Welcome to Kim's Blog

Posted on November 1, 2010 | Category: Kim Fawcett News

This Election Day, with women once again front and center as a key voting block, it’s easy to forget how short a time we’ve had as full participants in American Democracy.

Thank you to Cathy Cash, one of my constituents, for reminding me “of what our foremothers suffered to secure the right to vote” just 90 years ago. She urges all of us to remember what a privilege it is to go to the polls this Tuesday, Nov. 2nd.

Voting can certainly be inconvenient, even a nuisance, for modern women multitasking their way through a hectic Tuesday — with the kids home from school. But take a minute to listen to the story of suffrage leader Lucy Burns, and you’ll never again be tempted to skip the trip.

Burns was among the suffragists who protested outside the White House in 1917. These women were thrown in jail for obstructing traffic, then force-fed through tubes when they dared to stage a hunger strike.

Outrage over their barbaric treatment and admiration for their courage helped usher in the ratification of the 19th Amendment to the Constitution on Aug. 18th, 1920. The 2004 movie Iron Jawed Angels offers a moving account of the suffragists’ struggle, one that really began 100 years before the pivotal protests depicted.

Ladies, more than ever, your vote makes a difference. Please don’t miss your hard-won chance to cast it this Tuesday.

Posted by mwhiting

Posted on October 12, 2010 | Category: Campaign Events, Kim Fawcett News

You’ve heard plenty of railing against government spending this election season. Yes, we can all agree that with a projected $3 billion budget deficit looming before state lawmakers in the next session, it’s time to trim the size of government and make tough choices.

But too often the hue and cry to “cut, cut, cut!” drowns out discussion of real strategies for getting spending under control, not just in the short term but over the long haul.

That’s why Kim is inviting the public to a free special event focusing on Taming Government Spending — Strategies for Connecticut’s Future on Tuesday, October 19th at Cinzano’s restaurant in Fairfield, from 7-8:30 pm. Join Kim and special guest Rep. Diana Urban, a distinguished economist and chair of the General Assembly’s Results Based Accountability Subcommittee of the Appropriations Committee.

As a member of the RBA Subcommittee, Kim works closely with Diana and is a strong supporter of RBA principals. Urban has gained national attention for her forward-thinking ideas on improving government performance and budgeting.

Results Based Accountability is a disciplined way of thinking and acting that works to set results for programs, evaluate programs according to those results, and to use that evaluation when determining which programs will receive funding and which will be cut.

Kim and Diana look forward to a lively discussion of how RBA principals can be applied in Connecticut and encourage your questions!

Posted by mwhiting

Posted on October 2, 2010 | Category: Issues and Positions, Kim Fawcett News

Seniors, veterans and municipalities will benefit from new laws passed by the General Assembly this year that took effect on October 1.

Seniors

• To increase participation  in driver safety programs by seniors, the bill will reduce the required course length from 8 hours to 4 hours, and still afford participants an automobile insurance premium discount. (PA 053)
• Another bill will increase safeguards for seniors against the most predatory practices involving fraud, scams, and exploitation. It will exempt, from the Freedom of Information Act, the name, address, telephone number, and email address of anyone who is a member of a senior center that a public agency administers or sponsors from disclosure. (PA 017)

Government Efficiencies/Mandate Relief

• Allows a board of education to co-op with at least one other board of education to provide school transportation. (PA 167)
• Allows multiple towns and boards of education to enter into joint employee health insurance plans. (PA 174)
• Establishes a depreciation schedule for property tax purposes for machinery and equipment owned by certain utility companies; also stipulates that the meeting minutes of a municipal agency need not be posted on the Internet in order to comply with the Freedom of Information Act’s requirements. (PA 171)

Veterans

• Prevents nursing home facilities from restricting patient access to prescription drugs from any U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs prescription drug program or health plan. (PA 039)
• Allows relevant training, schooling or apprenticeship in the armed services to be recognized and applied toward requirements for state certifications, licenses, or continuing education credits. The bill prohibits agencies from requiring applicants to repeat any substantively similar training or schooling required for licensure or certification, saving time and money in the process. (PA 105)
• Allows honorably discharged members of the Connecticut National Guard or the governor’s military staff with 30 or more years of service to apply for a “retirement promotion” after they have retired from active service except when on duty, and be placed on the National Guard’s list of retirees. (PA 015)
• Extends the validity of a driver’s license for members of the military who are performing a military duty out of the state or out of the country. The license of a member of the military is now valid for 30 days upon their return to Connecticut or honorable separation from duty. (PA 016)

Posted by mwhiting

Posted on September 21, 2010 | Category: Kim Fawcett News

Commuters have an opportunity to weigh in on the following fare changes proposed by Metro-North and the Connecticut Department of Transportation:

• Eliminating or reducing the 4% discount on mail and ride and the 5-6% discount on WebTicket fares.
• Reducing validity of 10-trip tickets (now one year) to 90 days.
• Reducing validity of one-way and round-trip tickets (now six months) to one week.
• Introducing a $15  service charge for redemption of any unused ticket.

Public hearings on these proposals are set for Wednesday, September 29th at UCONN, 1 University Place, Stamford; and Thursday, September 30th at CT DOT offices, 4th floor, Union Station, New Haven.

Both hearings are from 6-9 pm, with a five-minute time limit per speaker.

It’s important to voice your opinion about these proposals, which could affect your commute. Can’t make the hearings? Written comments may be e-mailed to dot.farecomments@ct.gov or sent to Connecticut Department of Transportation, Office of Rail Operations, Union Station – 4th floor west, 50 Union Ave., New Haven, CT 06519.

Check out the CT Rail Commuter Council Web site for more information.

Posted by mwhiting

Posted on September 15, 2010 | Category: Issues and Positions, Kim Fawcett News

A highly educated workforce is the foundation of our future prosperity. While we’re focusing on generating jobs in the short-term, it’s important that we also take a longer view to ensure that all Connecticut children are prepared to take advantage of new opportunities in emerging industries and the global economy.

It’s no secret that the Googles and Miscrosofts of tomorrow will be incubated in places where there is ready access to a deep talent pool. With its many fine universities and schools, Connecticut is poised to become a place of innovation and new technology with a premier workforce. But in order to get there, we can no longer tolerate a widening achievement gap or simply wait for opportunities and jobs to come our way. We must provide a vision.

Kim has worked with many legislative colleagues to do just that. She voted for the 2010 Jobs Act, which makes positive changes to support small businesses, innovation, job training and education. This bill, signed into law by the Governor, aligns the state’s education system with its economic needs. It provides assistance for people to pursue non-credit courses for high-demand careers and offers a student loan forgiveness program for those pursuing studies in green technology, life science and health information technology.

Kim also co-sponsored a series of educational reforms designed to give schools and educators the tools they need to do their jobs. In order to address the achievement gap, this sweeping legislation requires school boards with low-achieving schools to create school governance councils made up mostly of students’ parents or guardians. The councils are empowered to, among other things, advise the principal on the school budget before it is submitted to the superintendent, interview candidates to fill principal vacancies, and vote to reconstitute low-achieving schools using models included in the bill.

Posted by mwhiting

Posted on September 10, 2010 | Category: Issues and Positions, Kim Fawcett News

Kim’s recent op-ed on the state budget process sets the record straight about her votes and how they reflect her commitment to fiscal responsibility.  She took a strong stand against new taxes and excessive borrowing by voting against the FY 2010-2011 biennial state budget.

But Kim did more than simply cast her vote. She worked closely with a group of moderate Democrats to lobby hard for a more austere budget plan. She then voted in favor of the budget “fixes” that cut costs and significantly reduced the level of borrowing needed to balance the budget in a tough economy.

Kim will continue to do the hard work required to control state spending and rebuild our job base.

Posted by mwhiting

Posted on September 2, 2010 | Category: Issues and Positions, Kim Fawcett News

Protecting our kids from toxic chemicals is at the top of Kim’s list of legislative priorities. Over the last four years, she has become a leading voice for banning or limiting the use of everyday products increasingly shown to pose a risk to humans, particularly the very young.

Her commitment to this cause helped ensure passage of a Connecticut ban on the sale of baby bottles, children’s products and food containers made with bisphenol A (BPA), a chemical used to harden plastic that has been identified as an endocrine disruptor. The National Institutes of Health has determined that there is “some concern” about BPA’s effects on fetal and infant brain development, and serious questions remain about BPA’s potential links to a wide range of health problems and diseases.

The most recent research has prompted a steady stream of countries and states in the U.S. to restrict the use of BPA. Just last month Canada initiated a plan to become the first country to designate BPA as a toxic substance — a move strenuously opposed by the chemical industry because of its potential to influence other countries to follow suit.

So what can you do to protect your family from overexposure to BPA? First, make a habit of checking the recycling symbol on water bottles and other plastic containers. Steer clear of those with a “7″ and/or “PC” stamped on the bottom. And don’t microwave any plastic container because heat can cause chemicals to leach into your food.

Check out these additional tips for avoiding BPA.

Posted by mwhiting

Posted on August 30, 2010 | Category: Issues and Positions, Kim Fawcett News

In our digital age, everyone should be able to watch their local meetings on cable TV if they can’t attend in person. The technology now available makes such broadcasts a simple and straightforward task.

So why has it only been until recently that residents of Fairfield and surrounding towns have been able to watch local programming, while most other communities have long had access? The answer is complicated by the involvement of several players in a system that operates largely under the public radar.  Legislation championed by Kim has opened the door — finally — to local programming in Fairfield, and advocates are working to improve the quality of the broadcasts and to increase frequency.

Fairfield Patch columnist Bob Greenberger offers an excellent overview of how our local cable access system operates and where it stands today.

Kim worked closely with members of the Area 2 Cable Advisory Council and FairTV, which oversee local programming, to pass a bill in 2008 requiring Sound View Community Media and its owner to release funds for local programs. Each cable customer pays about $6.50 per year for this type of programming. Public hearings where Kim questioned Sound View owner Tom Castelot about his management of the funds proved pivotal in efforts to get the legislation approved.

“For years Fairfield was simply denied access to local programming because Sound View refused to show our meetings and events.  Every other town in CT had moved to a local programming model except the six towns in our region,” said Kim. “We won and got this passed because I was able to bring both Republicans and Democrats into the deal. Reps from all the towns understood the issue and wanted to see the Sound View monopoly broken.”

Posted by mwhiting

Posted on August 27, 2010 | Category: Issues and Positions, Kim Fawcett News

Teachers have enough to worry about with students arriving back at school next week. So it’s nice for them to know that returns on the Teachers’ Retirement Fund bounced back soundly this year as the economy began to recover. The TRF investments returned nearly 13 percent, outperforming the comparison benchmark by 58 percent.

“The one-year investment return is a welcome recovery from the difficult market environment of the last several years and our pension funds’ related performance setbacks,” said state Treasurer Denise Nappier in a recent news release. “While we still have a ways to go, it takes the sting out of the dismal returns of fiscal year 2009 and demonstrates the resiliency of our pension fund investment program. ”

The TRF is part a family of pension funds, including the State Employees’ Retirement Fund and the Municipal Employees’ Retirement Fund, invested by the state and overseen by Nappier’s office. The average return on the three funds for the fiscal year ended June 30 was 12.88 percent — a vast improvement over the -17.3 percent hit suffered by the funds last year.

While Nappier cautioned against expecting the same returns next year, she said the pension funds are positioned well for short- and long-term growth. Maximizing returns without taking on undue risk will be crucial going into another brutal budget season that will severely limit the state’s ability to contribute to the funds and chip away at the unfunded liability that has caused teachers to lose sleep.

They can rest a little easier for now.

Posted by mwhiting

Posted on August 23, 2010 | Category: Kim Fawcett News

Fairfielders driving through the bustling Kings Highway traffic circle this summer have been wondering why it has been transformed into a sprawling construction zone.

Remember all the fuss about Fairfield’s third train station? Although it isn’t here yet, much work is required to make the new complex accessible. In addition, construction is underway on the nearby Kings Crossing retail center at 1770 Kings Highway, which will become home to the new Whole Foods market.

The State Traffic Commission has given a green light to the following projects:

• Widening Kings Highway East to provide a left-turn lane into the new Metro Center Access Road and a left-turn lane into Commerce Drive.
• Installation of new traffic signals at several locations.
• Roadway improvements on U.S. Route 1 ( Kings Highway Cutoff and Kings Highway East), Kings Highway East, Black Rock Rock Turnpike, Johnson Drive and Chambers Street.
• Kings Crossing is required to provide a second approach lane on northbound Kings Highway and left-turn lanes from Kings Highway to Grasmere Avenue and from southbound Kings Highway at the Kings Crossing driveway.

We can all look forward to improved traffic flow and safety once those orange and white construction barriers are removed for good.

Posted by mwhiting