
Almost half of the state Senate and more than a third of the state House of Representatives have perfect voting records on environmental issues, according to Connecticut’s leading environmental advocacy group.
The Connecticut League of Conservation Voters released its annual Connecticut Environmental Scorecard on Wednesday. Co-chairman David Bingham, of Salem, said the scorecard has been tabulated for 14 years as a way to “shine the light of day” on the environmental record of every state senator and representative in the Connecticut General Assembly.
Bingham said numerous lawmakers from both parties voted in line with the league’s priorities 100 percent of the time, whether it was for bills to protect the environment or against bills that might threaten it. The scores took into account 30 separate votes on 16 bills as they made their way through committees, the House and the Senate. The final score for each lawmaker is the average of all of his or her votes.
In the Senate, 12 Democrats and 3 Republicans were scored at 100 percent. In the House, there were 45 Democrats and 12 Republicans with perfect scores.
According to Bingham, protecting the environment is not a partisan issue.
“Clean air and clean water are not things that just the Democrats or Republicans care about. Both sides care about them equally,” Bingham said. “It’s how you do the regulations and how you raise the money needed to do environmental protection that is the real crux of the issue.”
He said scores, especially among Republicans, have been steadily improving since the league started keeping track.
But a look at the scorecard shows most of the lowest rankings this year were among Republicans. Freshman state Rep. Mike France, R-Ledyard, garnered the lowest score at 44 percent.
France did not return a call for comment.
Sixteen House Republicans and one Democrat voted with the league’s priorities less than 70 percent of the time. The lone Democrat was state Rep. David Alexander of Enfield, who voted with the league’s priorities 67 percent of the time.
The league described the 2015 session, and the subsequent special session to tie up loose ends, as a “banner year” for environmental causes that saw the passage of six of its priorities and the defeat of three bills considered unfavorable to the environment.
Two bills — one to prevent the use of pesticides on municipal playgrounds and another to ban microbeads that are harmful to aquatic life — seemed dead in the water when the regular session ended in early June. But when a special session to approve the state budget was held later that month, the two priorities showed up as amendments in the lengthy budget implementation bill.
Microbeads are tiny plastic particles used as abrasive or exfoliating agents in more than 100 different personal care products, including facial scrubs, soaps, cosmetics, and even toothpaste. They are made of plastic and end up in waterways. The new law will be phased in over two years with a complete ban on the sale of all personal care products containing microbeads by 2018.
Bingham said the league has lobbyists to keep tabs on what’s happening at the state capitol, but he credited concerned citizens with conveying the importance of the two measures to Senate and House leadership as the special session approached.
“We let the public know when something slips through the cracks and doesn’t get done during regular session, and they tend to let their legislators know,” Bingham said.
The league also successfully fought legislation that would have delayed the cleanup of brownfield sites and another that would have made it more difficult to establish or enforce new environmental regulations that are more stringent than federal standards.
One of the league’s unmet goals was the passage of a ban on plastic bags. Bills regarding plastic bags were raised in 2009, 2011, and again this year. The legislation would have imposed a 10-cent fee on customers for each plastic bag they are given at a store, and under this year’s bill plastic bags eventually would have been phased out completely. By October 2019 stores would have only been able to sell reusable bags.
The legislation was opposed by groups such as the Connecticut Food Association, which represents the grocery stores. It also was criticized by Gov. Dannel P. Malloy, who says he needs plastic bags to clean up after his dogs.
According to Bingham, the scorecard has been instrumental in building support for environmental issues among both parties. The legislature took up only three of the league’s concerns 14 years ago when the scorecard first came out, he said, and this year it took up 16 of them.
Among the legislative champions outlined in the report were state Sen. Tony Hwang, R-Fairfield, and state Rep. Gail Lavielle, R-Wilton.
Lavielle, a member of the transportation committee, was an advocate for failed lockbox legislation that would have prevented transportation funding to be diverted to the general fund.
“Two of the most effective actions the state can take to protect our environment are providing convenient, reliable, and efficient mass transit choices, and developing an infrastructure that will allow the convenient use of alternative power for cars and other motor vehicles,” Lavielle said in a press release. “The League of Conservation Voters and I share those goals.”
Hwang was identified as a leader in legislation to create a marine inventory for the Long Island Sound to better protect its natural resources.
Support authentic, locally owned and operated public service journalism!
The league recognized 14 Democrats — calling special attention to Sen. Ted Kennedy Jr. of Branford and Rep. James Albis of East Haven — for spearheading several pieces of environmental legislation. The two co-chair the Environment Committee.
The scores also form the basis for the league’s endorsements during the General Assembly election season, which Bingham said has proven to be an incentive for lawmakers who may not have scored as well as they would have liked in prior years.
“All of our legislators have a chance to redeem themselves in the second session before the next election cycle happens,” Bingham said.
Among the league’s priorities for next year will be resurrecting the plastic bag bill, restricting pesticides on state park lawns, and discouraging the use of toxic artificial turf where children play.
More State Budget news

Lamont Signs The Budget
Alongside Democratic legislative leaders, Gov. Ned Lamont signed the $24 billion budget adjustment Monday that includes $600 million in tax relief. That’s more than they anticipated they would be able to offer Connecticut residents this Election year because revenue came in higher than expected, but it still creates about an $800 million deficit in 2024. …
Keep reading
ANALYSIS | It’s A Wrap: The Winners and Losers of the 2022 Session
It was a short legislative session, but the House and the Senate were able to move a lot of business this year, including the passage of a $24-billion budget with around $600 million in tax cuts.
Keep reading
Connecticut Acts To Help Its Lead-Poisoned Children
After decades of inertia, Connecticut is finally moving to help its thousands of lead-poisoned children and prevent thousands of other young children from being damaged by the widespread neurotoxin.
Keep reading
Bill Bolstering Contracting Oversight Board In Jeopardy After Lamont Administration Raises Concerns
It passed unanimously in the Senate, but a bill that would give the State Contracting Standards Board greater oversight over state contracting appeared stalled in the House Wednesday on the last day of session. “The governor and I have not talked about the bill,” House Speaker Matt Ritter said. “The commissioners have sent us a…
Keep reading
Senate Approves Tax Cuts, Sends $24B Budget to the Governor
The state Senate gave final approval late Tuesday to a $24 billion election year budget plan that includes around $600 million in tax relief while enabling the state to make an $3.5 billion payment on its unfunded pension debt. Senators voted 24-12 at around 10:30 p.m. to send the midterm budget adjustment to the desk…
Keep reading
House Green-Lights $24B Budget
On a party-line vote early Tuesday, the House passed a $24 billion budget adjustment package containing more than $600 million in tax cuts which Democrats heralded as “historic” and Republicans derided as temporary. Lawmakers voted 95 – 52 at around 12:20 a.m. to send the 673-page budget document to the Senate for consideration before the…
Keep reading
Budget Materials
The General Assembly is preparing to debate adjustments to the $24 billion state budget. Below are a few of the documents we’ve been provided as back-up materials. The budget, HB 5506. Town runs. Car tax impact on municipalities. Finance Committee Power Point.
Keep reading
Lawmakers May Vote for First Pay Increase in 20 Years
With legislative retirements mounting, lawmakers on both sides of the aisle were considering Monday raising the salaries of General Assembly members for the first time in more than two decades and indexing their pay in the future. During a morning press briefing, House Speaker Matt Ritter told reporters that funding for pay raises had been…
Keep reading
Amid Surging Revenue, House Prepares to Vote on Budget Adjustments
Connecticut’s House of Representatives was expected to vote Monday on a $24 billion budget adjustment package, buoyed by revised revenue predictions that exceeded expectations by more than $350 million. The revised consensus figures released Monday confirm the surge in revenues that enabled Gov. Ned Lamont and legislative Democrats to reach an agreement last week on…
Keep reading
Dems Detail Budget Deal With $500 Mil in Tax Cuts, Extension of Gas Tax Holiday
Legislative Democrats and Gov. Ned Lamont’s administration announced Wednesday the details of a $24.2 billion budget adjustment package, which they say provides around $500 million in tax relief including extending a gas tax holiday until December. Lamont and legislative leaders outlined the agreement during an afternoon press conference in the state Capitol building. Both chambers…
Keep reading
Health Care Workers Call for New Hires
After a record number of health care workers are expected to retire this year, health care staff called on Gov. Ned Lamont to commit to filling 1,000 vacant positions by August 1 of this year. A record 1,137 state workers who notified the state that they will retire this year comes at a moment of…
Keep reading
Senate Joins House And Votes To Give Raises, Bonuses To State Employees
The Senate gave final approval by a 22-13 vote on a plan to give unionized state workers a set of raises and bonuses. The plan, negotiated by Gov. Ned Lamont’s administration and a coalition of public sector labor unions, provides three years of 2.5% raises and step increases as well as a total of $3,500…
Keep reading
House Advances Labor Deal In Historic Vote
Lawmakers in Connecticut’s House of Representatives signed off on a plan to give state workers a set of raises and bonuses Thursday in a mostly partisan vote on a negotiated labor agreement. The House voted 96 to 52 in support of the deal with 1 Republican, Rep. Tom Delnicki of South Windsor, joining all Democrats…
Keep reading
Republicans Propose Last-Minute Tax Package
Legislative Republicans pitched a $1.2 billion tax relief plan Thursday which reduces state income, sales and gas taxes and proposes to join other states in suing the federal government to challenge restrictions on spending pandemic relief funds. House and Senate Republicans announced the plan during a state Capitol press conference Thursday morning. It cuts the…
Keep reading
The Budget Battle Begins To Take Shape
Tax collections have improved and pushed Connecticut’s budget surplus to $4 billion, but the state budget still relies heavily on federal funding and without it the state would end up running a “sizeable operating deficit.” The Office of Policy and Management told state Comptroller Natalie Braswell Wednesday that if not for the use of the…
Keep reading
Ritter: Time Is Running Short For Budget Agreement
The legislature will have a difficult time approving a state budget before the end of its session in two weeks if lawmakers and Gov. Ned Lamont do not reach an agreement in the next 48 hours, House Speaker Matt Ritter told reporters Wednesday. During a morning press briefing, Ritter said the legislative schedule was looking…
Keep reading