Sen. Flexer Earns High Marks on CTLCV Scorecard

HARTFORD – Sen. Mae Flexer (D-29; Representing Brooklyn, Canterbury, Killingly, Mansfield, Pomfret, Putnam, Scotland, Thompson & Windham) earned high marks on the Environmental Scorecard, published annually by the CT League of Conservation Voters.
Sen. Flexer scored 95% on the Environmental Scorecard, which is intended to hold lawmakers accountable for their votes on environmental policy. The final score for each legislator represents an average of their votes on specific bills. 

This year’s Scorecard covers 31 bills affecting the environment and three bills advancing voting rights. This was the first year CTLCV included a separate “Democracy” score for all lawmakers based on voting rights legislation. Sen. Flexer earned a Democracy Score of 100%.  

As Senate Chair of the Government Administration and Elections Committee, Sen. Flexer holds a key position  in passage of voting rights legislation.  She was instrumental in getting all three voting rights bills out of her committee and over the finish line:  establishing laws for Early Voting; taking the next step for a constitutional amendment to allow No-Excuse Absentee Voting; and the John R. Lewis Voting Rights Act.  These successful initiatives will all make a difference in our State’s democratic process.
With regard to the environment,  Sen. Flexer cast pro-environment votes on 15 bills that came before committees on which she served and/or in the full Senate.

Chief among these was Sen. Flexer’s critical support for strengthening and providing transparency in the state’s Land Conveyance process.  Her efforts this past session greatly enhanced the review process to ensure that property owned by the state was not sold before a detailed environmental evaluation.

Furthermore, Sen.  Flexer was a strong supporter of House Bill 6483, which calls for increasing the bond authorization to $10 million annually for the Open Space and Watershed Land Acquisition Grant Program administered by the Department of Energy and Environmental Protection.

“Sen. Flexer has once again proven to be a champion for pro-environment legislation and we value her support, which carries significant influence based on her years in both chambers of the legislature,” said Lori Brown, Executive Director of the CTLCV. 

Sen. Flexer voted in favor of Senate Bill 904, a multi-pronged transportation bill that established a “Carbon Budget.”  This legislation sets a maximum amount of carbon dioxide emissions allowed from the transportation sector and holds the Department of Transportation to this “carbon budget” as a mechanism to help the state reach its climate goals. Among other issues, the bill also initiated a study of the DOT’s tree-cutting practices which many citizens feel has been overly aggressive and unresponsive to community concerns.

In the Government Administration and Elections Committee, Sen. Flexer voted to enact a state Decarbonization Roadmap, aimed at reducing greenhouse gas emissions to meet the state’s goals under the Global Warming Solutions Act. This vital bill would have developed a comprehensive plan to establish policies across multiple agencies to guide state action toward these goals rather than requiring lawmakers to vote on every new program or update. CTLCV will make passage of the Decarbonization Roadmap a priority in the 2024 session.

In keeping with her concern for residents of low-income neighborhoods, Sen. Flexer supported Senate Bill 1147, the Environmental Justice Program of the Department of Energy and Environmental Protection. The law now gives DEEP authority to deny permits for new polluting facilities in already overburdened communities based on the cumulative impact on public health and the environment.

Sen. Flexer also voted to provide grants to towns for PFAS testing and remediation to help improve drinking water quality. She voted in favor of the Carbon-Free Schools bill to provide cleaner, healthier schools for our children and teachers. This bill would have leveraged state and federal funding to carry out cost-saving energy projects, fund solar and other energy efficiency studies, and provide technical assistance to evaluate and implement these projects. 

In addition, Sen. Flexer supported new laws to help restore eelgrass, protect shoreline nesting birds, halt the overharvesting of horseshoe crabs, and protect migrating birds from artificial night lights. 

​These and other important initiatives were deliberated and voted on at the CT General Assembly this year.  For the full array of environmental bills that CTLCV tracked and included in the Scorecard, visit CTLCV.org.