New
Senate Minority Leader!
Senator
John McKinney
Senator
McKinney at left in action at "Speak Up"; center, regional train
service forum and at right legislative review at Weston Library...
Senator
John McKinney, e-mail; Senator McKinney now represents
most
of Weston--Senator Judith Freedman retains the southwest corner of
Weston.
Senator McKinney has been most active in his position on the
Transportation
Committee, leading the fight for CT committment to stepping up to the
plate
this year - his mantra: Metro-North services support, cars, $$,
now!
Report
from the Session: click here to
get Senator McKinney's report!
NEWS FROM THE
2008 SESSION!
McKinney Leads Global Warming Bill to Passage in State Senate
May 5, 2008
Hartford, CT – State Senate Minority
Leader John McKinney (R-Fairfield), ranking member on the General
Assembly’s Environment Committee, today helped lead HB 5600, An Act
Concerning Global Warming Solutions, to unanimous passage in the State
Senate.
The bill, which requires total
greenhouse gas emissions be reduced to 10 percent below 1990 levels by
2020 and to 80 percent below 2001 levels by 2050, passed the House on
April 28 and now heads to Governor Rell’s desk where it is expected to
be signed into law.
“Connecticut continues to be a
leader in the nation on environmental policy,” said Senator McKinney.
“By capping greenhouse gas emissions, we will reduce our carbon
footprint, conserve energy and improve air quality in Connecticut while
setting an important example for the rest of the nation.”
Senator McKinney was one of the
principle sponsors of a 2004 bill that established voluntary goals for
reducing greenhouse gases and has been a chief proponent of the Global
Warming bill since it was introduced earlier this year. He thanked
Environment Committee Chairman, State Senator Ed Meyer (D-Guilford) for
his leadership and advocacy on this issue.
With today’s action, Connecticut
becomes just the fifth state to establish limits for greenhouse gas
emissions. California, New Jersey, Hawaii and Washington State have
passed similar measures.
“Taking steps to reduce carbon
emissions and combat global warming will have a positive impact on our
environment, public safety and national security,” said Senator
McKinney. “It will lead to cleaner air, greater energy conservation and
reduce our dependency on the foreign oil we receive from unstable
countries.”
In addition to establishing a
schedule by which the state must reduce its greenhouse gas emissions,
HB 5600 also: requires state agencies to identify policies to meet
energy saving goals and emission limits; requires the Department of
Environmental Protection (DEP) to publish a baseline inventory of
greenhouse gas emissions and to recommend actions to achieve the
necessary reductions; requires the DEP to evaluate the potential of
low-carbon fuel standards for motor vehicles and home heating fuels to
achieve net carbon reductions; establishes a Climate Change Impacts
Subcommittee to recommend to the Governor and legislature ways the
state can adapt to and help mitigate global warming; and authorizes DEP
to work with other states and Canadian provinces to develop a
cap-and-trade program to achieve greenhouse gas limits.
Weston's longest
serving State Senator now that Senator Freedman has chosen to retire.
John McKinney (R-28) is serving his fifth
term in the Connecticut State Senate representing the towns of Easton,
Fairfield, Newtown and Weston. He was elected Minority Leader of
the Senate in June 2007 and is a ranking member on the General
Assembly’s Environment, Transportation and Housing Committees. He
also serves on the Appropriations and Executive Nominations Committees.
In the Senate, John is regarded as a
budget hawk who has fought to lower taxes and eliminate wasteful
government spending. In the tradition of his father, the late
Congressman Stewart B. McKinney, John is a fiscally conservative,
socially moderate centrist who champions efforts to preserve and
protect our environment and increase access to affordable housing.
As a nine year veteran of the
Transportation Committee, John has been leading efforts to change the
state’s transportation policy to address the long-term challenges of
increasing congestion and rising gasoline prices. In 2005 and
2006, he was instrumental in helping to pass major transportation
initiatives that will improve I-95, replace all 342 Metro-North rail
cars and create a new Metro-North maintenance facility to service them.
In 2007, he helped author and pass
Jessica’s Law for Connecticut, a law that establishes mandatory minimum
jail sentences for convicted child sex offenders and takes aim at the
growing threat posed by online child predators.
A parent of three children who
attend Fairfield public schools, John is committed to ensuring a high
quality of education for all of Connecticut’s students.
An outspoken advocate for job
creation, affordable housing and inner-city economic development, John
was named the 2007 Legislator of the Year by the Bridgeport Regional
Business Council.
He has been recognized as an
Environmental Hero by the League of Conservation Voters for his efforts
to pass legislation aimed at preserving Connecticut’s open spaces and
cleaning up Long Island Sound.
John was raised in Fairfield and is
the youngest of five children of the late Congressman Stewart McKinney
and his wife Lucie. Congressman McKinney, who represented
Connecticut’s fourth congressional district in the U.S. House of
Representatives from 1971 until his death in 1987, served as Republican
Leader in the Connecticut House of Representatives from 1969 – 1970.
John, 43, graduated from Fairfield
Prep in 1982, earned a Bachelor of Arts degree from Yale University in
1986 and received his Juris Doctorate from the University of
Connecticut School of Law, with honors, in 1994. Prior to being
elected to the General Assembly, John practiced law at Cummings and
Lockwood and was a law clerk to Connecticut Supreme Court Justice
Richard N. Palmer.
John is actively involved in several
nonprofit organizations. He is a former member of the Board of
Directors for the Center for Women and Families in Bridgeport. He
currently serves on the Board of Trustees of the Westport/Weston Family
YMCA, the Advisory Board of the Fairfield Theatre Company, and is a
member of the vestry of Trinity Church in Southport. John and his
family help provide housing and care for people with AIDS through the
Stewart B. McKinney Foundation.
John lives in Fairfield with his
wife, Megen, and their three children, Matthew, Graysen, and
Kate.
Trying
To Save Bond Package; Williams Revising After Rell's Veto
By MARK PAZNIOKAS | Courant Staff Writer
October 11, 2007
...Senate Minority Leader John McKinney, R-Fairfield,
said the CSUS
language must be rewritten to allow the governor the same oversight she
enjoys on other bonding. For Rell to sign a new bond package, Democrats
also will have to shrink the bottom line of the bonding package,
McKinney said. Rell met Tuesday with Williams, McKinney and House
Minority Leader Lawrence F. Cafero Jr., R-Norwalk - all the caucus
leaders except Amann, who has declined to attend what would be five-way
talks.
Amann, who was consulted by Williams, said he is willing to accept some
changes in the bond package. "We put a few things on the table," Amann
said.
McKinney said the impasse over the bond package, which is delaying
state reimbursement of local school construction projects, is one
result of a different governing style between Rell and her predecessor,
Gov. John G. Rowland.
"Gov. Rowland did not want to be overridden," McKinney said.
"Therefore, there were a lot of concessions and compromises to avoid a
veto override."
McKinney said Rell would risk an override, rather than compromise on a
bottom line she feels is too high.
Rell, McKinney Have the Right Idea on Home
Invasions
Westport NEWS editorial
Article Launched: 08/03/2007 10:25:26 AM EDT
The recent home invasion in Cheshire that resulted in brutal murders
has shocked everyone. It's impossible to imagine how anybody could do
something so heinous. Yet, it happened and it's up to us respond
somehow.
Two legislators who have stepped up to plate are Gov. M. Jodi Rell and
state Senate Minority Leader John McKinney (R-28), who represents part
of Weston in addition to Fairfield, Easton and Newtown.
McKinney has called for a special session to consider stronger
penalties for repeat offenders. He also wants to hold public hearings
and strengthen Connecticut's "three strike" policy.
"The governor, the chairman of the Parole Board, the Judiciary
Committee chairman and, most importantly, our constituents all agree we
need to re-examine our present offender laws and parole requirements.
We are asking Senate President Williams and House Speaker Amann to make
this a top priority for the General Assembly in this special session,"
said McKinney in a press release issued by the Senate Republican Office.
Backers of the initiative characterize Connecticut's existing laws
relating to serial felons and repeat offenders as permissive. Longer
sentences can be imposed in certain circumstances but they are not
mandatory.
In a related development, on Wednesday, Gov. Rell announced that she
wants to reclassify "Burglary II" as a violent crime. The Burglary II
charge comes into play when a burglary is committed at night or when a
home is occupied.
"Burglary has long been considered a generally non-violent offense, but
those who commit these crimes at night or when a home is occupied are
far more likely to encounter a homeowner meaning the chances of
violence are increased exponentially," said Gov. Rell in a press
release distributed by the governor's office. "The offenders warrant a
much higher level of scrutiny before parole and much closer monitoring
after release."
Under Rell's plan, criminals convicted of Burglary II would not be
eligible for parole until serving a minimum of 85 percent of their
sentence. Currently, according to Rell, those sentenced to two or more
years for Burglary II are eligible for parole after serving half of
their sentence.
In addition, Rell has called for better information sharing between the
judicial system and the Board of Paroles and Pardons. She would also
like to see Burglary II parolees subjected to increased electronic
monitoring as well as random nighttime checks by parole officers.
"With the tragedy in Cheshire still fresh in our minds, we continue to
look for ways to improve our justice system and strengthen our shield
against violent predators. We have a right to feel secure in our homes
and I am determined to do all I can to preserve that right," said Rell.
McKinney and Rell are on the right track and the powers that be in the
state legislature should be listening very hard to what they're saying.
Fairfield
County GOP growing in strength
By PATRICK R. LINSEY, Hour Staff Writer
June 15, 2007
NORWALK — With Thursday's election of state Sen. John McKinney
as Senate minority leader, Republicans in the Connecticut General
Assembly are now led by two Fairfield County lawmakers.
Since last year, state Rep. Lawrence Cafero, R-142, has been House
minority leader. The new leadership reflects a Republican party
stronger in Fairfield County than anywhere else in the state.
"A lot changed after the last election — not only the shrinking of our
numbers but therefore a higher percentage of the caucus being from
Fairfield County," Cafero said.
"I think Fairfield County has always played an extremely important role
in the Republican Party," McKinney said Thursday evening. "I think
Southwestern Connecticut in general has always been a stronger area for
Republicans than other areas of the state."
Much of Fairfield County is represented by the 4th Congressional
District, the one House district in New England represented by a
Republican congressman, U.S. Rep. Christopher Shays. That seat was
previously held by John McKinney's father, the late Stewart McKinney.
In the 2007 legislative session, Republican lawmakers assailed the
Democratic budget proposal, which cuts taxes for lower-income residents
but raises them for higher earners — many of whom live in Southwestern
Connecticut.
Republicans took the unprecedented measure of releasing their own
proposal, which they dubbed the "no-tax increase" option.
In the 2000 Census, 13.6 percent of Fairfield County families earned
more than $200,000, more than twice the statewide rate. Even some
Democrats from Fairfield County opposed the graduated tax plan.
"All of (the GOP) caucus has always been very cognizant of the
importance of Fairfield County to our state's economy," said Cafero.
"That's also certainly true with Republicans who even live in
Litchfield County or New London County or New Haven County or
wherever."
The Republican budget proposal also includes significantly more
education funding for some Fairfield County school districts, including
Norwalk's, than the Democratic offering.
Negotiations over the state's two-year budget and tax package continue
in a special legislative session.
Fairfield County Democrats are no strangers to legislative leadership.
Several years ago, former state Sen. George Jepsen and former state
Rep. Moira Lyons, both of Stamford, were each his and her chamber's
top-ranking Democrat.
But, as was exacerbated by the 2006 elections, Fairfield County
Republicans hold a higher proportion of their party's seats in
Hartford. Fairfield County accounts for approximately one-quarter of
the state's population. Currently, 17 of the GOP's 44 state
representatives and six of the 12 Republican state senators represent
Fairfield County constituents.
Many of those legislators represent affluent districts in towns such as
Greenwich, New Canaan and Wilton — Connecticut's so-called "Gold
Coast."
Political scientist Gary Rose questioned whether the GOP could become
"cornered" in Southwestern Connecticut, though he noted the "base of
the (Republican) Party extends beyond Fairfield County." State House
districts held by Republicans dot all of Western Connecticut — not just
Fairfield County — though there are only a handful east of Hartford.
"(Fairfield County) has always been where the party has had success,"
said Rose, chairman of the political science department at Sacred Heart
University in Fairfield. "Connecticut has become an increasingly blue
state. I guess it should come as no surprise that the Republicans are
becoming increasingly more regionalized in Fairfield County."
John
McKinney is new state Senate Minority Leader
Weston FORUM
Jun 14, 2007
The Senate Republican
Caucus voted unanimously today to select Mr. McKinney, 43, to succeed
Louis C. DeLuca (R-Woodbury) who resigned that position June 13 after
pleading guilty to a misdemeanor threatening charge.
Mr. McKinney is serving
his fifth term in the State Senate, representing the towns of Weston,
Easton, Fairfield, and Newtown.
He has served three
years as Minority Leader Pro Tempore and is a ranking member on the
General Assembly’s Environment, Transportation, and Housing Committees.
He also serves on the
Appropriations and Executive Nominations Committees.
“I am truly grateful to
have the full support of my Senate Republican colleagues as we move
forward together,” said Mr. McKinney.
“Initially, our focus as
a caucus, and my focus as Minority Leader, will continue to be on
passing a responsible budget that meets the critical needs of the
people of Connecticut, yet lives within our means and does not raise
taxes,” he said.
Mr. McKinney also said
he looks forward to working with Governor M. Jodi Rell, and Democratic
leaders to enact long-term bipartisan solutions to address challenges
in health care, energy, transportation and public education.
In the most recent
legislative session, Mr. McKinney helped author Jessica’s Law for
Connecticut and led it to passage. The law establishes mandatory
minimum jail sentences for convicted child sex offenders and takes aim
at the growing threat posed by online child predators.
Mr. McKinney was raised
in Fairfield and is the youngest of five children of the late
Congressman Stewart McKinney and his wife Lucie.
He is actively involved
in several nonprofit organizations and currently serves on the boards
of the Fairfield Theatre Foundation, the Westport/Weston Family YMCA,
and Trinity Church in Southport.
Mr. McKinney and his
family help provide housing and care for people with HIV/AIDS through
the Stewart B. McKinney Foundation. He lives in Fairfield with his
wife, Megen, and their three children, Matthew, Graysen, and Kate.