New Britain legislators discussed issues under consideration in the 2021 state legislative session at the New Britain Area League of Women Voters‘ Legislative “Unbreakfast” event.
Because of the pandemic, the League held its annual Legislative Breakfast event as an online event, using Zoom.
The event was hosted by Ann Speyer.
Newly elected Sen. Rick Lopes (D-6) said that the effects of the pandemic are the top concern in his legislative work. Sen. Lopes said his work will focus this year on health care and on helping with the economic effects of the pandemic, including jobs and housing. Sen. Lopes said that there are concerns in coming months about a possible crisis of evictions and foreclosures.
Rep. Bobby Sanchez (D-25) said that his work in this year’s legislative session will focus on inequalities in education.
Rep. Sanchez noted that, as the pandemic hit, more prosperous communities were able to pivot to online learning while, in others, thousands of children lost months of schooling because they lacked computers or internet access. He noted that this made the achievement gap, already severe, even worse.
Rep. Sanchez said that he is focusing on funding for education and teacher recruitment from communities of color. He said that he will be working on issues affecting early childhood education, saying he is concerned about having preschools closed during the pandemic, and about achieving equal pay for preschool teachers.
Rep. Peter Tercyak (D-26) said he is focusing on getting more state funding for New Britain. He pointedly noted that there is no true state deficit and that there should not be a need for service cuts.
Rep. Tercyak said that he is continuing his work healthcare access, including expanding HUSKY program.
Rep. William Petit (R-22) said that his work will be focused on the response to the pandemic, noting his work on the nursing home working group and the vaccine working group. He said his legislative work will focus public health issues.
The League asked legislators about its proposal for changes in the State Constitution to allow early voting and no excuse absentee ballot voting, as occurred during the pandemic.
Rep. Tercyak said that he supports early voting and voting by absentee ballot by right. He also suggested that the legislature consider allowing sixteen year olds voting in local elections and for a preferential voting system.
Rep. Petit said that he also supports for no excuse absentee voting.
Rep. Sanchez, saying that he support early voting, noting that it has not been a problem in other states that have used it, and did not overwhelm the town clerks in Connecticut.
Sen. Lopes said that, considering that 2020 was the first time Connecticut had these expanded voting opportunities, and implemented them during pandemic, it ran reasonably well. He said that running elections that way will only get better with time. He said that he also supports automatic registration and other changes to expand voting, saying that Connecticut should have a higher percentage of people voting, like is common in other countries.
Asked by the League about plans to address inequality of educational opportunity, Rep. Sanchez, who is the Chair of the legislature’s Education Committee said that addressing inequality in education is a high priority. He pointed out that districts that have higher academic achieved are the ones receiving more local education funding.
Rep. Sanchez said that the legislature would be considering the creation of a model curriculum for the schools in the state. He said that it would be costly to undertake, with the need for things such as new equipment, books and training for teachers. The plan would be voluntary for districts, as presently conceived, but he said that he would like to see it be a mandate in the future.
Connecticut being the first state to require districts to offer African-American, Black, Puerto Rican, and Latino studies is an achievement in the state, Rep. Sanchez pointed out. He also said that the legislature would be considering more action on teaching financial literacy
Rep. Sanchez pointed out that New Britain receives large increases in state educational funding, but said that the legislature should look into changes in the Educational Cost Sharing formula to increase that aid further.
Sen. Lopes said that children in Connecticut receive a world class education, except in poor communities, a reality that the Senator called a broken system.
Sen. Lopes said that it is reality that there is segregation in educational opportunities in Connecticut, by geography, between wealthy and poor cities and towns. He pointed out how striking it is that a quarter mile distance in residence address can make so much difference in opportunity in life.
Saying that segregation not acceptable, including issues of zoning and housing, Sen. Lopes pointed out that, under the original idea of the
ECS formula New Britain would receive $30 million more and less would be received by wealthier towns
When the discussion turned to tax policy, Rep. Tercyak said that there will be a serious proposal to raise taxes on wealthy people who benefit from the federal Trump income taxes cuts. The plan would, Rep. Tercyak noted, keep the level of taxes the same for wealthier people, while providing revenue for services people need right now.
When asked how he would define wealthy, Rep. Tercyak said that he agrees with President-Elect Joe Biden – incomes of more than $400,000.
Sen. Lopes said that the pandemic has exposed inequalities in the state. Among the middle class, he said, some are economically OK, while others are not. He said, the working class has been significantly hurt while the wealthy had a very good year economically.
Sen. Lopes said that the wealthy should pay more in taxes, the middle class should receive a tax cut and the working class should receive needed pandemic relief.
Rep. Sanchez says that he sees families in his district who are afraid of being homeless and are lining up at food pantries. The wealthy, he said, have done well, and he supports having a more progressive income tax.
When asked about possible changes to the police accountability law approved last summer, Rep. Tercyak and Rep. Sanchez said that they support it as it stands.
Rep. Petit then began discussing a recent rash of car thefts, and brought up suggestions to treat minors as adults in such cases, but Rep. Petit then disavowed that he discussed this in response to the police accountability law.
Sen. Lopes criticized misinformation that he said was being made by some. He said that the car thefts are not the result of any change in state law, but are, rather the result of car fabs being left by car owners in their in cars and mischief by youth during the pandemic. He said that the state should not prosecute the juveniles as adults.
The legislators also discussed the League priority for clean slate legislation, which involves the erasure of criminal records for people who complete their sentences and remain law-abiding. The proposal would not allow child predators to have their records erased.
Rep. Sanchez said he supports the proposal. He noted many people who have already completed their sentences are unable to get jobs and housing.
Rep. Petit said he is generally supportive of the idea, but said he is skeptical of erasure for violent crimes and certain other felonies.
Discussing the CTfastrak busway, Sen. Lopes said that there is a need for more public transportation in Connecticut, and says that he supports the transit line. The busway, he said, reached its ridership goals before the pandemic. The ridership is down during the pandemic, but he said he optimistic that it will recover.
Sen. Henri Martin (R-31), whose district includes Plainville and Bristol, was at the forum, as well, and discussed cutting the CTfastrak in the state budget, repeating anecdotes about empty busses on the line. Sen. Lopes responded that all transportation systems in the state cost money, including roads and Shoreline East, far more than the CTfastrak, while Rep. Tercyak compared Sen. Martin’s logic to not plowing highways at night because few people drive on them in those hours.
The New Britain Area League of Women Voters says that
The LWV is a non-partisan, political organization of women and men. We do not support candidates or parties, but we do support issues which are selected by our members. We are involved in Candidate Debates, Voter Registration, Voter Service Activities, we present topical discussions and lobby for League supported issues at the local, state and federal levels. We also enjoy each others’ company!
