by Staff Report
HARTFORD, CT — State Rep. Nicole Klarides-Ditria, R-Seymour, will be honored with a 2025 Honorary Layman Award, the Connecticut Association for Health, Physical Education, Recreation and Dance recently announced.
According to the announcement, this award recognizes a Connecticut resident who “has provided outstanding service in support of health education, physical education, athletics, recreation, and/or dance.”
Klarides-Ditria, a certified athletic trainer and mental and physical health advocate and ranking member of the Public Health Committee, has been a leading voice in the legislature on matters relating to the physical health and emotional well-being of Connecticut residents, especially children and teens, according to the association.
Klarides-Ditria in a statement thanked the association for “recognizing my lifetime commitment to helping people achieve their personal health goals, whether on the athletic field, on the dance floor, by working in the healthcare research field, or helping to educate others to make healthy life choices,” she said.
The association cited Klarides-Ditria’s “willingness to engage the House floor in the Legislative Intent Discussion around Sections 1 and 2 of Senate Bill 1 (that) was of vital importance to our home health providers in that it provided clarity on compliance intent when the language in the bill was quite stringent and challenging.”
Senate Bill 1, which increased funding for students, schools and special education, passed the Senate 32-4 with bipartisan support and the House 101-45 mostly along party lines. Klarides-Ditria, who opposed the final bill, voted in favor of a Republican amendment that would have transferred money from the Baby Bond Trust to the Early Childhood Education Endowment, funded by assumed savings resulting from a decrease in the actuarially determined employer contribution for the teachers’ retirement system
“Making sure our vital healthcare workers are protected is just as important as providing access to care when assuring positive outcomes,” Klarides-Ditria said. “I’m pleased the legislature was able to work together to find common ground and get these important measures passed.”
A formal ceremony celebrating all honorees will take place at the group’s annual Fall Conference on Thursday, Nov. 20, at the Wyndham Southbury Hotel.