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| Affiliation | Republican |
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| Name | John E. Piscopo |
| Address | 50 Judson St
Thomaston, Connecticut , United States |
| Email | None |
| Website | None |
| Born |
September 21, 1955
(68 years)
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| Contributor | Joshua L. |
| Last Modifed | RBH
Dec 08, 2021 01:07pm |
| Tags |
Married -
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| Info | State Representative John E. Piscopo is an established leader within the House Republican caucus and a tireless worker for the towns of Burlington, Harwinton, Litchfield and Thomaston.
Representative Piscopo, who has served as a House Minority Whip (the third-highest ranking leadership position within the House Republican caucus) since his 1997-98 term, was reappointed to the leadership position for his 2003-04 term.
During his 1993-94 and 1995-96 terms, Representative Piscopo served as an Assistant House Minority Leader.
Representative Piscopo, who has served on the Finance, Bill Review, Executive Nominations and Environment committees since his 1997-98 term, also was reappointed to those committees for the 2003-04 legislative sessions.
Rep. Piscopo also has served on the Appropriations, General Law and Public Safety committees. In addition, he is a former member of the Select Committee on Housing and the Select Committee on Children.
Although Connecticut has been coping with a listless economy and lower than expected tax revenues for almost two years, Representative Piscopo, working with Governor Rowland?s staff and the Office of Policy and Management, managed to secure several grants that benefited 76th District towns during his 2001-02 term, including:
$3.25 million for the construction of a water main extension at the former Mitral Company Superfund site on the border of Burlington and Harwinton to provide a permanent supply of potable water to residential properties in the area with wells that are polluted or may become polluted.
$123,000 to Harwinton for improvements to the library and municipal complex. A sidewalk will be added to Bentley Drive and lighting in the area upgraded. A new heating system will be installed at the library.
A $916,800 low-interest loan to Thomaston to help pay for the construction of 22 units of senior citizen rental housing. The Thomaston Valley Village complex off Reynolds Bridge Road will consist of 12 one-bedroom and 10 two-bedroom apartments and will be available to a wide range of income-eligible seniors.
$10,000 to help pay for a beautification project for the Edith L. Kenea Park in Thomaston. The project will include landscaping, installation of more decorative lighting and new benches.
$188,000 to finance an engineering study for wastewater management at the State Fish Hatchery in Burlington.
$50,000 for a new telephone system for the Litchfield Superior Court?s Family Services Division.
$4,000,000 for intersection realignment from Route 4 at Route 72 and Woodchuck Lane in Harwinton.
$7,500,000 for bridge superstructure replacement for Bridge 00609, Route 8 southbound over Naugatuck River and B& M Railroad, in Litchfield.
A $750,000 grant for the cleanup of radioactive radium at the old clock factory in Thomaston and similar properties in three other municipalities.
A $165,273 grant to fund upgrades to Thomaston?s wastewater treatment plant to reduce the amount of nitrogen in treated water discharged from the facility.
A $445,810 grant for a study to determine what needs to be done to keep ground and surface water from entering Litchfield?s sanitary sewer lines.
$1,000,000 to be used to implement an Economic Development Facade Improvement Program for the 11-town Litchfield Hills area. Under the program, funds will be awarded for a wide variety of improvements in the towns, such as storefront reconstruction, lighting, sidewalk construction and repair, window repair and replacement, and painting.
During the 2000 legislative session, Representative Piscopo supported legislation providing for one-time special revenue sharing grants from the state surplus for all four towns in the 76th District. The grants came with no strings attached and could be used as the towns saw fit. Also, annual state grants once again were up for all 76th District towns.
The State Bond Commission also approved a $1 million grant for Thomaston that covers construction costs for a new pump station on Smith Street, upgrades to the Clay Street Pump Station and the installation of water mains on 10 streets.
The Bond Commission also approved grants totaling $100,700 for the Connecticut Junior Republic and $90,000 for the North American Family Institute. The grants were for fire safety improvements for the Junior Republic and a North American Family Institute facility, both of which are located in Litchfield.
Representative Piscopo also supported an initiative establishing a statewide Firearms Trafficking Task Force within the State Police to target individuals who sell guns to criminals. The task force is also responsible for the effective cooperative enforcement of state gun laws. The task force is expected to take significant numbers of illegal firearms off the streets of our cities and reduce gun-related crimes.
Representative Piscopo strongly supported new laws to benefit Connecticut veterans during his 2001-02 term. Among them were:
An act requiring military discharge documents filed by veterans with public agencies to be kept separate from their other records and remain confidential for 75 years. The act also exempts certain resident wartime veterans from having to pay fees for town hawker and peddler permits. It allows municipalities to increase their optional property tax assessment reduction for low-income wartime veterans and their surviving spouses.
An act that adds veterans who served in time of war and received service-connected traumatic brain injuries to the list of individuals eligible to register their vehicles without paying a fee. The act requires the state Department of Motor Vehicles to issue special license plates and identification cards to veterans afflicted with traumatic brain injuries at no charge.
An act allowing local boards of education to award high school diplomas to World War II veterans who left school before graduation to join the armed forces.
An act making veterans who served in Somalia after December 2, 1992, Bosnia after November 1, 1999, and the Korean DMZ after February 1, 1955 eligible for wartime benefits.
During his 2001-02 term, Representative Piscopo co-sponsored or strongly supported several education-related acts that benefit 76th District children. Among them were:
A law that increased the number of towns qualifying for state aid to reduce local special education costs. Previously, towns did not qualify for state aid until they were spending five times the school district?s average per pupil expenditure on special education students. After July 1, 2002, towns were eligible for the assistance if they were spending 4.5 times the district?s average per pupil expenditure for special education.
A law requiring school boards to specify the basic skills students in the Class of 2006 and thereafter must master to graduate from high school. Boards also will have to put in place a process for assessing students in those skills. They must use the 10th Grade Connecticut Academic Performance Test as one (but not the only) means of determining whether students have acquired those basic skills.
Under another law Rep. Piscopo supported, seniors who received cash payments or stock when Anthem Inc. converted to a stockholder-owned company did not lose their eligibility for ConnPACE and other income-based programs, thanks to a new law (Special Act 02-1) he supported. It excluded the payouts or the value of stock distributed to seniors enrolled in those programs from being considered in determining eligibility for them.
The crime of terrorism is established under another law Representative Piscopo supported. It also creates the crimes of contaminating a public water or food supply and damaging public transportation property for terrorist purposes. It also defines fabricating weapons involving chemicals, disease organisms or radiation as terrorist crimes.
The state was empowered to collect money inmates owe for the costs of their incarceration under an act Representative Piscopo supported. The funds can be collected from money they obtain by inheritances or lawsuits or from their estates after their deaths.
Another law provides a deterrent to individuals contemplating home invasions. It extends the crime of second-degree burglary to persons who break into homes or apartments intending to commit crimes while residents are present.
Another law that Representative Piscopo supported encourages residents to join their local volunteer fire departments. It authorizes towns to establish ordinances providing property tax abatements of up to $1,000 for residents who volunteer as firefighters, emergency medical technicians, paramedics or ambulance drivers.
As a member of the Finance, Revenue & Bonding Committee, Representative Piscopo has always supported measures to cut state taxes on families, individuals and employers; to hold the line on state spending and to streamline state government to make it more efficient and responsive to citizens.
He has voted for measures to reduce state income tax rates; to increase the property tax credit residents can take to lower their state income tax liability; to cut the state gasoline tax; to phase out the inheritance tax; and to lower the corporation business tax.
In 1999, Rep. Piscopo supported another increase in the property tax credit residents can take against their state income tax liability. The credit now amounts to $500.
Representative Piscopo also supported tax relief for senior citizens. The tax cut eliminates all state income tax on Social Security income for joint filers with adjusted gross income under $60,000 and for single filers with AGIs less than $50,000.
Rep. Piscopo serves on the Environment and Energy Committee of the American Legislative Exchange Council.
During his years on the Environment Committee, Rep. Piscopo has been a strong voice for the preservation of Connecticut's unique environmental resources.
Among the measures Rep. Piscopo has sponsored is a law that was enacted in 1989 that strengthened Connecticut's Cruelty to Animals statute.
He was a co-sponsor of the 1998 Open Space Law, which seeks to preserve 21 percent of Connecticut?s land area as open space for the enjoyment of future generations.
Rep. Piscopo was first elected to the House of Representatives in 1988. He was re-elected in 1990, 1992, 1994,1996,1998, 2000 and 2002.
Rep. Piscopo is a 1973 graduate of Thomaston High School.
He received a B.A. Degree in 1977 from Eastern Connecticut State University in Willimantic, majoring in History and Political Science. Rep. Piscopo served as a legislative intern to then-state Sen. Richard C. Bozzuto in 1976. He is a full-time legislator.
He is a former member of UNICO of Watertown. He also has done volunteer work for the Thomaston Opera House. He was an early supporter and volunteer in the organization of Thomaston's recycling program.
Rep. Piscopo is married to Patricia (DeBlois) Piscopo.
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