April 9th Newsletter
We are constantly working to provide updates and important news as it develops over social media and by email. This is a recap of some of this week’s highlights.
Below you can find information on the following topics:
- Judiciary Committee News
- National Fair Housing Month
- Expanding Voting Rights
- COVID-19 Vaccine Pharmacy Expansion
- COVID-19 Vaccine Clinic for Veterans
- Latest COVID-19 Statistics
- Yom HaShoah
For more information about the state's response efforts visit ct.gov/coronavirus. To receive text message notifications, sign up for CTAlert, the state’s emergency alert system. To subscribe, text "COVIDCT" to 888-777.
Judiciary Committee News
Last week, we spent many hours in the Judiciary Committee churning out dozens of bills as we raced toward our Committee deadline of Friday at 5PM. Here are a few of the highlights:
SB 1091, AN ACT CONCERNING DOMESTIC VIOLENCE AND CRIMINAL JUSTICE REFORMS. This bill combines SB 6 and SB 1060, in dealing with many critical issues surrounding domestic violence and family court proceedings. Most significantly it establishes a definition of "coercive control" which is something my banks Co-Chair Sen. Alex Kasser worked extremely hard on as part of her proposal "Jennifer's Law" which was proposed in recognition of the case of Jennifer Dulos. The bill passed by a vote of 34-4.
SB 888, AN ACT RESPONSIBLY AND EQUITABLY REGULATING ADULT-USE CANNABIS. This bill was the Governor's Bill to legalize and regulate the use of recreational cannabis. The bill was amended by the committee to provide many other public safety protections as well as provisions related to equity and historically justice-impacted communities. With the States of New York and Virginia recently moving to legalize recreational Cannabis, Connecticut would be around the 17th state to adopt legal cannabis. I believe the time to act is now, and I supported this bill. It passed in committee by a vote of 22-16
SB 1019, AN ACT CONCERNING THE BOARD OF PARDONS AND PAROLES, ERASURE OF CRIMINAL RECORDS FOR CERTAIN MISDEMEANOR AND FELONY OFFENSES, PROHIBITING DISCRIMINATION BASED ON ERASED CRIMINAL HISTORY RECORD INFORMATION AND CONCERNING THE RECOMMENDATIONS OF THE CONNECTICUT SENTENCING COMMISSION WITH RESPECT TO MISDEMEANOR SENTENCES. This bill known as the "Clean Slate" bill, provides a path for the erasure of certain misdemeanors and low-level felonies for those who have served their time and met certain other conditions. I supported this bill and it passed in committee by a vote of 23-14
HB 6355, AN ACT CONCERNING RISK PROTECTION ORDERS OR WARRANTS. This bill makes critical updates to our state's "red flag" laws to allow family members to petition the court for the removal of firearms to those that provide an "extreme risk" to themselves, family members, or the public. I supported this bill and it passed in committee by a vote of 27-11.
HB 6669, AN ACT CONCERNING JUVENILES AND MOTOR VEHICLE THEFT, INVESTIGATIONS OF CERTAIN PENDING JUVENILE MATTERS AND REPORTING OF REQUESTS TO DETAIN ARRESTED JUVENILES. This bill was intended to address the recent uptick in motor vehicle thefts and break-ins in our communities over the last year. I have listened closely to the concerns of constituents and local police and have been alarmed by the reports of some of these incidents which turn violent and dangerous like the one on Woodfield Crossing last November. At the same time, I recognize that these car thefts follow a national trend over the course of the pandemic and that simply "throwing the book" at juvenile offenders without addressing the root causes and providing diversionary programs for youth is not the solution. This bill I believe provides some good solutions without being overly punitive, and I joined a bipartisan coalition of legislators to support it by a vote of 21-17.
HB 6665, AN ACT CONCERNING THE REMOVAL OF RESTRICTIVE COVENANTS BASED ON RACE AND ELIMINATION OF THE RACE DESIGNATION ON MARRIAGE LICENSES. This bill was raised by members of the Manchester delegation and eliminates illegal raciallly based restrictive covenants on the land records. These types of land use covenants were invalidated by the Supreme Court in 1948, but the physical records still exist on the town records. I personally drafted this bill and drew upon my experience as a real estate attroney to do so. I am happy to say that it passed in committee by a vote of 38-0
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