Newsletter 8/7/21

August 9, 2021
I hope you had a great first week of August! With this newsletter, I continue to highlight several pieces of legislation that were passed this session. This week I’m focusing on the Aging Committee- a committee on which I served.

Aging Committee:

Respite Care Program
This program offers relief to stressed caregivers by providing information, support, the development of an appropriate plan of care, and services for the individual with Alzheimer’s Disease or related dementias. The program may subsidize the cost of services up to an amount of $7,500 per year.

Protected Medicare Savings Plan Coverage for Seniors
We ensured that eligible seniors will be free from the Governor’s proposed asset test and can continue to receive the life-saving support they deserve from the Medicare Savings Plan.

Protected Tax Cuts for All Seniors
We rejected the Governor's proposal to pause the income tax phase-out for retirement income. The legislature also added IRAs to the list of eligible retirement income to be included in the tax phase-out for 2024.

Virtual Visitation in Nursing Homes
COVID-19 exposed the devastating effects that isolation has on our nursing home residents, so we responded by ensuring everyone access to virtual visits by loved ones.
 
Senior Property Tax Relief 
Making sure seniors can afford to stay in their homes has been a longstanding priority for me. This law will give towns the ability to increase eligibility for senior property tax relief by lowering the earliest eligibility age from 70 to 65.
 
Long Term Care Facilities 
We made the following enhancements to the long-term care residents bill of rights: 

  • Added the right to treat their living quarters as their own home.
  • Allowed nursing home residents to use the technology of their choice for virtual monitoring and visitation.
  • Require nursing homes to provide residents with free internet for virtual monitoring and virtual visitation.
  • Added the right to associate and communicate privately with individuals of the patient's choice.
  • Added the right of residents to access representatives of the Department of Public Health and the Long-Term Care Ombudsman.
  • Specifies that nursing home residents have no fewer rights than any other residents.
  • Extended the bill of rights to residents of assisted living facilities.

Age Discrimination in Employment Opportunities 
We strengthened laws protecting seniors in the workplace by making it a discriminatory practice to require that an applicant disclose their age, date of birth, or graduation date unless it is needed as part of the job qualification or required under Federal law.

 
EAGLE SCOUTS
It is always such a pleasure to participate in the honoring of new Eagle Scouts. Congratulations to the newest Eagle Scouts of Troop 82- Tyler, Jason, Brian, Gary, Owen, and Ian! Our community is so proud of you and grateful for your service. We can’t wait to see what the future holds for you.
 
COFFEE HOUR RECAP
Thank you to everyone who joined Rep. McCarthy Vahey and me Thursday morning for a lovely in-person conversation about this past session, our community, and where we are headed. It was wonderful to SEE you and hear from you. If you weren't able to make it but have any questions or ideas you would like to share, please don't hesitate to contact me at: Jennifer.Leeper@cga.ct.gov.
 
SPECIAL EDUCATION FUNDING
This week, more than $16 million in Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief II (ESSER II) funds were made available to 170 school districts across Connecticut. This relief money will supplement schools' special education expenditures to allow for more services to over 80,000 students across the state during the upcoming school year. The ESSER II funding is critical to supporting equitable learning opportunities for students with varying educational needs. 
Where the money will go:
 
Addressing Delayed, Interrupted, Suspended or Inaccessible Individualized Education Plan (IEP) Supports and Services: Up to $13 million in funds will address delayed, interrupted, suspended, or inaccessible IEP supports and services for students with IEPs in each school district.
 
Special Education Evaluations: Up to $1 million in funds will increase the capacity of state’s six Regional Educational Service Centers (RESC) to assist school districts in conducting special education evaluations, which will benefit approximately 240 students and their support teams.
 
Supplementary Tutoring and Reading Instruction: Up to $2 million in funds will assist 170 districts with supporting supplementary tutoring and reading instruction to address the needs of 3,092 students with an IEP and a primary disability category of SLD/dyslexia in alignment with the reading goals in the student’s current IEP.
 
Individualized In-Home Support for High Needs Students: Up to $272,000 in funds will provide for 8,000 hours of individualized in-home support through partnership with the Connecticut Department of Developmental Services to provide 1:1 in-home assistance and support for up to 200 students.
 
More than 50,000 students in Connecticut have already been impacted by these grants, with a commitment to children and communities most impacted by the pandemic. I will remain committed to fighting for accessible enrichment programs and funding for all students throughout our state.
 
BLACK WOMEN'S EQUAL PAY DAY
This Tuesday was Black Women's Equal Pay Day. Imagine having to work seven extra months just to earn the same pay as a male co­-worker. If you’re a Black woman in the United States, that’s a likely reality. New research from the American Association of University Women examines how decades of discriminatory employment practices, intentionally inadequate legal protections, and persistent racial stereotypes have contributed to a pay gap that remains far wider for women of color than for white women.

Read the report here: https://bit.ly/3xpEJDO

 
U.S. COAST GUARD BIRTHDAY
Happy 231st Birthday to the U.S. Coast Guard! To all of our active and retired Coast Guard service members, thank you for protecting the public and the environment on our nation's waterways, along the coast, and on international waters. We are truly grateful for your service and sacrifice.