Dear Friends and Neighbors,
The 2019 legislative session has come to a close, and I am proud to have accomplished many of the goals set out for this year’s agenda. The budget, which makes critical investments in education and provides fiscal stability with no increases in income tax rates or the broad sales tax rates, or cuts to municipal aid, was passed on time! This budget is not only balanced, but protects taxpayers into the future.
We are protecting our most vulnerable, investing in the middle class, and encouraging economic growth for Connecticut. As a Vice Chair of the Children’s Committee and member of the Public Health and Education Committees, we passed bills to protect our youth by prohibiting the sale of cigarettes, tobacco products and vapor products to anyone under the age of 21; we sought to maintain health insurance coverage of pre-existing conditions; and we passed parity legislation which will increase access to insurance coverage for mental health and substance abuse conditions.
I am proud to be part of passing the historic Earned Family & Medical Leave legislation which allows workers to care for themselves or a loved one without having to face the threat of financial ruin. The program provides replacement wages so that patients and caregivers can take time off and make ends meet. If you or your family has an emergency, there now will be financial peace-of-mind.
I am committed to continue working for you to build a brighter future for Connecticut. I appreciate hearing from you about the issues that matter to you most and look forward to continuing these conversations. Thank you for the honor of serving you. Please do not hesitate to reach out by email, phone or through social media.
Sincerely,
Tackling Dementia And Alzheimer’s Disease
In order to ensure the proper care for seniors, we modified continuing education requirements for physicians to include diagnosing and treating cognitive conditions, including Alzheimer’s disease, dementia, delirium, related cognitive impairments and geriatric depression.
Green Jobs and Our Environment
Green energy is good for the planet and our economy. We passed legislation that will help continue deployment of solar energy, extend renewable energy programs which will increase green jobs and economic activity.
A major accomplishment of the 2019 Legislation Session was passing the state Water Plan, which identifies our water supply as a “public trust” to ensure our water resources are protected, and that clean drinking water is accessible for all.
Additionally, we have cleared the path for offshore wind energy generation in order to lead in green energy technology and help achieve Connecticut’s renewable energy goals. Through this measure, Connecticut will procure up to 2,000 megawatts of offshore wind power helping achieve our energy consumption goal of 40% renewable energy by 2030.
Business And Economy
Our state’s small businesses are the backbone of our economy. They offer jobs, economic growth and highlight the best Connecticut has to offer. I am proud to have supported several initiatives that aim to assist our business community and improve our economy. A good place to start is supporting students interested in careers in manufacturing and addressing the demand for more career and technical teachers at our tech high schools so students can be ready to join the workforce upon graduation.
For small businesses, we aimed to fix the Transfer Act to make it easier for more real estate transactions to take place and to help clean up more contaminated properties. We also expanded the Angel Investor Tax Credit Program for small businesses and startups.
In addition, we will now provide matching incentive grants for tourism districts, to encourage private sector investment and we have officially reopened our state’s Visitor Welcome Centers to make sure people know that we are open for business!
Improving Our Children’s Future
Care4Kids Funding: We continued our commitment to the Care4Kids program by expanding the reimbursement rates for facilities and changing the family income guidelines in order to have more families qualify for the program. Additionally, OEC will now be allowed to suspend a provider’s license if there is a public health, safety or welfare situation that requires emergency action and further allows OEC to fine a child care center for failure of giving 30 day written notice before a closure. I am committed to continue to fight to make childcare more affordable.
Ethan’s Law: Named after Ethan Song, who tragically lost his life due to an improperly stored gun, this measure requires the safe storage of all firearms in a home with children under 18. The bill also requires SDE develop firearm safety guides for public schools as we work to keep children safe from gun violence, reducing gun deaths, and demanding greater responsibility by those storing firearms.
Tobacco 21: Research shows that if you haven’t started smoking by 21, you likely never will. We have made the sale of cigarettes, e-cigarettes and vape products illegal for those under 21. Nicotine creates addiction in teens, and 95% percent of adults who smoke started young. Nationwide, e-cigarette use, also known as “vaping,” is on the rise among middle and high school students. This law seeks to keep nicotine out of the hands of minors.
Bio Science
As a member of the legislature’s Bioscience Caucus, I am delighted to have worked with my colleagues to pass several laws this year that will help the growing technology and the biosciences industry with the goal of making it easier to do business in our state. CT ranks #4 in the nation for bioscience patents and our efforts will help promote Connecticut as a bioscience hub that will result in attracting more businesses, generating high paying jobs and overall economic growth.
Public Access to Epinephrine
I was proud to champion and lead the passage of legislation that will allow public businesses and places such as camps, baseball stadiums, and restaurants are stocked with epinephrine. Connecticut will join other states that have already passed similar legislation allowing public venues to maintain an epinephrine auto injector supply for anyone having a life threatening allergic reaction. Provisions in the bill allow for training, storage, and medication administration requirements for staff and immunity from civil and criminal liability.
Mental Health Parity and PTSD
We unanimously passed the Mental Health Parity Act which gives people with mental health and substance use disorders the same access to care as those with cancer and heart disease. This legislation will ensure mental health and substance use issues are covered by insurance, and makes mental health treatment more available, accessible and affordable.
For first responders suffering from PTSD, we have passed legislation which will provide workers’ compensation benefits for police officers, parole officers and firefighters suffering from PTSD due to events in the line of duty. I plan to join my colleagues in fighting to make sure that EMS and Department of Correction employees are included in this as well.