Newsletter

May 4, 2022
Today is Sine Die, the end of the 2022 session. Today has been filled with celebrations, retirements and as many bills as we can get through both houses as we run out the clock.
 
While we will eventually have an Office of Legislative Management end of session report to share, I wanted to update you on some of the most critical pieces of the budget we passed and what those sections accomplish.
 
It's hard to believe that I've now been here for two sessions and while I am anxious to be at events and celebrations in district throughout the rest of the year, there is something truly special about working with colleagues on both sides of the aisle on legislation that truly impact the residents of Connecticut.
 
I look forward to seeing you in the grocery store, at games and graduations, and around the district. Please continue to reach out to me when you have a question or a concern and I look forward to our conversations.
 
THE BUDGET: WHAT IT DOES 
The budget proposal we approved offers Connecticut tax payers like you and our neighbors $600 million in tax cuts. $600 MILLION!

This budget provides historic tax relief for parents, retirees, workers, and property owners.

Our budget plan CUTS YOUR TAXES by:
•    Cutting state income taxes for retirees
•    Lowering property taxes on homes and cars
•    Extending tax cuts for workers in low-paying jobs (EITC)
•    Creating a state tax credit for childcare
•    Extending the 25-cent gas tax cut until December
•    Establishing a state child tax credit worth $250 per child
In addition to this historic tax relief package, the spending side of this budget makes groundbreaking investments in children’s mental health, increases funding in juvenile justice and anti-crime programs, leverages new federal funding for important programs, and invests in childcare, education, and our workforce.
 
MAKES HISTORIC INVESTMENTS IN CHLDREN'S MENTAL HEALTH
Emergency rooms across Connecticut have been inundated with patients awaiting placement into inpatient psychiatric beds. Our schools are facing a shortage of mental health professionals and have sounded the alarm on the need to expand access and support services.

This session we have been focused on responding to the ongoing youth mental health crisis, which has been worsened by the COVID-19 pandemic. Although our schools have reopened for in-person learning and many precautionary measures have been rolled back, our students are still grappling with the social and emotional consequences. This has manifested in increased rates of depressions, suicide, and self-harm among many adolescents.
The budget will:
  • Assist local schools in expanded mental health staff and access to care
  • Provide mental health training to parents, students, and pediatricians
  • Help school-based health centers develop new mental health programming
  • Create new walk-ins for mental health emergencies
  • Establish a new position at the Healthcare Advocate to help families navigate care for children and adolescents
  • Expand 24/7 emergency mental health response
  • Establish state oversight and coordination of state response to kids' mental health needs
  • Expand mentorship opportunities

As we work towards a healthier Connecticut for all, it is vital that we fill the gaps in our children's mental and behavioral health system. This budget is a good step to safeguarding access to mental health care for our children.
 
MEANINGFUL INVESTMENTS IN CHILDREN, TOO
Children often are among the first to be impacted by social, economic, and healthcare disruptions. To help relieve parents, I voted to support the inclusion of a child tax payment in our state budget.
The child tax payment will provide parents with qualifying incomes a graduated personal income tax credit of up to $600 for up to three dependent children under the age of 16.
Click Here For More Information
We also made other investments in children that include:
  • Increased funding for infant and toddler care programs
  • Increased pay to childcare workers to attract and retain more educators
  • An expansion of the successful Birth to Three Program
  • Assisting local childcare facilities with renovations

Our work this session focused on making our childcare system more resilient and supporting parents and guardians.

Please share this information with parents you know and reach out if you have questions about any of these programs.
 
TAKES CLIMATE CHANGE SERIOUSLY
Protecting our environment and addressing climate change are challenges that affect all of us. Prior to the start of the 2022 legislative session, I  pledged to support policies that would help cut our carbon footprint, promote environmental justice, and protect the health of Connecticut residents.

Our state budget delivers on policies that, without a doubt, are steps forward to achieving our environmental goals, including better health outcomes for all residents.

Transportation-related greenhouse gas emissions have contributed to worsening air quality leading to higher rates of illnesses like asthma. Investing in our transportation sector and encouraging wide-scale electric vehicle distribution will greatly contribute to reducing these emissions and ultimately, improving air quality - 

SB 4  invests in transitioning to electric and zero-emission state vehicles, school busses, transit buses, and much more.
Additional budget investments for a cleaner environment include:
  • New incentives for consumer and commercial electric vehicles
  • Establishing the Office of Aquatic Invasive Species
  • More sophisticated testing of shellfish
  • Repopulating native salmon and eel populations 
  • New waste management programming
  • Increasing access to rebates and vouchers to buy electric vehicles through programs like CHEAPR
  • Equalizing the registration fee for electric vehicles with all other motor vehicles and establishing a voucher program for the purchase of electric bicycles.

Reducing toxic air pollutants and setting emissions control measures will help us and future generations breathe easier by bringing Connecticut to the level of other states that have strong clean air policies in place.
 
ADDRESSES PANDEMIC-RELATED CRIME
Property crime is dangerous, and we need to act.

Fear never yields good policy. So I worked hard to ensure thoughtful criminal justice reforms. Connecticut remains one of the safest places to live in part because of smart, bipartisan policy we’ve enacted over the last 15 years to address crime holistically.

The state budget package we just approved and sent to the Senate invests in diversion programs and measures to help individuals successfully re-enter society after incarceration.
Our budget:
  • Invests in Youth Service Bureaus and Juvenile Review Boards
  • Increases work opportunities for young adults
  • Expanded alternatives to incarceration
  • Funds state and local task forces to address gun violence and auto thefts
  • Establishes an office on gun violence prevention
  • Maintains our commitment to police accountability and our new clean slate laws
  • Secured messaging services for inmates

These programs work to address some of the underlying causes of crime, but our police and courts need more tools to hold offenders accountable for breaking the law and keep the public safe. We passed legislation to:

  • Toughen penalties for vehicle thefts
  • Address lab and case backlogs
  • Expand the use of GPS monitoring in some cases
  • Provide more hands-on training and crisis training to police

We are working collaboratively with input from Republicans, and our law enforcement and judicial partners to develop strategies that stem crime in the interim and over the long-term. Our work doesn't end here, but we have a solid foundation on which to build.
 
MY THOUGHTS ON SB358: AN ACT CONCERNING REQUIRED HEALTH INSURANCE FOR BREAST AND OVARIAN SUSCEPTIBILITY
Frequently when knocking doors in our district, I hear insurance concerns, especially from women with dense breasts who frequently need more than a mammogram to confirm they do not have cancer.
 
With the passage of SB 358 AAC Required Health Insurance Coverage for Breast and Ovarian Cancer Susceptibility Screening, we are one step closer to saving lives. Out-of-pocket costs should never be a deterrent to good healthcare. This bill helps patients take control of their health by expanding access to preventative services by covering up-to-date diagnostic treatment services.