Senator Maroney Achievements in the Senate
CT Data Privacy Act
Senator Maroney worked to pass comprehensive data privacy protections for Connecticut residents, making Connecticut just the 5th state in the country to do so.
Senator Maroney worked tirelessly over three years to pass legislation that will provide data privacy protections for Connecticut residents. It establishes 5 rights for Connecticut consumers as well as establishing responsibilities for corporations. This bill is widely lauded as providing some of the strongest privacy protections in the country. You can read about the law from these various sources: International Association for Privacy Professionals; CT Mirror; Connecticut Public Radio; New Haven Register.
Providing Tax Relief
The 2022 Budget provided the largest tax cut in the state of Connecticut’s history. Among other tax cuts it:
- Created a child tax rebate. The rebate will equal $250 per child for up to three children. the maximum credit will be $750.
- Eliminated income tax on pension and annuity income for qualifying individuals as of 2022.
- Increased the property tax credit and the number of people eligible for the property tax credit.
Despite the tax cuts, the budget also made historic investments in Student Mental Health, Early Childhood Education, protecting the environment, and more.
Strengthening Connecticut’s economy and reduce unemployment
The Workforce Pipeline & Apprenticeship initiative was expanded. The program’s goal was expanded to train and place up to 10,000 workers into well paying jobs. In addition, Senator Maroney worked on a pilot program for a Pay it Forward Success Program that will help train Connecticut Residents to get their Commercial Drivers License and he is working to further expand that program.
Senator Maroney’s bill helps provide student loan payment relief
Senator Maroney is proud to have co-sponsored and developed Senate Bill No. 72. It provides a tax credit to employers who make payments on any of their employees’ student loans from the Connecticut Higher Education Supplemental Loan Authority. The bill was passed against the backdrop of Connecticut’s student loan debt ballooning from $8 billion to $17 billion between 2008 and 2017. This legislation encourages people to take advantage of Connecticut’s outstanding colleges and universities and then remain part of the Connecticut economy and workforce. Governor Lamont expanded upon this bill in the 2021 budget, increasing the number of students who are eligible for this Student Loan relief.
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Senator Maroney supports our veterans
Senator Maroney is dedicated to using his position as chair of the Veteran’s Affairs Committee to support the brave Americans who served in our military. He authored the bill establishing the Military to Machinist Program, which he ensured passed both the Connecticut House and Senate with unanimous approval, before Gov. Lamont signed it into law last August. The bill helps veterans gain the skills needed to secure employment in advanced manufacturing and similar jobs, not only helping veterans in making the transition out of the military but also bolstering Connecticut’s manufacturing industry.
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Help for small businesses
When Senator Maroney returned to Hartford as a Senator in 2019, he brought with him nearly two decades of experience as a business owner. His first-hand knowledge of Connecticut’s economic landscape made his authoring of “An Act Concerning Opportunity Zones” a legislative priority. The bill, which Senator Maroney introduced just two weeks into term, worked to increase long-term economic investment across the state and expedite the permitting process for new projects within the state’s opportunity zones. It passed the Senate with unanimous support and was signed into law in June of 2019.
Senator Maroney’s impact on education
Senator Maroney once again shepherded legislation garnering unanimous approval into law when he led debate on Senate Bill No. 957, “An Act Concerning Computer Science Instruction in Public Schools.” This forward thinking law established computer science education as a required subject for all Connecticut schools. It made Connecticut the first state in the country to require that teacher preparation programs offer instruction in how to teach programming and coding while also establishing a specific certification program for computer science teachers.
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Senator Maroney Supports Seniors
Senator Maroney was proud to support the 2022 budget, that eliminated the state income tax on pensions for individual senior citizens making less than $75,000 a year, or married couples making less than $100,000 a year as of 2022. In the past, Senator Maroney oversaw the development of Senate Bill No. 832, which created an elder abuse registry for Connecticut. The registry—which established a public database of known offenders who have been convicted of assault or any form of abuse—will help ensure that the elderly population and disabled adults are cared for and adequately protected from harm.
Beyond helping create the elder abuse registry, Senator Maroney also helped to oversee the passage of “An Act Concerning Alzheimer’s Disease and Dementia Training and Best Practices.” This act ensures that all healthcare professionals treating adults have proper training to recognize the signs of Alzheimer’s and other forms of dementia. The bill also lays the groundwork for creating programs to care for Connecticut residents living with Alzheimer’s. The bill was passed with unanimous approval from both chambers of the General Assembly. This bill was especially important to James as he has several family members who are suffering from or have suffered from Dementia.
Senator Maroney Takes Action Against Sexual Harassment
One of Senator Maroney’s proudest actions since being elected was voting to pass the “Time’s Up” bill, which increased certain sexual harassment penalties, extended the time limits for filing sexual assault lawsuits, allowed more time for the criminal prosecution of sexual assault, and required more employer-sponsored sexual harassment training. In particular, it fully eliminated any statute of limitations in all cases of sexual assault against a minor, giving such victims of assault a chance to secure the justice and healing to which they are entitled.
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