“This is just the latest example of certain legislators’ failure to respect or even listen to the people who elected them into office,” said Senator Cappiello. “First, Democratic leadership tries to shove a $900 million dollar tax increase down our throats without so much as one public hearing on the issue. Then, they schedule public hearings on a variety of other issues that attract dozens of passionate citizens ready to testify on these matters critical to their lives, only to cut the meetings short or postpone them. These people were elected to represent the best interests of Connecticut citizens, but excluding the public is surly not the best way to gauge that opinion.”

Senator Cappiello pointed to a number of other public hearings that have been cancelled this Legislative Session, including the Government Administration and Elections Committee last Wednesday and the Energy and Technology Committee as well as the Insurance Committee last Thursday.

“Although it may be news to some legislators, the vast majority of citizens do not have endless hours to spare to travel to the Legislative Office Building to testify. In this tight economy, they need to be at work earning money to support themselves and their families,” said Senator Cappiello. “I even spoke to some people who flew and took trains into Hartford just to testify and were told at the last minute that their trip was in vein.”

He fears that the actions of a few elected officials may give the public the wrong idea about the intentions of Connecticut’s General Assembly.

“Some legislators just seem to enjoy flaunting their power and authority. What they seem to forget, or more likely, just ignore, is that the public’s input in government does not begin and end in the voting booth. Connecticut citizens have the right to be involved in the entire legislative process, and stripping them of this right leads to mistrust in elected officials and government in general,” explained Senator Cappiello.