UPDATE: The headline of this feature was updated at 11 am on August 20.

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Rep Raghib Allie-Brennan (D-2) believes that in his sophomore year in the Connecticut House of Representatives, he had a “better hold” on how things at the capital worked and was “more valuable” to his constituents.

He told The Newtown Bee during a recent visit that he was very involved in the state budget process, and was able to secure “a lot of money for projects in the area.”

In addition to feeling like he is “better able to navigate the general assembly” he also says that Governor Ned Lamont has proven he will “listen to what I say.”

“I’ve been able to show I can stand up and defend him,” said Allie-Brennan, “or be critical of him in a responsible way.”

The local lawmaker said he offered constructive criticism when disagreeing with Gov Lamont over further extending emergency powers granted him last year because of the pandemic.

With 24 states ending their emergency declarations, including New York, New Jersey, New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts, Maine, and Pennsylvania, Allie-Brennan stated that while some have argued that an emergency declaration is necessary to continue federal funding, several of the states that have ended their emergency declarations have received permission from the president to continue to access federal dollars.

“I was elected to be the voice of the people of the 2nd District,” Allie-Brennan said. “After receiving countless constituent e-mails and phone calls in opposition to the extension, I agree we must remain vigilant in the fight against COVID-19, but it is time to turn this dark page in our history.”

Allie-Brennan stated he thought the governor should allow the legislature to resume its work. Despite his opposition, the resolution passed the House, 73-56, and the Senate, 19-15, allowing Gov Lamont to keep emergency powers for now.

Allie-Brennan expressed pride at the passage of HB 6666, An Act Concerning the Department of Public Health’s Recommendations Regarding Various Revisions to the Public Health Statutes.

A particular provision of the statutes was detrimental to the hairdressing industry. When evidence of human trafficking was found in the nail salon trade, lawmakers added a provision requiring the licensure of nail technicians and estheticians.

But an unintended consequence led to state-licensed hairdressers being stripped of their ability to remove facial hair literally overnight, despite it being a skill they learned in beauty school and that is included in their licensing provisions. HB 6666 restores a hairdresser’s ability to remove hair from the face or neck using manual or mechanical means.

“Last summer, one of my constituents, Mary Straniti Thompson of Bethel, the owner of Smoke & Mirrors Salon in Newtown, brought the licensing issue to my attention and I knew it was something we needed to address this year,” Allie-Brennan said.

Allie-Brennan and Straniti Thompson provided testimony in support of HB 6666 at a March 29th Public Health Committee public hearing. While it is typical for most cosmetologists to limit their work to hair, there are others who rely on waxing, esthetics, and makeup services to support themselves.

“As the state opens up from the pandemic, this legislation is critical to business owners who wish to add services that might help them recover from economic losses due to COVID-19,” said Allie-Brennan.

Allie-Brennan worked closely with Public Health Committee Chair Rep Jonathan Steinberg and the state Department of Public Health in rectifying the licensing issue with this legislation. The bill passed both the house and the senate.

LGBTQ Veterans, Cannabis

As an openly gay legislator, Allie-Brennan believes it is important for him to be a voice for LGBTQ issues. He has introduced a bill that would give state benefits to LGBT veterans who were discharged for being gay.

“They served our country and they deserve those benefits,” Allie-Brennan said.

Allie-Brennan voted for the legalization of recreational cannabis, saying the legislature has been “talking about it for ten years” and “explaining it to our constituents.” He said that when he was canvassing for election in 2016, the feedback he received from residents was that “people felt [legalization] was inevitable.”

He stated that he felt the benefits to the state would be “great.” With an understanding of the balance between the benefits and people becoming addicted, he noted that a lot of the revenue raised by taxation on cannabis will go toward addiction services.

“Only 15% will go to the state,” said Allie-Brennan.

As to some towns placing bans or moratoriums on recreational cannabis dispensaries, Allie-Brennan feels that voters should choose.

“This is not something that a first selectman or a mayor should choose,” Allie-Brennan said. “We passed this bill with overwhelming public support.”

With towns now trying to “slow down the process,” Allie-Brennan said that the benefits of the legalization to towns can be “big,” and towns with bans could potentially lose those benefits.

Allie-Brennan mentioned his involvement in obtaining state money for the Sandy Hook Permanent Memorial, sharing that the speaker of the house came to him, saying that even though Newtown had already approved money for it, that the state should help. Allie-Brennan said that he reached out to First Selectman Dan Rosenthal and State Representative Mitch Bolinsky (R-106), among others.

“It was a team effort, no one person can take credit,” said Allie-Brennan. “I’m amazed we were able to bring back so much.”

Allie-Brennan mentioned that western Connecticut has often been “neglected” by the state, and he has been part of a “bipartisan effort to get the governor’s gaze this way.”

Although Allie-Brennan believes in progressive ideals, including support for efforts in 2019 to raise the minimum wage, he is a member of the moderate caucus. He stated that he “slowed down” some bills that he felt might hurt small businesses.

“I look to stay true to my progressive ideals, but I’m happy to also look out for local businesses,” Allie-Brennan said.

Allie-Brennan said that while affordable housing is becoming a huge issue in the area and is badly needed, zoning issues should be left to municipalities. He believes that the state should incentivize, but not mandate, affordable housing.

“Affordable housing is one of the most important issues facing our towns, and has been a priority for me since 2019. Throughout my time in the legislature, I have introduced legislation to incentivize towns to adopt affordable housing plans and convened a community roundtable to discuss these issues with Housing Commissioner Mosquera-Bruno,” said Allie-Brennan.

“I support promoting housing choice and economic diversity in housing,” he added. “To do that will require collaboration and partnership with local governments and all local stakeholders, without Hartford imposing cookie-cutter requirements. Zoning decisions should be local decisions.”

Allie-Brennan said that he spoke with local land use directors who were “not comfortable” with proposed legislation on affordable housing.

“I trust the experts of our towns,” Allie-Brennan said.

Taxes And Puppy Mills

Allie-Brennan said that he was happy to see no tax increases this year, with federal dollars coming in to assist. “This is not the year for us to increase taxes with people suffering,” said Allie-Brennan.

He was opposed to a gas tax and he remains anti-toll. While he acknowledges that at some point the state will need to address its highway infrastructure, he believes that tolls are not the way.

“Tolls are a tax on working families,” Allie-Brennan said.

Allie-Brennan has also been working on a bill to ban the selling of inhumanely bred dogs and cats, and expressed disappointment that he wasn’t able to secure its passage. In an attempt to keep the bill alive, he moved to redirect its oversight from environmental committees toward planning and zoning.

“I tried a different tactic with legislation that would allow towns to ban [pet shops that source from puppy mills],” said Allie-Brennan.

He stated that at pet shops, consumers may not know all there is to know about the animal they plan to get; often, pets are sick.

“It’s a consumer protection issue,” said Allie-Brennan, who noted that 13 pet shops in Connecticut source their animals from puppy mills. “Many pet shops run successfully that don’t sell animals.”

According to Allie-Brennan, the bill died after a public hearing.

“This is important to Newtown, whether it’s about puppies or people,” Allie-Brennan said, recalling a protest at a pet shop on Federal Road where some protestors were “distraught over the loss of pets within one year.”

The Department of Agriculture is “not doing its job of enforcing” current laws, according to Allie-Brennan.

“That’s why we need to take measures further,” he said.

Allie-Brennan was first elected to the Connecticut General Assembly on November 6, 2018 and is currently serving his second term.

At the start of his first term in 2019, Allie-Brennan was appointed vice chair of the Energy & Technology Committee and became co-chair of the bipartisan Clean Energy Caucus. He also serves on the Public Safety and General Law committees and was appointed assistant majority whip for the 2021-2022 legislative session.

Reporter Jim Taylor can be reached at jim@thebee.com.