Rep. Srinivasan Proposes Legislation to Improve Education and the Environment

HARTFORD — State Representative Prasad Srinivasan (R-31), new this year to the General Assembly’s Environment Committee, has proposed legislation that aims to improve the current state of Connecticut’s air, land and/or water quality. These bills would help improve the health of our residents and preserve Connecticut’s natural landscape and wildlife habitats for generations to come.

These proposals include:

• Implement more clean energy solutions where possible, especially in purchasing and building, over the next five years
• Require the Siting Council (which has jurisdiction over public utility services) to keep the public updated on the status of construction projects that have received certificates of environmental compatibility and public need via information sessions
• Require the state to honor obligations to buy back and preserve open space
• Align all state education mandates with federally required education mandates to reduce and streamline regulations
• Require that any tuition increase at a higher education public institution be allocated solely toward expenses made directly for the students and prohibit that they be used for administrative purposes

Rep. Srinivasan has also introduced legislation that pertains to education. Here are his ideas on how to better support our students, teachers and school systems:

“While the present state of Connecticut’s economy and public policies demand our primary focus, we must also plan for the future,” said Rep. Srinivasan. “I believe that these initiatives will prepare our young generation to be successful in our state.”

Rep. Srinivasan had the opportunity to recently meet with Glastonbury town officials, as well as attend a legislative breakfast hosted by the Connecticut Association of Public School Superintendents, Connecticut Association of Boards of Education and Capitol Region Education Council. At these events he was able to hear local concerns regarding educational priorities, like funding existing initiatives, addressing the achievement gap and maximizing resources.

These bills currently await action in committee. Please stay tuned for public hearing information where constituents may testify on any one of these, or other, bills. You can find a list of all of Rep. Srinivasan’s proposals by clicking on the “Legislation” tab on his website at www.repsrinivasan.com.