April 26 Session Updates
Deaf, deafblind, and hard of hearing individuals often rely on interpreters to better navigate through the world – especially in critical settings like schools, hospitals, or courts. The House just passed HB 5230 to increase and strengthen standards for these interpreters so deaf, deafblind, and hard of hearing individuals are confident in the services they are receiving.
A strong relationship with finances is critical to success and being properly prepared for the future. HB 5315 would allow the Treasurer to create a Center for Financial Wellness and establish a Financial Wellness Trust Fund so that communities would have access to programs and resources necessary to increasing financial literacy.
Marine forage fish play a critical role in the ecosystem of Connecticut's shoreline, but the lack of a limit on catching these species has caused a depletion of the species threatening the health of our coast. The House just passed HB 5141 to protect and limit the number of certain forage fish species and prevent large scale commercial fisheries.
Connecticut is home to beautiful shorelines with a Horseshoe Crab population that plays an integral role in the survival of several shore species. But harvesting of Horseshoe Crabs, however minimal, has caused the population to dwindle leading to functional extinction. Through HB 5140, harvesting would be prohibited to help protect the remaining population.
Building officials play a critical and essential role in ensuring public safety, but with significant retirements in the field, qualified individuals are becoming harder to find. The House just acted to address this shortage by passing HB 5428 to allow for a shared service to utilize existing talent and support internship and apprenticeship programs to allow for growth in the field.
The state's settlement with Purdue Pharma for their role in creating the opioid epidemic requires both Purdue and the Sackler family to provide significant funding to the state to support services for victims and survivors of the epidemic. HB 5044 establishes an Opioid Settlement Advisory Committee which will administer the money received by the state to support Connecticut's continuing efforts to reduce substance use disorders.
Though lead poisoning is often viewed as a thing of the past, a recent report by CT's Department of Public Health found that more than 1000 CT children under the age of 6 were poisoned by lead in 2020. The state has continued to work on several initiatives to combat this still very real issue, including legislation just passed to reduce the thresholds of blood lead levels in individuals to require for quicker response and information sharing to effectively combat the problem.
The most effective way to combat domestic violence is to continue speaking about it – erasing the stigma and shame often felt by survivors. By passing HB 5355, the House is shining a light on the issue by providing information and training to help protect survivors and potential victims both in and out of workplaces.
As we work to better Connecticut's environmental outcomes in the future – equity is critical component of that conversation. Just passed by the House, HB 5297 ensures that all communities have equitable access to a safe and healthy environment.
Connecticut has worked to honor the sacrifice of our veterans. With the passage of HB 5367, the House continues this work by updating state statutes to, among other technical changes, provide expanded tax relief for veterans and update the veterans license plates to include the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.