Letter: Senate ignored grandparents’ rights bill

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To the editor,

After weeks, months and years of hard work the Grandparents Rights Association of Connecticut made history June 5 when the House of Representatives approved our bill, HB7244, by a vote of 143-4. The bill would provide for the rights of grandparents to have visitation with grandchildren living in non-intact families.

This bill was unanimously approved by the toughest legislative committee, the Judicial Committee, 41-0. It had 53 co-sponsors and an overall approval rating by the House and Senate, with Judicial Committee support. No grandparent’s rights bill has ever been more supported in decades in the state.

Then, on the last day of the legislation session, June 7, our bill was never called for a vote and not put on the consent calendar — nothing — in the Senate chambers. That’s not what we were led to believe by others who were there, we had the support. Why Sen. Bob Duff did you not bring this to be voted upon or put it on the consent calendar? And to all the senators of Connecticut, where is your concern for promoting human welfare? We deserve an answer.

These are loving, caring and sincere grandparents, and all they wanted is to have visitation rights only, not custody or authority over their grandchildren. These are not grandparents with a criminal nature or record. Not only did you legislators put us in tremendous financial debt, but you put us in a state of debt of being an uncaring body of elected officials.

I know now why people of Connecticut are moving to South Carolina. They can live financially better and grandparents have visitation rights under South Carolina bills H3464 and H4348, which is identical to our bill. I know, I researched it and gave the best grandparent’s right bill in the USA to my legislator in order to change the existing caveman law, state statute 46b-59, here in Connecticut.

I am so ashamed of the State of Connecticut, where I was born and raised, and so devastated for all the grandparents affected in this state. There are hundreds of grandparents affected. I know, I do my homework. I, as a grandfather, am one who has been challenging for visitation rights going on 18 years now. But this bill is not for me. It’s for other grandparents. They are the most affected in Connecticut and the USA. Like Moses said, “Let my people go.” We don’t deserve to be in bondage.

A special thanks to Rep. Rosa Rebimbas, Rep. Stephanie Cummings, Sen. Joan Hartley, Rep. Minnie Gonzalez and the 53 co-sponsors for their work on our bill.

Emidio Cerasale

Naugatuck

The writer is the director of the Grandparents Rights Association of Connecticut.