Elizabeth Esty Reflects on "Getting the Work Done"; Highlights the Anniversary of Two Key Pieces of Legislation that She Helped Pass

Good friends -- 5th District U.S. Representative Elizabeth Esty, right, and Cheshire Town Councilor Patti Flynn-Harris

Congresswoman Elizabeth Esty of Cheshire, who has been a constant force in having the backs of all her constituents in Connecticut's 5th District and the nation overall, is enjoying a couple of anniversaries this week when it comes to two of the many critical pieces of legislation she helped get passed over the years - the signing of the STEM Education Act of 2015 and the signing of the Gold Star Fathers Act.

Below is a prepared statement from Esty reflecting on the above pieces of legislation and others she has worked on. Esty announced several months ago she would not run for re-election in this election cycle.

From Elizabeth Esty --

"After almost 6 years in Congress, I’ve been lucky to work on dozens of critical pieces of legislation to improve the lives of people all across the nation.

This week in particular marks two dates that I am so proud of: the anniversary of the signing of STEM Education Act of 2015 and the anniversary of the signing of Gold Star Fathers Act.

We need to make sure our students are prepared for 21st-century jobs. So in 2015, I reached across the aisle to pass the STEM Education Act, which strengthens science, technology, engineering, and math training for teachers and includes computer science skills in course offerings to help students prepare for and break into 21st-century careers.

I am also strongly committed to serving the families of our veterans -- it's the motivation behind my Gold Star Fathers Act. This law extends formal hiring preference for federal jobs to fathers of disabled and deceased veterans. Previously, only qualifying mothers were given preference when applying for certain federal civil service jobs.

The partisan rancor and dysfunction of Washington seems to be never-ending, but that isn’t stopping me from getting work done on behalf of the people of Connecticut’s 5th District.

In fact, my 14th piece of legislation was signed into law just last month: The Helping Veterans Exposed to Burn Pits Act of 2018. Veterans who were exposed to toxins while serving our nation deserve the best care, and this bill will ensure burn pits are studied and researched in order to best protect our service members.

From supporting our students to having our veterans’ backs, my entire career in Congress has been dedicated to working for folks like you.
​
Looking forward to continuing this critical work throughout 2018."