Maria Horn

Last night, minutes before midnight, the 2021 Regular Legislative Session gaveled out.  While we do expect in the coming days to return for a special session to address some unfinished business, we’ve accomplished a lot, including the bipartisan passage of a strong biennium budget.  That’s a big deal for everyone who lives and works in Connecticut. 
 
For committee chairs in particular, the last few days of session are frenetic, as you work to get bills over the finish line while being ready at a moment’s notice to introduce any one of them on the floor of the House.  Some of those bills represent priorities of other committee members, but it’s our responsibility to give them their best shot at passage.  At the moment the final gavel falls, it’s hard not to think about the good bills that didn’t make it through this year, sometimes for reasons unrelated to their substance.  
 
There is a lot to be proud of in this difficult and unusual session, when we all learned new and unprecedented ways to stay connected.  I’m grateful for your input, participation, and recommendations throughout the last few months as we worked together on issues and priorities that you care about, that helped me craft legislation that will help protect our residents, our economy, and our environment. 
 
What the last week in particular did not feature was regular sleep or exercise, so I’m looking forward to that as well over the next few days. 

Here’s a list of today’s topics:

• The Biennium Budget is Passed. Click here.
• Other Bills Passed in the House. Click here.

Budget

This session, we passed a $46.4 billion biennium budget with a $2.3 billion surplus that is strong on taxes, offers relief from the ravages of COVID-19, helps jumpstart our economy, and invests in our cities and towns, nonprofits and working families

We also kept our commitment to funding local schools – ensuring we give towns predictability by honoring our formula for state grants, and ensuring no town receives less than it got the year before.

Our 2022-2023 Biennium budget:

• Rejects tax hikes on gasoline, insurance policies and large Connecticut home properties
• Includes tax relief for restaurants and allows certain businesses to keep 13.6% of the 7.35% sales tax they collect on sales of meals and beverages for FY 22
• Increases the state's earned income tax credit to 30.5% of the federal credit
• Eliminates the admissions tax as of July 1, 2021
• Maintains our historic balance in the state's $3.5 billion Rainy-Day Fund
• Increases town aid and fairly funds Education Cost Sharing (ECS) 
• Expands healthcare for 40,000 residents and families
• Supports small businesses and minority-owned businesses
• Expands workforce training so that we can get people back to work
• Fully funds debt-free community college
• Includes relief for arts, culture and tourism

In addition, we provided increased funding for hospitals and local health departments in response to COVID-19. We included additional resources to those on the frontlines of the pandemic including nursing homes, prisons, schools and nonprofit providers. We are also delivering the necessary tools for state agencies to safely reopen and serve our residents.

As we recover emotionally and financially from the pandemic, adopt a balanced state budget, and move forward with a wide variety of accomplishments this session, I am optimistic that Connecticut is coming back stronger than ever before.

Other Bills Passed During the Final Week

SB 763
Mandatory reporters play a critical role in spotting the signs of elder abuse and ensuring that our older community members are safe. With an increasing number of older adults relying on paratransit services to get around, SB 763 adds paratransit drivers to Connecticut's list of those mandated to report suspected abuse, neglect, exploitation or abandonment – offering a comprehensive solution to keeping our older adults safe.

HB 6467
Through a partnership between the Department of Economic and Community Development (DECD), financial institutions, and Community Economic Financial Institutions, HB 6467 aims to achieve inclusive economic growth by promoting additional financing options for businesses across the state, specifically for those which are small and minority-owned.

SB 363
SB 363 will expand the Attorney General's authority to protect the civil rights of Connecticut residents by allowing an investigation into allegations that civil rights are being violated and initiate legal proceedings in response.

SB 837
The continued use of forever chemicals like PFAS, which is often found in firefighting foam, pose a significant environmental hazard. Most recently, in June 2019, the state saw a spill of PFAS containing foam threatening the aquatic habitats in the Farmington River. To better support and protect our environment, SB 837 will begin take critical steps to reduce our use of PFAS.

SB 1004
Accessible dental and vision care is an essential component of preventing chronic conditions – but for young adults still just starting their careers and no longer able to retain coverage through a parents' insurance policy, this can be a costly measure. Just passed, SB 1004 will allow children, stepchildren, and other dependent children to retain dental and vision care under their parents' policies until age 26 or until they are able to access their own coverage through an employer.

SB 759
Connecticut is home to a diverse group of individuals – but with the use of only "he/him/his," our constitution does not represent this diversity. To better reflect everyone, across all genders, SB 759 will create a task force to examine the Constitution of Connecticut to preserve it's meaning while replacing gendered language to affirm that our state is home to all.

HB 6448
COVID-19 offered an opportunity for municipalities to review existing policies and procedures to find new ways to serve their communities. HB 6448 will make permanent some changes made during the pandemic to improve processes, expand public participation, and streamline opportunities for our local restaurants.

HB 6688
Trucks cause extreme wear and tear to our roads, and with no means to recoup the cost to fix those roads taxpayers are all left to shoulder the burden. HB 6688 will allow for a user fee only on large trucks so that trucking companies pay their fair share to repair and maintain our roads.