June 4 Newsletter

June 5, 2021
We are in the home stretch of the 2021 legislative session. There are just days left until the close of the session on June 9th, and we still have a number of important pieces of legislation to consider. This is a recap of some of the bills the House voted on this past week, along with other information and highlights.

Below you can find information on the following topics:

  • Banking Bills Pass House
  • House Sends Bill Strengthening CT's Domestic Violence Laws to Governor
  • Roundup of Bills Passed in House This Week
  • Pride Month
  • World Environment Day
  • Remembering D-Day
  • Latest COVID-19 Statistics

For more information about the state's response efforts visit ct.gov/coronavirus. To receive text message notifications, sign up for CTAlert, the state’s emergency alert system. To subscribe, text "COVIDCT" to 888-777.

 
Banking Bills Pass House
Wednesday night was a busy one in the House as we passed 3 priority bills from the Banking Committee.

                   

SB 891: Our foreclosure relief bill. As we emerge from the Covid-19 pandemic we have had much work to do this session - public health, mental health, education, and of course our economy and the personal financial distress experienced in many households across our state. As the foreclosure moratoriums and forbearance programs expire, we don’t know for sure the volume of foreclosures will be, but we know we need to prepared and this bill will help the people of Connecticut to emerge from this pandemic, help to save their homes, be able to meet their financial obligations and help to stabilize our housing market and our economy. It specifically it builds on and improves two already successful existing state programs - the Ezequiel Santiago Foreclosure Mediation program and the Emergency Mortgage Assistance Program or EMAP. So happy to see this one on its way to Governor's desk.
                 

HB 5027: This bill creates a fantastic new first time homebuyer savings account and tax deduction program as well as a financial literacy program at Office of Connecticut State Treasurer Shawn Wooden. I was proud to work closely with CT Realtors and my good friend State Representative Tom Delnicki in a great bipartisan effort to get this bill passed.

                 

HB 6372: This bill makes a small but important change to streamline the process behind bank executions. This concept is one that has been proposed and debated year after year and it is a significant milestone to finally see it pass one chamber of the legislature. On to the Senate!

 
House Sends Bill Strengthening CT's Domestic Violence Laws to Governor
Connecticut's current domestic violence laws fall short of offering comprehensive support and protection for survivors.

To strengthen protections for domestic violence victims and survivors, the Connecticut House of Representatives passed legislation that, among other things, would expand the definition of domestic violence to include coercive control.

Coercive control is a pattern or behavior that can use threatening, intimidation, or exploitation to trap individuals in abusive relationships.

This expanded definition recognizes intimate partner violence can be more than physical abuse – it can take shape as emotional, psychological and sexual abuse. This bill will help make the process of filing for restraining orders, divorce, child custody, and other family court matters easier for victims and survivors. It would also create a new legal aid program to provide legal representation for victims and survivors of domestic violence.

Though seemingly small, these changes can help save lives by offering more positive outcomes to individuals trapped in abusive relationships.

The bill now goes to Governor Lamont for his signature. If signed, Connecticut would join California and Hawaii as states that recognize non-physical abuse as a form of domestic violence.

 
Roundup of Bills Passed in House This Week
We were at the Capitol this week debating and voting on a variety of bills as we approach the end of the 2021 legislative session. Among the bills we passed are the following:

S.B. 1037,AN ACT CONCERNING SOLID WASTE MANAGEMENT.
                 

The House of Representatives took action on modernizing Connecticut's bottle deposit program to encourage residents to recycle and keep our beautiful parks, beaches and streets clean.

Connecticut's original bottle bill was enacted in 1978 and was one of the most progressive anti-litter laws of its time. While the program worked extremely well in its early years, the law has since become outdated and return rates have dropped below 50%.
S.B. 1037, An Act Concerning Solid Waste Management, includes a number of provisions aimed at updating the bottle deposit program and increasing redemption, such as:

  • Increases the redemption rate on beverage containers from 5 to 10 cents starting January 2024
  • Requires certain retailers that sell beverage containers captured by the bottle program to have two reverse vending machines outside of their stores starting in October 2021
  • Updates the types of beverage containers captured by the bottle program, such as containers for teas, juices, hard ciders, and hard seltzers
  • Allocates $5 million through the Department of Economic and Community Development (DECD) to create a grant program for new redemption centers in urban areas
  • Creates a nickel surcharge on nip bottles, which are a major source of litter in towns across the state, at the point of sale. The money will be redistributed to Connecticut towns and cities to use to reduce waste and litter.

I am proud to support this legislation because it is a common-sense modernization of the bottle deposit program that will go a long way towards cleaning up our communities, reducing waste, and providing people in cities and towns across Connecticut with greater access to redemption facilities.

S.B. 1, AN ACT EQUALIZING COMPREHENSIVE ACCESS TO MENTAL, BEHAVIORAL AND PHYSICAL HEALTH CARE IN RESPONSE TO THE PANDEMIC.
                 

Structural and systemic racism has a significant impact on the social determinants of health, leading to vast health disparities in our state. Among other impactful measures included in the omnibus bill to support accessible health care, SB 1 includes a provision to declare racism a public health crisis and assemble a panel to study the effects of racism on our health care system.

S.B. 2, AN ACT CONCERNING SOCIAL EQUITY AND THE HEALTH, SAFETY AND EDUCATION OF CHILDREN.
                   

The House passed SB 2, an omnibus bill that would help improve the lives and health of all children in our state.  

H.B. 6517, AN ACT IMPLEMENTING THE RECOMMENDATIONS OF THE TASK FORCE TO ANALYZE THE IMPLEMENTATION OF LAWS GOVERNING DYSLEXIA INSTRUCTION AND TRAINING.
                

Over 2,000 Connecticut students were diagnosed with dyslexia during the 2018-19 school year, and 80% of students with learning disabilities have dyslexia. To improve instruction and better support students with dyslexia, the House passed HB 6517. This bill establishes an Office of Dyslexia and Reading Disabilities that will help teachers identify students who may have dyslexia and become more effective at instructing them to achieve greater success. The first step in helping students overcome challenges in the classroom is identifying why they're struggling. This bill provides the tools to help students succeed.

CLICK HERE for more information about this bill.

H.B. 5597, AN ACT CONCERNING OPIOIDS.
                
The opioid epidemic has devastated our state. HB 5597 would help combat this epidemic by creating a task force to study the response protocols used by emergency responders and medical personnel following an opioid overdose death. It also requires the state Department of Public Health Commissioner to develop guidelines for the use of non-pharmaceutical methods of treating chronic pain and conduct community outreach to raise awareness. This bill could save lives and address the stigma of opioid use disorder.

CLICK HERE for more information about this bill.

S.B. 975, AN ACT STRENGTHENING THE BILL OF RIGHTS FOR LONG-TERM CARE FACILITY RESIDENTS.
                  
Many of the privileges we enjoy at home are denied to Connecticut's long-term care facility residents. SB 975 strengthens the nursing home patients' bill of rights so residents may treat their living space as their home, protecting their rights to privacy, health, and safety. The bill also allows patients to have video equipment installed in their room so that loved ones may monitor them. Every resident deserves the safety and security of a home-like environment.

CLICK HERE for more information about this bill.

 
Pride Month
June is here and that means it's PRIDE MONTH! 

Follow along this month as I share resources, legislation, events and trailblazing figures in the Connecticut LGBTQ+ community.

 
World Environment Day
Saturday, June 5th is #WorldEnvironmentDay! 🌎

This is our moment. We cannot turn back time, but we can grow trees, implement green policies, and clean up rivers and coasts.

Tune in to the World Environment Day 2021 Official Broadcast here: www.youtube.com/watch?v=d-Ediev8Xjk

 
Remembering D-Day
All gave some, some gave all. On Sunday, we reflect and remember those who fought in the battle which helped to turn the tides during the Second World War. 
 
Latest COVID-19 Statistics
Manchester Specific Updates
  • Total Cases (confirmed & probable): 4,924
  • Total Deaths (confirmed & probable): 151

Glastonbury Specific Updates

  • Total Cases (confirmed & probable): 2,228
  • Total Deaths (confirmed & probable): 105