2013 Legislative Session
Dear Friends,
Welcome to the 2013 Legislative session!
Wednesday January 9th marks the opening of a session that is sure to hold the promise for contentious debates and passage of critically important laws to help improve all of our lives.
At the end of last year in Newtown, CT 20 young children lost their lives when a gunman entered the Sandy Hook Elementary School and unleashed evil into the lives of the town’s people and horror into the rest of the state and nation.
In the wake of the events of that fateful Friday there has been much discussion about gun control and mental health legislation--although to my knowledge the specific mental health aspect, while talked about, has not been confirmed. Many ideas have been entered as concepts for bills pertaining to gun control including some ideas I have submitted. In the coming weeks I will ensure that subsequent newsletters link to the proposals and that any hearings we have are noted within the newsletter as well.
Passions run high where gun control is concerned. My hope is that we can have this discussion in a manner that honors those we lost and that is reflective of what has become the
#20Acts/#26Acts movement.
A final note on Sandy Hook for this update – I was honored to be asked to speak at a benefit for the families of Newtown that took place January 3rd in Branford called Hope for Sandy Hook. A news article ran in the
Quinnipiac newspaper and a
video of the benefit is available online as well.
Many issues will be a part of the coming session but there is perhaps none more important than the state budget and what the General Assembly does about it. I haven’t seen a proposal yet, there is still some time before we see that, but I know we will be looking at a significant budget shortfall, perhaps upwards of a billion dollars. I will be sure to keep you aware of any developments.
As always, it is my intention to keep you informed through this newsletter update and I also participate in several forms of social media:
Facebook,
Twitter and
Tumblr. Please feel free to join me there and help pass the word.
All the best,
Gary Holder-Winfield
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