Senate Leadership
June 7, 2007
Senate Democrats’ 2007 Session of the General Assembly: Important Legislation in Health Care, Energy, Education, Quality of Life
Budget resolution still to come in Special Session
State Senate President Pro Tempore Donald E. Williams, Jr. and Majority Leader Martin M. Looney marked the end of the 2007 session of the Connecticut General Assembly by noting important victories in the critical areas of health care, energy, education and other quality of life issues. (June 7, 2007)
State Senate President Pro Tempore Donald E. Williams, Jr. (D-Brooklyn) and Majority Leader Martin M. Looney (D-New Haven) marked the end of the 2007 session of the Connecticut General Assembly by noting important victories in the critical areas of health care, energy, education and other quality of life issues. The leaders also said they will continue to fight for Democratic priorities as they continue budget negotiations in special session.
"This session was important in that we were able to move forward with our top priority-health care," Sen. Williams said. "If we could get the governor to realize the importance of increasing access to quality, affordable health care in our state, we could move to the next stage of extending health care access to everyone in the state. To stop this legislation - HealthFirst Connecticut and Healthy Kids-from going forward with a veto would be a travesty for our state."
Sen. Williams noted that the landmark Electricity and Energy Efficiency bill passed this session goes a long way toward addressing the state's immediate need for rate relief and our future energy needs. The non-profit advocacy and research group Environment Northeast says the new energy legislation "increases the state's efficiency resources by requiring utilities to invest in all energy efficiency and so-called 'demand-side' measures that are cost-effective and reliable--before purchasing new, higher priced power plant contracts. This ground-breaking change could result in a doubling or tripling of energy efficiency and clean resources, which would reduce greenhouse gas emissions, create new jobs, and help stabilize the demand for new energy."
Sen. Looney said that whatever the outcome of budget negotiations, cities and towns will see an historic increase in state aid to education. "Both the Democrats' and the governor's budget proposals contain significant increases in Education Cost Sharing formula funding. We are pleased the governor agrees with the longstanding Democratic principle that the state needs to live up to its responsibility in funding local education," Sen. Looney said.
The General Assembly also passed Sen. Williams' SAFE schools initiative to improve school security.
Important environmental legislation passed this year includes banning the use of pesticides on middle school grounds, passing the "Face of Connecticut" open space preservation program, and requiring the State Bond Commission to vote on funding for farmland preservation.
Other quality of life legislation passed this session includes restrictions on the use of eminent domain, requiring the reporting of lost or stolen firearms, requiring hospitals to provide emergency contraception for rape victims, funding the teachers' retirement system, and requiring emergency plans in shoreline communities to respond to any liquefied natural gas facility emergency that may occur in Long Island Sound.
Download a summary of the 2007 session.|
Senator Williams’ Larry Cook |
Listing of Leadership’s recent press releases. |
Senator Looney’s Larry Cook |
