Gregg Haddad

What I can say for sure is my colleagues and I will continue to fight to improve the lives of the residents of Mansfield and the state.

Toward that end, scroll down and learn more about your rights and what we are doing at the Capitol this legislative session.
 

This week, House and Senate Democrats announced a legislative proposal to increase Medicaid reimbursement rates for providers, which is long overdue.

A recent state Medicaid Rate Study found that Connecticut lags well behind peer states when paying providers under Connecticut’s Medicaid program. Many areas of care are currently reimbursed at the same levels they were in 2007. I

ncreasing Medicaid reimbursement rates is a worthy investment, and that’s the type of good work we’re going to keep doing here.

With nearly 40% of Connecticut families unable to make ends meet, this bill will benefit 550,000 children in the state. Connecticut is the only high-cost-of-living state with a broad-based personal income tax that does not adjust for the number of children or childcare expenses.

House Bill 5986 establishes a permanent refundable child tax credit against the personal income tax for up to three children, in the amount of $600 per child, for tax filers with a federal adjusted gross income of 100,000 or less for single filers or $200,000 or less for married individuals filing jointly. For every $1 in child tax credits, a family spends $1.38 in the local economy.

The Feeding CT Caucus will request $10 million for the CT-Nutrition Assistance Program (CT-NAP), which provides fresh food to Connecticut Foodshare, food pantries, soup kitchens, and emergency shelters across the state.

Additionally, 15% of the funds would be utilized to purchase produce and other products from Connecticut farmers.

I proudly support these efforts.

The following was cited at the press conference:

• Nearly one in two families struggle to afford diapers, which cost about 22% more than they did in 2018, to keep their babies clean, dry, and healthy. 
• When a family lacks access to diapers it impacts their health and well-being as well as their parent’s mental health. 
• Children under the age of 1 make up 40% of urinary tract infection hospitalizations. 
• The savings will offset the cost of medical care, which impacts parents not being able to work while their children are being treated. 
• Vermont, Delaware, Tennessee, and Minnesota have gone the route of Medicaid coverage for diapers.

I join my colleagues in support of this measure.

 The Jim Henson Foundation and the Ballard Institute and Museum of Puppetry at the University of Connecticut -- 1 Royce Circle -- will present a new exhibition, American Puppet Theater Today: The Photography of Richard Termine as part of the 60th anniversary celebration of UConn’s Puppet Arts Program in 2025.

The exhibition, which begins today, Jan. 31, includes over 130 images and selected puppets featured in Termine’s photographs. The display will run through Sunday, May 11, at the Ballard Institute.

The grand opening of American Puppet Theater Today: The Photography of Richard Termine  will begin with refreshments served at 6 p.m. and an in-person exhibition tour at 6:30 p.m. by Richard Termine, with Cheryl Henson, the President of The Jim Henson Foundation; this will also be streamed on Ballard Institute’s Facebook Live channel (facebook.com/BallardInstitute/).