Eleni Kavros DeGraw

As you know, we were in session again yesterday until after 10 p.m. when our last vote of the day was taken. We voted on two bills. There has been a lot of conflicting, and frankly, confusing information and in some cases, misinformation, put out about what we voted on and why and I'd like to clear that up here.

The first vote was to certify a Continuing Emergency, which I supported. It did not extend the Executive Emergency Powers, but rather, it allows the state to qualify for federal funding for additional SNAP benefits of $31million a month. These funds are not a handout from the Federal government, but rather our tax money coming back to ease the hardship of our neighbors most in need. It may surprise you to learn that in Avon, we have 424 SNAP recipients and in Canton, 363.

Regarding the second vote, and after a lengthy debate, the House voted 86 to 62 to codify the Governor's remaining Executive Orders (detailed below), which I supported.

Over the last two years, the Governor relied on public health experts to make informed, quick decisions because of the nature of the pandemic and now we can confidently turn those public health decisions over to the team of established experts so that they, not the legislature and not the Governor, can continue to help us keep our communities safe.

Some of you will be happy with this decision. Some of you will be unhappy with this decision. That is the nature of the work we do.

As some of the emails I received pointed out, I am not a doctor. I am not an infectious disease specialist. I am not a scientist. I am, however, a parent, and I have heard and really listened to all of the parents who contacted me specifically about keeping masks or unmasking our children in schools.

I believe that as an elected official, the guidance on public health, the guidance to protect the largest number of people we can, should come from people who are actually doctors and scientists. I can tell you, some of them are not entirely happy with our decisions either.

Our Department of Public Health Commissioner (an infectious disease specialist) is recommending that the school mask mandate ending on February 28th is the right decision for this moment. What we voted on last night will allow local school boards and Superintendents, and in our case, guidance from the Farmington Valley Health Department, to continue to follow public health recommendations as they see fit. And the "this moment" part of that first sentence allows for the fact that, God forbid, metrics soon to be established, tell us that we need to wear masks again with a different variant, local decisions can be made.

I am very proud of our school districts and the tireless efforts of our Superintendents, their staff, the teachers and facility managers and our Farmington Valley Health Department for their efforts to this point. We are all tired of the pandemic. We all want it to be over. And, hopefully, providing what some are calling a COVID off-ramp or a timeline for "living with COVID," will help all of us move forward.
 
More details below on the other aspects of our votes yesterday.

Most Addressed Issue: Masks In Schools

Starting February 16th, Department of Public Health (DPH) in consultation with CT State Department of Education (CSDE), which will advise mask requirements if they deem it necessary through June 30, 2022. The governor nor the legislative body will be part of that decision.

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• As of right now, both DPH and CSDE have indicated that the mask mandate will be lifted on February 28th.
• Starting February 28th, local school boards will be able to make the decision to continue a mask requirement in their district.

DPH and CSDE have the ability to make this decision through June 30th - ensuring that in the case of a new variant or high transmission rate, they can pivot quickly to address the concern.

We Voted On This, Too

1. Mask mandates controlled by municipalities
   • Unvaccinated people 2 years or older must wear a mask when indoors and when they cannot socially distance. Both CSDE and DPH have recommended to repeal a statewide mask mandate, effective February 28th. Municipalities can implement individual guidance on masking.
2. Vaccine and booster requirements for hospital workers
   • State hospital employees must be vaccinated and boosted by March 7th. Medical and religious exemptions are permitted.
3. Vaccine and booster requirements or negative COVID test for nursing home visitors
   • People wishing to visit nursing homes need to submit proof of vaccination and a booster vaccine, or a negative COVID test.
4. Vaccine and booster requirements for long-term care staff
   • Long-term care facility employees must be vaccinated and boosted by March 7th. Medical and religious exemptions are permitted.
5. Hospital staff shortages
   • The state can waive certain licensing requirements to increase the number of health care workers available to treat patients.

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6. Temporary nurse's aides program
   • DPH can temporarily hire nurse aides to make up for staffing shortages.
7. Fund non-communal housing for people at risk
   • Agencies can provide housing for individuals facing an increased risk of contracting COVID-19. This includes survivors of domestic violence and people experiencing homelessness.
8. Waive competitive solicitation of supplies
   • Allows us to receive things like masks and other medical equipment at a fair price, avoiding price gouging.
9. COVID-19 vaccine status disclosure
   • DPH can disclose an individual's COVID-19 vaccination record to healthcare providers in order to replace lost vaccine cards.
10. Free COVID-19 vaccines for uninsured
    • COVID-19 vaccines and booster are free of charge for all.
11. Landlords & Renters

Anyone who has a current application with UniteCT has a 30-day stay of eviction to give time to the Dept. of Housing to process the application. No new applications will be accepted after Feb. 15th.