Month: October 2017

Bye Achieves 100 Percent Environmental Voting Record, Named an Environmental Champion

State Senator Beth Bye (D-West Hartford) has been named a 2017 ‘Legislative Champion’ by the Connecticut League of Conservation Voters for her legislative advocacy on behalf of protecting Connecticut’s public water supply, as well as for achieving a perfect 100 score on environmental matters this session—one of just five state legislators (all Democrats) to achieve that distinction.

Sen. Bye’s pro-environment voting record—including her 91 percent lifetime pro-environment voting score—is highlighted in the CTLCV’s 2017 Environmental Scorecard, which was just released yesterday, Sunday, October 15.

“One thing that the residents of the 5th State Senate District will always be able to count on from me is standing up for Connecticut’s environment, which is one of the reasons why Connecticut has such a great quality of life in national rankings,” Sen. Bye said. “On the issue of water conservation, this ended up being a unanimous and bipartisan piece of legislation. The bill helps crack down on the potential private misuse of public water resources while saving cities and towns in the Hartford region millions of dollars. It was a big win for the environment and for residents.”

The CTLCV recognized Sen. Bye as a force behind House Bill 6008, which creates an independent consumer advocate on the MDC and prevents MDC-member towns from having to cover the cost of non-payments by other towns, thereby saving West Hartford $3.9 million in potential payments.

The CTLCV scorecard is also a window into the pro-environment voting record of Democrats in Connecticut. The average Democratic legislator’s CTLCV lifetime score is 88, while the average Republican score is 67—21 points lower.

“We owe it to both our present and our future generations to balance development and business growth with open space preservation and the wise use of our natural resources like water, air, and land,” Sen. Bye said. “I encourage both my Democratic and Republican colleagues to commit themselves to a brighter future for Connecticut’s environment.”

Larson: October is Domestic Violence Awareness Month

October is Domestic Violence Awareness Month and tomorrow, October 17, is Purple Tie Tuesday, a public awareness activity whereby men and women wear purple to recognize the importance of domestic violence awareness.

Senator Tim Larson (D-East Hartford) and the Connecticut Coalition Against Domestic Violence are hoping that you all will participate by wearing a purple and learning more about how domestic violence affects people in your community.

In Connecticut:

• Nearly 40,000 victims seek services from domestic violence organizations annually.
• Domestic violence shelters are at 122 percent capacity all the time with more than 1,000 adults and 1,200 children seeking safety in shelter each year.
• Nearly 70 percent of children in shelter are under the age of six.
• Shelter utilization has increased 119 percent over the past eight years and length of stay is up 77 percent.
• Certified domestic violence advocates spent 93,633 hours counseling survivors in 2016 around risk, safety and help to get them get to their next best place.

Clearly, there is no better time than now to be talking about this critical public health issue and raising awareness that help is available 24/7 wherever you live in our state.

Feel free to post your Purple Tie Tuesday photos on Facebook or Twitter and using #PurpleTieTuesday and tag Connecticut Coalition Against Domestic Violence:

Facebook: @CTCoalitionAgainstDomesticViolence
Twitter: @CTCADV

For more general information about domestic violence, including potential warning signs for emotional, physical, or sexual abuse, visit the National Domestic Violence Hotline’s information page: Is This Abuse? Get the Facts.

Larson Tours Coca-Cola Distribution Center in East Hartford

EAST HARTFORD— Senator Tim Larson (D-East Hartford) today joined state representatives Jeff Currey and Jason Rojas for a tour of the Coca-Cola Distribution Center located in East Hartford.

On October 2, Coca-Cola of Northern New England (CCNNE), a regional bottler headquartered in Bedford, NH, closed on a deal to acquire the production and distribution center in East Hartford from The Coca-Cola Company. As a result of the acquisition, the East Hartford branch has increased productivity in the center and is also looking forward to upping their engagement in the local community.

“We’re really excited about the new merge of this company, and the expansion, and refortification of Coca-Cola,” Sen. Larson said. “So many jobs were created here and it’s great to see the increase in automation. I always thought that automation was something that took people out of jobs but we learned here today that’s not the case. It actually adds more people into the workforce because of the increase in product volume.”