From The Office of State Rep. Brenda Kupchick: State Rep. Brenda Kupchick (R-132) and State Senator Tony Hwang (R-28) testified with Fairfield Police Sergeant Hector Irizarry on legislation to permit Police K9’s get the same care as their human partner officers receive when injured in the line of duty.

The legislation, H.B. 6364: An Act Concerning Protections for State and Local Law Enforcement K9S would permit ambulances to transport a law enforcement K9 to an emergency animal hospital when and allow emergency medical service providers to administer an opioid antagonist (NARCAN) intravenously and to provide basic first aid to a law enforcement K9. Additionally, the bill would permit state and local law enforcement K9 officers to carry opioid antagonists that may be administered to a K9.

K9 units in law enforcement are critical to the war on the current opioid crisis and the preservation of life. The ability that dogs have to discover drugs is far greater than that of humans. Unfortunately, the care that is allowed for our working K9s when they are injured or experiencing a drug overdose does not reflect the significant role they play in ending the drug crisis.

According to Sergeant Hector Irizarry, current law prohibits K9 dogs which are injured in the line of duty to be transported in ambulances or allowed to receive care from EMTs.

Rep. Kupchick said, “The result of these restraints is that K9’s have to be taken to a veterinarian in a regular vehicle which prevents the handler from giving care to the dog while on the way. In many cases a K9 can suffer from an opioid overdose on the way or loss of blood. It is possible for the dogs to overdose on drugs if they are trained to dig and bite at the objects of their interest.

“Police dogs (K9) are law enforcement officers, they are absolutely critical to many of the day to day operations that our human law enforcement officers undertake, including every aspect of public safety and community relations in our state. Our Police K9s sacrifice their safety and encounter high risk in the line of duty, just like their handlers, and are also incredibly valuable in terms of the training and skills they possess. They deserve to have access to the same life-saving care that our human officers do to protect their well-being as well as our investment,” said Sen. Hwang.

In five states, K9s are allowed to be transported in ambulances. In two states, EMTs are allowed to provide care to a K9. There is no state which has passed a law which allows both the care of the K9 and the transportation of one in an ambulance to a veterinarian.

Excerpts from the article as it appears in the Westport News:

WESTPORT — State representatives are speaking out both in favor and against tolls after Gov. Ned Lamont offered two potential paths for instituting highway tolls in his budget proposal last week.

State Sen. Tony Hwang, R-28, said tolls wouldn’t be an immediate “panacea to our transportation ills.” When asked about solutions, said he was open to exploring public private partnerships and a prioritization of transportation projects through the Legislature.

Although he does not have a vote in the Legislature, Westport First Selectman Jim Marpe said he’s concerned tolls may may aggravate traffic in town if people choose to use local Westport roads to avoid highway tolls. Marpe said he’s also worried about the impact of tolls on people who commute into Westport to work from out of state.

“I’m as much an advocate to fix our transportation system as anyone and recognize this will take billions of dollars,” Marpe said, adding he’s in favor of tolling trucks, but wants to see the state reduce costs through pension reform to free up money for transportation fixes.

“It isn’t enough to keep raising money. I think we need to save money as well and direct it toward important transportation infrastructure investments,” Marpe said.

State Senator Tony Hwang (R-28) released the following statement after the Public Safety & Security Committee Meeting voted to draft the following bills concerning sports gambling and casino expansion.

The Connecticut General Assembly’s Public Safety & Security Committee met on Thursday, February 28th and voted to draft four pieces of legislation concerning sports betting and casino expansion. All four bills [HB 7055, SB 11, SB 17 & SB 665] were voted out of the committee on February 28th.

• Proposed H.B. No. 7055 – AN ACT CREATING THE CONNECTICUT GAMING COMMISSION AND CREATING A COMPETITIVE BIDDING PROCESS FOR A RESORT-CASINO
• Proposed S.B. No. 11 – AN ACT CONCERNING THE AUTHORIZATION OF A CASINO GAMING FACILITY IN EAST WINDSOR
• Proposed S.B. No. 17  – AN ACT AUTHORIZING SPORTS WAGERING, INTERNET GAMBLING AND INTERNET KENO
• Proposed S.B. No. 665 – AN ACT CONCERNING SPORTS WAGERING

State Senator Tony Hwang (R-28), Ranking Member of the Public Safety & Security Committee, cautiously voted to draft legislative language and reserve his deciding committee vote after carefully evaluating all four gambling related measures and the implications of the statutory language and legislative intent.

“I remain concerned and uneasy about the idea of gambling expansion in Connecticut for its devastating societal impact. This industry has shown to be over-saturated and a declining economic model. The two tribal casinos we already have are showing diminishing returns month after month, and the MGM casino in Springfield, MA, with rosy promises to be economically revitalizing, is underperforming,” said Senator Hwang. “I reluctantly voted to advance drafting of statutory language as part of committee leadership to move the discussion forward. I believed this issue deserve the attention and debate of the full legislative body. We should be debating fully-drafted and vetted legislation, not concepts.”

Senator Hwang listed his concerns as the following:

• the constitutionality of current exclusive gaming compacts the state has with the tribes which guarantees a percentage of their slot machine revenue.
• risk losing current revenue from tribal compact with an open request for proposal (RFP) bidding process for a new casino and with sports gambling.
• most importantly, we must address the societal costs of addiction tied directly to increase access to and proliferation of gambling.

“Any deal we strike that would result in higher profits for the gaming industry and state government should be accompanied by proportional increases in funding for combatting gambling addiction, expanding mental health services, and any other historical beneficiaries.”

“When it comes to sports gambling, specifically, I understand my colleagues’ desire to push this through as fast as possible to better compete with our neighboring states. I strongly believe that we should wait, learn from their experience and possible mistakes, and perhaps be wiser in adopting a better version of the policy or not doing so at all.”

“I look forward to the committee and possibly Senate floor debate on these critical issues so that we may reach the best possible solution for the state.  Meanwhile, I welcome testimony and community feedback on these issues by contacting my office 860.240.8805, my email: Tony.Hwang@cga.ct.gov or visit www.SenatorHwang.com”

Watch Senator Hwang and Senator Paul Formica debate proposed gambling legislation during the February 26th Public Safety Committee Public Hearing HERE.

State Senator Tony Hwang (R-28) and State Senator Paul Formica (R-20) discuss gambling expansion bills during the February 26th Public Safety Committee Hearing.

SB 851 is a bill that would prohibit the disaggregation of student data by ethnic subgroup. Listen to my Interview with Christine Stuart and Seth Blair to hear why I proposed this critical legislation.

State Senator Tony Hwang (R-28) released the following statement in response to Governor Ned Lamont’s presentation to the General Assembly concerning his budget priorities and the first draft of the Connecticut State Budget.

“I have been optimistic about Governor Lamont’s approach since he won election in November. He has consistently been open to all good ideas and sensible viewpoints, seems steadfast in his commitment to collaboration and inclusivity. I hope the Governor continues to display these qualities as we press on into the legislative session, because many of the proposals outlined here clearly need some work,” said Senator Hwang.

Governor Lamont’s first biennial state budget proposal offered his blueprint of choices for addressing Connecticut’s fiscal challenges and closing a nearly $4 billion deficit in the $40 billion 2-year budget while meeting the critical roles and responsibilities of state government.

“The most disappointing aspect of the Governor’s proposal, as we learned earlier this week, is certainly the breaking of his campaign promise that he would only seek to charge tolls on tractor trailers using our major interstates and instead offering options to toll/tax all types of vehicles. Although I did not agree with that proposal, I was glad that in his presentation, he seemed to offer an understanding that working Connecticut residents could not afford the added financial burden of tolls.”

“I have fought hard over the last several years to ensure that our municipalities receive the education funding they are promised by the Education Cost Sharing formula, and that they are not put on the hook to pay for the teacher pension liabilities that were promised by state government.  I am extremely disappointed that Governor Lamont has decided to propose that municipalities cover 25% of teacher’s pension obligations.

Furthermore, we should not be picking winners and losers based on the fiscal health and efficiency of a municipality. We have a fair and equitable Education Cost Sharing Formula and we are constitutionally obligated to pay for the public education of all children, regardless of where they are from. I penned a letter to my town leaders last month to warn them this might happen, and also wrote a letter to the Governor with the support of my colleagues on both sides of the aisle asking that he respect the ECS formula and our obligation to all Connecticut students. I hope we are more persuasive as the legislative session continues and the budget becomes more concrete.”

“While I am glad that the Governor has proposed much needed structural changes to the way we operate pensions for our state workers, and to administer public-private partnerships where it is sensible and feasible, I am opposed to the many proposed tax increases mentioned. Liquor bottle deposits and sugar taxes could hurt smaller merchants that operate on already slim margins and disproportionately affect low income families. I agree that we should be raising the age to purchase cigarettes and vaporizers, but increasing the tax on those items is just a revenue grab. Instead of taxing plastic bags, why not ban them? We shouldn’t be allowing people to pollute the environment for pocket change, we should be preventing them from doing so at all.”

“To give credit where it is due, I want to acknowledge Gov. Lamont’s request to the state employees to come back to the negotiating table for more substantive shared sacrifice, his earnest effort to collaborate on public/private partnerships for delivery of social services, and renewed commitment to greater government efficiency.”

“I appreciate Governor Lamont’s genuine and thoughtful approach and I eagerly look forward to being a part of the bipartisan solution that is urgently needed to move our state forward.”

State Senator Tony Hwang represents the Legislature’s 28th Senate district, including the towns of Fairfield, Westport, Weston, Easton, Newtown and Sandy Hook.