State Senator Paul Doyle
May 27, 2009
Doyle Guides Probate Court Reform Through Senate: Wins Final Action on Bill
State Senator Paul Doyle (D-Wethersfield), a key member of the ad hoc probate court reform committee, led debate today leading to Senate approval — and final action — for a compromise bill to overhaul Connecticut’s probate court system. The committee on which Senator Doyle served, comprised of senators, members of the House and officials of the Rell administration, met regularly for months to negotiate these compromise reforms.
Today’s 29-7 Senate vote on the bill follows an overwhelming 126-19 vote in the House on May 19; the bill now advances to the governor’s desk for her expected signature.
“With all due respect to the historic and fundamental role of Probate Courts in Connecticut it has become readily apparent in recent years that the system cannot continue unaltered,” Senator Doyle said. “First of all, its financial underpinnings were unsustainable, and secondly, our increasingly complicated culture demands a more sophisticated approach to the resolution of traditional probate matters.”
Some highlights of the reform bill approved today include consolidation of 117 existing probate court districts into less than half that number. Senator Doyle said the legislation will lead to professional reforms that benefit the residents of Connecticut, including a full-time court.
“By all estimates the probate court system we have will exhaust its financial resources by next year, so the time for these reforms is undeniably upon us,” Senator Doyle said. “One provision of this bill sets up a commission that will make specific recommendations within a few months about how to consolidate the number of our probate courts to make them more responsive to the needs of Connecticut residents.”
“I’m confident that after a predictable period of adjustment, people will welcome the more professional approach of regional courts with regular, full-time hours,” Senator Doyle added.
Senator Doyle is serving his second term in the state Senate after six terms in the House. He is the Senate Chair of the legislature’s Human Services Committee, vice-chair of its Select Committee on Housing, and serves on the Judiciary and Regulations Review Committees as well.
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Senator Doyles’s |
Listing of Senator Doyle’s recent press releases and a Press Kit with official head shots and bio. |
Press Aide Laurence Grotheer |
