Raghib Allie-Brennan

Today, State Rep. Raghib Allie-Brennan and more than two dozen bipartisan elected state representatives wrote to state Commissioner of Agriculture Bryan Hurlburt to urge the Department’s support for legislation banning Connecticut pet stores from selling inhumanely bred animals.

With the 2019 legislative session completed, I want to give you an overview of changes that benefit our district. But first and foremost, I want to thank you for the incredible privilege of being a voice at the table to speak on behalf of our 2nd District families and residents.

Boehringer Ingelheim is our state’s largest biopharmaceutical company and employs over 2,500 Connecticut residents. This company has made significant investments in research and development (R&D) which is on full display in their state of the art immuno-oncology and microbiome labs. Nationally, companies like BI employ more than 800k people and directly/indirectly support almost 5 million jobs.

I am pleased to report that Governor Lamont has signed the “Mental Health Parity Act” which will increase access to insurance coverage for mental health and substance abuse conditions.

As Connecticut has seen an increase in new HIV cases, my bill helps to eradicate new diagnoses by allowing our youth to have access to prevention resources.

I am grateful for all the work the Danbury Police Activities League does in keeping our youth safe and am pleased to have played a role in securing a 104K grant, so they can continue to offer youth programs for the next two years.

The state budget approved last night provides a net increase in funding for Bethel’s education system. The new budget includes more than $89,000 additional funding for Bethel’s schools and a $126,000 expenditure increase for Bethel’s Teacher Retirement Fund, an expense that was previously stated to be absorbed by the town.

Today the House of Representatives unanimously passed legislation that would ban the “gay and transgender panic” defense. As a co-introducer of the bill I am proud of our state for implementing this necessary measure to ensure all individuals feel safe.