State Senator Mary Ann Handley

Senator Mary Ann Handley is now serving her 7th term representing the 4th Senatorial District and the residents of its four towns, Bolton, Glastonbury, Manchester, and Marlborough.

This term, she assumes a new leadership role as the Senate chair of the legislature's Higher Education and Employment Advancement Committee. She remains vice-chair of the Judiciary Committee with membership on the Commerce and Appropriations Committees.

As a retired history teacher of 30 years in the Connecticut Community College System Senator Handley has long been a strong advocate for the improvement and expansion of Higher Education in the State of Connecticut. This session Senator Handley will be working to protect our higher education system from devastating budget cuts and ensure that Connecticut maintains a highly skilled and productive workforce long into the future.

During her time at the legislature Senator Handley has worked to pass managed care reforms and helped write the state HUSKY Health Care Plan to provide health insurance coverage to as many as 303,000 children and their parents. More recently she led the successful legislative effort to repeal the provision for burdensome co-payments and health insurance premiums for HUSKY clients.

Senator Handley has consistently supported controlled state spending and tax reforms that reduce the burden on working families. The Connecticut Council of Family Service Agencies recognized Senator Handley as their 2003 Family Legislator of the Year. Senator Handley has also been a strong advocate for local municipal libraries, earning the 2004 Library Champion Award from the Connecticut Library Association.

Long active in community service, Senator Handley served on the Manchester Board of Directors from 1987 to 1989 and again from 1991 to 1996 as the town's Deputy Mayor. She has been a member of Manchester's Human Relations Commission, the Cheney Historic District Commission, the Martin Luther King Day Committee, the Substance Abuse Council, the Housing Rehabilitation Review Committee, the Special Olympics Committee, World War II Commemoration Committee, the Manchester League of Women Voters, the Unitarian Universalist Society and the Manchester Democratic Town Committee. Senator Handley has also served as chair of the Earth Day Committee, the Heritage Day Committee, the United Nations Day Committee, Project Concern and the 1st Hispanic Mission of Manchester.

Senator Handley taught History at Manchester Community College for 30 years before retiring in 1997. She received a Bachelor of Arts from Connecticut College and earned her Master of Arts from the University of Connecticut. Senator Handley was born and raised in Manchester, where she continues to reside. Her son Tim Roy is married to Lisa Gussak, and her son Mike Roy is married to Lisa Gates. She has six grandchildren Alexandra, Ethan, Anna, Olivia, Max and Julian.