Opening of the 2021 Legislative Session
![State Capitol Building](/sites/default/files/field/image/StateCap.jpg)
I write this on the eve of being sworn in for a second term as your state representative. Tomorrow’s gathering will be very different from the swearing-in ceremony of 2018, before our world had experienced the twin public health and economic crises of Covid, the deepest partisan divide of our lifetimes, or the rising extremism of right-wing ideologues. Instead of continuing a 142-year-old tradition of gathering in the august Hall of the House, my colleagues and I will stand outside on the Capitol parking lot to be sworn in by Secretary of the State Denise Merrill. Our families and friends will not be allowed to witness this moment, which is both somber and joyful.
We do expect, however, to be joined by some unwelcome “guests.” Capitol Police will do their best to create a security perimeter to protect legislators from a crowd expected to number 2,000. This mob will comprise three groups: those opposed to continued Covid restrictions; those who oppose the elimination of the so-called “religious” exemption for vaccinations; and those who continue to see Donald Trump as president while Congress meets to formally accept Joe Biden as the new U.S. President.
To be clear:
- Covid restrictions are science-based measures enacted for the safety of all citizens.
- No recognized religious tradition forbids vaccination.
- Joe Biden is the duly elected president, having won both the popular vote and the electoral college vote by legitimately tallied, decisive margins.
While I will always defend anyone’s right to protest, I don’t intend to waste time or energy on these disruptors, because there is too much work to do to help our state recover from the nightmare of this pandemic. We need to propose, raise and vote on legislation to help laid-off workers with financial assistance, help parents with childcare needs, help first responders work in safety, help voters vote in confidence, help small businesses get access to grants and loans, help teachers get support in and out of the classroom, help protect victims of domestic violence (which has risen dramatically during Covid), help enhance environmental justice, help our non-profits get the funds they need, and help essential workers get the labor protections they deserve.
At a press conference yesterday in support of a budget that supports working families instead of the one percent, I saw a hand-made sign that read: “Don’t call me a hero if you won’t treat me as a human.” Right now, we should all be throwing our weight behind essential workers, not self-proclaimed “disruptors” tilting at windmills.
This pandemic won't end until we all stop thinking we are the exception.