Dear Neighbor,
The pandemic has produced numerous challenges and exacerbated existing institutional inequities. Throughout the 2021 session, my colleagues and I worked to address these new challenges and the existing injustices by passing over 350 bills and resolutions.
The past year has been difficult for each individual and family in our community, and I believe the legislation passed in Hartford will empower everyone in our district. This session, I advocated for equitable public health policies, increased access to mental health resources, and additional support for our seniors, schools, and small businesses. I also worked with my colleagues to pass a bipartisan budget that will strengthen our economy and invest in our infrastructure, sustainability efforts, and education. I have fought to ensure Norwalk and New Canaan will see an increase in funding in both fiscal years 2022 and 2023 through this budget. These state investments will see our community recover and thrive as we move out of this pandemic.
Also, I launched my online 2022 Legislative Priorities Survey and I would like to hear from you about what is important to you: www.housedems.ct.gov/Dathan/Survey
Please continue reading for more information on legislative highlights and resources developed this session that will benefit your family, our district, and our state.
Best,
Fighting for Families
- Invested in our communities with education and municipal grants
- Increased state funding for English Learners, which will especially help Norwalk
- New Canaan and Norwalk schools will see an immediate increase of over 4% in state funding
- We tripled Norwalk’s state grant for untaxed public property
- Obtained state funding for the renovation project George Washington Carver Community Center
- Passed “Jennifer’s Law” named after Jennifer Dulos, which strengthened domestic violence laws
- Provided new health care coverage to 40,000 working families through Access Health CT
- Increased awareness of behavioral and mental health services for children
- Continued coverage for, and access to, telehealth
- Limited over-prescription of dangerous drugs
- Created more tax breaks for 200,000 working-class residents through the Earned Income Tax Credit
- Fully funded free community college
- Expanded childcare services for parents who are working on their education
- Blocked individuals who a court determines as high-risk from getting a firearm
- Strengthened the rights of families who are not biologically related and for parents who have children through donor assistance
- Required background checks for individuals working with children in athletic leagues and camps
Fiscal Stability in FY 2022
This session, as vice-chair of the Appropriations Committee, I worked with my colleagues to pass a $46 Billion biennium budget that offers relief from the ravages of COVID-19, helps jumpstart our economy, invests in our cities and towns, nonprofits and working families without any increases to income taxes or sales tax rates.
We also kept our commitment to funding local schools – ensuring we give towns predictability by honoring our formula for state grants, and ensuring no town receives less than it received the year before.
Additionally, we provided increased funding for hospitals and local health departments in response to COVID-19; included additional resources to those on the frontlines of the pandemic including staff at nursing homes, prisons, schools and nonprofits and are delivering the necessary tools for state agencies to safely reopen to serve our residents.
Sources of State Revenue ($22.6B)
Where your tax dollars go ($22.6B)
Supporting Democracy
- Made absentee balloting more accessible to qualified voters
- Allowed voters to decide, in November 2022, if the state should have early, in-person voting
- Began the process to allow voters, in 2024, to decide if every registered voter in CT should be able to vote by absentee ballot
- Protected voters’ personal information
- Paved the way for permanent drop boxes for absentee ballots
- Restored voting rights for individuals in community facilities or on parole
Standing up for Seniors
- Increased funding for our non-profits that support our safety net in group homes and nursing homes
- Allowed towns to offer more seniors a property tax break
- Eliminated state income taxes on IRA income over time, beginning in the 2023 tax year
- Fought age discrimination in the workplace, limiting the need for your age and other dates on job applications
- Required background checks at homemaker-companion agencies
- Strengthened rights for residents of long-term care facilities, including ensuring access to virtual visits
- Reformed nursing home staffing, policies and supply inventories in response to COVID-19
Growing CT’s Economy
- We made payments on our long-term debt, mainly deferred pension liabilities both in our current budget cycle and in the 22-23 budget, no longer kicking the can down the road
- Assisted CT’s restaurants in recovery from the pandemic
- Eliminated the admissions tax for entertainment venues as of July 1, 2021
- Cut unemployment insurance taxes on local businesses by excluding pandemic-related layoffs and paying the fund directly
- Streamlined workforce initiatives under a new Office of Workforce Strategy, investing $110M over 3 years focusing on training in high demand industries such as Healthcare, IT, Manufacturing and Clean Energy
- Created a new workforce pipeline program for individuals with disabilities
- Created an Unemployed Workers’ Advocate to assist out-of-work residents with accessing benefits and getting back to work
- Led the country with Equitable Broadband