2024
Kushner, Julie
24th District (D)
Deputy President Pro Tempore
Towns Represented
Danbury, New Fairfield (p), Ridgefield (p)
Committees
Labor and Public Employees (Chair); Committee on Children (Vice Chair); Public Health (Vice Chair); Appropriations; Education; Executive and Legislative Nominations
Voting Record
Year | Vote Name | Score |
---|---|---|
2024 |
CEA Policy Proposal Package
SB 381
Favorable vote indicates support in the Education Committee for a minimum teacher salary, COVID recognition payments to educators, fairer “just cause” standard of discipline, improvements to mandated reporter procedures, and additional CEA priorities. |
|
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 |
Teacher Certification (EDU Comm)
HB 5436
Favorable vote indicates support in Education Committee for important changes to teacher certification. |
|
2024 |
Professional Development & School Climate
HB 5437
Favorable vote indicates support for reviewing and updating PD requirements, improving school culture & climate, and more. |
|
2024 |
WEP/GPO Resolution
HJ 215
Favorable vote indicates support in the Labor Committee for a resolution urging Congress to repeal WEP/GPO. |
|
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 |
Indoor Air Quality
SB 287
Favorable vote indicates support in the Education Committee for extending the work of the IAQ Working Group and IAQ/HVAC grants to more districts and schools. |
|
2024 |
Book Bans
HB 5417
Favorable vote indicates support in the Education Committee for establishing safeguards preventing the banning of books in school libraries. |
|
2024 |
School Discipline & School Climate Standards
SB 380
Favorable vote indicates support in the Education Committee for policies addressing school discipline and school culture & climate standards. |
|
2024 |
Paraeducators
HB 5348
Favorable vote indicates support in the Education Committee for supports and benefits for paraeducators. |
|
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. |
|
2024 |
Indoor Air Quality
HB 5347
Favorable vote indicates support in the Education Committee for reopening and extending the IAQ Grant program. |
|
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 |
Changes to Teacher Evaluation in Education Committee
HB 6757
Favorable vote indicates support in the Education Committee for making meaningful changes to the Teacher Evaluation. |
|
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 |
Standardized Assessment & Special Education in Education Committee
HB 6762
Favorable vote indicates support in the Education Committee 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 |
Indoor Air Quality in Education Committee
SB 1198
Favorable vote indicates support in the Education Committee for adopting the recommended indoor air quality standards developed by the IAQ task force. |
|
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 |
School Funding Committee Bill in Education Committee
HB 5003
Favorable vote indicates support in the Education Committee for greater ECS funding to our districts. |
|
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 |
Equal Protections for Educators in Labor Committee
HB 6793
Favorable vote indicates support in the Labor Committee for providing educators with the same protections as other municipal employees in matters related to prohibited practices by employers. |
|
2023 |
New Charter School Approval Process in Education Committee
SB 1096
Favorable vote indicates opposition in the Education Committee to removing our legislative elected officials from the charter school approval process. |
|
2023 |
New Charter School Approval Process in Appropriations Committee
SB 1096
Favorable vote indicates opposition in the Appropriations Committee to removing our legislative elected officials from the charter school approval process. |
|
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 Education 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 Education Committee. |
|
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 |
Bilingual Education in Education Committee
HB 5280
Favorable vote indicates support for increasing the annual state bilingual education grant and establishing a "dual-language seed grant". |
|
2022 |
Remote Learning Extension in Education Committee
HB 5287
Favorable vote indicates opposition to legislation that would rush the planning for a statewide remote learning school and allow Boards of Education to implement remote learning for our youngest students. |
|
2022 |
Professional Development in Education Committee
HB 5323
Favorable vote indicates support for establishing a working group to streamline professional development and in-service training requirements for public school teachers. |
|
2022 |
Charter School Funding Approval Process in Education 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 Education 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 |
Indoor Air Quality in Public Health Committee
HB 5479
Favorable vote indicates support for a School Indoor Air Quality monitoring program, including enforceable indoor temperature standards. |
|
2022 |
Indoor Air Quality in Labor Committee
SB 423
Favorable vote indicates support for a comprehensive school Indoor Air Quality monitoring program, including enforceable indoor temperature standards and a sustained, long-term funding source for school HVAC upgrades. |
|
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 in Public Health Committee
HB 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 in the Public Health Committee. |
|
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 Education 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 Education Committee. |
|
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 |
IAQ in Education Committee
SB 288
Favorable vote indicates support for strengthening protocols for reporting and addressing poor school indoor air quality in the Education Committee. |
|
2021 |
2021 Implementer
SB 1202
Favorable vote indicates support for a bill that expanded social-emotional resources, increased the retired teacher pension income tax exemption to 50% , created a statewide model curriculum, established a Connecticut Remote Learning Commission, and prmoted the recruitment of educators of color. |
|
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 |
Social & Emotional Learning in Education Committee
HB 6557
Favorable vote indicates support for improving certified support staffing levels and other SEL supports for schools and ensuring a place for union-selected teachers on safe school climate committees. |
|
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 in Labor Committee
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 in the Labor Committee. |
|
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 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. |
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