Patrick Biggins

Dear Neighbor,

The legislative session has come to an end. This was my first time in Hartford representing all of you. I am so proud to be speaking up for our community and to help pass legislation benefiting everyone across Connecticut.

Thank you, for allowing me to take on this responsibility. I'm so excited to take what I've learned through this first session and apply it to my work going forward, so I can be an even more effective legislator through the rest of my term. 

We made great strides this session in improving our state's childcare system, lowering electric bills, passing a new budget, and so much more. In this week's update - I'll go over some of the most impactful policies we passed, honor our female veterans, detail a historic wave of funding for special education, and more. 

Sincerely,

Patrick Biggins
State Representative

 

This budget stands up for:

HISTORIC NEW FUNDING FOR SPECIAL EDUCATION

• $40 million for Excess Cost Grant in each of the next two years
• $30 million for Special Education Expansion and Development (SEED) grant program
• $20 million in bonding to expand and upgrade special education facilities
• $10 million in bonding for capital development
• $10 million for Governor's Incentive District Grant
• Hold harmless funding for Education Cost Sharing, so no school district sees a cut

CHILDCARE

• Investible trust to provide sustainable funding for new childcare programs
• Funding for direct healthcare of our children through DSS Medicaid

NONPROFIT PROVIDERS

• Access to better health care and nonprofit community providers
• $150 million for group homes and nursing homes
• More than $60 million in Medicaid rate increases, which will benefit nonprofit providers 

TAX RELIEF FOR WORKING FAMILIES

• Targeted, meaningful relief and long-term support for working families
• Refundable tax credit of $250 through the Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) framework
• $500 refundable tax credit for home daycare owners that recognizes and sustains the vital care workforce
• Tax credit for employers who contribute to their employees' CHET accounts

This is a budget that works for the people — one that safeguards essential services, uplifts communities, and lays the foundation for a future where every resident is supported and protected.

The bills:
 
Provide a Sustainable Investment 

• Fund the Early Childhood Education Endowment to invest in childcare now and in the future

Lower Costs and Increase Access

• Childcare and Pre-K will be free for families in state-funded programs earning up to $100,000 and families making over $100,000 will pay no more than 7% of income
• Add 16,000 new childcare and Pre-K slots across the state
• Create an online portal to help families find and enroll in programs

Attract and Retain Early Childhood Educators

• Pay qualified educators on par with public school teachers
• Provide funding for health insurance coverage for educators   

This legislation delivers lasting solutions for families, educators, and the economy. Together, these measures provide relief for families, bolster the recruitment and retention of childcare educators, and invest in the construction and renovation of early learning facilities.

These bills represent a transformational step forward in Connecticut’s commitment to children and their future. 

Connecticut’s Opioid Services Division was established in 2018 in response to the growing overdose crisis and to expand statewide access to the prevention of opioid use disorder, opioid treatment, recovery support, harm reduction, outreach, engagement, and overdose prevention coverage with a focus on overdose deaths. This marks the third consecutive year of decreases in statewide overdose deaths.
 
The division manages projects and initiatives that resulted from the infusion of State Opioid Response grant funding as well as those approved by the Opioid Settlement Advisory Committee. Some of 2024’s improvements include:

•  Expanded innovative services in the state, adding three and continuing to support original Harm Reduction Centers in municipalities with the highest morbidity rates: Hartford, Waterbury, New Haven, and New London
• Added outreach services via Peer Navigator Programs in two areas of the state;

Distributed close to 60,000 naloxone kits (naloxone is a lifesaving, overdose reversal medication), exceeding the state saturation goal for the year.

• Hosted a successful and informative Harm Reduction Conference. The conference included four expert speakers from around the country, as well as two panel discussions, focused on addressing equity, and stigma, 390 individuals attended the conference: 263 in person and 127 virtually.

While we are heartened to see data going in the right direction, we know there is much more work to do to fight this public health crisis. Our hearts are heavy for the 990 individuals who lost their lives to overdose in 2024 and their loved ones whose lives have been forever altered.

We remain steadfast in our mission to expand access and availability of life-saving medication, public education, harm reduction, treatment, and recovery support until no lives are lost to drug overdose.
 
Additional information is available on the DMHAS Opioid Services Division website HERE.  Anyone seeking services regarding opioid use disorder in Connecticut should visit this website or call 1-800-563-4086 any time, day or night.

Full disclosure? I hope that you're encouraged to pick up a book, any book, and just read. Reading is a wonderful way to relax, relieve stress, enhance brain activity, and more.

These last few weeks I read:

• Founding Mothers is a great book about the women who were pivotal in the founding of our country. As my grandfather always says, behind or beside every great man is an even better woman.
• Daring Greatly: How the Courage to Be Vulnerable Transforms the Way We Live, Love, Parent, and Lead is a real reflective book that makes you take a look at how you are interacting with the world based on your previous experiences.