Politics
Legislation for the Disabled
As Chairman of the Legislative Planning and Development Committee, Representative Farricielli lead the way on many changes for the handicapped. Accessibility for handicapped in public housing, curb cuts, accessibility in public buildings, and handicapped vehicle permits for special reserved parking spaces. At one particular hearing he was advised that the hearing room being used in the old capitol was not handicapped accessible. Chairman Farricielli demanded that the hearing be moved to an accessible location. When legislative management informed him that all hearing rooms were being used Chairman Farricielli proceeded to set up the hearing in the rotunda of the Capital. The Legislative Management Office quickly allowed the hearing to take place in the Senate Chambers, which had not previously ever been used for hearings. At that hearing, some handicapped people testified that the then handicapped vehicle plates had caused problems for drivers as hooligans, knowing they were handicapped, had harassed them. This led to legislation allowing for Handicapped Permits to be hung from rear view mirrors as an option to permanent plates on handicapped vehicles.
Hospice
The first hospice in America was started in New Haven. During the late 70’s a deposit on a parcel of land in Hamden, Connecticut was made, with the intention of opening the first hospital style facility. While attending a zoning hearing in Hamden, Representative Farricielli first heard of the great work of Hospice. At that hearing 35 Hamden residents appeared with petitions objecting to the Hospice facility in their neighborhood. In those days they feared contracting cancer if the facility was in their neighborhood. Representative Farricielli conveyed this to the Branford First Selectman, Hon. John Sliney, who immediately took it upon himself to find a suitable location in Branford. First Selectman Sliney contacted the Tabor family and arranged for the First Hospice in America to be located on Tabor Drive next to Saint Elizabeth Roman Catholic Church.
Soon after Hospice opened in the early 80’s, the insurance companies at first denied coverage as the definition of a hospital in Connecticut did not include hospices. Representative Farricielli worked with then Congressman Lawrence DeNardis to have the definition changed in Connecticut and in Washington so that stays at Hospices would fit the acceptable definition of covered care.
Housing
Representative Farricielli, as Chairman of the Planning and Development Legislative Committee held a two-day Housing hearing at the state capital to review housing problems around the state. He ran a two-year study of housing problems in Fairfield County, holding many meetings in Stamford and Norwalk. This led to several changes in housing planning and development. One change gave municipalities the authority to raise abandoned property before they became drug houses or hurt their surrounding neighborhood. It gave the municipality the authority to raze the structure and levy assessment against the property to recover the cost of razing the structure. Other measures involved density of units per acre. A study of two facilities built in Hartford that had similar construction and number of units, but one had twice the land acreage, proved that too dense coverage adversely affected the quality of life in the projects and caused their demise.