Maria Horn

Spring is peeking out at us this week, beckoning us all outside, and there was also news in the last few days suggesting that indoor gatherings, particularly for those who have been vaccinated, are becoming safer, as the CDC has suggested. So, to the constituent who reached out in the last week about the safety of playing bridge indoors with a few vaccinated friends, it looks like we have answer! 
 

But the big news this week really came from the federal government, which passed the American Rescue Plan, an historic piece of legislation that will improve the lives of virtually every resident of Connecticut and the rest of the country.  Connecticut’s federal delegation was critical to the crafting and passage of this legislation, which enjoys widespread bipartisan support throughout the country.  It will provide direct relief to American families, small businesses, state and local governments, schools, child-care providers, and communities struggling from the economic fallout of the pandemic.   

It will reduce healthcare costs and lift millions of children out of poverty.  There will be many details ahead as the legislation takes effect, but we are in a much better place today, as individuals, business-owners, and community members, as a result of this legislation.

Here’s a list of today’s topics:

• Weekly Update on the impact of COVID-19 on Nursing Homes. Click here.
• COVID Alert Map. Click here.
• Connecticut Accepted into Program Providing Support to Contain Healthcare Cost Growth. Click here.
• Working Group Created to Encourage Racial Diversity and Inclusion in CT Agriculture. Click here.
• Some Small Business Bills this Session. Click here.
• UI Agrees to $46.5 Million Deal for Electric Rate Stability. 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.”
 
 
Weekly update on the impact of COVID-19 on nursing homes and assisted living facilities
 
The following documents contain the weekly data regarding each of the nursing homes and assisted living facilities in Connecticut that have reported positive cases of COVID-19 among their residents. The data is presented as it was reported to the state by each of the facilities.
 

**Download: Report from March 11, 2021 on COVID-19 in Connecticut nursing homes **Download: Report from March 11, 2021 on COVID-19 in Connecticut assisted living facilities

 

 
 
Weekly update of the Department of Public Health’s COVID-19 Alert Map: 104 of 169 municipalities in red zone alert level
 
The Connecticut Department of Public Health released its weekly COVID-19 Alert Map, which indicates that 104 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 COVID-19 Alert Map is updated every Thursday afternoon and can be found in the Data Tracker page of the state’s coronavirus website at ct.gov/coronavirus.
 
 
Connecticut accepted into program providing support to contain healthcare cost growth
 
Governor Lamont and Connecticut Office of Healthcare Strategy Executive Director Victoria Veltri announced that the State of Connecticut has been accepted into the Peterson-Milbank Program for Sustainable Health Care Costs. Launched earlier this year by the Milbank Memorial Fund, the nationwide program was created to advance state efforts on addressing the growth of healthcare costs.
 
Through the program, Connecticut will receive technical assistance support over the next two years from the Milbank Memorial Fund and Bailit Health as the state implements a healthcare cost growth benchmark. This support will include a learning collaborative with other states that are accepted into the program.
 
The state’s acceptance into the program coincides with recent, final recommendations from the Office of Healthcare Strategy’s Healthcare Cost Growth Benchmark initiative, which was prepared in compliance with Governor Lamont’s Executive Order No. 5, issued in early 2020. The Peterson-Milbank Program will provide essential support as Connecticut now begins its work to meet those recommendations.
 
 
Working group created to encourage racial diversity and inclusion in Connecticut agriculture
 
Connecticut is forming a working group with the goal of increasing diversity, racial equity, and inclusion within Connecticut’s agriculture industry. Administered by the Connecticut Department of Agriculture, the Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion in Connecticut Agriculture Working Group will focus on engaging and supporting current and future farmers and those in the industry who are Black, Indigenous, and people of color.
 
Connecticut Agriculture Commissioner Bryan Hurlburt said that there are significant barriers and issues of access to enter and remain in agriculture, particularly for Black, Indigenous, and persons of color. While there is deep, meaningful work that is being done by community groups, there is a need for institutional support for current and future individuals of color entering professions throughout the agriculture sector, he explained.
 
The Department of Agriculture is inviting Connecticut farmers, service providers, nonprofits, educators, and others to participate in the working groups. Nominations must be submitted to the agency by April 4, 2021, and appointments will be identified in mid-April. Nominations are strongly encouraged from individuals of all backgrounds. Working groups will meet monthly, or as determined necessary, for approximately a year and a half. Individuals can express interest in multiple subgroups but will be appointed to only one. To submit a nomination, click here.
 
Questions can be directed to Cyrena Thibodeau at Cyrena.Thibodeau@ct.gov or Jaime Smith at Jaime.Smith@ct.gov. More information is available at www.ctgrown.gov.
 
 
Some small business bills this session
 
With the announcement of new and renewed support for businesses coming from the federal relief package that passed this week, I wanted to highlight a few bills in the state legislature this year aimed at helping small businesses.  (By the way, “AAC” is a legislative acronym for “An Act Concerning”)
 
 

RHB-6467	AAC THE SMALL BUSINESS EXPRESS PROGRAM.
PSB-711	AAC COVID-19 RELIEF FOR SMALL BUSINESSES.
HB-6440	AA ESTABLISHING THE JOBSCT TAX REBATE PROGRAM.
HB-5614	AA ESTABLISHING A COMMISSION ON THE DISPARATE IMPACT OF COVID-19.
PHB-5481	AA ESTABLISHING A GRANT PROGRAM FOR WOMEN AND MINORITY-OWNED BUSINESSES.
PHB-6121	AA ESTABLISHING A WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT PIPELINE FOR PERSONS WITH DISABILITIES.
PHB-5216	AA EXTENDING THE MANUFACTURING APPRENTICESHIP TAX CREDIT TO PASS-THROUGH ENTITIES.
PHB-6119	AAC ARTS, CULTURE AND TOURISM FUNDING.
PHB-5615	AAC THE TOURISM AND HOSPITALITY INDUSTRIES.
SB – 878	AAC CONNECTICUT INNOVATIONS, INCORPORATED.

 
United Illuminating agrees to $46.5 million deal for electric rate stability
 
Governor Lamont and Attorney General William Tong announced that the State of Connecticut has reached an agreement with United Illuminating (UI) to offer a $46.5 million COVID relief bill credit to decrease and stabilize electric rates into 2023. Additionally, UI has committed to not change base distribution rates until at least May 2023 to provide further certainty for its customers. The agreement is subject to review and approval by the Public Utilities Regulatory Authority (PURA).
 
UI contributed $5 million to support customers, in addition to an accelerated return of $41.55 million of accumulated savings from federal tax cuts to fully offset what would have been a five to eight percent increase in bills on May 1, 2021, due to federally-mandated transmission charges and the costs of the Millstone power purchase agreement. PURA delayed implementation of that increase because of the public health and economic crisis caused by COVID-19.
 
The proposed agreement settles a portion of a proceeding at PURA related to a provision of Public Act 20-5, which was passed in the special session of the General Assembly in the fall of 2020. That statute provided that PURA could investigate an interim rate decrease for Connecticut’s electric distribution companies.
 
 
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.