The President and First Lady have invited Gov. Dannel P. Malloy (D-Connecticut) as their guest to the State of the Union Address.
"Currently in his second term as Governor of Connecticut, Dannel P. Malloy has pursued many of the progressive priorities that the President laid out to make America stronger," White House officials said in a press release.
Malloy is one of about 24 people the White House announced will be sitting in First Lady Michelle Obama's section of box seats for the State of the Union. The White House recognized him in a press release for criminal justice reforms like the "Second Chance Society" initiative to reintegrate nonviolent criminals into society once they're released and "common-sense gun safety laws following the shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary."
Malloy said he's honored and grateful to the President and First Lady for "this once-in-a-lifetime invitation.
“We’re doing big things in Connecticut. We’ve passed the smartest gun law in the nation, and we’ve helped drive a national conversation to help prevent gun violence," Malloy said in a statement. "The President is taking action on this important issue just as we have in Connecticut – it is commonsense to keep guns out of the hands of those who shouldn’t have them. We’re proud of that record, just as we are proud of the myriad other initiatives Connecticut has led on, from Second Chance, to being the first state in the nation to raise the minimum wage to $10.10, to the first state to pass paid sick days, to launching a first-in-the-nation green bank to tackle global warming, to the best implementation of the Affordable Care Act in America. Connecticut has an amazing story to tell over the past few years – and we’re proud to tell it.”
The White House also said "Malloy has balanced important social reforms with strong economic priorities: Connecticut led America as the first state in the country to raise the minimum wage to $10.10 and pass legislation guaranteeing paid sick leave. Gov. Malloy also oversaw the successful implementation of the Affordable Care Act, driving down the state’s uninsured rate to historic lows and delivered the best job growth since the 1990s."
