STATE REPRESENTATIVE
Robyn Porter
Serving the 94th Assembly District
Legislative Office Building, Room 4006
Hartford, CT 06106-1591
Capitol: 800-842-8267
Robyn.Porter@cga.ct.gov
EARLY CHILDHOOD EDUCATION
Early childhood education is important for our children’s development, providing a sound foundation for future learning opportunities. This session we created the Office of Early Childhood. This agency will administer programs and funding that affect our children from birth until elementary school. This coordinated system of care will better utilize, better educate, and better care for our most vulnerable and impressionable population and do so in an efficient and cost effective way.
For too long, students with dyslexia have been made feel that they are lazy or not smart as their classmates. Early detection and early treatment of dyslexia are important for helping students to overcome this challenges. This law will required the State Department of Education to add dyslexia to the individualized education program (IEP) form that planning and placement teams use to provide special education to students. Teacher’s preparation programs will also be required to include instruction on identification of and appropriate interventions for students with dyslexia.
We also passed legislation that will fund 15,000 new pre-kindergarten slots over the next 10 years. Studies show that early access to education created lifelong learners.
PROTECTING VULNERABLE USERS
To the delight of our pedestrians, highway workers, bicyclists and other “vulnerable users,” we have taken another step to protect their safety on our state’s public ways. New legislation increases a motorist’s responsibilities when using public ways and ensures they will be held directly accountable in the event they fail to exercise reasonable care when using a public way.
A driver found to be endangering “vulnerable users” or to have seriously injured one would be fined up to $1,000 on top of the other charges they would inevitably face. This acts as a deterrent and is a proactive approach to keeping all of our users safe and respected. Connecticut public ways are no place for motorists who are unwilling to be safe and courteous to all of their users.
REMOVING BARRIERS TO EMPLOYMENT
One of the most significant barriers to successful reentry is employment. This bill would help offenders by creating a “certificate of rehabilitation” which could be granted by the Judicial Branch to offenders under its supervision.
The certificate would make an offender eligible for employment from which he otherwise could be disqualified due to his conviction by allowing him to obtain an occupational license. The Judicial Branch would have to consider public safety when issuing a certificate, and the offender would still have a criminal record and be obligated to disclose his conviction as required by state law.
TREE TRIMMING
This past winter community groups, residents, and local officials spoke out against the United Illuminating Company’s (UI) plan for a massive tree trimming operation that would have changed our streetscape for a decade.
This session I cosponsored and voted on one of my first bills, An Act Concerning Tree Trimming, which will require a disclosure on the notice to cut or prune the tree that if the owner objects to the proposed pruning or removal, and the tree falls on any utility infrastructure, the owner shall not be billed by the utility for any resulting damage. The bill will also require the establishment of an electronic communication or email depository for tree trimming complaints, questions and inquiries.