State Rep. Anne Hughes (Easton, Redding, Weston) is calling on her Connecticut General Assembly colleagues to support the Juneteenth agenda put forth by Senate Democrats.Hughes, who is co-chair of the legislature’s Progressive Caucus, is calling on House Democratic leaders to ensure the Juneteenth proposals are taken up in a special session of the General Assembly this summer.
“The Progressive Caucus is ready to work with our colleagues in the General Assembly to move Connecticut toward the brighter future our constituents, and our conscience, demand,” Hughes stated. “In this defining time in our country, a resounding call for justice is rolling across Connecticut. We must answer that call by making meaningful progress on key issues of fairness and equality during a special session this summer.”
The Senate Democrats’ Juneteenth Agenda is centered around criminal justice and police accountability legislation that bans dangerous chokeholds, improves training practices, requires body cameras, mandates a duty to intervene, and provides more accountability through new decertification policies, prosecutorial reform, and an expansion of Civilian Review Board authority. A summary of the agenda can be found here.
State Rep. Joshua Hall (Hartford) who also co-chairs the Progressive Caucus, stated in a press release that, “The magnitude of this moment, the gravity of these issues, and the people of this state deserve bold action. We cannot let a special session pass without rallying around historic reforms that address the systemic issues which have gone ignored in our state for far too long. The House and Senate should work together to pass the Juneteenth Agenda.”
In addition to police accountability, the Juneteenth Agenda includes proposals to promote residential integration, eliminate disparities in health and education, and create economic opportunity in neglected neighborhoods. The agenda takes aim at exclusionary zoning policies, which reduce housing affordability and entrench inequality; pollution, a cause of high asthma rates and lower life expectancy in communities of color; and restrictive voting laws, which will force state residents to risk their health in order to vote this fall if left unchanged.
The Progressive Caucus includes more than 40 members of the legislature and represents nearly half of the House Democratic Caucus.
Members of the Progressive Caucus are: Rep. Tom Arnone, Rep. Juan R. Candelaria, Rep. Mike D’Agostino, Rep. Joe de la Cruz, Rep. Patricia A. Dillon, Rep. Michael DiMassa, Rep. Josh Elliott, Rep. Bobby Gibson, Rep. Bob Godfrey, Rep. Minnie Gonzalez, Rep. Kenneth Gucker, Rep. Gregory Haddad, Rep. Joshua Hall, Rep. Jack F. Hennessy, Rep. Anne Hughes. Rep. Susan M. Johnson, Rep. Roland Lemar, Rep. Rick Lopes, Rep. Brandon McGee, Rep. David Michel, Rep. Russell A. Morin, Rep. Mary M. Mushinsky, Rep. Anthony Nolan, Rep. Christine Palm, Rep. Alphonse Paolillo, Rep. Chris Perone, Rep. Quentin Phipps, Rep. Robyn Porter, Rep. Geraldo Reyes, Rep. Emmett Riley, Rep. Kara Rochelle, Rep. Christopher Rosario, Rep. Kim Rose, Rep. Kevin Ryan, Rep. Robert Sanchez, Rep. Peter A. Tercyak, Rep. Gary Turco, Rep. Edwin Vargas, Rep. Toni E. Walker, Rep. Pat Wilson Pheanious, Rep. Michael Winkler, Rep. Phil Young.
For more information contact Richard Price at 860-729-7692 or at richard.price@cga.ct.gov
