Sen. Sampson Responds to Democrats’ ‘Emergency’ Legislative Session  

Emergency Session includes two unrelated measures, nearly $3 million in taxpayer giveaways to partisan organizations.

Senior Deputy Republican Leader Rob Sampson (R-Wolcott) today responded to the majority Democrats’ emergency legislative session, which convened to enact two separate bills. One of the measures (H.B. 7066) includes four unrelated sections, and allocates nearly $3 million in additional taxpayer-funded giveaways to partisan LGBTQ+, pro-illegal immigration organizations, and Planned Parenthood. It also includes a politically motivated section providing guidance to school districts on how they may interact with federal immigration authorities.

Senator Sampson and Senate Republicans raised a parliamentary point of order, arguing that designating an emergency session to consider these policies without public hearings or debate was inappropriate. Senate Democrats defeated the measure in a roll call vote on party lines.

“We have two bills described as ‘emergency certified.’ None of these items are an emergency or will change the outcome of the vast majority of people’s lives in the short term. There is no fire. There is no pandemic. The only emergency is a political emergency for Senate Democrats.

“This illustrates the Democrat majorities effort to make a political statement in defiance of the current presidential administration and its policies. As long as I’ve been here, we’ve tried to use emergency certifications for actual emergencies. This represents a decline in the process. There is no reason to deny the people the opportunity to speak on these issues.

“This is no way to run a legislature that is supposed to represent the people of Connecticut. By bypassing the public hearing process, you deny the public a voice. By circumventing the committee process, you silence lawmakers. This is happening for political reasons, and I am proud to stand up against this departure from a legitimate process.

“More so, there are people across the state struggling to pay their electric bills, or even to afford other necessities like food. We always talk about how budgets are telling of the priorities. This shows us where the majority’s priorities are at. They are not interested in helping people who cannot afford to eat or heat their homes, and rather further aiding far-left advocacy organizations,” he said.

Senate republicans offered two amendments to H.B. 7066 that include:

• Repealing 2019’s Trust Act provisions that shield criminal illegal aliens
• Reallocating nearly $3 million to the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program and nonprofit Meals on Wheels instead of funding partisan, political interest groups including those that focus on illegal immigration and gender reassignment surgery

The second measure (H.B. 7067) contains other unrelated provisions that include establishing a new Certificate of Need process for healthcare providers, providing municipalities with an option to adopt a modified depreciation schedule for motor vehicles, and adjustments to the property tax exemption for permanently and totally disabled veterans.