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Legislation I introduced with the New Britain State Legislative Delegation, while working with the Greater New Britain League of Women Voters recently passed the Government Administration and Elections Committee.
To improve transparency for the voters when voting on municipal charter changes, the legislation requires municipalities to use “precise” wording on ballots when charter revisions are proposed for:
- Charter changes to the manner in which the Common Council (or governing body of the municipality) is elected.
- Charter changes changing whether specified officials are elected or appointed, or changing their term of office. The office affected would be named in the question, i.e. Treasurer, City Clerk, etc.
- Charter changes which alter residency requirements for municipal department heads.
- Charter changes in the required notification of hearings to the public which affect the budgetary process.
- Creation or Dissolution of Boards and Commissions of the city or town.
Read more about it here.
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| General Law Committee Bills |
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In the General Law Committee last week, we passed comprehensive consumer protection legislation important to the 27th district and residents of the State, including combating price gouging and junk fees, expanding the right to repair, regulating AI technology to prevent its use in discriminatory practices, protecting homeowners from door to door scams, allowing lottery winners to shield their identity, children’s safety in social media platforms, and expanding data privacy protections.
You can find the full list of bills here. |
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March 25 was Equal Pay Day, which signifies how far into the year women must work to earn what men earned in the previous year. It's a reminder of the ongoing fight for gender equality in the workplace.
In Connecticut, we’re making strides with legislation like the Pay Equity and Opportunity Act, which strengthens pay transparency, prohibits salary history inquiries, and ensures fair pay for all workers, regardless of gender. Together, we’re working toward a future where EQUAL WORK means EQUAL PAY for everyone.
I support HB 6517, which would require employers to post salary range transparency when posting a job. |
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As I'm sure you're aware, the the Department of Public Health was notified this week that six of its grants were terminated, resulting in nearly $150 million of cuts to the agency.
To clarify some misconceptions, these grants are NOT COVID-19 funds. While the funds were granted during the COVID-19 pandemic, their purpose was to help build critical public health infrastructure and has helped modernize the agency's core functions, including modernizing its birth and death registries, moving from a paper-based disease reporting system to an electronic one, and tracking emerging and active diseases like mpox, avian flu, and measles.
Below is some basic information about the grant cuts and their immediate impacts:
- Six grants terminated effective immediately on March 24.
- Almost $150M cut.
- 49 DPH staff will be impacted (ongoing discussions with HR and OLR).
- 50 consulting staff were given stop work orders yesterday.
- 69 contracts to 48 vendors (45 of which are local health departments that were expecting over $6 million) were issued stop work orders yesterday.
To be clear, the cuts are debilitating. They do not get to waste or fraud, but instead hit at the general health, safety and welfare of every resident of the state of Connecticut. I, along with my colleagues, will work to minimize the effects of these egregious, irresponsible actions from the federal government.
For more information, please read this CT Mirror article.
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| Kudos to the Newington Volunteer FD! |
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Great news from the Newington Volunteer Fire Department, which received an Insurance Services Office (ISO) rating of class 2.
It's the only fully volunteer fire department in the state of Connecticut, and one of only a handful in New England, to receive this rating.
I am so proud of the amazing work by all the members of the Newington Volunteer Fire Department for this achievement! Thank you for everything you do! |
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A friendly reminder that I will be hosting a coffee hour for residents of the 27th District this Saturday. This is an opportunity to discuss issues that are most important to Newington and New Britain residents.
Details below.
I hope to see you there! |
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The Newington Children's Theatre Company, Connecticut's longest-running nonprofit youth theater group, is presenting its second Mainstage Musical, Disney's "Moana Jr.," for shows over two weekends, from now to April 6.
The show will feature more than 150 kids ages 5 to15 from more than 25 towns in six casts at John Wallace Middle School, 71 Halleran Drive, Newington.
See showtimes and ticket information here. |
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As always, if I can be of assistance to you and your family, please don't hesitate to reach out to me at 860-240-8585 or email me at Gary.Turco@cga.ct.gov. Don't forget to "LIKE" my Facebook page for news and legislative updates!
Sincerely,
Gary Turco
State Representative |
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