Marcus Brown

It's been a busy week for myself and my colleagues in the legislature, but I wanted to catch you up on what I've been up to and share with you a legislative update.

I hope you are well.
Below are updates and information that I believe is helpful to you.

Join State Representative Cristin McCarthy Vahey and me next week for Coffee and Conversation at the Crown Cafe on Madison Ave.

We are more than halfway through the regular session, and this is the time of year when legislative activity picks up in the Connecticut General Assembly.

After weeks of holding public hearings, the Finance, Revenue, and Bonding Committee and Appropriations Committee approved their budget proposals (Appropriations handles the spending side and Finance handles the revenue side).

The next step…negotiations and compromise: Legislators will work with the Governor and his staff to craft the final budget agreement. The budget bill then goes before the House and Senate for consideration. After being passed by both chambers, the legislature’s final budget must then be signed into law by the governor before the end of the fiscal year, June 30.

I hope you are well. I hope those of faith had peaceful celebrations and spiritual reflections as our communities observed religious traditions this weekend. Last week, we were back in session for the first time in a few weeks, voting on Judicial, Executive & Legislative nominations. While it was one of the lighter session days, upcoming session days will soon pick up as proposed bills have narrowed down through committees. I will keep you updated as bills advance through the House. It is my honor to represent our district. I am excited to hear from you about the issues raised in this newsletter or any other topics you think I should know about.

Personal care attendants (PCAs) will have additional access to affordable health insurance after an agreement was reached to expand the application deadline for PCAs to apply for the first round of the new premium assistance benefit.

A great way to protect yourself is to do additional research on anything that seems suspicious. Do not click on an email or a link to an unfamiliar website. Never give out any personal information—especially your Social Security Number—to someone claiming to represent the IRS over the phone or online. When in doubt, visit IRS.gov for additional guidance.

Very soon, there will be changes for some of our most vulnerable individuals and families who are on Medicaid. Starting on April 1, the COVID-19 public health emergency protection will be coming to an end. Medicaid enrollees who were continuously covered will again have to provide proof of eligibility to continue getting benefits.