Andrew Roraback
Encyclopedia
Andrew Roraback is the state senator for Connecticut's 30th district.[1] . He represents Brookfield
, Canaan, Cornwall, Goshen
, Kent, Litchfield, Morris
, New Milford, North Canaan, Salisbury, Sharon, Torrington, Warren, Washington and Winchester. He won his 6th term in 2010.
Born March 29, 1960, in Torrington, Senator Roraback attended public schools in Torrington and Litchfield. He went to the Hotchkiss School
for high school. He earned his Bachelor of Arts Degree, Cum Laude, from Yale University
in 1983 and his Juris Doctor from the University of Virginia Law School in 1987.
He has worked in Torrington since 1988 at the family law firm of Roraback and Roraback, which was founded in 1883 by his great-grandfather.
Senator Roraback was elected Deputy Minority Leader Pro Tempore and Minority Caucus Chairman of the State Senate in June 2007 and is a ranking member on the General Assembly’s Environment Committee and Finance, Revenue & Bonding Committee. Senator Roraback also serves as a senior member of the Judiciary Committee, ranking member on the Finance Committee’s General Bonding Sub- Committee, a member of the Executive and Legislative Nominations Committee, and Chairman of the Regulation Review Committee.
He is married to Kara Dowling and has one son, Andrew Kevin. He lives in Goshen.
Prior to his election to the State Senate, Senator Roraback served the people of the 64th Assembly District in the Connecticut House of Representatives
from 1994 through 2000.
In 2006, Senator Roraback was named to the Aspen-Rodel Fellowship in Public Leadership as one the nation’s top young elected officials. Aspen Institute President Walter Isaacson said this year’s 24 Rodel Fellows “represent the best hope for America’s future – upcoming leaders committed to working together for the common good.”
On October 20, 2011 Roraback announced he was running for the United States Congress
in Connecticut's 5th Congressional District
.
who can claim this record.
Senator Roraback has been repeatedly recognized for his leadership on environmental issues. He consistently supports legislation focused on clean air and water, farmland and open space preservation, control of invasive plants, forestry management, funding for greenways and the protection of historic landscapes. In 2007 he received the Connecticut Olmstead Award for his significant contributions in the area of environmental advocacy and stewardship, he has been named Legislator of the Year by the Connecticut Farm Bureau Association three times and was the lead proponent of legislation that outlaws the importation and sale of certain invasive aquatic plants that pose a serious threat to Connecticut’s lakes and streams.
Senator Roraback was hailed as an “Environmental Hero” by the Connecticut League of Conservation Voters in 2004 and was also given an environmental recognition award by Audubon Connecticut in 2003.
Senator Roraback has been honored by the Working Lands Alliance, a multi-interest coalition working to preserve Connecticut’s farmland, as one of its “Legislators of the Year” for his work on behalf of farmers and in the interest of the preservation of farmland.
In addition, he was awarded the Connecticut Greenways Council Recognition for his years of consistent effort to preserve open space and protect natural resources in Northwest Connecticut. Senator Roraback also takes particular pride in having received the Montgomery Hare Environmental Defender Award from the Housatonic
Valley Association.
Senator Roraback is also a leading advocate for Connecticut’s non-profit sector and was named 2007 Family Legislator of the Year by the Connecticut Council of Family Service Agencies. He was honored by the Connecticut Association of Nonprofits in 2005 “for his steadfast commitment and service to Connecticut’s nonprofit sector and for making a difference in the lives of the people of Connecticut.”
Senator Roraback received a GLADD Award (Government Leader Against Drunk Driving) from Mothers Against Drunk Driving in June 2004 for his work improving Connecticut’s drunk driving laws by referring first time offenders who are identified as chronic substance abusers to a treatment program rather than an education program.
He also successfully introduced legislation in 2003, which later became known as Stephanie’s Law, requiring drivers causing fatal accidents to submit to blood alcohol testing. He introduced the bill following the tragic death of 16-year-old Stephanie Raie Berry, who was killed by a drunken driver going the wrong way down Route 8.
Senator Roraback has also been recognized by the Connecticut Chapter of the National Alliance of the Mentally Ill for his advocacy on behalf of individuals with psychiatric disabilities.
In 2007, Senator Roraback authored and passed legislation to strengthen protections for victims of domestic violence by allowing police to issue weekend restraining orders. That year, he also worked with several of his constituents and animal welfare organizations to pass a law permitting judges to include a prohibition on harming or taking possession of a pet as a condition of a domestic violence restraining order.
Roraback has made open and honest government one of his top priorities. Senator Roraback was also one of twelve legislators chosen to serve on Governor M. Jodi Rell
’s Campaign Finance Reform Working Group.
Brookfield, Connecticut
Brookfield is a town located in northern Fairfield County, Connecticut, United States. The population was 16,452 at the 2010 census. First settled in 1710 by John Muirwood and several other colonial founders who bartered for the land From the Wyantenuck Nation Under the Sachem Waramaugs who lived...
, Canaan, Cornwall, Goshen
Goshen, Connecticut
Goshen is a town in Litchfield County, Connecticut, United States. The population was 2,697 at the 2000 census.Each July, the Connecticut Agricultural Fair is held in town. It is also home to the Goshen players.-Geography:...
, Kent, Litchfield, Morris
, New Milford, North Canaan, Salisbury, Sharon, Torrington, Warren, Washington and Winchester. He won his 6th term in 2010.
Born March 29, 1960, in Torrington, Senator Roraback attended public schools in Torrington and Litchfield. He went to the Hotchkiss School
Hotchkiss School
The Hotchkiss School is an independent, coeducational American college preparatory boarding school located in Lakeville, Connecticut. Founded in 1891, the school enrolls students in grades 9 through 12 and a small number of postgraduates...
for high school. He earned his Bachelor of Arts Degree, Cum Laude, from Yale University
Yale University
Yale University is a private, Ivy League university located in New Haven, Connecticut, United States. Founded in 1701 in the Colony of Connecticut, the university is the third-oldest institution of higher education in the United States...
in 1983 and his Juris Doctor from the University of Virginia Law School in 1987.
He has worked in Torrington since 1988 at the family law firm of Roraback and Roraback, which was founded in 1883 by his great-grandfather.
Senator Roraback was elected Deputy Minority Leader Pro Tempore and Minority Caucus Chairman of the State Senate in June 2007 and is a ranking member on the General Assembly’s Environment Committee and Finance, Revenue & Bonding Committee. Senator Roraback also serves as a senior member of the Judiciary Committee, ranking member on the Finance Committee’s General Bonding Sub- Committee, a member of the Executive and Legislative Nominations Committee, and Chairman of the Regulation Review Committee.
He is married to Kara Dowling and has one son, Andrew Kevin. He lives in Goshen.
Prior to his election to the State Senate, Senator Roraback served the people of the 64th Assembly District in the Connecticut House of Representatives
Connecticut House of Representatives
The Connecticut House of Representatives is the lower house in the Connecticut General Assembly, the state legislature of the U.S. state of Connecticut. The house is composed of 151 members representing an equal number of districts, with each constituency containing nearly 22,600 residents...
from 1994 through 2000.
In 2006, Senator Roraback was named to the Aspen-Rodel Fellowship in Public Leadership as one the nation’s top young elected officials. Aspen Institute President Walter Isaacson said this year’s 24 Rodel Fellows “represent the best hope for America’s future – upcoming leaders committed to working together for the common good.”
On October 20, 2011 Roraback announced he was running for the United States Congress
United States Congress
The United States Congress is the bicameral legislature of the federal government of the United States, consisting of the Senate and the House of Representatives. The Congress meets in the United States Capitol in Washington, D.C....
in Connecticut's 5th Congressional District
Connecticut's 5th congressional district
Connecticut's 5th congressional district is a congressional district in the U.S. state of Connecticut. Located in the northwestern part of the state, the district runs from...
.
Policy positions
Since beginning his service in the General Assembly on January 4, 1995, Senator Roraback has cast 7,886 votes and has been present for every vote taken in his sixteen legislative sessions. Senator Roraback is the only member of the 187 member General AssemblyConnecticut General Assembly
The Connecticut General Assembly is the state legislature of the U.S. state of Connecticut. It is a bicameral body composed of the 151-member House of Representatives and the 36-member Senate. It meets in the state capital, Hartford. There are no term limits for either chamber.During...
who can claim this record.
Senator Roraback has been repeatedly recognized for his leadership on environmental issues. He consistently supports legislation focused on clean air and water, farmland and open space preservation, control of invasive plants, forestry management, funding for greenways and the protection of historic landscapes. In 2007 he received the Connecticut Olmstead Award for his significant contributions in the area of environmental advocacy and stewardship, he has been named Legislator of the Year by the Connecticut Farm Bureau Association three times and was the lead proponent of legislation that outlaws the importation and sale of certain invasive aquatic plants that pose a serious threat to Connecticut’s lakes and streams.
Senator Roraback was hailed as an “Environmental Hero” by the Connecticut League of Conservation Voters in 2004 and was also given an environmental recognition award by Audubon Connecticut in 2003.
Senator Roraback has been honored by the Working Lands Alliance, a multi-interest coalition working to preserve Connecticut’s farmland, as one of its “Legislators of the Year” for his work on behalf of farmers and in the interest of the preservation of farmland.
In addition, he was awarded the Connecticut Greenways Council Recognition for his years of consistent effort to preserve open space and protect natural resources in Northwest Connecticut. Senator Roraback also takes particular pride in having received the Montgomery Hare Environmental Defender Award from the Housatonic
Housatonic Valley
The Housatonic Valley is a geographic region of Connecticut and Massachusetts in the United States, associated with the valley and watershed of the Housatonic River....
Valley Association.
Senator Roraback is also a leading advocate for Connecticut’s non-profit sector and was named 2007 Family Legislator of the Year by the Connecticut Council of Family Service Agencies. He was honored by the Connecticut Association of Nonprofits in 2005 “for his steadfast commitment and service to Connecticut’s nonprofit sector and for making a difference in the lives of the people of Connecticut.”
Senator Roraback received a GLADD Award (Government Leader Against Drunk Driving) from Mothers Against Drunk Driving in June 2004 for his work improving Connecticut’s drunk driving laws by referring first time offenders who are identified as chronic substance abusers to a treatment program rather than an education program.
He also successfully introduced legislation in 2003, which later became known as Stephanie’s Law, requiring drivers causing fatal accidents to submit to blood alcohol testing. He introduced the bill following the tragic death of 16-year-old Stephanie Raie Berry, who was killed by a drunken driver going the wrong way down Route 8.
Senator Roraback has also been recognized by the Connecticut Chapter of the National Alliance of the Mentally Ill for his advocacy on behalf of individuals with psychiatric disabilities.
In 2007, Senator Roraback authored and passed legislation to strengthen protections for victims of domestic violence by allowing police to issue weekend restraining orders. That year, he also worked with several of his constituents and animal welfare organizations to pass a law permitting judges to include a prohibition on harming or taking possession of a pet as a condition of a domestic violence restraining order.
Roraback has made open and honest government one of his top priorities. Senator Roraback was also one of twelve legislators chosen to serve on Governor M. Jodi Rell
M. Jodi Rell
Mary Jodi Rell is a Republican politician and was the 87th Governor of the U.S. state of Connecticut from 2004 until 2011. She was the Lieutenant Governor of Connecticut under Governor John G. Rowland, who resigned during a corruption investigation. Rell is Connecticut's second female Governor,...
’s Campaign Finance Reform Working Group.