Michelle L. Cook

The House was in session last Tuesday and Wednesday. My colleagues and I were able to pass several pieces of legislation, including a few that I wanted to highlight: 

✅ HB6614: An act concerning debit cards and cash discounts for gasoline purchases. 

✅ HB6638: An act revising the State's antidiscrimination statutes.

✅ HB6642: An act concerning a Title IX compliance toolkit for school districts. 

✅ HB6877: An act concerning risk protection orders or warrants and disqualifiers for firearm permits and eligibility certificates based on temporary commitment under a physician's emergency certification

Wednesday, May 10

 HJ 1: Resolution Approving Constitutional Amendment to Allow No-Excuse Absentee Voting
 

The House of Representatives passed HJ 1 on Wednesday, which means you will get to decide if we amend the state constitution to allow no-excuse absentee voting.

Connecticut's rules for absentee voting are among the most restrictive in the U.S. and are enshrined in its constitution. A constitutional amendment is required to remove restrictions on absentee voting. 

Absentee voting works, which we saw during the COVID-19 pandemic in an effective and safe manner.

Voting is a fundamental American right. Eligible voters in Connecticut should have the freedom to choose how they vote whether it’s in-person on Election Day, in-person for two weeks prior to Election Day, which just passed the House last week, or by absentee ballot without needing to provide an excuse.

✅ HB6823:Putting elections in the hands of the Constitutional office that manages elections makes sense. This bill designates the Secretary of the State as the state official responsible for certifying presidential electors.

✅ HB6891: A small but mighty change for taxpayers to allow charge card, debit card or electronic payment of municipal taxes or penalties.

✅ HJ No. 34: From 1647 to 1697, several individuals in Connecticut, primarily women, were hanged for suspicions of witchcraft. Similar to the Salem trials, the accusations against the victims were often unfounded and based in misogyny.   With House Joint Resolution 34, we recognize the trauma caused by the witchcraft trials in the CT colonial courts and absolve those accused and convicted of "witchcraft" and "familiarities with the devil."

✅ HB6672: Endometriosis is an under-studied disease impacting 1-in-10 women in CT.  The House passed HB6672 to create the Endometriosis Data and Biorepository Program and associated endometriosis research lab.

✅ HB6590: This bill makes it easier for families to get access to the childcare they need.

Tuesday, May 16

✅  H.B. No. 6892 Putting teeth in municipal blight laws to increase the tools towns have to deal with abandoned, blighted and unsafe properties.

Get your gavel to gavel coverage at ct-n.com.