STATE REPRESENTATIVE
Juan Candelaria
Serving the 95th Assembly District
Legislative Office Building, Room 1804
Hartford, CT 06106-1591
Capitol: 800-842-8267
Juan.Candelaria@cga.ct.gov
A DOMESTIC WORKERS BILL OF RIGHTS
Many of Connecticut’s 40,000 domestic workers, including those responsible for housekeeping, household maintenance, caring for children, and caring for the elderly, have long been excluded from basic rights and protections afforded to individuals employed in other industries and trades. This syear we created a task force that will study issues relevant to this population and make recommendations for legislative initiatives to provide outreach and education services to domestic workers and employers of domestic workers in the state. The members of the task force will be appointed by state leaders and the Permanent Commission on the Status of Women.
HELPING SENIORS PAY THEIR RENT
This year we re-opened the Renters’ Rebate program to eligible seniors and individuals with permanent disabilities to receive partial reimbursements related to rental payments. If you have questions about the Renters’ Rebate program please call the program hotline at 860-418-6377.
WORKING FAMILIES’ WAGES
We recently increased the minimum wage to $10.10, effective by 2017. The minimum wage will rise to $9.15 on January 1, 2015, to $9.60 on January 1, 2016, and finally to $10.10 on January 1, 2017. This increase will raise the standard of living for thousands of hard-working families in Connecticut struggling to make ends meet, and put those dollars back into our economy, helping small businesses in our neighborhood. Studies show that workers earning the minimum wage spend nearly their entire paycheck with local businesses for basic living expenses, including groceries. Connecticut was the first state in the nation to pass a law to raise the minimum wage above $10 an hour.
MONITORING TASER USE BY POLICE OFFICERS
This session, I championed a measure to review laws regulating police use of electronic defense weapons. The recent death of a young man who was tased while in police custody motivated me to ensure new legislature was introduced and adopted. A model was presented and established by the Police Officer Standards and Training Council. It will require police departments to adopt policies to oversee the use of tasers. In addition, an annual report must be filed with the Criminal Justice Policy and Planning Division.
