Joan Hartley

State Senator Joan Hartley (D-Waterbury) was elected by an overwhelming margin to represent the 15th State Senate District for a twelfth term in November 2022.

After serving for 16 years in the State House of Representatives from the 73rd District, which included serving as Speaker Pro Tempore—the third-highest ranking position in the House—Joan was elected to the State Senate in November 2000.

Joan has a proven record as an effective lawmaker and respected advocate who consistently stands up to represent the best interests of taxpayers and families.

Most recently, Joan received a perfect 100 score from the Connecticut League of Conservation Voters, won a humanitarian award for her work providing urban residents with better access to locally grown fruits and vegetables, welcomed state funding for renovations to Kaynor Technical High School, helped expand transportation options for residents of Greater Waterbury, and secured insurance coverage for women to obtain additional types of breast cancer screenings.

Joan was an author of the state spending cap legislation, voted against the income tax, voted to reduce the gas tax and sales tax, and voted to increase the property tax credit. She also fought HMOs by co-sponsoring legislation to ban “drive through deliveries” and 48-hour mastectomies, prohibiting physician gag orders, establishing an HMO rating system, and working on an inter-state consortium to reduce the cost of prescription drugs.

As a former educator, one of 10 children, and a mother, Joan has always been a strong advocate for education. She wrote the early school readiness legislation which created seats for pre-kindergarten children throughout the state, and worked to provide four-year degree programs at the Waterbury-UConn branch.

Joan lives in Waterbury with her husband, Jim. They have two children, Devin and Brooke.