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Robert Sampson (politician)

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Rob Sampson
Member of the Connecticut State Senate
from the 16th district
Incumbent
Assumed office
January 2019
Preceded byJoe Markley
Member of the Connecticut House of Representatives
from the 80th district
In office
January 2011 – 2018
Preceded byJohn Mazurek
Succeeded byGale Mastrofrancesco
Personal details
Born (1969-08-28) August 28, 1969 (age 55)
New Haven, Connecticut, U.S.
Political partyRepublican
Residence(s)Wolcott, Connecticut, U.S.

Robert Charles Sampson is an American politician from Connecticut. A member of the Republican Party, he was first elected in 2010 to the Connecticut House of Representatives from the 80th House district, serving four terms (2011–2018). Since 2019, he has been a member of the Connecticut State Senate, elected from the 16th Senate District.

Early life

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Sampson was raised in Meriden; since 2003, he has lived in Wolcott.[1] He graduated from Maloney High School in 1987.[2]

Political career

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Elections

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Sampson, a real estate agent and insurance agent,[1][2] was elected to the Connecticut House of Representatives, representing the 80th State House District, in 2010, and served four terms in the House.[3] The 80th district at the time covered all of Wolcott and part of Southington.[1] Sampson defeated incumbent Democrat John "Corky" Mazurek in 2010, and won rematches against Mazurek in 2012 and 2014.[1] Sampson was elected in 2016 unopposed.[4]

Sampson was elected in 2018 to the State Senate from the 16th State Senate district, to an open seat vacated by Joe Markley.[5] He defeated Democratic nominee Vickie Nardello, a former state representative.[6][7] In November 2022, Sampson was reelected to the state Senate, defeating Democratic challenger Chris Robertson.[8] The 16th state Senate district encompasses all of the towns of Wolcott, Southington, and Prospect, and parts of Cheshire and Waterbury.[7]

Tenure

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He currently serves as the Ranking Republican on the Government Administration & Elections,[9] Housing,[10] and the Labor & Public Employees[11] Committees. He is also a member of the Judiciary[12] Committee.

Sampson supported the Supreme Court's decisions in Harris v. Quinn, which limited the power of labor unions to collect agency fees.[13] He opposed the New Britain to Hartford Busway.[14]

Sampson is a staunch opponent of gun control.[3] In 2013, after the Sandy Hook Elementary School massacre, he voted against a bipartisan gun control bill; in 2015, he introduced a measure to repeal the law.[3] In 2019, Sampson and fellow Republican John Kissel were the only senators to vote against "Ethan's Law," a safe storage law requiring gun owners to safely store firearms (whether loaded or unloaded) while not in use; the bill passed 31–2.[15][16] Sampson has received awards from the Connecticut Citizens Defense League[17] and NRA Institute for Legislative Action.[18]

In 2013, Sampson was one of two state lawmakers who voted against a measure requiring officials to consider the necessity of mitigation for sea level rise when making water treatment facility funding decisions. Sampson said he acknowledged climate change, but was opposed to a state mandate for local officials.[3]

In 2017, Sampson was one of three Republicans in the Connecticut legislation who introduced legislation to reinstate capital punishment in Connecticut.[19]

In 2011, Sampson voted against the confirmation of Connecticut Appellate Court Judge Lubbie Harper Jr. to the Connecticut Supreme Court. In March 2019, after Harper retired from the state supreme court, Sampson was the lone dissenter against Harper's confirmation to serve as a part-time trial referee; Sampson objected to Harper's vote in Kerrigan v. Commissioner of Public Health (2008), in which Harper joined the majority in holding that the state constitution gave same-sex couples the right to marry. Harper was confirmed 33–1.[3] In 2019, Sampson was one of eight state representatives to vote against legislation banning conversion therapy;[3][20] Sampson viewed the ban as a violation of parental rights.[3]

In 2019, Sampson was one of three state Senators who voted against a tobacco control bill raising the legal age to purchase cigarettes and other tobacco products from age 18 to age 21.[21]

In 2019, Sampson was one of two state Senators who voted against a bill banning the practice of pet leasing in Connecticut.[22]

In 2023, Sampson was the lone "no" vote in the state Senate opposing a resolution exonerating the victims of the 17th-century Connecticut Witch Trials, in which eleven residents of Connecticut Colony were executed for witchcraft.[23] The resolution, which passed 33–1, acknowledged the miscarriage of justice and apologized on behalf of the state.[23] Sampson said he opposed the bill because the state had no "right to dictate what was right or wrong about periods in the past that we have no knowledge of".[23]

In 2023, Sampson, along with other Connecticut Republicans, opposed legislation to expand the state's paid sick leave law to provide up to one week of paid sick leave annually for almost all Connecticut workers.[24] He also opposed S.B. 152 'An Act Concerning the Protection of Warehouse Workers', which, among other provisions, was intended to prohibit "employers from requiring employees to meet quotas that interfere with meal periods, bathroom breaks, or compliance with safety regulations."[25]

In 2024, Sampson was featured in an episode of Last Week Tonight with John Oliver. The show featured a clip of Sampson arguing against S.B. 1114 'An Act Concerning a Study to Prohibit Private Equity Ownership in Hospice Care'. Sampson stated in his oral opposition on the State Senate floor on May 4, 2023: "This is America. This is a free market country. This is a capitalist country. This is not a socialist country, and it will not be if I can help it."[26]

References

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  1. ^ a b c d Bill Leukhardt, Third Rematch In Wolcott, Southington In 80th Statehouse Race, Hartford Courant (October 30, 2014).
  2. ^ a b Andrew Larson, Sampson, Perry running in 16th Senate District, Republican-American (October 16, 2020).
  3. ^ a b c d e f g Mark Pazniokas (March 13, 2019). "Rob Sampson, the dissenting state senator". CT Mirror.
  4. ^ Connecticut 80th District State House Results: Rob Sampson Wins, New York Times (2016).
  5. ^ Leukhardt, Bill (6 November 2018). "Republican Rob Sampson Wins State Senate Seat Joe Markley Left". Hartford Courant. Retrieved 2019-01-14.
  6. ^ Red Jahncke, Sampson's winning strategy was to run as a Republican, Associated Press (November 29, 2018).
  7. ^ a b Lisa Reisman, Sampson beats Nardello in 16th Senate District, New Haven Register (November 6, 2018).
  8. ^ Jesse Buchanan, Sampson re-elected to state Senate; recount expected in 81st House race, Record-Journal (November 8, 2022).
  9. ^ https://www.cga.ct.gov/gae/#panel1 [bare URL]
  10. ^ https://www.cga.ct.gov/hsg/#panel1 [bare URL]
  11. ^ https://www.cga.ct.gov/lab/#panel1 [bare URL]
  12. ^ https://www.cga.ct.gov/jud/#panel1 [bare URL]
  13. ^ Markley, Joe; Sampson, Rob (August 23, 2014). "Looking out for home care workers". Record-Journal.
  14. ^ "Rep. Sampson discusses the New Britain-Hartford Busway", Face The State, WFSB, 2011-09-09, retrieved 2017-04-22
  15. ^ Mark Pazniokas (May 23, 2019). "'Ethan's Law' wins final passage in Senate". ct mirror. Archived from the original on May 23, 2019. Retrieved 7 September 2023.
  16. ^ Daniela Altimari (May 23, 2019). "Anguished parents hail final passage of Ethan's Law requiring safe storage of firearms". Hartford Courant. Archived from the original on May 24, 2019.
  17. ^ Bennett Prescott. "CCDL Honors Rob Sampson as Legislator of the Year for 2012" (Press release). Connecticut Citizens Defense League. Archived from the original on May 27, 2023.
  18. ^ "Connecticut: State Representative Rob Sampson Receives Award for His Commitment to Upholding the Second Amendment". NRA-ILA. Archived from the original on April 23, 2017.
  19. ^ Dave Collins, 3 Connecticut lawmakers call for restoring the death penalty, Associated Press (February 12, 2017).
  20. ^ "Sampson Votes To Convert Young Homosexuals". CT Mirror. May 2, 2017. Retrieved August 17, 2017.
  21. ^ Lamont says he will sign bill to raise smoking age to 21, Associated Press (May 31, 2019).
  22. ^ Emilie Munson, Leasing your pet? CT Senate wants to ban that, Associated Press (April 17, 2019).
  23. ^ a b c Susan Haigh, Connecticut lawmakers absolve accused colonial-era witches, apologize for "miscarriage of justice", Associated Press (May 27, 2023).
  24. ^ John Moritz, Lawmakers vote to expand Connecticut's paid sick day law, making it available to nearly all workers, The News-Times (May 19, 2023).
  25. ^ "Bill tracking in Connecticut - SB 152 (2023 legislative session) - FastDemocracy". fastdemocracy.com. Retrieved 2024-08-23.
  26. ^ LastWeekTonight (2024-08-22). Hospice: Last Week Tonight with John Oliver (HBO). Retrieved 2024-08-23 – via YouTube.
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