With most committee work in the Connecticut General Assembly done for the year, members of the bipartisan women’s caucus are celebrating 10 of their bills that are being considered for floor votes.
“These bills are the result of the collective conversations that we have had with women in our districts across the state,” said state Representative Dorinda Borer of West Haven, the Democratic co-chair of the caucus, which is the largest in the state Legislature with more than 70.
“These bills represent protection for women, improving healthy outcomes for women, supporting education in our state and also supporting women in the workforce,” Borer said.
“Some of them have work to be done, and we do that work in a bipartisan way.” said state Representative Nicole Klarides-Ditria of Seymour, the Republican co-chair of the caucus.
One of the bills would raise the minimum age for marriage to 18. An earlier version passed in 2017 and became law. But it has an exception that allows 16- and 17-year-olds to marry, with parental consent.
“We need to finish the job and have no exceptions so that minors cannot marry in our state,” said Democratic state Representative Christine Conley of Groton.
Additional proposals include equitable public school funding, maternal healthcare, emergency contraception on college campuses and early childhood education. Others deal with the gender wage gap, domestic violence and grief counseling.