Maria Horn

It’s a short week, but one that is already packed with legislative activity.  This Friday is the deadline for individual legislators to submit bills (or “concepts”) for consideration this year, and many of us spent a chunk of the long weekend submitting bills and consulting with colleagues who were considering submitting bills.  Bills can also be proposed by committees, so, as Co-Chair of the Public Safety & Security Committee this year, that is another option for proposing legislation.   
 
At this early stage in the term, committees are meeting to vote on which proposed bills will be given a hearing.  There are many bills that get submitted, and we cannot hear them all, much less turn them all into legislation, so one initial process that helps winnow them down is called “screening.”  That process happens at multiple stages of the process.  At the committee level, that means that the bipartisan committee leadership (the chairs, vice chairs, and ranking members) meets to discuss both specific bills that have been submitted, as well as the bigger picture topics that we are all interested in moving forward.  It’s unfortunate that these meetings have to take place on Zoom this year, but it’s still a productive opportunity to identify our common goals, and there are many. 
 
Tomorrow our country swears in a new President and Vice President, in a ceremony that has been taking place every four years for more than 230 years.  The peaceful transfer of power that is essential to democracy got rocky this year, but it is my hope that tomorrow this country will show a different face, and a new presidential term will begin. 

Here’s a list of today’s topics:

• Governor Lamont Announces Tiered Approach to Phase 1b Vaccine Appointments. Click here.
• CT Budget Update. Click here.
• Additional Food Benefits for SNAP Beneficiaries. Click here.
• Changes to Public Assistance Program. Click here.
• Data Updates on Vaccine Administration in Connecticut. Click here. 

For several additional graphs and tables containing more data, including a list of cases in every municipality, visit ct.gov/coronavirus and click the link that is labeled, “Data Tracker.”

166 of 169 towns and cities in Connecticut are currently in the red zone alert level, the highest of the state’s four alert levels. The only municipalities in the state that are not in the red zone this week are Canaan, Cornwall, and Warren all of which are in the gray alert level.

 

Specific Updates for Our Community

 

Town	Total Cases	Total Deaths	Number of Tests	Number of Positive Tests
Canaan	5	0	647	6
Cornwall	37	0	1,588	44
Goshen	102	1	3,272	125
Kent	99	0	4,505	107
Norfolk	54	0	1,609	62
North Canaan	155	8	6,306	168
Salisbury	94	0	7,015	108
Sharon	64	1	3,356	93
Torrington	2,352	118	61,056	2,845

 Governor Lamont Announces Tiered Approach to Phase 1b Vaccine Appointments

With nearly 1.4 million individuals included in Phase 1b of Connecticut’s COVID-19 vaccine rollout and the state anticipating to receive about 45,000 doses of vaccine per week from the federal government, Governor Ned Lamont today announced that he is directing the Connecticut Department of Public Health to proceed through the remaining groups in the phase with a tiered approach based on risk of adverse health outcomes from the virus. The governor is directing the implementation be done in an equitable way, with vaccine distribution points focused in areas where residents and communities have barriers to access and care.
 
The tiered approach to Phase 1b will proceed as follows:

• Scheduling now: Individuals over the age of 75
• Scheduling next (likely early February): Individuals between the ages of 65 and 74
• Scheduling soon (likely late February or early March): Frontline essential workers and individuals with underlying medical conditions who have an increased risk for severe illness

The roll-out of the vaccine to staff and residents of congregate living settings will be phased in throughout Phase 1b.
 
More information about the definitions of frontline essential workers and the list of eligible underlying medical conditions will be made available in the next several weeks.
 
Also today, the Department of Public Health sent a communication to all school districts, local health departments, and vaccine providers requesting that anyone who has an appointment for Friday of this week or later cancel these appointments unless they are over the age of 75 or if they were eligible to receive vaccine as part of Phase 1a. Similarly, vaccine providers with clinics scheduled past this Thursday that are not devoted to individuals 75 and over or eligible in Phase 1a are being asked to cancel those clinics.  This is being done in order to ensure that Connecticut’s focus on individuals over the age of 75 is maintained.
 
As of Sunday, January 17, approximately 221,000 doses of vaccine have been administered in Connecticut since the vaccine program’s inception, including 196,000 first doses. Connecticut has administered 71 percent of the total doses it has received from the federal government, including 92 percent of doses allocated for all healthcare organizations and local health departments, placing the state in the top five of states for administering the COVID-19 vaccine.
 
For the most up-to-date information on COVID-19 vaccination distribution plans in Connecticut, visit ct.gov/covidvaccine.

Some EXCELLENT fiscal news for Connecticut

While the COVID-19 pandemic has hit all states extraordinarily hard financially, it's important to recognize glimmers of hope when we see them. Which is why I am excited to share with you some excellent news about Connecticut's fiscal picture!

Today’s announcement also impacts the state’s bond cap, which functions as the state’s credit card limit. Under previous estimates, the state would have only been able to bond approximately $200 million next fiscal year. Today our bond cap is closer to $2 billion. This is good news as it allows Connecticut to bond for infrastructure improvements and efforts focused on helping people get back to work.

Connecticut is in much better shape than many of our neighbors, with states such as Massachusetts and Texas facing billion dollar deficits. We are certainly not out of the woods yet and our state still faces significant challenges, but this is a step in the direction of progress as we work towards recovering from the COVID-19 pandemic.

This welcome news is only possible through the smart choices and decisions which were made across government in past years to be prepared for potential emergencies and hardships, and the benefits of those decisions are now coming to pass.

Additional Food benefits For SNAP Beneficiaries 

The Connecticut Department of Social Services today announced that it will provide a total of $25.5 million in additional federal food benefits to Connecticut residents in two allocations this week through the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP).
First, on Wednesday, January 20, all 213,590 of the state’s households enrolled in SNAP will receive an average benefit increase of $45.91, which will be the first of several monthly 15 percent increases that will continue through June. This additional food aid totals an estimated $8.5 million per month and results from the federal Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2021.

Changes to Public Assistance Programs 

 Public assistance programs have changed in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. These changes have been made via executive orders issued by the governor. For a comprehensive summary of the changes, click here.  

Data updates on vaccine administration in Connecticut
 
The following data represents the total number of COVID-19 vaccinations administered in Connecticut, as reported to the state as of today:
 

• First doses administered: 196,753
• Second doses administered: 24,067
• Total doses administered: 220,820

 
Connecticut is currently in phase 1b of its COVID-19 vaccination program. Right now under this phase, residents over the age of 75 can receive the vaccine. Soon, the phase will expand to include residents between the ages of 65 and 74, and residents between the ages of 16 and 64 who have underlying health conditions. Residents and staff of congregate settings and frontline essential workers will soon also become eligible during this phase.
 
There are a total of 1.4 million individuals in Connecticut who are eligible to receive the vaccine during phase 1b. At this moment, the state anticipates receiving about 45,000 doses of the vaccine per week from the federal government. Governor Lamont is working with the federal government to get more supply into the state.
 
Connecticut currently ranks in the top five of states for administering the COVID-19 vaccine to its residents.
 
Information on Connecticut’s COVID-19 vaccination program is available at ct.gov/covidvaccine.
 
 
Providing information to Connecticut residents
 
For the most up-to-date information from the State of Connecticut on COVID-19, residents are encouraged to visit ct.gov/coronavirus. Residents can also subscribe to text message alerts from the state by texting the keyword COVIDCT to 888-777.
 
Individuals who have general questions that are not answered on the website can call 2-1-1 for assistance. The hotline is available 24 hours a day and has multilingual assistance. Anyone who is out-of-state or requires a toll-free number can connect to Connecticut 2-1-1 by dialing 1-800-203-1234. This is intended to be used by individuals who are not experiencing symptoms but may have general questions related to COVID-19. Anyone who is experiencing symptoms are strongly urged to contact their medical provider.