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.”