For all you people in Connecticut who called the legislature last week, and for those others of you who read about the action:
HB6008
is now waiting to be voted on by the Connecticut State Senate.
HB6008 is a groundbreaking piece of legislation. It says that the Adjutant General of Connecticut will provide returning National Guard service members with adequate testing for exposure to depleted uranium under Army regulations. It calls for the formation of a task force to study the health effects of exposure to hazardous materials including, but not limited to, depleted uranium; to develop a plan for outreach and follow-up of military personnel; and prepare a report concerning potential exposures to depleted uranium and other toxic chemical substances and the precautions recommended under combat and noncombat conditions while in a combat zone; and make any other recommendations the task force considers appropriate.
In recognition of the importance of the issue covered by this bill, and to facilitate its passage last week, the House combined its Bill 6008 with a Senate Bill, SB1245 (originated by Senator Gayle Slossberg, District 14) before the unanimous vote it received in the House last week.
Republicans and Democrats, representatives and senators alike seem to be working hard to make this bill happen.
This bill needs to be voted on tomorrow, before the session ends.
There are now 20 COSPONSORS of the bill, including my own district representative, Joe Mioli (thanks, Joe!) and SENATOR Anthony Guglielmo, 35th District.
Senator Guglielmo is ASSISTANT MINORITY LEADER OF THE CT STATE SENATE. He's a Republican and he served in the U.S. Army from 1963 to 1968.
Here are the names of those who've stepped up to cosponsor House Bill 6008 in its present form:
Rep. Patricia A. Dillon, 92nd Dist.
Rep. Christel H. Truglia, 145th Dist.
Rep. Gail K. Hamm, 34th Dist.
Sen. Anthony Guglielmo, 35th Dist.
Rep. Themis Klarides, 114th Dist.
Rep. Emil Altobello, 82nd Dist.
Rep. Paul Davis, 117th Dist.
Rep. Kevin M. DelGobbo, 70th Dist.
Rep. Bill Aman, 14th Dist.
Rep. Melody A. Currey, 10th Dist.
Rep. Patricia M. Widlitz, 98th Dist.
Rep. Mike Alberts, 50th Dist.
Rep. Bob Godfrey, 110th Dist.
Rep. Roger Brian Michele, 77th Dist.
Rep. Bruce Zalaski, 81st Dist.
Rep. Joe Mioli, 136th Dist.
Rep. Louis P. Esposito, 116th Dist.
Rep. Sandy Nafis, 27th Dist.
Rep. Linda A. Orange, 48th Dist.
Rep. Sonya Googins, 31st Dist.
Your calls have accelerated the progress of this bill (voted through the CT House 144-0 last week).
Keep up the calls. They are working. Your call this week should go to the Majority Leader of the CT State Senate.
PLEASE CALL SENATOR MARTIN LOONEY at 1 - 860-240-8600, or (toll-free) 1-800-842-1420 and tell him this:
"PLEASE BRING HOUSE BILL 6008, FILE NUMBER 840 TO THE FLOOR FOR A VOTE."
You who are calling ARE making this happen.