Donald E. Williams, Jr.
| Donald Williams | |
|---|---|
| President pro tempore of the Connecticut Senate | |
|
In office July 1, 2004 – January 7, 2015 |
|
| Preceded by | Kevin Sullivan |
| Succeeded by | Martin Looney |
| Member of the Connecticut Senate from the 29th district |
|
|
In office January 6, 1993 – January 7, 2015 |
|
| Preceded by | ??? |
| Succeeded by | Mae Flexer |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
July 1, 1957 Cincinnati, Ohio, U.S. |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Spouse(s) | Laura Williams |
| Children | Nina |
| Alma mater |
Syracuse University Washington and Lee University |
Donald E. Williams Jr. (born July 1, 1957) was first elected to the Connecticut General Assembly in a special election in 1993. Prior to his service in the State Senate, he served two terms as the First Selectman for the town of Thompson. In July 2004, Senator Williams was elected to serve as the President Pro Tempore, the highest-ranking legislator in the Connecticut General Assembly. He has been reelected to this post five times, in 2005, 2007, 2009, 2011, and 2013.
He serves as the Chair of the Legislative Management Committee and Vice-Chair of the Executive and Legislative Nominations Committee. He is Co-Chair of the Barack Obama for President Connecticut Leadership Council.
Senator Williams has spearheaded a variety of initiatives in the areas of campaign finance reform, ethics reform, protection of children and environmental protection and preservation.
As chairman of the Environment Committee he led the charge to clean up power plants (referred to as the “Sooty Six”) that pollute Connecticut’s air. He also initiated efforts to preserve the state’s natural water resources, fishing and shellfish industry in Long Island Sound. He has also been recognized for his efforts to help protect Connecticut farmers.
He has also served as chairman of the Judiciary Committee, where he authored legislation creating both the Office of the Child Advocate and the Office of the Victim Advocate in addition to his many efforts to prevent domestic violence.
Shortly after his election in 1993 he authored legislation creating the first enterprise corridor zones in rural areas to help attract and retain jobs in northeastern Connecticut. This program allowed rural towns in need of economic development to utilize the same economic development benefits that had been provided in the past to certain urban centers.
Moreover, he has composed legislation to reform the State Ethics Commission and helped implement sweeping reforms to the campaign finance system and state contracting process.
Some of Williams' proposals were controversial and were not adopted. In 2006 he was criticized after proposing to regulate speech in political ads, which was considered an attack on the First Amendment.
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Wikipedia