GOP submitted some extreme bills too
I write in response to the op-ed by Mr. Patrick Sasser, vice chair of the Stamford Republican Town Committee. Mr. Sasser reminds voters that elections have consequences, and lists a few outlandish bills which have been submitted by Democratic legislators in Hartford.
One must remember that in our General Assembly, anyone can submit a bill, and only a tiny percentage of submitted bills ever come to the floor for a vote. Cherrypicking a few bills doesn’t really tell you what the assembly is putting its efforts behind. For example, last week they passed a law that continues fiscal guardrails on our budgetary process and extends free school lunches for the rest of the year.
If we are to look only at the most extreme bills submitted by a party, let’s also focus on the bills submitted by some Republican legislators. These include:
Education
• Bills to prevent discussion of race and gender in the classroom, and to restrict diversity, equity and inclusion training
• Bills to allow parents to drop in on public school classes to monitor teachers
• A bill requiring the naturalization test be a part of high school graduation requirements
Public Health
• Bills to allow philosophical objections to vaccine requirements and to prevent employers from asking for proof of vaccination
Gun safety
• Bills to prevent municipalities from being able to adopt their own regulations on firearms
• Bills to allow the transfer of assault weapons and large capacity magazines
• Bills to require Connecticut to accept gun carry permits from other states
• Bills to allow carrying of firearms in state parks and to allow use of silencers by hunters
Voting rights and elections
• Bills to make it harder to vote such as photo ID requirements, mandatory auditing of same day voter registration, and restrictions on obtaining absentee ballots,
• Bills to remove Connecticut from the National Popular Vote Interstate Compact, an agreement among states that the presidency will go to the candidate who receives the most popular votes
There also are oddball bills, such as an act to require that Donald Trump’s “Space Force” be included in the definition of “Armed Forces.” There are also Republican bills to reverse the state’s ban on hunting of black bears.
Should we conclude, based on these bills, that the main priorities for the Republican caucus are to censor educators, undermine public health, reverse gun safety laws, make it harder for people to vote and to kill black bears?