James Amann

James A. Amann
James Amann being sworn in at the start of the 2007 Legislative Session
Speaker of the Connecticut House of Representatives
In office January 2005 – January 2009
Preceded by	Moira Lyons
Succeeded by	Christopher G. Donovan
Member of the Connecticut House of Representatives from the 118th district
In office 1991–2009
Succeeded by	Barbara Lambert
Personal details
Born	1956 Bridgeport, Connecticut
Political party	Democratic
Residence	Milford

James A. Amann (born 1956, in Bridgeport, Connecticut) is a former Connecticut State Representative. He was a member of the Connecticut House of Representatives and represented the 118th Assembly District, which includes part of Milford, Connecticut.

Amann was first elected to office in 1990 and has served as the Speaker of the House since being elected to that position prior to the 2005 Legislative Session. Previously Amann had served as the House Majority Leader during the 2003-04 Legislative Sessions and the House Chair of the Insurance and Real Estate Committee from 1993-2000.

Speaker Amann authored Connecticut's "Megan's Law," passed in 1995. The legislation - which informs parents and children about convicted sex offenders living in their neighborhoods - has been upheld by the U.S. Supreme Court.

In 2005, his first year leading the House of Representatives as Speaker, Amann was instrumental in the passage of landmark transportation, campaign finance reform, organ donor, medical malpractice reform and stem cell research legislation. Speaker Amann also is responsible for creating the Legislature’s Select Committee on Veterans’ Affairs.

Healthy Kids Connecticut is a public/private initiative Speaker Amann created in 2005 with a mission of providing healthcare access for all of Connecticut’s youth. The initiative resulted in Health First/Healthy Kids legislation passed in 2007, which will invest $300 million to improve care in the state’s HUSKY Plan for low-income children and raise reimbursements paid to hospitals and Medicaid providers.

Also during the 2006 session, Amann crafted new legislation creating film and media tax incentives to bring production work from these industries to Connecticut, and led passage of a new autism pilot program and a historic 10-year, $2.3 billion transportation investment initiative. Speaker Amann’s 2020 Vision Plan for Connecticut, passed in 2006, will require 10% of state dollars spent on children to be directed towards prevention by the year 2020.

In the 2007 session, Speaker Amann led passage of landmark reforms on energy conservation and eminent domain restraints, and historic new funding initiatives that will bolster transportation and bridge safety, education and school construction, clean water projects and the state’s public housing stock. Also, new legislation fashioned by Speaker Amann to refinance debt in the Teacher’s Retirement Fund will save taxpayers $2.8 billion over 25 years.