Robyn A. Porter

As the demand for defense manufacturing increases, so too does our need for a skilled workforce. This year, we passed legislation that will help give the next generation of manufacturers the tools they need to launch a career in the field.

Earlier this week unionized state employees voted to ratify a historic concessions package that will help Connecticut resolve the budget deficit. Members of the State Employee Bargaining Agent Coalition (SEBAC) voted overwhelmingly in favor of the agreement - 83 percent to 17 percent. The agreement would save the state $1.2 billion over the next two years and $24 billion over its lifetime.

State Rep. Robyn Porter praised Gov. Dannel P. Malloy’s signing of legislation that will promote economic stability and decrease recidivism. House Bill 5764, “An Act Concerning the Licensing of Barbers and Hairdressers,” will exempt Connecticut residents seeking to become barbers or hairdressers in Connecticut from submitting criminal history data as a prerequisite to licensure.

Connecticut reached an important milestone when Gov. Dannel P. Malloy signed into law legislation that expands employment protections for pregnant women.

State Reps. Robyn Porter, D-New Haven, and Liz Linehan, D-Cheshire, led passage of House Bill 6668, which would amend Connecticut statute to strengthen current protections for pregnant women.

After recent high-profile incidents in Connecticut, lawmakers are voicing their support for House Bill 6663, which aims to establish meaningful accountability for police officers who use excessive force. The bill, which state Rep. Robyn Porter introduced and sponsored, would require police departments to complete an investigation within a 15-day period. If the state's Division of Criminal Justice determines the officer used excessive force, the officer would also be placed on unpaid leave.

The bill strengthens gender pay equity legislation on the books since 1963, and puts added pressure on a wage gap that costs Connecticut women an estimated $5.5 billion per year, said Rep. Robyn Porter, D-New Haven, House chair of the labor committee.

Legislators in the House of Representatives voted Wednesday in favor of a bill that expands access to the angel investor tax credit program to businesses in any industry, will help more small businesses gain access to the capital they need to grow and create jobs.