Joan Hartley
Encyclopedia
Joan V. Hartley is an American politician
. Hartley, a Democrat
, has been a state senator
from Connecticut
since 2001.
Hartley, a resident of Waterbury
, represents the western half of the city as well as its southern suburbs of Naugatuck
and Prospect
in the Connecticut Senate.
Hartley was born in Waterbury and graduated from Elms College
and received a M.A.
from Trinity College
. Prior to being elected to the Connecticut Senate, Hartley served as a Connecticut state representative
representing the 73rd District from 1984 to 2000.
Hartley's predecessor as a state representative was future Governor John G. Rowland
. Perhaps as a result, Hartley is generally considered among the more conservative and bipartisan members of the Democratic caucus. In 2007 she was believed to be the sole holdout from the strategy of Senate President Donald E. Williams, Jr.
to override Governor M. Jodi Rell
's veto of a Democratic state bonding package. Rell had vetoed the package claiming it put the state too far into debt. Hartley opposed a billion dollar commitment to the Connecticut State University system and has been threatened with retribution from Democratic party leadership http://www.rep-am.com/articles/2007/10/11/opinion/289747.txt
http://mediaattache.blogspot.com/2007/10/hartley.html On October 30 an agreement was reached between the Rell Administration, legislative Democratic leaders and Senator Hartley to resolve the bonding stalemate. The final bonding package was reduced by $400 million from the level vetoed by Rell and increased oversight was placed on funds for the Connecticut State University system. http://www.courant.com/news/custom/topnews/hc-ap-bondingbill-1030,0,5922627.story?coll=hc_tab01_layout The Courant later reported that pressure was placed on fellow senators against Hartley by Senator Thomas Gaffey
, who had an undisclosed initimate relationship with the lobbyist for the university system http://www.courant.com/news/opinion/commentary/hc-commentaryrennie1202.artdec02,0,5991626.story In December 2008, Hartley was removed as the Chairman of the Higher Education Committee because of her independence and willingness to stand up to the Democratic leadership who was shielding Gaffey. http://www.ctnewsjunkie.com/state_capitol/news_analysis_leaders_and_comm.php
In 2008 Hartley was one of three Democrats who supported Governor M. Jodi Rell
's proposal for a Three Strikes Law
against career violent criminals.
In 2009, Hartley was the only Democrat in the State Senate that did not vote to override Governor M. Jodi Rell
's veto of the Healthcare Partnership bill. http://www.ctnewsjunkie.com/state_capitol/sustinet_veto_overturned_pooli.php thereby preventing the bill from becoming law.
Politics of the United States
The United States is a federal constitutional republic, in which the President of the United States , Congress, and judiciary share powers reserved to the national government, and the federal government shares sovereignty with the state governments.The executive branch is headed by the President...
. Hartley, a Democrat
Democratic Party (United States)
The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...
, has been a state senator
Connecticut Senate
The Connecticut State Senate is the upper house of the Connecticut General Assembly, the state legislature of the U.S. state of Connecticut. The state senate comprises 36 members, each representing a district with around 94,600 inhabitants. Senators are elected to two-year terms without term limits...
from Connecticut
Connecticut
Connecticut is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States. It is bordered by Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, and the state of New York to the west and the south .Connecticut is named for the Connecticut River, the major U.S. river that approximately...
since 2001.
Hartley, a resident of Waterbury
Waterbury, Connecticut
Waterbury is a city in New Haven County, Connecticut, on the Naugatuck River, 33 miles southwest of Hartford and 77 miles northeast of New York City...
, represents the western half of the city as well as its southern suburbs of Naugatuck
Naugatuck, Connecticut
Naugatuck is a consolidated borough and town in New Haven County, Connecticut, United States. The town spans both sides of the Naugatuck River just south of Waterbury, and includes the communities of Union City on the east side of the river, which has its own post office, Straitsville on the...
and Prospect
Prospect, Connecticut
Prospect is a town in New Haven County, Connecticut, United States. The population was 8,707 at the 2000 census.-Geography:According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of , of which, of it is land and of it is water...
in the Connecticut Senate.
Hartley was born in Waterbury and graduated from Elms College
Elms College
The College of Our Lady of the Elms, often called Elms College, is a Catholic liberal arts college located in Chicopee, Massachusetts, near Springfield.- History :...
and received a M.A.
Master's degree
A master's is an academic degree granted to individuals who have undergone study demonstrating a mastery or high-order overview of a specific field of study or area of professional practice...
from Trinity College
Trinity College (Connecticut)
Trinity College is a private, liberal arts college in Hartford, Connecticut. Founded in 1823, it is the second-oldest college in the state of Connecticut after Yale University. The college enrolls 2,300 students and has been coeducational since 1969. Trinity offers 38 majors and 26 minors, and has...
. Prior to being elected to the Connecticut Senate, Hartley served as a Connecticut state representative
Connecticut House of Representatives
The Connecticut House of Representatives is the lower house in the Connecticut General Assembly, the state legislature of the U.S. state of Connecticut. The house is composed of 151 members representing an equal number of districts, with each constituency containing nearly 22,600 residents...
representing the 73rd District from 1984 to 2000.
Hartley's predecessor as a state representative was future Governor John G. Rowland
John G. Rowland
John Grosvenor Rowland was the 86th Governor of Connecticut from 1995 to 2004; he is a member of the Republican Party. He is married to Patty Rowland, his second wife, and the couple have five children between them...
. Perhaps as a result, Hartley is generally considered among the more conservative and bipartisan members of the Democratic caucus. In 2007 she was believed to be the sole holdout from the strategy of Senate President Donald E. Williams, Jr.
Donald E. Williams, Jr.
Donald E. Williams, Jr. was first elected to the Connecticut General Assembly in a special election in 1993. Prior to his service in the State Senate, he served two terms as the First Selectman for the town of Thompson. In July 2004, Senator Williams was elected to serve as the President Pro...
to override Governor M. Jodi Rell
M. Jodi Rell
Mary Jodi Rell is a Republican politician and was the 87th Governor of the U.S. state of Connecticut from 2004 until 2011. She was the Lieutenant Governor of Connecticut under Governor John G. Rowland, who resigned during a corruption investigation. Rell is Connecticut's second female Governor,...
's veto of a Democratic state bonding package. Rell had vetoed the package claiming it put the state too far into debt. Hartley opposed a billion dollar commitment to the Connecticut State University system and has been threatened with retribution from Democratic party leadership http://www.rep-am.com/articles/2007/10/11/opinion/289747.txt
http://mediaattache.blogspot.com/2007/10/hartley.html On October 30 an agreement was reached between the Rell Administration, legislative Democratic leaders and Senator Hartley to resolve the bonding stalemate. The final bonding package was reduced by $400 million from the level vetoed by Rell and increased oversight was placed on funds for the Connecticut State University system. http://www.courant.com/news/custom/topnews/hc-ap-bondingbill-1030,0,5922627.story?coll=hc_tab01_layout The Courant later reported that pressure was placed on fellow senators against Hartley by Senator Thomas Gaffey
Thomas Gaffey
Thomas P. Gaffey is an American politician. Gaffey, a Democrat, had been a state senator from Connecticut since 1995, but left office due to criminal violations on January 5, 2011....
, who had an undisclosed initimate relationship with the lobbyist for the university system http://www.courant.com/news/opinion/commentary/hc-commentaryrennie1202.artdec02,0,5991626.story In December 2008, Hartley was removed as the Chairman of the Higher Education Committee because of her independence and willingness to stand up to the Democratic leadership who was shielding Gaffey. http://www.ctnewsjunkie.com/state_capitol/news_analysis_leaders_and_comm.php
In 2008 Hartley was one of three Democrats who supported Governor M. Jodi Rell
M. Jodi Rell
Mary Jodi Rell is a Republican politician and was the 87th Governor of the U.S. state of Connecticut from 2004 until 2011. She was the Lieutenant Governor of Connecticut under Governor John G. Rowland, who resigned during a corruption investigation. Rell is Connecticut's second female Governor,...
's proposal for a Three Strikes Law
Three strikes law
Three strikes laws)"are statutes enacted by state governments in the United States which require the state courts to hand down a mandatory and extended period of incarceration to persons who have been convicted of a serious criminal offense on three or more separate occasions. These statutes became...
against career violent criminals.
In 2009, Hartley was the only Democrat in the State Senate that did not vote to override Governor M. Jodi Rell
M. Jodi Rell
Mary Jodi Rell is a Republican politician and was the 87th Governor of the U.S. state of Connecticut from 2004 until 2011. She was the Lieutenant Governor of Connecticut under Governor John G. Rowland, who resigned during a corruption investigation. Rell is Connecticut's second female Governor,...
's veto of the Healthcare Partnership bill. http://www.ctnewsjunkie.com/state_capitol/sustinet_veto_overturned_pooli.php thereby preventing the bill from becoming law.