About Mary Ann

Mary Ann Carson was first elected to the General Assembly in a March 1999 special election and reelected to her sixth term representing the 108th District in November 2008. The district includes the majority of New Fairfield, sections of New Milford and the towns of Kent and Sherman.

She currently serves as an Assistant Minority Leader, helping formulate Caucus positions and policy. Rep. Carson also serves as Ranking Member (House Republican Leader) of the Legislature’s Program Review and Investigations Committee. The committee serves as the General Assembly’s “watchdog” over the executive branch of the State government and is a bipartisan statutory group consisting of twelve members.

The Committee is mandated by statute to report to the General Assembly and to make administrative and legislative recommendations or procedures, inaccuracies, waste, extravagance, unauthorized or unintended activities or programs or other deficiencies … ” existing in any agency or program investigated by the committee.”

She also serves as a member of the member of the Finance, Revenue and Bonding Committee. The committee has cognizance over all matters relating to finance, revenue, capital bonding, fees and taxation. The committee also has cognizance over employer contributions for unemployment compensation and all matters relating to the Department of Revenue Services and the revenue aspects of the Division of Special Revenue.

In addition, Rep. Carson serves as a member of the Public Health Committee, which has cognizance of all matters relating to the Department of Public Health; the Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services and the Department of Mental Retardation; the Office of Health Care Access; and all other matters relating to health, including emergency medical services, all licensing boards within the Department of Public Health, nursing homes, pure food and drugs, and controlled substances, including the treatment of substance abuse.

As a longtime member of the Public Health Committee and former Ranking member, Rep. Carson has been an effective advocate in promoting the use of Automatic External Defibrillators (AEDs), which can save the life of someone who is in the midst of cardiac arrest. The American Heart Association bestowed her its 2002 Legislator of the Year award in recognition of her efforts to improve access to AEDs. She also initiated legislation requiring the Department of Public Health (DPH) to adopt regulations setting statewide standards for the certification of emergency service personnel, including paramedics. The legislation ensures that the same level of emergency care is available throughout Connecticut.

Representative Carson is an advocate for smaller more efficient government, improving education and health care reform. She also continues to prioritize local issues, such as protecting Candlewood Lake, progress on the expansion of Route 7 and the passage of the Underground Storage Tank Amnesty Program to assist homeowners cover the cost of removing these tanks.