the members voted? Will the members please check the board to determine if your vote is properly cast? If all the members have voted, the machine will be locked, and the Clerk will take a tally. Will the Clerk please announce the tally?
House Joint Resolution 17. Total number voting 138 Necessary for passage 70 Those voting Yea 138 Those voting Nay 0 Absent not voting 13
The Resolution is adopted. (Gavel) Representative Blumenthal.
Mg/ak 174 Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Just for the record, I didn't hit my button quick enough to announce my recusal beforehand, but I was recused from that vote and absented myself from the chamber. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Representative. Will the Clerk please call Calendar No. 14.
Page 3, Calendar No. 14, House Joint Resolution No. 18. RESOLUTION CONFIRMING THE NOMINATION OF THE HONORABLE NORMA I. SANCHEZ-FIGUEROA OF SOUTH WINDSOR TO BE A JUDGE OF THE SUPERIOR COURT. Favorable Report of Judiciary.
Representative Jacobson.
Mg/ak 175 Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I move for acceptance of the Joint Committee's Favorable Report and adoption of the resolution.
Question before the chamber is acceptance of the Joint Committee's Favorable Report and adoption of the resolution. Representative Jacobson, you have the floor.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I move for the reappointment of Judge Sanchez-Figueroa. She has been serving in the superior court since May of 2018. Academically, she is an alumni of Brandeis University and Boston College School of Law. The Judiciary Committee unanimously supports her approval to the bench, and I urge my colleagues to do the same here. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Mg/ak 176 Thank you, Representative. Will you remark further on this resolution? Representative Fishbein, you have the floor.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of the renomination and reappointment of Judge Sanchez-Figueroa for another term on the superior court. I ask my colleagues to support as well. Thank you.
Will you remark further on the resolution? Representative Delnicki.
Good afternoon, Mr. Speaker. I rise in wholehearted support of the Honorable Sanchez-Figueroa of South Windsor. She deserves another reappointment, has done a good job, and I hope we all support her. Thank you.
Mg/ak 177 Thank you, Representative. Will you remark further on the resolution? Will you remark further on the resolution? Representative Jacobson.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I move that House Joint Resolution 18 be placed on the Consent Calendar, please.
Question before the chamber is placing House Joint Resolution 18 on the Consent Calendar. Is there objection? Is there objection? Hearing none, House Joint Resolution 18 is placed on the Consent Calendar. Will the Clerk please call Calendar No. 15?
Page 3, calendar 15. House Joint Resolution No. 19. RESOLUTION CONFIRMING THE NOMINATION OF THE HONORABLE JOSEPH B. SCHWARTZ OF WEST HARTFORD TO BE A JUDGE OF THE SUPERIOR COURT. Favorable Report of Judiciary. Mg/ak 178
Representative Jacobson.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I move for acceptance of the Joint Committee's Favorable Report and adoption of the resolution.
The question before the chamber is acceptance of the Joint Committee's Favorable Report and adoption of the resolution. Representative Jacobson, you have the floor.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I move for the reappointment of Judge Schwartz to the bench. Judge Schwartz first came on in 2018. His current assignment is the Hartford Judicial District, Criminal Division. In terms of his academic backgrounds, he obtained his undergraduate degree from George Washington University and obtained his law degree right here in Mg/ak 179 Connecticut, University of Connecticut School of Law. I urge adoption.
Representative Fishbein.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of the reappointment of Judge Schwartz to another term on the superior court, and I ask my colleagues to support as well. Thank you.
Thank you. Will you remark further on the resolution? Will you remark further on the resolution? Representative Jacobson.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I move that House Joint Resolution 19 be placed on the Consent Agenda, please. Mg/ak 180
Question before the chamber is placing House Joint Resolution 19 on the Consent Calendar. Is there objection? Is there objection? Hearing none, House Joint Resolution 19 is placed on the Consent Calendar. Will the Clerk please call Calendar No. 16?
On page 3, Calendar 16, House Joint Resolution No. 20. RESOLUTION CONFIRMING THE NOMINATION OF THE HONORABLE JAMES FIELD SPALLONE OF IVORYTON TO BE A JUDGE OF THE SUPERIOR COURT. Favorable Report of Judiciary.
Representative Blumenthal.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I will recuse myself from this vote. Mg/ak 181
House will stand at ease. House will come back to order. Representative O'Dea.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I need to follow my colleague, Mr. Blumenthal, and recuse myself. Thank you very much.
House will stand at ease. House will come back to order. Representative LaMark Muir.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I move for acceptance of the Joint Committee's Favorable Report and adoption of the resolution.
Mg/ak 182 Question before the chamber is acceptance of the Joint Committee's Favorable Report and adoption of the resolution. Representative LaMark Muir, you have the floor.
Thank you again, Mr. Speaker. This resolution is for the reappointment of the Honorable James Spallone. He is currently sitting at the civil division in New Haven and he served in courthouses across the state. He is a member of the class of 2018. Some of you may know that he was a respected member of this chamber for many years. And he's a graduate of the UConn School of Law. And I'd like to recommend him as a friend and now a constituent of mine. So, I think he's an excellent nominee for the bench.
Thank you, madam. Representative Fishbein.
Mg/ak 183 Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of Judge Spallone being reappointed to the superior court bench for another eight-year term. I ask my colleagues to support as well. Thank you.
Thank you. Will you remark further on this resolution? Will you remark further on this resolution? If not, will staff and guests please come to the well of the House? Will the members please take your seats? The machine will be open.
The House of Representatives is voting by roll, members to the chamber. The House of Representatives is voting by roll, members to the chamber.
Have all members voted? Have all members voted? Have all members voted? Will the members please check the board to determine if your vote is properly cast? If all members have Mg/ak 184 voted, the machine will be locked. The Clerk will take a tally. Clerk will please announce the tally.
House Joint Resolution No. 20. Total number voting 137 Necessary for passage 69 Those voting Yea 137 Those voting Nay 0 Absent not voting 14
The Resolution is adopted. (Gavel) Will the Clerk please call Calendar No. 17?
On page 4, Calendar 17, House Joint Resolution No. 21. RESOLUTION CONFIRMING THE NOMINATION OF THE HONORABLE SUSAN Mg/ak 185 QUINN COBB OF WEST HARTFORD TO BE A SENIOR JUDGE OF THE SUPERIOR COURT. Favorable Report of Judiciary.
Representative Jacobson.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I move for acceptance of the Joint Committee's Favorable Report and adoption of the resolution.
Question before the chamber is acceptance of the Joint Committee's Favorable Report and adoption of the resolution. Representative Jacobson, you have the floor.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I move for the reappointment of Judge Cobb as senior judge, the Hartford Judicial District. Judge Cobb is a Connecticut native. She was Mg/ak 186 first appointed to the bench in May of 2010. She has been practicing law or has license to practice law in the state since 1988. She has done an excellent job serving our community just as senior judge at the Hartford Judicial District. And I urge adoption for her reappointment by virtue of voting favorably on this resolution. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Representative. Representative Fishbein.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of Judge Cobb's reappointment for another term in the superior court, and I ask that my colleagues do support as well. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Will you remark further on this resolution? Will you remark further on this resolution? If not, Representative Jacobson. Mg/ak 187
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I move that House Joint Resolution 21 be placed on the Consent Calendar, please.
Question before the chamber is placing House Joint Resolution 21 on the Consent Calendar. Is there objection? Is there objection? Hearing none, House Joint Resolution 21 is placed on the Consent Calendar. Will the Clerk please call Calendar No. 18?
On page 4, Calendar 18, House Joint Resolution No. 22. RESOLUTION CONFIRMING THE NOMINATION OF THE HONORABLE DENNIS G. EVELEIGH OF HAMDEN TO BE A STATE REFEREE. Favorable Report of Judiciary.
Representative Jacobson. Mg/ak 188
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I move for acceptance of the Joint Committee's Favorable Report and adoption of the resolution.
Question before the chamber is acceptance of the Joint Committee's Favorable Report and adoption of the resolution. Representative Jacobson, you have the floor.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I move for the favorable vote of Judge Eveleigh for reappointment to the bench. Born in Stamford, Connecticut, my hometown. He was first appointed to the bench in 1998. He continues to do an excellent job, and I urge adoption.
Will you remark further on the resolution? Representative Fishbein. Mg/ak 189
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of Judge Eveleigh serving another term on the bench, and I ask my colleagues to support as well. Thank you.
Thank you, Representative. Will you remark further on this resolution? Will you remark further on this resolution? If not - - I apologize. I missed you, Representative Carney. My sincere apologies.
It's quite all right. It's nice to see you up there, Mr. Speaker. So, I rise in opposition to this nominee. It's certainly nothing personal. I'm sure Judge Eveleigh is certainly a decent jurist, but I cannot support him today because of a vote he took in State v. Santiago. And it was one that had a big effect on some people, including one of our former colleagues. And it's the same reason I voted against him last time. It's the same reason I voted against Justice McDonald. And Mg/ak 190 because of his vote in that case, I cannot support him, and I would encourage all of my colleagues to oppose him as well. Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you. Will you remark further on this resolution? Will you remark further on this resolution. If not, will staff and guests please come to the well of the House? Will the members please take your seats? The machine will be open.
The House of Representatives is voting by roll, members to the chamber. The House of Representatives is voting by roll, members to the chamber.
Have all the members voted? Have all the members voted? Have all the members voted? Will the members please check the board to determine if your vote is properly cast? If all the Mg/ak 191 members have voted, the machine will be locked and the Clerk will take a tally. Clerk will please announce the tally.
House Joint Resolution 22. Total number voting 139 Necessary for passage 70 Those voting Yea 113 Those voting Nay 26 Absent not voting 12
The resolution is adopted. (Gavel) The distinguished Minority Leader, Representative Candelora.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I rise for a point of personal privilege. Mg/ak 192
Proceed, sir.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I would have risen to talk about this issue when we're voting potentially on the union contracts. I think it's relevant for this chamber. But as of yesterday, the Office of Fiscal Analysis has put a report out, and the State of Connecticut is now in deficit by almost $30 million for this current budget year. That doesn't account for the $286 million that needs to be returned to the rainy day fund because of the federal account that was created off budget. So, I want to just put that on the record as we are ending our last few weeks of session, that we should probably pause on spending more money before we balance next year. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you. Will the Clerk please call Calendar No. 19? Mg/ak 193
Page 4, Calendar 19, House Joint Resolution No. 23. RESOLUTION CONFIRMING THE NOMINATION OF THE HONORABLE JAMES T. GRAHAM OF BLOOMFIELD TO BE A STATE REFEREE. Favorable Report of Judiciary.
Representative Jacobson again.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I move for acceptance of the Joint Committee's Favorable Report and adoption of the resolution.
Question before the chamber is adoption of the Joint Committee's Favorable Report and adoption of the resolution. Representative Jacobson, you have the floor.
Mg/ak 194 Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I urge the assembly to vote in favor of this resolution for the reappointment of Judge Graham to the bench. Judge Graham has been serving in the Hartford Judicial District for the civil and criminal divisions. He was first appointed in 1994. And I urge adoption that he be able to continue another term. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you. Representative Fishbein.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I rise in great pleasure being part of this proceeding here today. I was Judge Graham's clerk many, many, many, many, many years ago, approximately 20 years ago, and learned a lot from Judge Graham during that time. And very proud to stand up here today and to ask my colleagues to support Judge Graham for another term. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Mg/ak 195 Thank you, Representative. Representative Jacobson.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I move that House Joint Resolution No. 23 be placed on the Consent Agenda, please.
Question before the chamber is placing House Joint Resolution 23 on the Consent Calendar. Is there objection? Is there objection? Hearing none, House Joint Resolution 23 is placed on the Consent Calendar. Will the Clerk please call Calendar No. 20?
Page 4, Calendar No. 20, House Joint Resolution No. 24. RESOLUTION CONFIRMING THE NOMINATION OF THE HONORABLE ARTHUR C. HADDEN OF BRANFORD TO BE A STATE REFEREE. Favorable Report of Judiciary.
Mg/ak 196 The distinguished Representative from Stamford, Representative Jacobson.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I move for acceptance of the Joint Committee's Favorable Report and adoption of the resolution.
Question before the chamber is acceptance of the Joint Committee's Favorable Report and adoption of the resolution. Representative Jacobson, you have the floor.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I urge that this assembly vote in favor of the reappointment of Judge Hadden. He has been first serving since 2002, currently assigned to the Judicial District of New London, GA21: family, criminal, and housing. I urge adoption for another term. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mg/ak 197
Thank you, Representative. Representative Fishbein.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of Judge Hadden being appointed for another term to serve us in the superior court, and I ask my colleagues to support as well. Thank you.
Representative Jacobson.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I move that House Joint Resolution No. 24 be placed on the Consent Calendar, please.
Mg/ak 198 Question before the chamber is placing House Joint Resolution 24 on the Consent Calendar. Is there objection? Is there objection? Hearing none, House Joint Resolution is placed on the Consent Calendar. Will the Clerk please call Calendar No. 22?
On page 5, Calendar 22, House Joint Resolution No. 26. RESOLUTION CONFIRMING THE NOMINATION OF THE HONORABLE JOSEPH M. SHORTALL OF BLOOMFIELD TO BE A STATE REFEREE. Favorable Report of Judiciary.
Representative LaMark Muir.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I move for acceptance of the Joint Committee's Favorable Report and adoption of the resolution.
Mg/ak 199 Question before the chamber is acceptance of the Joint Committee's Favorable Report and adoption of the resolution. Representative LaMark Muir, you have the floor.
Thank you again, Mr. Speaker. This resolution is for the reappointment of Judge Shortall. He's been serving the State of Connecticut well for the past 32 years, having been appointed to the bench in 1994. He currently serves in the civil division in New Britain. And I recommend his reappointment.
Thank you, Representative. Representative Fishbein.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, Judge Shortall, like Judge Graham, I also clerked for approximately 20 years ago. You know, Judge Shortall, I was Clerking for Judge Shortall when I learned that I had passed the bar. Back in those days, you had Mg/ak 200 to call the courthouse to find out who passed the bar. Today, you can get it on the internet. So, I happen to be in the courtroom being busy when one of the fellow clerks notified me that I had passed the bar. It was quite an emotional day. You know, Judge Shortall, if you look at the backup for Judge Shortall, you'll see that he's a more elderly person. He gives back more to the community than I've really ever seen on anybody. You know, serving at food kitchens and all of those kinds of things while also hearing cases, actively hearing cases in New Britain Superior Court. He is such a credit to service back to the state. I very, very much stand here in support of Judge Shortall for another term at the superior court. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you. From the great community of Bristol, Representative Pavalock-D'Amato of the 77th.
Mg/ak 201 Thank you, Mr. Speaker. So wonderful to see you up there. I can't contain myself. However, I would like to also give my support to Judge Shortall. I quite often go in front of him, and I have to say I don't always win, but I do find him to be fair, respectful, and very patient with everybody who goes before him. So, I do urge my colleagues to support him. Thank you.
Thank you. Representative LaMark Muir.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I move that House Resolution 26 be placed on Consent Calendar.
Question before the chamber is placing House Joint Resolution 26 on the Consent Calendar. Is there objection? Is there objection? Hearing none, House Joint 26 is placed on the Consent Calendar. Will the Clerk please call Calendar No. 23? Mg/ak 202
On page 5, Calendar 23, House Joint Resolution No. 27. RESOLUTION CONFIRMING THE NOMINATION OF THE HONORABLE BARRY K. STEVENS OF STRATFORD TO BE A STATE REFEREE. Favorable Report of Judiciary.
Representative LaMark Muir.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I move for acceptance of the Joint Committee's Favorable Report and adoption of the resolution.
Question before the chamber is acceptance of the Joint Committee's Favorable Report and adoption of the resolution. Representative LaMark Muir, you have the floor.
Mg/ak 203 Thank you, Mr. Speaker. This resolution affirms the reappointment of Judge Stevens as our state referee. He's also been serving the state for the past 32 years. Again, like our previous judge, appointed in 1994. He's currently serving in Ansonia/Milford in the civil division. And I recommend reappointment to the bench.
Thank you, madam. Representative Fishbein of the 90th.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of Judge Stevens to serve another term in the superior court, and I ask my colleagues to support as well. Thank you.
Representative Gresko.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Great judge, ought to pass. Mg/ak 204
Thank you for your brevity, sir. Will you remark further on this resolution? Will you remark further on this resolution? Representative LaMark Muir.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I move that House Resolution 27 be placed on Consent Calendar.
Question before the chamber is placing House Joint Resolution 27 on the Consent Calendar. Is there objection? Is there objection? Hearing none, House Joint Resolution 27 is placed on the Consent Calendar. Will the Clerk please call Calendar No. 24?
On page 5, Calendar 24, House Joint Resolution No. 28. RESOLUTION CONFIRMING THE NOMINATION OF THE HONORABLE MICHAEL WU OF CANTON TO BE A STATE REFEREE. Favorable Report of Judiciary. Mg/ak 205
Representative LaMark Muir.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I move for acceptance of the Joint Committee's Favorable Report and adoption of the resolution.
Question before the chamber is acceptance of the Joint Committee's Favorable Report and adoption of the resolution. Representative LaMark Muir, you have the floor.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. This resolution is for the reappointment of the Honorable Judge Wu, currently serving in the Waterbury Community Court. First appointed to the bench in 2018, so this would be his second term. And I recommend reappointment.
Mg/ak 206 Thank you. Representative Fishbein of the 90th, you have the floor.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of Judge Wu for another term on the superior court, and I ask my colleagues to support as well.
Thank you. Will you remark further on the resolution? Representative LaMark Muir.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I move that House Resolution 28 be placed on the Consent Calendar.
Question before the chamber is House Joint Resolution 28 being placed on the Consent Calendar. Is there objection? Is there objection? Hearing none, House Joint Resolution 28 is Mg/ak 207 placed on the Consent Calendar. Will the Clerk please call Calendar 21?
On page 4, Calendar 21, House Joint Resolution No. 25. RESOLUTION CONFIRMING THE NOMINATION OF THE HONORABLE JOHN F. KAVANEWSKY, JR. OF NORWALK TO BE A STATE REFEREE. Favorable Report of Judiciary.
Representative Jacobson.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, let the record reflect that there's a potential appearance of impropriety, I'll be recusing myself from this vote.
Duly noted. House will stand at ease. Representative LaMark Muir. Mg/ak 208
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. For the last time today, I move for acceptance of the Joint Committee's Favorable Report and adoption of the resolution.
Question before the chamber is acceptance of the Joint Committee's Favorable Report and adoption of the resolution. Representative LaMark Muir, you have the floor.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. This resolution is for the reappointment of the Honorable Kavanewsky. He's been serving the State of Connecticut for 32 years on the bench. He's currently in the Stamford/Norwalk JD, and I recommend reappointment.
Thank you. Representative Fishbein.
Mg/ak 209 Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of the reappointment of Judge Kavanewsky to the superior court bench, and I ask my colleagues to support as well. Thank you.
Will you remark further on the resolution? Will you remark further on the resolution? If not, will staff and guests please come to the well of the House? Will the members please take your seats? The machine will be open.
The House of Representatives is voting by roll, members to the chamber. The House of Representatives is voting by roll, members to the chamber.
Have all the members voted? Have all the members voted? Will the members please check the board to determine if your vote is properly cast? If all the members have voted, the Mg/ak 210 machine will be locked. Clerk will take a tally. Clerk will announce the tally.
House Joint Resolution 25. Total number voting 139 Necessary for passage 70 Those voting Yea 139 Those voting Nay 0 Absent not voting 12
The resolution is adopted. (Gavel) Will the Clerk please call Consent Calendar No. 1?
Consent Calendar No. 1, House Joint Resolution 9, 11, 13, 14, 15, 16, 18, 19, 21, 23, 24, 26, 27, and 28. Mg/ak 211
Representative Stafstrom of the great City of Bridgeport.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I move the Consent Calendar.
Question before the chamber is the passage of the Consent Calendar. Will staff and guests please come to the well of the House? Will the members please take your seats? The machine will be open.
The House of Representatives is voting by roll, members to the chamber. The House of Representatives is voting by roll, members to the chamber.
Mg/ak 212 Have all the members voted? Have all the members voted? If so, the machine will be locked and Clerk will take a tally. And the Clerk will announce the tally.
Consent Calendar No. 1. Total number voting 140 Necessary for passage 71 Those voting Yea 140 Those voting Nay 0 Absent not voting 11
The items on the Consent Calendar are adopted. (Gavel) Are there any announcements or introductions? Representative Yaccarino.
Mg/ak 213 Good afternoon, Mr. Speaker.
Good afternoon.
Our members missed votes as noted. Thank you.
Because we're closing out, right? Members missed votes as noted. Thank you.
Please. And Representative McGee.
Mg/ak 214 Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Clerk will be in possession of members who missed votes and reasons why. Thank you.
Thank you very much. Any other announcements? Any other introductions? If not, Representative Johnson.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I'd like to make a motion to adjourn, subject to the Call of the Chair.
Motion is to adjourn subject to the Call of the Chair. Without objection, so ordered. Good night. (On motion of Representative Johnson of the 143rd District, the House adjourned at 3:48 o’clock p.m., to meet again at the Call of the Chair.) Mg/ak 215 CERTIFICATE I hereby certify that the preceding 309 pages is a complete and accurate transcription of a digital sound recording of the House Proceedings on Tuesday, May 20, 2025. I further certify that this digital sound recording was transcribed by the word processing department employees of Datagain, under my direction. Kanchan Mutreja Datagain 1 Creekside Court Secaucus, NJ 07094