HARTFORD — State Senator-elect Tony Hwang, along with Representatives Mitch Bolinsky (R-106), Dan Carter (R-2), and State Representative-elect J.P. Sredzinski (R-112), were given their respective committee assignments for the next two years.

Rep Bolinsky was tapped to head the Republican caucus on the legislature’s Aging Committee. The committee has jurisdiction over of all legislative matters relating to senior citizens in Connecticut.

As ranking member, Rep Bolinsky will work with the co-chairs of the Aging Committee to draft committee legislation and schedule public hearings on proposals as well as be the point person for the House Republican caucus for senior citizen issues and legislation.

“I appreciate [House Republican Leader Themis Klarides’s]confidence in appointing me as ranking member of the Aging Committee,” Rep Bolinsky said. “There are so many aging-related issues to tackle as we are faced with an increasing population of seniors in Connecticut. From the economic challenges of seniors residing in a high-cost-of-living, high-tax state that is overreliant on property taxes, to transportation, nutrition, and health care, our first challenge will be to determine where to begin focusing our attention. I am confident that, working together and doing a lot of listening, we’ll make a difference in positioning Connecticut to provide the appropriate supports that our aging population will need.”

Rep Bolinsky will also continue to serve on the Legislature’s Appropriations and Education Committees for another term. This year the two-year state budget will be crafted. Rep Bolinsky was one of the key Republican Education members last year who forced the legislature to have a public hearing on Common Core and the teachers’ evaluation system.

Rep Carter will be serving for a second term as the ranking member for the General Law Committee, which focuses on all matters relating to the Department of Consumer Protection, fair trade and sales practices, mobile homes, alcoholic beverages, and occupational licensing.

He has also been appointed as a member of the Education Committee, which convenes on issues surrounding boards of education, collective bargaining in relation to state educators, vocation rehabilitation, Commission on the Arts, libraries, museums, and historical and cultural associations.

Rep Carter said, “This will be a comprehensive and challenging legislative session. As the ranking member of the General Law Committee, I will work with the committee chairs, other committee members, and advocacy groups to promote a balanced approach to today’s consumer concerns, especially in regard to sales tax and government involvement. As a member of the Education Committee, I am eager to work with policymakers, teachers, administrators, and taxpayers to solve our looming education challenges.”

Rep Carter will also remain on the Energy & Technology Committee.

Rep-elect Sredzinski has been tapped by House Republican Leader Klarides to serve on the Public Safety and Security Committee, which considers matters relating to homeland security, the Department of Public Safety, including state police, state organized task force on crime, municipal police training, fire marshals, the fire safety code and the state building code, civil preparedness and legalized gambling, and military and veterans’ affairs, except veterans’ pensions.

He said, “I am particularly excited to serve on the Public Safety Committee since this facet of government is my career. As someone involved in the day-to-day operations of a 911 public safety communications center, I can bring an unique prospective to public safety issues in our communities.”

Also, Rep-elect Sredzinski was appointed to serve on the legislature’s Commerce Committee, which oversees matters relating to the Department of Economic and Community Development, the Connecticut Development Authority, and Connecticut Innovations, Incorporated. The committee is tasked with finding ways to promote job growth in our state.

Finally, he was asked to serve on the legislature’s Internship Committee, which oversees the legislative internship process at the State Capitol.

Hwang Appointments Set

State Senator-elect Tony Hwang (R-28) has been appointed by the Senate Republican Caucus to serve as ranking leader of the Connecticut General Assembly’s Housing Committee and Labor and Public Employees Committee for the 2015-2016 legislative sessions.

The senator-elect, whose district includes Easton, Fairfield, Newtown, Weston and a portion of Westport, will also serve as a member of the Veterans Affairs and Commerce Committees over the next two years. He will be sworn in on January 7 when the General Assembly legislative session opens.

“I am honored to serve on these committees, and I am especially looking forward to taking a leadership role in housing given the significance of this topic in our communities and its impact on the character of our towns and our state and local economies,” Mr Hwang said. “Along with my fellow committee members, I hope to set a legislative agenda that both helps meet the growing need for housing and gives local municipalities more control in shaping outcomes and greater flexibility in satisfying the well-intended requirements of State Statute 8-30g, which pertains to affordable housing. We will also have a role in shaping housing policies for the economically disadvantaged, elderly, developmentally disabled, and handicapped within our communities.”

The Labor and Public Employees Committee reviews all matters relating to workers’ compensation, unemployment compensation, conditions of employment, hours of labor, minimum wages, industrial safety, occupational health and safety, labor unions and labor disputes; all matters relating to the Department of Labor; and all matters relating to conditions of employment of state and municipal employees and the substantive law of state and municipal employees’ collective bargaining.

In his role on Commerce, Mr Hwang and his fellow committee members will consider matters relating to the Department of Economic and Community Development, the Connecticut Development Authority, and Connecticut Innovations.

“Both the Labor and Commerce Committees have significant impact on jobs and our economy,” He said. “We need to change the paradigm of how the dynamics of labor and businesses work together to find solutions in a competitive and fast changing workplace environment. I am eager to begin the process of reinventing and invigorating our economy.”

The senator-elect’s role on the Veterans Affairs Committee is a natural extension of his longstanding advocacy for and support of Connecticut’s military veterans.

State Level Reappointments

In other news, Governor Dannel P. Malloy has been busy, for the most part, reappointing key state department leaders and commissioners, while accepting resignations or announcing departures of a few other key state leaders.

Among the officials reappointed by the governor in recent days are:

*Patricia A. Rehmer, MSN, ACHE, as commissioner of the Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services (DMHAS)

*Evonne Klein as commissioner of the Department of Housing

*Sharon Palmer as commissioner of the Department of Labor (CTDOL)

*Rob Klee as commissioner of the Department of Energy and Environmental Protection (DEEP)

*Steven K. Reviczky as commissioner of the Department of Agriculture (DOAG)

*Dr Jewel Mullen as commissioner of the Department of Public Health (DPH)

*Roderick L. Bremby as commissioner of the Department of Social Services (DSS)

*Kevin Sullivan as commissioner of the Department of Revenue Services (DRS)

*James P. Redeker as commissioner of the Department of Transportation (ConnDOT)

In addition, Chief of Staff Mark Ojakian will continue serving in that role going into the governor’s second term in office. Gov Malloy also announced that he will reappoint Benjamin Barnes as the secretary of the Office of Policy and Management (OPM)

He also announced the departure of Connecticut Education Commissioner Stefan Pryor who accepted a position as Rhode Island’s first secretary of commerce. Gov Malloy also announced that Andrew Doba will be stepping down as director of communications, with Mark Bergman taking over in the position.

The governor also learned that Department of Consumer Protection (DCP) Commissioner William M. Rubenstein intends to retire in January.