Sen. Gadkar-Wilcox Applauds Senate Passage of Bill to Support Women in Manufacturing

HARTFORD – Today, State Senator Sujata Gadkar-Wilcox (D-Trumbull) voted for Senate passage of legislation she proposed that will expand access to manufacturing workforce training for women.

The legislation will increase opportunities for women in manufacturing by:

-Requiring the Office of Workforce Strategy prioritize the inclusion of and outreach to women in the Connecticut Career Accelerator program

-Requiring regional workforce investment boards that operate youth manufacturing programs to market their programs to female high school students

-Requiring Connecticut State Colleges and Universities (CSCU) to offer career and financial counseling services for female students who apply to participate in the manufacturing program

“This legislation is critically important to expand opportunities to women, particularly in manufacturing where women are underrepresented,” said Sen. Gadkar-Wilcox. “This legislation ensures women are aware of opportunities and resources that are already available to them. I am particularly pleased with the career accelerator piece, which will strengthen the talent pipeline for women exploring career growth in the manufacturing sector.”

The legislation now heads to the House floor for passage.

Sen. Gadkar-Wilcox Condemns Trump Administration Assault on Rule of Law

Left to Right:
Janée Woods Weber, Executive Director of She Leads Justice
Tonya Hughes, Executive Director of the Commission on Human Rights and Opportunities
David McGuire, Executive Director of the ACLU CT
State Representative Josh Elliot
State Senator Sujata Gadkar-Wilcox (speaking)
State Representative Melissa Osbourne

HARTFORD – Today, State Senator Sujata Gadkar-Wilcox, a constitutional law professor, stood alongside a number of lawyer-legislators, civic groups, advocates and others to join the American Bar Association’s call for support for the rule of law and denouncing the Trump administration’s ongoing, systemic undermining of the American judicial system.

In February, the American Bar Association issued a statement condemning the Trump administration’s assault on the rule of law and asking elected representatives to “insist upon adherence to the rule of law” and urged “every attorney to join us and insist that our government, a government of the people, follow the law.” The ABA is a nonpartisan organization that went on to say, “The ABA does not oppose any administration. Instead, we remain steadfast in our support for the rule of law…The administration cannot choose which law it will follow or ignore.”

Specifically, the ABA called out the following actions of the Trump Administration:

-Targeting judges who issue opinions with which the administration does not agree;

-Targeting legal and medical organizations because of their diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) advocacy;

-Illegally freezing U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) funds;

-Illegally firing federal workers without due process;

-Attacking Constitutionally protected birthright citizenship, and

-Dismantling, without Congressional approval, agencies created by acts of Congress.

Last month, 20 Connecticut civic groups called upon the lawyer-legislators of the Connecticut General Assembly to stand with the ABA and condemn the actions of the current administration. The civic groups include: The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU); The Active Voice; Act Local NWCT; ConnCAN (Campaign for Achievement Now); CT League of Conservation Voters (CTLCV); CT River Huddle Indivisible; Democracy Women in Action; Indivisible Southeast CT; Indivisible Stamford; Inter-religious Eco-Justice Network; League of Women Voters of CT; OrangeCT Indivisible; ReSisters; She Leads Justice; Shoreline Indivisible; Take Action CT; Third Act Connecticut; Quiet Corner Indivisible CT; Quiet Corner Shouts; UConn Law Diversity Alliance; University of Connecticut School of Law’s Energy and Environmental Law Society (EELS); and Wake the Future.

“I stand with the American Bar Association and the call to make a public statement confirming my commitment to the US Constitution and our system of law,” said State Senator Sujata Gadkar-Wilcox, a constitutional law professor at Quinnipiac. “I make this commitment as a legislator, a lawyer, a professor of constitutional law – and most importantly, as an engaged citizen. Our Constitution carefully designed each branch of government to serve a particular function with the other two branches checking any overreach of power. The actions of the federal executive to defy judicial rulings, close programs created and funded by Congress, and deport lawful residents without due process are all acts that go well beyond the boundaries of the Constitution. They are unconstitutional and thereby un-American. We must do more than make statements to this end. We have to engage our communities in conversations about our Constitution to give them the tools to explain why these actions are unlawful and how they undermine the oldest and most respected constitution in the world. This is our history, our democracy, and our future! Let’s stand up to defend our Constitution!”

“Every elected leader, regardless of party, must uphold their oath to the Constitution. This is not about partisanship. It is about principle. For legislators who are also lawyers, the obligation is even greater. You took two oaths, and both demand action when the rule of law and democracy are under threat. Silence is not an option.” David McGuire, Executive Director, ACLU of Connecticut.