House Republican Press Release

January 5, 2007

Press Office: 860-240-8700

Rep. Williams Appointed House Republican Leader on Energy and Technology Committee

Will Pursue Diversification of CT’s Energy Supplies; Work to Lower Energy Costs to Consumers

State Representative Sean Williams, R-68^th District, has been appointed as the House Ranking Member (Republican Leader) on the General Assembly’s Energy & Technology Committee, House Republican Leader Lawrence F. Cafero Jr., R-142^nd District, announced today.

“Representative Williams has served with distinction as a member of the Energy and Technology Committee since he was first elected to the State House in a special election in 2003. His experience, hard work and outstanding leadership qualities made him the obvious choice to become the House Republican Leader on this critical committee,” Representative Cafero said.

“I intend to pursue several goals as the Republican Leader on the Energy & Technology Committee. I will be working to pass initiatives to diversify Connecticut’s energy supplies, including wider use of renewable energy sources and expanding the capacity of trash to energy plants throughout the state,” Representative Williams said.

“I also will work to enact incentives to encourage Connecticut companies – particularly those that are significant energy consumers – to install on premises or distributed generation systems. If more Connecticut businesses set up generating systems on their own property, it will mean less dependence on the power grid that supplies most of the electricity for residential and commercial users and ultimately, lower rates for consumers,” Representative Williams said.

“I want to emphasize that the initiatives I am supporting are long-term solutions to the power and fuel shortages and high energy costs that have troubled Connecticut consumers over the past few years,” Representative Williams said. “There are no simple, easy solutions to our state’s energy problems. It took a long time for them to develop and we won’t be rid of them overnight. It will take a combination of short- and long-term initiatives to resolve them - and we need to start putting them in place this year.”

Reappointed to Commerce; Insurance and Real Estate Committees

“Representative Williams has been a knowledgeable and productive member of the Commerce and Insurance and Real Estate committees for the past two years. I was pleased to reappoint him based on his record of accomplishment on both panels and his pro-business, pro-jobs philosophy,” Representative Cafero said. 

“As a member of the Commerce Committee, I will continue to fight for measures to make Connecticut a more business-friendly state,” Representative Williams said. “Some of those proposals should include reducing the red tape that makes it difficult to do business here and reducing the tax burden on employers that makes many out-of-state companies reluctant to move to our state and discourages existing firms from creating new jobs. If we are serious about stimulating job growth, we need to make Connecticut a more attractive place to do business. The private sector provides most of the secure, well-paid jobs our people need. Improving Connecticut’s business climate is one of my top priorities this year.”

“I also will work to enact legislation to make health care more affordable for the people of Connecticut as a member of the Insurance and Real Estate Committee,” Representative Williams said. “Some of the proposals I and other Republican members of the committee will be supporting include portable health plans; flexible health plans; and mandate-free plans for young adults between the ages of 19 and 26.”