Biography

Andrew Maynard is serving his second term in the Connecticut General Assembly, representing the 18th Senatorial District towns of Griswold, Groton, North Stonington, Plainfield, Preston, Sterling, Stonington, and Voluntown. First elected in November 2006, he is currently the Senate Chair of the legislature's Select Committee on Veterans' Affairs, ranking member of the Program Review & Investigations Committee, vice chair of the Environment and General Law Committees and sitting member of the Appropriations Committee.

As Senate chair of the Select Committee on Veterans' Affairs, Senator Maynard has worked across party lines as a dedicated advocate for Connecticut's military personnel, their families and veterans. In 2008, Senator Maynard successfully advocated for legislation to permanently offer unemployment compensation benefits to military spouses forced to leave their jobs due to a military relocation.

He also successfully passed legislation to waive all fees for the state's Gold Star Family automobile license plate and to create a "Support Our Troops!" license plate, where a portion of the proceeds will go toward support programs for servicemen and women, their families and veterans. Additionally, Senator Maynard worked to extend eligibility guidelines for burial in the state's veterans' cemeteries, to modify eligibility requirements for admission to the State Veterans' Home and to allow for the posthumous awarding of the Connecticut Wartime Service Medal.

Also in 2008, Senator Maynard shepherded legislation to grant state tuition waivers to Connecticut's public colleges and universities to the dependent children and surviving spouses of military personnel killed in active duty and legislation to adopt the Interstate Compact on Educational Opportunities for Military Children. The legislation also offers tuition waivers for National Guard members seeking graduate degrees at a state university.

During the 2007 legislative session, Senator Maynard played a key role in the General Assembly's creation of a state Office of Military Affairs. The office was designed to help coordinate local and state efforts and to strengthen the Groton sub base against federal base realignment and closure, or BRAC. The office will also aid in enhancing the quality of life of military personnel and their families. In 2008, Senator Maynard joined a coalition of lawmakers from southeastern Connecticut in advocating for increased resources to strengthen the office.

Senator Maynard worked to fast-track legislation to prohibit protesters from demonstrating less than 100 yards away from military funerals. He also worked to create additional state benefits for veterans, including a measure to preserve benefits for state employees serving oversees and at the Mexican border and legislation to allow all Army reservists, current and former members of the National Guard, and all honorably discharged to take a day of unpaid leave on Veterans' Day, November 11.

As a member of the Environment Committee, Senator Maynard secured state funding to preserve the Long Island Sound Integrated Coastal Observing System - a comprehensive system that monitor's the health of Long Island Sound and provides real-time data to recreational boaters, commercial shipping operations, local fishermen, the state Department of Environmental Protection and the United States Coast Guard.

In 2007, Senator Maynard cosponsored legislation to create a state Farmland Preservation Advisory Board to assist with the identification and purchase of development rights and other efforts to preserve agricultural land. The measure also called for the state Bond Commission to twice a year hold a vote on a $5,000,000 bond for farmland preservation, an area of open space conservation that is historically under funded.

Senator Maynard also cosponsored legislation to create an earned income tax credit to provide property tax relief to low-income families and was a proponent of measures to increase Medicaid reimbursements to hospitals and physicians and to expand the HUSKY health care program for uninsured children.

Senator Maynard was the 2008 recipient of the National Guard Association of Connecticut's Meritorious Service Award. Also in 2008, the Connecticut Marine Trades Association honored Senator Maynard with its Legislative Achievement Award his consistent and effective leadership in the Senate on behalf of Connecticut's recreational boaters. In 2007, Senator Maynard was recognized by the American Legion's Department of Connecticut for his steadfast support of the Soldiers', Sailors' and Marines' Fund.

No stranger to public service, Senator Maynard has been active in his local government affairs for more than a decade. He served as Stonington's Borough Warden for eight years, leading the town as its chief elected official.

He previously served as vice chair of the Southeastern Connecticut Council of Governments and chaired the council's Legislative Committee. He was also a member of the Sub Base Realignment Coalition, the Governor's Commission on Economic Diversification, and the Southeastern Connecticut Water Authority Advisory Board.

Senator Maynard is an active member of the Stonington Community Center's Board of Governors, and serves on the Board of Trustees for the Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Scholarship Trust Fund of Greater New London. He is also a member of the Connecticut Cruise Ship Task Force and the Connecticut Seafood Council.

A graduate of Saint Bernard High School in Uncasville Connecticut, Senator Maynard received a degree in government from Connecticut College. He currently lives in Stonington.