Danbury State Reps. Will Duff (R-2), Rich Smith (R-108) and Michael Ferguson (R-138) were sworn in Wednesday as state representatives for the 2017-2018 legislative term.
Both Duff and Ferguson was among 20 freshman House Republican legislators who pledged to serve their districts over a two-year term. Smith is a veteran lawmaker who was appointed to a key leadership position, Assistant Republican Leader, by House Republican Leader Themis Klarides this week.
Duff will serve on the legislature’s Energy & Technology Committee—a panel that deals with subjects such as energy planning and their activities. He is also a member of the Higher Education & Employment and Advancement and Banks committees.
Rep. Ferguson was asked by Rep. Klarides to serve on the Education Committee, which will be the center of debate over ECS funding, and concerns all matters relating to the Department of Education; local and regional boards of education and the substantive law of collective bargaining covering teachers and professional employees of such boards; vocational rehabilitation; and the Commission on the Arts.
He was also appointed to the Transportation Committee, which handles all matters relating to the Department of Transportation, including highways and bridges, navigation, aeronautics, mass transit and railroads; and to the State Traffic Commission and the Department of Motor Vehicles, as well as the Internship Committee, a statutorily created Committee whose principal responsibility is the development and administration of Connecticut General Assembly interns.
“As a member of the Danbury Board of Education, I have experienced how the state’s education policies and budget allotments directly affect students’ growth and development,” Ferguson said. “We owe it to every parent, student, and teacher – past, present, and future - to get the Education Cost Sharing right so that municipalities have all the resources they need. I cannot wait to begin work on this topic that is so critical to the future of Connecticut.”
As Ranking Member, Rep. Smith is the top House Republican on the General Law Committee.
Smith said, “I’m looking forward to this opportunity to use my experience in law to listen to people, strike a compromise, and resolve issues that affect families and businesses in Connecticut.”
In addition, he was also appointed to serve on the legislature’s Judiciary Committee, which has authority over all matters relating to courts, judicial procedures, criminal law, probate courts, civil law, all nominations of members of the Board of Pardons and Paroles and all matters relating to the Judicial Department.
Finally, Smith was asked to serve on the General Assembly’s Labor and Public Employees Committee, which has cognizance of all matters relating to labor laws, occupational health and safety, labor unions and labor disputes; all matters relating to the Department of Labor; and all matters relating to conditions of employment of state and municipal employees.
“This is a historic session,” Smith added. “We have the narrowest margins between Republicans and Democrats in recent memory. Voters in the last election could not have made their point more clearly: they are extremely dissatisfied with state government and demand legislators work together to restore confidence in Connecticut’s economy.”
“I’m honored to have the faith the voters placed in my abilities to make an impact in Hartford, and I’ll take that responsibility seriously during the course of the next two years,” said Rep. Duff, who is already planning local constituent meetings in his district to hear their concerns about the state’s economy.
The 2017 legislative session runs from Jan. 4 to June 7.