This is not an official government website.
© 2026 PLEJ LC. All rights reserved.
Congressional Daily Record
This section captures a floor statement or debate entry. It mentions members such as Joe Courtney.
Issued
August 31, 2026
house side of the record
People
1
Linked members mentioned in this section
Legislation
0
No linked legislation in this section
Committees
0
No linked committees in this section
Senate Holds
0
No hold activity linked here
Source Document
Connected Data
People mentioned
Source Control
Reader mode is for comprehension. The linked government PDF is the official published source.
Download official House Record PDFReturn to issue contextMr. Courtney of Connecticut was recognized to address the House for 5 minutes.)
Mr. COURTNEY. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to share with the House the sad news of the loss of one of the State of Connecticut's finest public servants, former Lieutenant Governor Nancy Wyman, of Tolland, Connecticut.
sorrow from all corners of her beloved State, from the political leaders on both sides of the aisle and from people of all walks of life with whom she worked, always trying to help, particularly those in need and those whose problems she fixed over and over again.
advocating for high-quality public education at a time when her own kids were enrolled in Tolland's public schools. She was so effective that she was encouraged to run for a seat on the school board, which she did and won. That began an extraordinary string of political success that eventually took her to the highest levels of State government.
Representatives in a district next door to where I live, and at the same time, coincidentally, I was also running as a first-time candidate. We both prevailed and the following January were assigned our desks in the Connecticut House Chamber next to each other, which began a long and fruitful friendship, both politically and personally.
one of the most difficult, contested issues in the State, namely allocating public school funding. To paraphrase Abraham Lincoln, it is an issue where you cannot please all the people all the time.
basic decency in her interactions with all her colleagues, the final result of her tenacious effort always earned respect and support.
office, with her election as State comptroller in 1998 and her election as Lieutenant Governor in 2010. The office of comptroller is not always well understood by Connecticut voters, but it carries great responsibilities, including administering the largest health and pension plans in the State for active and retired State employees and their dependents.
with private vendors, promoting wellness programs for State workers and acquiring valuable knowledge of the private health insurance market.
was assigned the task of implementing the Affordable Care Act as it was rolled out in 2014. This was no easy lift. As many will painfully recall, the Federal ACA exchange, healthcare.gov, in 2014 was completely overwhelmed and took over a year before millions of Americans were finally connected to affordable health coverage.
and, under Nancy's experienced hands, designed and initiated a data system that was completely functional on day one.
Congressional District and witnessing the successful completion of healthcare coverage for constituents who, in many cases because of preexisting medical conditions, had not been insured for most of their adult lives. For them, it was an emotional, life-changing event. Although Nancy was not physically present at all those fairs, there is no question that her handiwork created joy, and the impact and spirit of her service were in that room.
Mr. Speaker, Nancy's successful stewardship of the ACA rollout was not her only achievement as Lieutenant Governor. She was truly a partner, not an acolyte, to Governor Dan Malloy. Their passage of the Connecticut State budget in 2017, with fiscal guardrails, established the pathway to budget stability that reversed decades of chronic deficits into a string of surpluses and has completely transformed Connecticut's public finances into positive territory.
administration and policy but also by the way she carried herself in high position, showing respect and empathy to all that she ever came into contact with.
political party they belonged to, she was warm and polite and found ways to build connections and, in most cases, friendships.
{time} 1215
family: her husband, Michael, of 59 years; her two daughters, Stacey Papa and Meryl Baldwin, and their husbands, Steve and Bill; their five grandchildren; and many more relations who are carrying a heavy burden of grief because of her passing.
of her admirers and friends showed up at her wake, expressing their love and appreciation for the contributions Nancy's family made to her impactful life.
Mr. Speaker, I ask the House to join me in a similar recognition and express our condolences to Nancy's family for their loss.