James Maroney

Sen. Maroney Joins Senate Democrats as They Announce, “A Connecticut for All” Agenda

Bill proposals aim to support families and build a state for all our residents

HARTFORD, CT –Today, state Senator James Maroney (D-Milford) joined Senate President Pro Tempore Martin M. Looney (D-New Haven), Senate Majority Leader Bob Duff (D-Norwalk), and other members of the Senate Democratic caucus at a press conference in the Legislative Office Building to announce, “A Connecticut for All,” the fourth of four legislative agendas for the 2020 legislative session from Senate Democrats. The series of bills outlined the policy proposals from Senate Democrats aim to support families and build a state for all our residents.

Sen. Maroney spoke at the press conference about the need to develop legislative solutions to deal with the issue of youth deaths by suicide. The Senator hosted a Suicide Prevention Policy Summit in December with fellow legislators and experts on the subject matter. He said taking legislative action will save lives.

“I strongly support and am proud to stand with my Democratic colleagues in the state Senate on these priorities,” said Sen. Maroney. “Specifically, our efforts to prevent youth suicide which are increasingly becoming more necessary. Suicide rates among young people and teenagers continue to climb, jumping 56 percent from 2007 to 2017, according to the Centers for Disease Control. Suicide is the second leading cause of death for those ages 10 to 24 and we cannot allow this continue. We intend to pursue legislation to make sure that we are protecting our children and giving the tools and help that they need to protect their mental health.”

The legislative proposals in the “A Connecticut for All” agenda discussed today included:

SUPPORTING FAMILIES

Planned Parenthood Funding
To provide state funding for Planned Parenthood to counter the loss of federal Title X funding due to the Trump administration’s gag order.

Preventing Youth Suicide
To increase awareness, education and services to our youth around suicide prevention.

Diaper Changing Stations
To improve the health and safety of children by requiring all new or substantially renovated buildings that have public restrooms to provide at least one diaper changing table to women and men on each building floor that is accessible to the public.

PROTECTING CONNECTICUT RESIDENTS

Non-Disclosure Agreements
To stop employers from using non-disclosure agreements to silence victims of sexual harassment.

Captive Audience Meetings
To prohibit an employer from coercing employees into attending or participating in meetings sponsored by the employer concerning the employer’s views on religious or political matters.

Age Discrimination
To increase job protections for older workers in our state.

Narcan and Epi-Pens for Public Safety Officers
To increase the number of municipal and state police officers who carry life-saving Narcan
and EpiPens.

Read background information on the proposed legislation here.