Klarides-Ditria achieves 100 percent voting record in General Assembly

HARTFORD - State Rep. Nicole Klarides-Ditria, R-Seymour, a freshman legislator representing the 105th District, achieved a 100 percent voting record for the completed regular and special sessions in the General Assembly.

Nicole Klarides-Ditria

There were a total of 417 votes cast in the House of Representatives during the legislative regular and special sessions which did not end until Nov. 15. 

Klarides-Ditria participated in all 417 votes.

“This legislative session presented us with a number of obstacles that needed to be tackled,” Klarides-Ditria said. “I was able to use my experiences through my professional background to get right to work to pass legislation that will help our communities and state. We still have a number of obstacles in our way, but I will continue to make sure we are working every day to make Connecticut a better place for all of us to live, work, and retire in.” 

Klarides-Ditria introduced or cosponsored several key bills that were signed into law, including: 

P.A. 17-2, An Act Concerning The State Budget For The Biennium Ending June 30, 2019. The compromise budget plan passed both the House and Senate with veto-proof majorities Oct. 26. 

Klarides-Ditria highlighted that the budget didn’t include majority party plans to increase sales and income taxes, install a restaurant tax, a tax on secondary homes or a new tax on cell phones. The budget did include a real spending cap, a cap on bonding,  municipal mandate relief, and a phase-in exemption on taxes on Social Security, pensions, and estates. 

P.A. 17-131, An Act Preventing Prescription Opioid Diversion and Abuse, which will allow patients to ask that opioids not be prescribed to them and reduces the amount of opioid drugs a minor may be prescribed. It also requires practitioners, when prescribing opioids, to discuss with all patients, rather than only minors, the risks associated with opioid drug use.

P.A. 17-61, An Act Concerning A State-Wide Waiting List For Residential Placement For Persons With Intellectual And Developmental Disabilities, will help better serve persons with intellectual and developmental disabilities by developing a state-wide comprehensive residential waiting list.

P.A. 17-167, An Act Requiring the Registration Of Animal Shelters, will require a person who wants to operate or maintain an animal shelter in Connecticut to register with the Department of Agriculture commissioner and comply with DoAg’s regulations on sanitation, disease, humane treatment of cats and dogs, and public safety protection. In addition, this law authorizes the commissioner, or his agent, to inspect an animal shelter at any time.

The next regular legislative session will convene in February 2018. 

Klarides-Ditria currently serves on the legislature’s Finance, Revenue, and Bonding, Public Health, and Regulations Review Committees. 

This is a press release from Klarides-Ditria's office.