
Lesser, Matthew
9th District (D)
Deputy Majority Leader

- 860-240-8600
- http://www.senatedems.ct.gov/lesser-mailform.php
Towns Represented
Cromwell, Middletown (p), Newington, Rocky Hill, Wethersfield (p)
Committees
Insurance and Real Estate (Chair); Energy and Technology (Vice Chair); Public Health (Vice Chair); Appropriations; Education; Judiciary; Labor and Public Employees
Voting Record
Year | Vote Name | Score |
---|---|---|
2019 |
2019 Budget
HB 7424
Favorable vote indicates support for the budget which increased ECS funds, excluded a proposal to shift the teacher pension costs to municipalities, and restructured the unfunded liability of the Teachers' Retirement Fund. |
|
2019 |
Teachers' Retirement System
SB 873
Favorable vote indicates support for a proposal to stabilize the Teachers' Retirement Fund with revenues of the Connecticut Lottery. |
|
2019 |
Classroom Safety in Education Committee
HB 7110
Favorable vote indicates support in the Education Committee for SDE developing and disseminating strategies to help boards of education with reducing incidents of school violence, promoting trauma sensitivity in schools, and enhancing safe school climate plans. |
|
2019 |
Classroom Safety in Appropriations Committee
HB 7110
Favorable vote indicates support in the Appropriations Committee on a procedural vote to keep a CEA proposed concept to address classroom safety alive. |
|
2019 |
Minority Teacher Recruitment in Education Committee
SB 1022
Favorable vote indicates support in the Education Committee for SDE's development and implementation of strategies and use of existing resources to hire and employ minority teachers. |
|
2019 |
Minority Teacher Recruitment In Appropriations Committee
SB 1022
Favorable vote indicates support in the Appropriation Committee for SDE's development and implementation of strategies and use of existing resources to hire and employ minority teachers. |
|
2019 |
Minority Teacher Recruitment
SB 1022
Favorable vote indicates support for SDE's development and implementation of strategies and use of existing resources to hire and employ minority teachers. |
|
2019 |
Black and Latino Studies
HB 7082
Favorable vote indicates support for the inclusion of Black and Latino studies in the public school curriculum. |
|
2019 |
Community Schools in Education Committee
SB 1021
Favorable vote indicates support in the Education Committee for a comprehensive community schools pilot program. |
|
2019 |
School Climate
HB 7215
Favorable vote indicates support for the development of a statewide school climate survey,addressing social-emotional learning, and taking steps to make schools safer by expanding the definition of bullying to acts causing physical or emotional harm on any individual in a school, including staff. |
|
2019 |
Magnet School Funding In Education Committee
HB 7109
Favorable vote indicates support in the Education Committee for increasing funding to interdistrict magnet school programs. |
|
2019 |
Magnet School Funding In Appropriations Committee
HB 7109
Favorable vote indicates support in the Appropriations Committee for increasing funding to interdistrict magnet school programs. |
|
2019 |
School Play
HB 7250
Favorable vote indicates support for inclusion of additional time for undirected play in the school day. |
|
2019 |
School Counselors
SB 956
Favorable vote indicates support for the development of guidelines for a comprehensive school counseling program for all students. |
|
2019 |
Cultural Responsiveness
SB 1020
Favorable vote indicates support for the inclusion of cultural responsiveness in training and professional development provided to teachers. |
|
2019 |
IEP Retaliation
HB 7353
Favorable vote indicates support for establishing protections to ensure educators who make recommendations in IEP's and PPT's are not retaliated against. |
|
2018 |
Classroom Safety
SB 453
Favorable vote indicates support for a bill providing greater teacher input and access to resources to address incidents where a student causes physical harm to others in the classroom. (Passed; Vetoed) |
|
2018 |
Veto Override on Classroom Safety
SB 453
Favorable vote supported a procedural action to permit a future vote to override the governor's veto of the Classroom Safety Bill. |
|
2018 |
Prohibition of Governor's Recissions
HB 5171
Favorable vote indicates support of a bill that would prevent the governor from unilaterally making mid-year reductions to the education cost sharing grant for cities and towns without legislative approval. (Passed; Vetoed) |
|
2018 |
Prohibition of Governor's Recissions in Education Committee
HB 5171
Favorable vote indicates support of a bill in the Education Committee that would prevent the governor from unilaterally making mid-year reductions to the education cost sharing grant for cities and towns without legislative approval. (Passed; Vetoed) |
|
2018 |
Veto Override of Prohibition of Governor's Recissions
HB 5171
Favorable vote indicates support of a bill in the Education Committee that would prevent the governor from unilaterall1 making mid-1ear reductions to the education cost sharing grant for cities and towns without legislative approval. (Passed; Vetoed) |
|
2018 |
Education Savings Accounts
HB 5340
Favorable vote indicated opposition to this bill in the Banking Committee, which would have required the state to study Education Savings Accounts (ESAs), a type of voucher plan for children to attend a private school. |
|
2018 |
CT Lottery to the Retirement System
SB 280
Favorable vote indicates support for studying a proposal to preserve retirement benefits and strengthen the financial position of the Teachers Retirement System using the full value of the state's lottery system. |
|
2018 |
DREAMERS
SB 4
Favorable vote indicates support for a bill that allows undocumented graduates of high schools in Connecticut aka ("Dreamers") be eligible for tuition assistance at public colleges and universities in the state. |
|
2018 |
School Security
SB 454
Favorable vote supported legislation to expand school security infrastructure grants, which help to make school facilities more secure. |
|
2017 |
October Budget and ECS
SB 1502
Favorable vote prevented deeper ECS cuts proposed b1 the governor and staved off efforts to undermine collective bargaining. Opposition (passed SB 1502) |
|
2017 |
Teacher Pension Increase
SB 1502
Favorable vote indicates opposition to increasing teachers contrubution to the TRF from 6% to 7%. (SB 1502) |
|
2017 |
September Budget
HB 7501
Favorable vote indicates opposition to provisions of this bill that: Increased Teacher Pension contribution to 8%; redistributed ECS to the detriment of needier districts; limited state employee collective bargaining; and undermined municipal collective bargaining. (Passed HB 7501; vetoed) |