Candelora, Carney Statement on Government Accountability Bills

HARTFORD-House Republican Leader Vincent Candelora (R-North Branford) and State Rep. Devin Carney (R-Old Saybrook), House Ranking Member of the Government Oversight Committee, released the following statement Tuesday following action from the Government Oversight Committee's advancement of bills aimed at improving government accountability: "Connecticut residents have had a front-row seat to a troubling series of headlines, including a school construction bribery scandal, a federal investigation into state funding set aside for nonprofit organizations, an upcoming Medicaid fraud trial, and a college system chancellor who burned through taxpayer dollars on lavish spending while collecting a $400,000 salary. Concerns about the lax vetting of budgetary earmarks have only added to the frustration. Today's action by the Government Oversight Committee contains some positive news that frustrated taxpayers deserve, advancing legislation that includes Republican concepts to improve transparency and accountability in state government. It's critical that Republican proposals remain a central part of this reform effort, because the abuses and controversies that made change necessary in the first place are the direct result of lax oversight by the Lamont administration." Republican lawmakers this session have offered a variety of proposals to root out waste, fraud, and abuse in state government, including the re-establishment of the Program Review and Investigations Committee and elements of earmark reform covered by legislation from the Lamont administration.

Candelora, House GOP Gives Voice to Residents Frustrated by Hearing

House Republican Leader Vincent Candelora was joined by House and Senate GOP caucus members for a news conference to spotlight the decision by majority party Democrats to hold public hearings on three controversial pieces of legislation in a single day--particularly proposals attacking religious freedom and educational choices made by parents.

CT 26: Bottle Redemption, Earmarks, and More

House Republican Leader Vincent Candelora covered a variety of subjects during a recent stop to WFSB 3's studios for a taping of CT 26: The state's problems with bottle redemptions, transparency and accountability in budgetary earmarks, and even local education funding.

Statement on Democrats Limiting Testimony on Vaccine Mandates and Attack on Religious Freedom

HARTFORD—House Republican Leader Vincent Candelora (R-North Branford) and State Rep. Nicole Klarides-Ditria (R-Seymour), House Ranking Member of the Public Health Committee, released the following statement Friday in response to committee Democrats' decision to limit to midnight the March 11 public hearing on H.B. 5044 and S.B. 450, bills that would grant the governor's public health commissioner unchecked authority to mandate vaccines for schoolchildren without legislative approval and erode religious freedom: "Residents should take note: this is the new way Democrats are doing business in the legislature. This decision comes on the heels of their recent omnibus bill, passed under an emergency certification that conveniently bypassed public hearings altogether, and now they're capping testimony on bills that strip parents of their voice, their rights, and for many families, close the courthouse door on their ability to challenge the state's controversial elimination of the religious exemption for school vaccines. Governor Lamont wants to give his public health commissioner unilateral power to add vaccine mandates to school requirements, cutting out the legislature and parents entirely and setting a precedent that could ultimately extend to the workplace too. That's a dramatic departure from Connecticut law and the legislature should offer the public the maximum input possible—so it's telling that Democrats have chosen to limit this hearing to midnight. They can't praise Connecticut's open public hearing process, including the ability to testify remotely, and then slam the door shut the moment residents line up to oppose their agenda. Every Connecticut citizen who wants to be heard deserves that right."

Reps. Candelora, Howard Caucus Proposal to expand CRISIS Initiative

House Republican Leader Vincent Candelora testified today before the Public Safety & Security Committee on a House Republican caucus priority: statewide expansion of the Connection to Recovery Through Intervention, Support & Initiating Services (CRISIS) Initiative pilot program, which helps police officers on de-escalation/intervention tactics with an aim to help connect people in overdose, substance abuse, and mental health calls to the services they need. Great bipartisan discussion with Ranking Member State Rep. Greg Howard and State Representative Michael DiGiovancarlo —both career police officers who spoke to the value of this program firsthand.