Elizabeth Esty

My brother had the courage to come out in 1978, when equality was still a distant dream.

I'm baffled that Mark Greenberg would send an offensive email politicizing the beheading of an American journalist.

Elections are about choices, and part of what you do is draw that contrast.

I do think the U.S. has a moral and political leadership role to play.

We have an epidemic of gun violence in America, and in trying to understand how that has happened, part of what we need to do is help equip our children to respond not with fear but with kindness. This has to be the way we go forward.

We want to take the energy surrounding the Sandy Hook anniversary that might otherwise be consumed by grief or anger - or this week in San Bernardino by fear - and channel some of that to honor our common humanity and love each other.

We know that school readiness programs work, and the best ones work extraordinarily well. They are effective in reducing the achievement gap, which in Connecticut is among the highest in the country.

The lower Farmington River and Salmon Brook are unparalleled natural treasures with some of the highest water quality in Connecticut.

We have a lot of work we need to do to make sure all of our children have a better understanding of this diverse and wonderful and beautiful world.

The TECH Careers Act will open the door for more Americans to have successful middle-class careers and help small businesses in Connecticut and across the country access a qualified pool of talented workers.

We need to ensure that no one is denied employment, housing, opportunities, or benefits because of their sexual orientation.

We still have work to do in our efforts to advance equal rights for all Americans.

I hear over and over again from local leaders and business owners that one of the best ways we can revitalize our cities and towns is to support brownfields cleanup efforts.

Everyone is able to give to someone.

Manufacturing is the backbone of Connecticut's economy, and suppliers such as Click Bond depend on partnerships with U.S.-based manufacturers that export many of their products with Ex-Im's backing.

We shield our children from hazardous products - liquid nicotine should be no exception.

We need a comprehensive strategy that includes expanding criminal background checks for all commercial gun sales, dedicated federal law to combat gun trafficking, and a strong commitment to mental health services.

We know that, relative to GPS, radar is not as accurate - we'd be seeing our planes' precise positions in 3-D, not just approximate locations every eight seconds.

There's more GPS in the phone in your pocket than on most of our 21st century airliners - that's frightening.

I look forward to working with my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to advance policies that level the playing field for American workers and incentivize investing in jobs here at home.

In Connecticut, we have a vibrant history of advocating to ensure our workers are treated fairly and given the rights and protections they deserve. Still, we need to do more to protect all American workers.

As we celebrate Labor Day, we honor the men and women who fought tirelessly for workers' rights, which are so critical to our strong and successful labor force.

I would like to live long enough to see the day when people talk about which guns are the safest.

Civil rights and women's rights and gay rights all take time in this country.

We may not have the cheapest labor costs, but where we can compete is innovation. Historically, that's been Connecticut's strength, and it can be again.

We need faith leaders like Eman Beshtawii.

We should not be waiting until trains derail, bridges collapse and people die to adequately fund our transportation infrastructure.

We just have to do better as a country on incorporating the best technology to allow us to get where we want to get quickly and safely.

Today, I heard directly from Connecticut workers about the importance of strong, predictable federal research funding and how the federal government can be a better partner in spurring innovation and helping life-saving medication reach families who need it most.

I am proud to be named a Defender of Children by First Focus, and I will continue to call on Congress to enact comprehensive policies that improve the well-being of our children.

From fully funding nutrition programs to protecting children from liquid nicotine poisoning, I have focused many of my efforts in Congress on advocating for polices that invest in our most valuable resource - our children.

Unfortunately, this will have a ripple effect in the economy. People carrying heavy student-loan debt won't buy houses, start families, or start businesses. This will hurt the future economy.

When I was elected to Congress, this was the No. 1 issue businesses brought up. They said that if we want this country to succeed, we need immigration reform.

I was a co-sponsor of Comprehensive Immigration Reform.

My job is to be a problem-solver.

It should scare every voter in the 5th District that a powerful D.C. lobbyist is trying to install a personal congressman in our part of Connecticut.

It would be really easy to get discouraged over gun safety, and I have to explain all the time why I am not giving up and why people should not give up.

We've been having a lot of hearings lately about the reliability of the grid and the need for more distributive generation. We can be a leader of that here in Connecticut.

Devices that allow people to shoot up to 100 rounds of ammunition at one time have no place in our schools, no place in our parks, no place on our streets, no place in our communities, and no place in this country.

While we may not know how to stop these horrific mass shootings, we do know this: Limiting high-capacity magazines will save lives, and we know this because it has saved lives.

I think we need to raise our voices, and we need to demonstrate to the people we represent, as well as the American people, that their leaders have a responsibility to take action.

This historically has been an issue that both parties have run away from. For the first time, Hillary Clinton and the Democratic Party in its platform are making this issue, about needing to do better as a country to take common sense steps to help prevent gun violence.

We've become so accustomed to teaching to the tests that we've forgotten about a child's joy of discovery.

We need to not reduce but increase our commitment to research.

Government ought to make it easy for people to do the right thing.

Brownfields cleanups have been treated like capital investments in the tax laws, and they really are repairs and should be taxed as such.

Cities and towns throughout central and northwest Connecticut have strong industrial histories and are now in the process of transitioning into new sources of economic growth. I'm doing what I can to be a strong partner in these efforts.

Connecticut has a proud tradition of manufacturing going back to the days of Eli Whitney.

If you don't like public service, don't run for office.

Most of what I've proposed in Congress grew out of issues raised with me back here in Connecticut.