- Penny Bacchiochi
Infobox_Politician
name = Penny Bacchiochi
caption =
birth_date =
birth_place =
residence = Somers,Connecticut
death_date =
death_place =
office = Connecticut State Representative from the 52nd District
salary =
term_start =2003
term_end = present
predecessor =
successor =
party = Republican
religion =
constituency = Stafford, Somers, and Union
majority =
spouse = Widow
children = Two sons
website =
footnotes =Penny Bacchiochi is an American Republican
politician , currently serving as a state representative inConnecticut . She was first elected to the House in 2002 and was reelected in 2004 and 2006.As representative of the 52nd House District, Bacchiochi serves the rural northeastern towns of Stafford, Somers, and Union, each of which is located in Tolland County. She maintains her residence in Somers.
Personal background
Raised in Stafford, Bacchiochi graduated from
Stafford High School in 1979 and later received degrees from Becker Junior College, where she majored insocial work , and theUniversity of Connecticut , where she majored inpublic relations andmarketing . She also completed some graduate-level work ineducation at Saint Joseph College.Aside from being a state representative, Bacchiochi has worked in the
housing field for more than 25 years. She owns areal estate andproperty management company based in Stafford.Before becoming a state legislator, Bacchiochi served on several town committees in Stafford, including the Planning and Zoning Committee. She was also active with the
Republican Town Committee s in Stafford and Somers, including serving as chair of the Somers RTC.A
widow , Bacchiochi is a single mother to two young sons. She is also the daughter of Allen Bacchiochi, first selectman of Stafford.Role at legislature
Bacchiochi is the House's
ranking member , or leader of the Republican delegation, on theConnecticut General Assembly 's Planning and Development Committee. She is also the ranking member of the Internship Committee, which she previously chaired, and oversees the Connecticut Legislative Internship Program for the House Republican Office. In addition, she is a member of the Public Safety and Security Committee and participates in bill screening for the House Republicans.She previously served on the Select Committee for Housing and the Commerce Committee.
Political stances
A
moderate , Bacchiochi is noted for being one of the more liberal members of her caucus. She is best known in Connecticut for her stance onmedical marijuana . The primary supporter of pro-medical marijuana legalization in Connecticut, Bacchiochi has worked closely with groups like theDrug Policy Alliance and theMarijuana Policy Project to push legislation through the system. She has reintroduced a bill to approve medical marijuana during the 2007 session, after previously introducing such legislation in 2003, 2004, and 2005.Bacchiochi has also been endorsed by
NARAL Pro-Choice America and The Wish List for herpro-choice stance onreproductive rights , and has voted in favor of pro-Plan B legislation.Regarding more conservative stances, Bacchiochi is a member of the
National Rifle Association , voted againstcivil union s, and voted against the state contracting reform legislation put forth by Democrats. She supports a no-tax -increase state budget and has cosponsored legislation to make English the official language of Connecticut.Along with former State Rep. Don Murphy of
Maryland , Bacchiochi is a leader ofRepublicans for Compassionate Access , alobbying group that advocates for the passage of pro-medical marijuana legislation by state legislatures. She is active with theAmerican Legislative Exchange Council ,Council of State Governments ,Women in Government , and theNational Conference of State Legislatures , and as of September 2007 is serving as the Connecticut State Co-Chair of theRudy Giuliani Presidential Committee.ee also
*
Connecticut House of Representatives
*Connecticut General Assembly External links
* [http://www.housegop.ct.gov/members/bacchiochi.asp State Representative Penny Bacchiochi] - official website
* [http://www.pennyb.com/ Penny Bacchiochi for State Representative] - campaign website
* [http://www.vote-smart.org/bio.php?can_id=MCT95526 Project Vote Smart: Penny Bacchiochi]
* [http://www.gop4ca.org/ Republicans for Compassionate Access]
Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.