Cristin McCarthy Vahey

As Memorial Day quickly approaches, with the end of the legislative session soon to follow, the pace of work here at the Capitol has picked up. The Governor and legislative leaders continue to negotiate a budget package, considering big-ticket items like education and non-profit funding alongside the hundreds of individual bills addressing policy solutions.

This week, I’d like to highlight some of the bills that have passed and share information about cancer screening and what we have done, and hope to do, here in Connecticut.

As we Spring into May, I hope you are able to enjoy the blossoming trees and flowers growing and aren’t plagued by allergies as many seem to be this season.

The legislative session is picking up as we move closer to Sine Die, or the June 4th end of session.

This week, I was proud to lead passage of two important public health bills, and support landmark climate legislation led by our Environment Committee.

This week, the legislature’s Appropriations and Finance Committees passed bills that together make up the legislature’s proposals for the state budget. The Governor’s proposal was put forward in early February.

The next steps involve ongoing negotiation between the legislative and executive branches to determine a final budget which will be voted on near the end of the legislative session in early June. You can see the Appropriations bill (the spending side) here and the Finance bill (the revenue side) here.

These bills are a step in the process and not the final decision. You can still speak up, advocate, and let us know what you believe should or should not be included in the state budget.

For all who are celebrating Easter this weekend, I wish you a blessed holiday with family and friends.

This week is National Public Health Week. This is a great opportunity to thank our state and local public health leaders who work tirelessly every day to keep our families and communities health, safe, and strong.

Whether it is assuring clean water, inspecting restaurants, combatting chronic disease, preventing gun violence, providing newborn screening, improving suicide prevention, providing immunizations, educating the public, or preparing for emergencies, our public health leaders are the people behind the scenes making it happen.

As I shared earlier this week, I recently stood with the Connecticut Chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics to talk about the safety, efficacy, and importance of vaccination.

As we head into April, I wanted to share some news about $150 million in cuts made early last week by the US Department of Health and Human Services. I wish it was an April Fool’s joke, but unfortunately these cuts, primarily to our Department of Public Health, will have significant impact on both state and local public health efforts. I’ll also share more about events and activities over the last two weeks, including a gathering with over 20 statewide Pediatricians to discuss the safety and effectiveness of routine vaccinations.

As I shared last week, I will continue to share public health news and information that can help you, your families, and our community stay healthy and safe. This week, my focus is tobacco and nicotine. My Grandfather, Fred McCarthy, died of emphysema when I was 15. Watching my grandfather struggle to breathe and eventually die has fueled my work on tobacco prevention for decades.