House Republican Press Release

April 28, 2006

Press Office: 860-240-8700

Rep. Hamzy: School Nutrition Bill Usurps Authority of Local School Boards

Dems Keep Soda from Students; Kill Funding to Wire Vo-Tech Schools For Telecommunications Equipment

A controversial bill that bans the sale of soda and sugary soft drinks from public school cafeterias and vending machines usurps the authority of local boards of education and sets the stage for further erosion of the traditional concepts of municipal autonomy and local control that has served Connecticut well for centuries, state Representative William A. Hamzy said today.

The measure (Senate Bill 373) received final legislative approval Thursday by the state House of Representatives on a narrow 76 – 71 vote.

“I voted against this bill because I believe it usurps the authority of local boards of education and represents a dangerous assertion of control by the state over matters that have traditionally been regarded as local government responsibilities. It is a dangerous precedent that sets the stage for further erosion of the traditional concepts of local autonomy and control that have served our state well for centuries,” said Representative Hamzy, R-78^th District.

“Although I am well aware of the health risks of childhood obesity that this legislation is intended to combat, I believe most boards of education share my concern and would have established nutrition policies that best serve the health needs of their students without having one imposed on them by the state,” Representative Hamzy said. “Locally elected boards of education have a better understanding of the needs of their school districts than the General Assembly does and are more capable of implementing policies tailored to the needs of their students than some bureaucrat in Hartford.”

“While the liberal Democrats who control the state House were imposing another education mandate on our towns, they also refused to support a measure that would have provided funding to pay for the wiring of Connecticut’s regional vocational technical schools to support telecommunications and other information transmission equipment,” Representative Hamzy said.

“When the Democrats were given the chance to do something positive for vocational education schools like the Bristol Technical Education Center, they voted unanimously to reject the proposal. When they had the opportunity to support local school boards like those in Bristol and Plymouth by rejecting legislation of dubious value that threatens the traditional autonomy of our towns, they supported it. It says a lot about their priorities for our towns and for the State of Connecticut,” Representative Hamzy said.