Robin Comey

Here’s the rundown on what took place at the Capitol this week including what we’ve accomplished in the legislature and what important issues are on the horizon.

During Nurses Week, we celebrate their commitment to healing and patient care. There would be no healthcare without the compassionate nurses who lend their expertise every day. Thank you for being the backbone of our healthcare system! My colleagues from the Public Health and Human Services Committees and I held a press conference highlighting the deficient Medicaid reimbursement rates for Behavioral Health Med Administrators Home Visiting Nurses.

We also recognized the amazing educators who shape our future. Teachers Week is our chance to celebrate the countless ways they impact lives that extend beyond the classroom. Thank you for nurturing curiosity, inspiring creativity, and helping build tomorrow’s leaders. While we can’t spill all the beans just yet, our Education Committee has been working on some game-changing legislation that aims to boost classroom resources and expand support for both students and teachers across the district.

Hope to see you around town!

The House voted to strengthen healthcare for Connecticut's seniors! This legislation among other things increases access for vital biomarker testing, establishes a task force to address the specific needs of seniors with Alzheimer's and dementia, and enhances safety with improved background checks for all nursing home employees.

This action reflects our ongoing efforts to support and care for our aging population.

The House proudly passed Substitute House Bill 6771 establishing a legal requirement for health insurance policies to cover biomarker testing, a type of medical testing that analyzes biological samples—such as tissue or blood—to detect molecular signs (biomarkers) of health conditions or treatment responses.

Key points of the bill include:

• Mandatory Coverage: Health insurance must cover biomarker tests when used for diagnosing, treating, managing, or monitoring diseases.

• Evidence-Based Requirement: Coverage is contingent upon the test having demonstrated clinical utility, meaning it must be supported by:

  • FDA approval or clearance,

  • Medicare coverage determinations, or

  • Clinical practice guidelines recognized by the medical community

The bill aims to expand access to potentially life-saving or life-improving tests, especially in personalized or precision medicine, while also ensuring that only scientifically validated tests are covered.

The House voted this week to make important changes to the Firefighters Cancer Relief Program, including among other things expanding the types of cancers covered to include skin cancer and authorizing workers’ compensation administrative law judges to handle appeals of any denial of benefits.

Taking care of our first responders is always a legislative priority.

We also passed legislation to make sure that warehouse workers are treated with respect by passing legislation that limiting and providing clarity when employers use production quotas.

The legislation also ensures that:  

• Employers must provide quota information upon hiring an employee
• If quotas change, workers must be notified
• Employees cannot be retaliated against for requesting work records
• Quotas cannot be used to inhibit workers from using the restroom or taking an entitled break

Valuing people over profits is good public policy.

More than two years ago I began my journey in sobriety. I was interviewed for a new podcast, The Sober Spill, produced by Mountainside Treatment Center.

In the latest episode I discuss my personal evolution towards acceptance and return to public service with renewed strength and purpose.  Mountainside Treatment Center is where I marked the beginning of my journey to sobriety. 
 
Click the image below to listen to my interview or click here to link to all platforms where it is available.  
 
If you are interested in my story as it relates to my connection to service, I hope you will tune in. You can listen to the podcast or watch on Youtube.

Mountainside Treatment Center offers innovative, holistic, and compassionate drug addiction treatment and alcohol rehabilitation.  To learn more: https://mtsi.de/treatment or CALL 1-888-510-8852.

This May, we honor the courage, commitment, and sacrifice of our service members past and present.

Thank you for defending our freedoms.