Maria Horn

We voted on several Public Safety Bills so far this week, two of which were works in progress right up until the end, including many challenging conversations, and both passed with a combined total of one “no” vote between them.  It’s been a satisfying week.
 

It is good to be back in the district today after a long week in Hartford.  As we move to some of our thornier pieces of legislation, with more of us in and around our chamber, even the difficult negotiations include gratitude for the ability to be together to have them: a difficult compromise feels more solid when struck in person than it does on a Zoom screen.  

As a committee chair this year, I’m seeing more layers to the legislative process.  For one thing, bills are rarely final.  Even bills that passed unanimously in committee with the full support of all stakeholders, once placed on the “Go List” (which means they can be called at any time), can suddenly draw attention from those who just want to “tweak a sentence or two.” 

I began my day with an in-person meeting in Torrington, at the Northwest Connecticut Foundation for Community Health. 

Yesterday, the House had the first of three session days this week, which included a vote on HJR 58, a resolution proposing a state constitutional amendment to allow no-excuse absentee voting. That measure passed, but I was disappointed that it passed only by a simple majority, and not the supermajority necessary to place it on your ballot in 2022.

Session days are multiplying, and we had another productive day yesterday, including a resounding vote in favor of establishing early voting in Connecticut.

I joined an emergency meeting of the Litchfield County Opiate Task Force on Monday night, following a heartbreaking and disturbing spike in the number of overdoses in our region.  We are facing a tsunami of mental health challenges: the mental and behavioral health epidemic predated COVID-19, but has been severely exacerbated by it. 

Yesterday, during a light, warm spring rain, I visited three different state parks in Torrington alongside a dedicated group of Torrington residents devoted to their preservation and maintenance.  The first was the 715-acre John A. Minetto State Park – an immense, beautiful and wild area with many great options for picnicking, fishing and hiking.