Newsroom 2013

December 3, 2013
SHEFF CASE AND DESEGREGATION OF SCHOOLS
Half of Hartford’s students now attend integrated schools — 17 years after the Connecticut Supreme Court ordered the state to eliminate the educational inequities caused by the segregation of the city’s overwhelmingly black and Hispanic school population. Rep. Jason Rojas said in an op-ed column published by the Courant that the state’s approach to ending segregation and its creation of magnet schools is not fiscally sustainable. READ THE HARTFORD COURANT ARTICLE | READ THE CT MIRROR ARTICLE

October 31, 2013
RAYMOND LIBRARY EXPANSION PROJECT BEGINS
Rep. Jason Rojas gathered with other state and local officials Thursday in East Hartford for a ground-breaking ceremony for an $8 million renovation and expansion of the Raymond Public Library. The project will transform the current 48,000 square feet of library space by adding 14,000 more square feet with new meeting and computer rooms, a teen section, and museum artifacts from the town's aerospace and tobacco farming history incorporated throughout the building. READ THE HARTFORD COURANT ARTICLE

October 31, 2013
RAYMOND LIBRARY RENOVATION PROJECT
State legislators for East Hartford joined Gov. Dannel P. Malloy Thursday at Raymond Public Library to hail the groundbreaking of an $8.7 million expansion and renovation project, financed in part by $4 million in state grants. READ MORE

August 9, 2013
EAST HARTFORD YOUTH SERVICES RECEIVES STATE GRANT
Crediting Rep. Jason Rojas for being instrumental in the awarding of a state grant, East Hartford Youth Services Director Cephus Nolen said the $85,241 will be used to pay for prevention and intervention programs to help curb youth violence and reduce the number of local youths entering the juvenile justice system. READ THE REMINDER NEWS ARTICLE | YOUTH TASK FORCE / OUTREACH WORKERS WEBSITE

August 5, 2013
MANCHESTER DELEGATION TO MEET WITH CONSTITUENTS
State lawmakers who represent Manchester encourage constituents to attend a meeting to discuss issues. READ MORE

August 5, 2013
GRANTS FOR YOUTH SERVICES IN EAST HARTFORD, MANCHESTER
Rep. Rojas, who secured state grants for local youth services in East Hartford and Manchester, said he expects East Hartford to accept the money when its town council holds its next meeting Tuesday. READ MORE

July 17, 2013
REP. ROJAS APPOINTS RICHARD GENTILE TO BLIGHT TASK FORCE
Rep. Jason Rojas on Wednesday announced his appointment of East Hartford Assistant Corporation Counsel Richard Gentile to a task force on addressing municipal blight. READ MORE

July 15, 2013
GOVERNOR SIGNS BILL ALLOWING FLATTER ROOFS ON SCHOOLS
Gov. Dannel P. Malloy has signed into law a measure that allows towns to build schools with flatter roofs, easing requirements put in place a decade ago. READ THE JOURNAL INQUIRER ARTICLE

July 12, 2013
ROJAS LEGISLATION ELIMINATING COSTLY MANDATE SIGNED INTO LAW
Rep. Jason Rojas, House chairman of the legislature's Planning and Development Committee, praised the enactment of legislation he introduced that eliminates a costly state mandate for municipalities' school construction projects. READ MORE

July 10, 2013
LAW MAY HELP SCCOG WITH FUNDING AND EXPANSION
Incentives provided for consolidation of regional agencies
"Work on regionalism from past session beginning to take shape, thanks to everyone who has had a hand" - Rep. Jason Rojas
READ THE DAY ARTICLE

June 21, 2013
LAWMAKERS HAIL $350,000 APPROVED FOR ODYSSEY SCHOOL IN MANCHESTER
Thanks to the efforts of Rep. Jason Rojas and Sen. Steve Cassano, who persuaded Governor Dannel Malloy and legislative leaders, the State Bond Commission approved a $350,000 grant Friday for increased school security and new library shelves for Odyssey Community School in Manchester. READ MORE

June 21, 2013
EAST HARTFORD LAWMAKERS WELCOME $3 MILLION IN STATE FUNDS FOR TOWN
Representatives Jason Rojas, Henry Genga and Tim Larson hailed $3 million in state funding approved Friday by the State Bond Commission for a flood plain study in East Hartford's Willow Brook area and revitalization of its neighborhoods and housing. READ MORE

June 3, 2013
REPS. LARSON, ROJAS LEAD PASSAGE OF MORE COMMISSION LEGISLATION
In an overwhelmingly bipartisan vote, the House of Representatives, led by Reps. Jason Rojas and Timothy Larson, approved legislation Monday that implements many of the recommendations of the Speaker’s Municipal Opportunities and Regional Efficiencies Commission (MORE), including a phase-out of the local motor vehicle property tax. READ MORE

>May 29, 2013
REP. ROJAS’ FAIR HOUSING BILL SIGNED
Rep. Jason Rojas praised the enactment of a bill he introduced that would establish a task force to review legislative solutions to review the impediments to fair housing choice. READ MORE

May 22, 2013
HOUSE APPROVES SWIMMING POOL SAFETY BILL
State legislators Jason Rojas, Joe Diminico and Henry Genga, who represent East Hartford and Manchester where two high school students drowned last year in separate swimming pool accidents at their schools, joined their colleagues as the House of Representatives approved a bill that establishes a uniform pool safety policy. READ MORE

May 21, 2013
EAST HARTFORD LAWMAKERS HERALD $2 MILLION FOR TOWN’S AFFORDABLE HOUSING
As part of a $13.8 million state initiative for affordable housing and neighborhood revitalization programs throughout the state, the East Hartford Housing Authority is in line to receive $2 million to acquire, rehabilitate and redevelop blighted housing. READ MORE

May 15, 2013
ADULT EDUCATION GROUP HONORS REP. ROJAS
The Connecticut Association for Adult and Continuing Education on Wednesday honored state Rep. Jason Rojas, a member of the legislature’s Education Committee, for his support and advocacy of the organization’s interests. READ MORE

May 15, 2013
REP. ROJAS CHOSEN HONORARY CHAIRMAN FOR MENTAL ILLNESS ALLIANCE BENEFIT WALK
State Rep. Jason Rojas and Pat Rehmer, commissioner of the Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services, will serve as the honorary chairmen of the 10th annual fund-raising walk Saturday in Hartford’s Bushnell Park for the Connecticut Chapter of the National Alliance on Mental Illness. READ MORE

April 30, 2013
REP. ROJAS ISSUES STATEMENT ON SHEFF CASE SETTLEMENT
State Rep. Jason Rojas, a member of the legislature’s Education Committee, issued the following statement on the announced court settlement of the Sheff vs O’Neill desegregation case. READ MORE

April 26, 2013
LEGISLATORS PRAISE STATE GRANTS FOR MANCHESTER PROJECTS
The State Bond Commission approved grants for projects in Manchester: a $3 million grant for a new mental health clinic; $75,000 for a parking lot and building improvements at Pathfinders Association; and $150,000 for site and drainage improvements at the state Superior Court on Center Street. READ MORE

April 12, 2013
ROJAS BILL CUTS SCHOOL REPAIR COSTS
Rep. Jason Rojas is seeking passage of legislation (HB 6079) that would eliminate part of a school construction bill and save Manchester nearly $1 million this year in school roof repair costs. The bill, which would authorize state bonding for school construction projects, also would make an important change to school construction laws: It would require the pitch of school roofs to be ¼-inch per foot. State law now requires school roofs to be twice as steep, with a pitch of ½-inch per foot. READ THE JOURNAL INQUIRER ARTICLE

April 8, 2013
READING ASSOCIATION HONORS REP. ROJAS FOR HIS ADVOCACY
The Connecticut Reading Association has presented its 2013 Legislative Literacy Advocate Award to Rep. Jason Rojas, a leading advocate for improving Connecticut's educational system. READ MORE

January 14, 2013
ROJAS WANTS BIGGER CAUCUS ROLE FOR HISPANIC LEGISLATORS
As lawmakers of Hispanic descent make inroads in the General Assembly, one north-central Connecticut lawmaker is pushing for a change in the leadership of a legislative bloc that aims to amplify their voice. READ THE JOURNAL INQUIRER ARTICLE

January 2, 2013
REP. ROJAS NAMED CHAIR OF KEY COMMITTEE
State Rep. Jason Rojas has been chosen to serve as House Chair of the Connecticut General Assembly’s Planning and Development Committee. READ MORE