By Mary Welander
State Rep., D-114
Mary Welander
While autumn has just begun and only the truly organized are starting to think about the upcoming winter holidays (I do not fall into that category), I am starting to make my wish lists for the spring – specifically, the spring legislative session.
Our legislative calendar and rules require that any legislation introduced in the second year of a term, the “short” session, be related to budgetary, finance or revenue matters. The good and bad news about this is that a lot of legislative concepts have an impact on the budget, so the number of concepts and concerns that we are not able to address during that time is relatively low.
While I am grateful that I have been successful in getting a number of both broad and narrow legislation passed within my first term and a half, I know that a lot of legislation can take years, if not decades, to be adopted.
With that in mind, this is the time that I am asking for your help as I look to the upcoming session and set priorities for the district. Your feedback is vital to ensure that I am aware of new, or longstanding, concerns that can potentially be addressed.
Based on constituent feedback, here are some concerns I will continue to work on:
Safer bus stop regulations: I know that our bus drivers and the districts are fully committed to the safety of our students, but it is clear that other drivers are not. A possible change is requiring pickup and drop-off sites to be on the same side of the road as the student’s house on certain state routes.
Child care access and costs: This is a huge concern for many families. I introduced legislation last year that would create a state-run child care focused flex spending account that individuals and small businesses could contribute to; I will continue to work toward a way to implement it.
Broader insurance coverage: Insurance costs and premiums continue to rise while more restrictions and regulations prevent people from receiving the care they need. Specifically, I worked on language that would provide fertility care for potential and hopeful mothers who would face great medical harm during a pregnancy; I will continue to work toward removing those barriers.
Special education costs: This is a massive concern that spans both local, state, and federal regulations.
When talking with residents, I always ask this question: What do you think someone should be paying more attention to?
My job is to represent the people of the district to the best of my abilities, and I can’t do that if I don’t hear your priorities. I will be holding constituent listening sessions, but am also happy to set up individual time to meet with anyone. You can also send an email any time to mary.welander@cga.ct.gov.
Thank you to those who have shared their concerns with me already; I look forward to continuing these conversations and this work.