Judith G. Freedman represents the 26th District in the State Senate, which includes the towns of Bethel, New Canaan, Redding, Ridgefield, Weston, Westport and Wilton.

She is a Chief Deputy Republican Leader. Senator Freedman is the Senate ranking member of the Government Administration & Elections Committee, which oversees legislation regarding the Ethics Commission, compacts between the state and Indian tribes, constitutional amendments, elections, and campaign finance. In addition, she is the senate-ranking member of the Select Committee on Children, which deals with children’s issues.

Senator Freedman is a member of the Appropriations Committees, which oversees developing the state budget, and the Legislative Management Committee, which oversees the business of the General Assembly.

Senator Freedman is proud of her work to make the business of the General Assembly accessible to the public on the internet, and to help make it possible for the citizens of Connecticut to watch legislative sessions on television.

Senator Freedman continues to work toward making state government responsive and efficient, while providing the requisite services to those in need. She is working to bring about parity in the pay of those who work for private group homes and those who work for state run group homes.

Senator Freedman authored legislation to raise the mandatory minimum age that a child may leave school to 18, or following graduation, unless the parents give permission for the child to withdraw. She also contributed to legislation designed to provide parents with greater authority over their 16- to 18-year-old children. Senator Freedman worked for passage of the Clean Cars Act.

Some of Senator Freedman’s legislative accomplishments include securing inclusion of mammography in basic health insurance policies; making it a crime to attack on-duty police dogs; making changes to the state’s bilingual education laws; issuance of a Doctorate of Education by our state university system; and she played a key role in the creation of the state’s public charter schools. She also worked to secure passage of legislation creating a pilot program within the New Haven probate district that addresses the needs of children and teenagers. Senator Freedman worked with the towns of Bethel, Redding, Weston and Wilton to assure the burial of new underground power lines.  Freedman was instrumental in the getting the state to purchase the water company lands for open space. She played a key role in the passage of legislation creating a pilot program for autistic adults and will continue to pursue the expansion of services for that underserved population.

Currently, Senator Freedman is working to bring about a better climate for the practice of medicine in Connecticut by advocating for passage of meaningful medical malpractice insurance reform. She worked for the passage of legislation that encourages stem cell research in our state. Freedman wants to see modifications made to the state’s 20-year-old affordable housing law by allowing local Planning and Zoning commissions to include in their town master plan, sites for affordable/workforce housing and to adjust  the number of units each town must provide by having a more  flexible formula.

Senator Freedman has chaired the Program Review and Investigations Committee twice, and the Education Committee. She was the ranking member on the Appropriations Committee during the battle over the income tax and working with her colleagues was responsible for developing at least four non-income tax budgets. She has served as the ranking member on the Human Services Committee, the Insurance and Real Estate Committee, the Higher Education and the Education Committee.

Senator Freedman is a member of numerous civic organizations, including the Weston Kiwanis Club, the Historical Society of Westport, the Navy League and the Keeler Tavern society of Ridgefield, a historic preservation society. She is a member of the executive committee of the Eastern Region of the Council of State Governments, and serves on the State Steering Committee of the Education Commission of the States. Also, she serves on the board of Women’s Network of National Conference State Legislatures, and is the state director of Women in Government.

Senator Freedman has received awards for her work on education issues from the Connecticut Superintendents Association, the Connecticut Associations of Boards of Education, the Connecticut Teachers Association and the Connecticut Library Association.

She attended Boston University and the University of Michigan, and holds both BS and MS degrees from Southern Connecticut State University. She is a former kindergarten, first- and second-grade teacher and, most recently, the operator of a small importing business. Senator Freedman is a former President of the Republican Women of Westport, and the 4th Congressional District Republican Women’s Club. She currently serves on the Westport Republican Town Committee.

Senator Freedman lives in Westport with her husband, Samuel, and their daughter, Martha.