During a hearing of the Appropriations Committee on February 20, 2013, a high school student testifying about the Connecticut Science Center mentioned that her involvement with the Center had helped her overcome her shyness and fear of snakes. When recognized by the chair during the committee's time for questions, Hewett laughingly told the 17-year-old girl, "If you’re bashful, I got a snake sitting under my desk here." Audio from the hearing is available here. Once publicized, Hewett's comment was widely interpreted as lewd, and he apologized on February 28. "What I meant to say was, 'If you are shy then I have an acre of land in the Everglades,'" Hewett later told the media. Hewett was removed from his position as deputy speaker, losing its $6,446 salary, and was required to address a meeting of Democratic female legislators about the matter. A spokesman for the Democratic caucus also stated that all legislators who had not recently undergone sexual harassment training would be required to take a refresher course. On March 1, Hewett refused to resign from the legislature, pointing to his removal as deputy speaker as sufficient punishment. The Hartford Courant reported that two legislators "suggested that he ha[d] exhibited inappropriate behavior in the past." Hewett denied such allegations and stated he only wanted to hire male interns. "That may sound sexist, but I really don’t. That way, that keeps me good, and that keeps everybody else good," he said. After Hewett rebuffed earlier Republican calls to step down, Connecticut Republican Party chairman Jerry Labriola, Jr., launched an online petition calling for the lawmaker's resignation. The petition, available here, had received 1,798 signatures as of March 5.