2024 LEGISLATOR REPORT CARD

Somers, Heather

Somers, Heather

18th District (R)

Chief Deputy Senate Republican Leader

Towns Represented
Griswold, Groton, North Stonington, Plainfield, Preston, Sterling, Stonington, Voluntown

Committees
Public Health (Ranking Member); Appropriations; Commerce; Executive and Legislative Nominations

Legislator Score
2017-2018: 59.8%
2019-2020: 60.3%
2021-2022: 70%
2023: 69.6%
2024: 84%
2023-2024 Avg. 76.8%

Voting Record

Year Vote Name Score
2024 Teacher Certification, Mandated Reporters & more HB 5436

Favorable vote indicates support for important changes to teacher certification, improvements to mandated reporter procedures, changes to EdTPA, supports for paraeducators, and more.

2024 Professional Development & School Climate HB 5437

Favorable vote indicates support for reviewing and updating PD requirements, improving school culture & climate, and more.

2024 Behavior Notification & Assessment Audit SB 154

Favorable vote indicates support for better student behavior notifications to parents, an standardized assessment audit, and more.

2024 School Indoor Air Quality HB 5524

Favorable vote indicates support for and expansion of the IAQ Grant program.

2024 School Indoor Air Quality SB 5

Favorable vote indicates support for an extension of the state IAQ Working Group.

2024 Goodwin Magnet Teacher Rights SB 14

Favorable vote indicates support for ensuring teacher rights are maintained at Goodwin Univ. Magnet School, among other things.

2024 2024 Budget Implementer HB 5523

Favorable vote indicates support for the budget implementer that included $550,000 to the Teachers Retirement Board for Retiree Healthcare and adding CEA to the Education Mandate Review Advisory Council.

2023 CEA Policy Proposal Package HB 6880

Favorable vote indicates support for play based learning, earlier kindergarten start date, elimination of teacher evaluation ratings, along with other actions aimed at addressing teacher recruitment and retention.

2023 Safe Classrooms, Standardized Assessment & IAQ SB 1

Favorable vote indicates support for addressing challenging student behavior/safe classrooms, taking steps to reduce standardized assessments, and continuing the works of the Indoor Air Quality work group, along with a number of other provisions.

2023 Play-Based Learning SB 2

Favorable vote indicates support for play based learning.

2023 Standardized Assessment & Special Education HB 6762

Favorable vote indicates support for taking steps to reduce standardized assessments in CT and the formation of a special education task force designed to examine case loads among other things.

2023 2023 Budget HB 6941

Favorable vote indicates support for the 2023 bi-partisan budget, including increases to ECS funding and $150 million for improved indoor air quality in schools.

2023 Educator Tuition Assistance HB 5441

Favorable vote indicates support for tuition assistance for educators in certain districts.

2023 Protecting Teachers' Personal Information SB 1157

Favorable vote indicates support for protecting teachers' personal information from Freedom of Information inquiries.

2023 Kindergarten Start Age Waiver HB 5003

Favorable vote indicates support for the final version of this bill that provides for waivers for students who are developmentally ready to begin kindergarten.

2022 Special Education Funding in Appropriations Committee SB 232

Favorable vote indicates support for a restructuring of how the state provides reimbursements for special education excess costs and increased state special education funding in the Appropriations Committee.

2022 Charter School Funding Approval Process in Appropriations Committee SB 229

Favorable vote indicates opposition to streamlining the approval process for new charter school funding (creating a one-stop-shop for charter school approvals at SDE circumventing the legislature) in the Appropriations Committee.

2022 Student Mental & Behavioral Health SB 2

Favorable vote indicates support for legislation addressing childhood depression, anxiety, and developmental delays through the expansion of support services, and critical preschool and mental & behavioral health services for children.

2022 2022 Budget SB 5506

Favorable vote indicates support for mid-term budget adjustments, including fully funding ECS, establishing a school Indoor Air Quality (IAQ) monitoring program, authorizing $150 million for school HVAC & IAQ, and doubling the retired teachers' healthcare subsidy.

2022 Building Successful School Communities SB 5001

Favorable vote indicates support for increased teacher voice in behavioral interventions and requiring districts to complete student trauma needs-assessments to help identify needed resources.

2022 Building Successful School Communities in Appropriations Committee SB 1

Favorable vote indicates support for critical mental and physical health services in schools, minimum staffing ratios for certified support staff, a task force on teacher recruitment and retention, prohibiting dual instruction, and guaranteeing 30 minutes per day of duty-free lunch in the Appropriations Committee.

2022 Building Successful School Communities SB 1

Favorable vote indicates support for critical mental and physical health services in schools, minimum staffing ratios for certified support staff, a task force on teacher recruitment and retention, prohibiting dual instruction, and guaranteeing 30 minutes per day of duty-free lunch.

2021 Housing Vouchers for Open Choice Students HB 6436

Favorable vote indicates support for the expansion of the Open Choice program and a pilot program to provide families of Open Choice students with housing vouchers to live in the town where the student is enrolled.

2021 Teachers' Retirement System SB 1081

Favorable vote indicates support for increasing the amount the retirees' cost of living adustments (COLAs) can be increased based on the revised rate of return for the pension fund.

2021 Minority Teacher Recruitment SB 1034

Favorable vote indicates support for increased funding and procedures to promote the recruitment and retention of educators of color.

2021 IAQ in Public Health Committee SB 288

Favorable vote indicates support for strengthening protocols for reporting and addressing poor school indoor air quality in the Public Health Committee.

2021 2021 Budget HB 6689

Favorable vote indicates support for the budget which increased ECS funds and held districts with declining enrollments harmless.

2021 Divisive Concepts Amendment SB 1073 - Sen. Amendment B

Favorable vote indicates opposition to a Senate amendment which sought to prohibit the teaching of "divisive concepts" like race and gender.

2021 Virtual Learning & SEL Enhancements HB 6621

Favorable vote indicates support for SEL supports for students, and task forces inclusive of educators to review slpecial education funding and virtual earning.

2021 JANUS SB 908

Favorable vote indicates support for legislation that safeguarded CEA member rights and unhindered access to union representations in response to the JANUS Supreme Court decision.

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 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 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 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 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 Displaced Students from Puerto Rico SB 456

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 2018 Budget Bill HB 543

Favorable vote rejected governor's proposal to reduce ECS by $63m and Magnet School funding by $18.5m from FY19 enacted amounts. It restored $8.5m funding to teacher retiree health and $1.5m to TEAM.

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 Minority Teacher Recruitment SB 455

Favorable vote supported a version of legislation that promoted minority teacher recruitment and retention without diminishing the value of teacher certification. Prior versions would have undermined the teacher evaluation system and awarded certification without adequate preparation.

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 by 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)

2017 SEBAC SR 51

Favorable vote indicated support of state employee collective bargaining. Opposition sought to undermine the collective bargaining process. (Passed; HR 202 & SR 51)

2017 SEBAC - Appropriations Committee SR 7

Favorable vote indicated support of state employee collective bargaining. Opposition sought to undermine the collective bargaining process. (Passed; HR 202 & SR 51)