Senate Democrats in Connecticut chose Juneteenth to announce an ambitious social justice agenda for their upcoming special session. It includes proposals to deal with police accountability and systemic racism in housing, healthcare, education, voting and the environment.
African American members of the state Senate Democratic Caucus say their proposals are in response to the Black Lives Matter demonstrations that held across the state.
Senator Marilyn Moore of Bridgeport says it’s time Connecticut lawmakers were bold in dealing with systemic racism.
“Can we do everything at once? No. But we can begin to make those changes. We can find who wants to be on the right side of history and who wants to be on the wrong side. I plan on being on the right side of history.”
Senator Doug McCrory, an African American from Hartford, is also a member of the caucus.
“This is the time for the state of Connecticut to step up to the plate and be bold for all the residents of the state of Connecticut. And if we don’t do it now, we will never get it done.”
Democratic Governor Ned Lamont has pushed back. He says he would like the summer special session, which is scheduled for July, to focus on two issues: police accountability and expanding access to absentee ballots for the November election.
