Legislature
Current Duties
At the legislature, I am a Deputy Speaker and serve on the Environment Committee, Energy and Technology Committee, and Finance, Revenue and Bonding Committee.
During my service in Hartford, I have been honored to chair the Environment Committee, Children’s Committee, and the bipartisan Program Review and Investigations Committee. My accomplishments as chairwoman include:
Environment Committee
CT became the first state in the U.S. to pass laws addressing climate change. We created a 35-year statewide recycling and solid waste program, aquifer protection for clean water, spay/neuter program to eliminate euthanization of dogs and cats, and right-to-know legislation.
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Children’s Committee
We passed an anti-bullying law to protect children, a child poverty task force, which promoted the earned income tax credit and early intervention, and adolescent pregnancy prevention using mentoring.
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Program Review & Investigations Committee
I worked with my Republican co-chair to accomplish worker retraining including Platform to Employment; government efficiency recommendations including changes to purchasing practices; restoration of state parks, higher education improvements, veterans' home overhaul and many other reforms.