Below is a list of bills before the Connecticut General Assembly known to be of interest to individuals within the Jonah Center and Ecoin network.  All of these bills are supported by the Connecticut League of Conservation Voters.

We encourage you to contact your State Senator or Representative on any of these bills. 

To submit testimony when the bill is assigned to a hearing, go to the CGA home page and click on the drop-down menu under “Committees.”  (All of the bills below on this page have been raised in the Environment Committee, except for SJ193 which is with the Government Administration & Elections Committee.) On the committee page, look under “For the Record” where you will find the “Bill Record Book” which lists all the bills and whether they have been assigned a hearing.  If the bill has been scheduled for a hearing, look under “For the Record” and find “Public Hearings” and click on “Agendas” where all the bills in the hearing are listed and you can register to speak or to submit written testimony.  It’s complicated, for sure, but once you find your way it’s not too bad.  Thanks for your advocacy.

Climate – HB5004  — To strengthen the laws to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Representative Brandon Chafee, D-Middletown, is a co-sponsor.

Neonicotinoids – SB190 – To restrict the use of pesticides containing neonicotinoids (that endanger pollinators) on plants to licensed applicators.  Senator Hochadel (D-Middletown and Meriden) and Representative Palm (Haddam, Deep River, Essex) are co-sponsors.

Wildlife – HB5217 – To protect eagles and hawks engendered by the use of poisons to kill rodents.

PFAS Chemicals — SB292—To restrict somewhat the use of “forever chemicals” in products.  Senator Hochadel (D-Middletown and Meriden) is a co-sponsor.

Riparian Buffers – HB5218 – To protect waterways from damage caused by development by requiring vegetated buffers to slow runoff, and to require certain training for members of Inland Wetland and Watercourses Commissions.

NIPs – HB5215 – To allow municipalities to ban the sale of liquor for off-premise consumption in  bottles 50 milliliters in size or smaller. These bottles are too small for recycling equipment and they liter our roads and parks in large numbers. Representative Palm (Haddam, Deep River, Essex) is a co-sponsor.

Environmental Rights – SJ193 – In support of an amendment to the Constitution of the State of Connecticut to establish that state government holds the quality of air, water, soil, and ecosystems as a public trust and that all individuals regardless of race, ethnicity, tribal affiliation, gender, socioeconomic status, and geography have a right to a clean, healthy environment.