Kevin Witkos

Kevin Witkos is a Republican member of the Connecticut Senate, representing the 8th District since 2009. He has served as Deputy Senate Republican President Pro Tempore since January 2017[3] and previously served as Minority Leader Pro Tempore from 2014-2016 and Caucus Chairman for Outreach since 2013.[4] Witkos served as the State Representative from the 17th district which includes Canton and part of Avon from 2003–2008.

Kevin D. Witkos
Member of the Connecticut Senate
from the 8th district
Assumed office
January 2009
Preceded byThomas Herlihy
Constituencyrepresents Avon, Barkhamsted, Canton, Colebrook, Granby, Hartland, Harwinton, New Hartford, Norfolk, Simsbury, and Torrington
Member of the Connecticut House of Representatives
from the 17th district
In office
January 2003 – January 2009
Preceded byJessie Stratton[1]
Succeeded byTimothy LeGeyt[2]
Personal details
BornBeverly, Massachusetts
Political partyRepublican
ResidenceCanton
Alma materTunxis Community College (AS)
University of Connecticut (BA)

Political career

Witkos is the State Senator for the 8th Senate District since 2009, representing the northwest suburbs of Hartford in the Farmington Valley and Litchfield County in the Connecticut Senate, including the towns of Avon, Barkhamsted, Canton, Colebrook, Granby, Hartland, Harwinton, New Hartford, Norfolk, Simsbury, and Torrington.

In 2015, precipitated by the multiple criminal convictions of Central Connecticut State University professor Ravi Shankar, Witkos introduced legislation to require background checks before promoting professors in the state's university system.[5] Though unsuccessful in the Senate, the legislation led to the Connecticut Board of Regents for Higher Education's proposal to allow convictions to be used as a consideration in employment decisions.[6]

In 2017, Sen. Witkos joined with Senate Majority Leader Bob Duff to enact Occupational Licensing Reform in order to reduce unnecessary government burdens on those who seek to work on particular fields.[7]

Professional career

Kevin Witkos is a Community Relations & Economic Development Specialist for Eversource, a Connecticut Electric Utility. He is also a former Canton Police Department sergeant who had a 28-year career in law enforcement. Witkos and his wife Esther own Wilson's Pub in Canton, CT.

Fireworks proposal

Kevin and others sponsored a controversial bill that would legalize fireworks considered to be consumer-level by the federal government in an effort to boost revenue. However, the bill failed in the face of steep opposition by the state's police and fire-fighting forces.[8]

Personal

Witkos was born in Beverly, Massachusetts and holds a A.S. from Tunxis Community College and a B.A. from the University of Connecticut.

See also
  • Connecticut Senate

References
  1. https://www.ourcampaigns.com/RaceDetail.html?RaceID=50939
  2. https://www.ourcampaigns.com/RaceDetail.html?RaceID=301485
  3. "About Kevin - Connecticut Senate Republicans". Connecticut Senate Republicans. Retrieved 2017-01-08.
  4. Liu, Shako (May 20, 2014). "Election roundup: Sen. Kevin Witkos nominated for re-election, Democrats nominate placeholder in Connecticut's 66th District". The Register Citizen. Retrieved March 6, 2015.
  5. "CCSU Suspends Professor Ravi Shankar; Senator Says Fire Him" by David Moran, Hartford Courant, August 7, 2015 http://www.courant.com/breaking-news/hc-connecticut-senator-wants-ccsu-to-fire-ravi-shankar-0808-2-20150807-story.html
  6. "As professor racks up convictions, CSCU unable to consider them in employment decisions", by Jacqueline Rabe Thomas, The Connecticut Mirror, December 16, 2015, https://ctmirror.org/2015/12/16/as-professor-racks-up-convictions-cscu-unable-to-consider-them-in-employment-decisions/
  7. "New law drops state licensing requirements for some jobs". Hartford Business Journal. Retrieved 2017-08-01.
  8. Keating, Christopher. "Fireworks Bill Fizzles Out For the Year After Police Opposition". courant.com. Retrieved 2019-06-08.


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