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Matt Ritter

Running for State Representative

2 CTNewsJunkie Reader Endorsements

Party: Democrat

CEP Status: participating

Website: N/A

Age: 36

Marital Status: Married

Current Residence: Hartford

Current Job: Attorney

Previous Job:

Previous Job:

Education: Colby College and UConn Law School

Would you vote for a bill that would legalize recreational marijuana? Why or why not?
I would support a bill to legalize recreational marijuana.
How should the state balance the needs of vulnerable populations with the reality of another large budget deficit?
As always, we have to be willing to look at all of our options to balance the budget.
A recent report found 40 percent of Connecticut residents can't afford basic needs such as housing, food, health care, or child care. What would you do to improve their situation?
We should increase the minimum wage so that people working 40 hours per week can afford such basic needs.
Will you support top-down efforts to regionalize local services with an eye toward more efficiency and reducing the state's obligations regarding ECS and/or other funding for towns? How would you go about it?
We should provide our towns with stable and predictable ECS funding. We should also be mindful that some communities have a better ability to pay than others and we have a constitutional requirement to ensure that all of our children receive an adequate public school education.
Where and how should state government focus its efforts in order to grow jobs?
We must provide training for the jobs of today - that includes manufacturing, health care and computer-related jobs.
Would you support legislation to "ban the box," prohibiting employers from asking the question about criminal convictions on a job application?
Yes.
Based on estimates that out-of-state drivers would contribute 30-40% of overall revenue if highway tolls are implemented in Connecticut, would you support tolls with or without offsetting cuts in the state's gas taxes?
We need to look at how to pay for our aging transportation infrastructure. We will need a combination of solutions to a major problem. Part of that solution could be tolls for trucks, designated lanes that have tolls (but not all lanes) and perhaps cutting gas taxes so they are more competitive with neighboring states.
Eversource and some out-of-state entities appear to be attempting to buy control of Connecticut's water resources, and some of our quasi-public water agencies have signed away large amounts of water to commercial interests with little regard to future water shortages. What can you do to ensure that Connecticut residents maintain control of public water supplies in perpetuity?
Ensure that our laws and regulations provide for the proper level of legislative oversight before water sources are sold or signed away.
Much of Connecticut is economically and racially segregated because many towns lack affordable housing and local zoning regulations prohibit multi-family dwellings. How would you propose incentivizing municipalities to start allowing multi-family units and other affordable housing options?
All towns in our State should have affordable housing options.
How should the state address disparities in the Education Cost Sharing formula? What specific modifications would you suggest, if any?
I think my answer above speaks to this question....We should provide our towns with stable and predictable ECS funding. We should also be mindful that some communities have a better ability to pay than others and we have a constitutional requirement to ensure that all of our children receive an adequate public school education.
Should the government's response to the opioid crisis be to focus on law enforcement to stop drug dealers, or improving access to treatment for addiction and reducing the overprescription of painkillers?
Improving access to treatment and reducing the overprescription of painkillers. We have passed very good laws to better monitor prescriptions and reduce the amount of pills prescribed by medical professionals.
In 2016 the Connecticut Retirement Security Program was created. It will give over 600,000 residents in our state a way to save for retirement at work. Knowing that employees are 15 times more likely to save merely by having access to payroll deduction, how will you continue the implementation of this important program?
I supported the bill in 2016 and will continue to do so. The program will require funding going forward and I will support that funding.
The 459,000 family caregivers in Connecticut provide an estimated 427 million hours of care each year. Nationwide, nearly seven in ten caregivers report making work accommodations because of caregiving, including arriving late/leaving early, cutting back their hours, changing jobs, or stopping work entirely. Would you support a family leave law that provides paid leave to employees who have to take time off for family caregiving purposes?
Yes.
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