Legislative & Local Updates for the 149th District for the Week Ending March 17, 2023

March 17, 2023
Happy St. Patrick's Day!

Below you’ll find an update on bills I’ve been working on, some of the bills that have been voted out of the committees I serve on, as well as an update on the Aquarion Company request for a rate increase.

I hope you'll join me tomorrow at The Country Table in Greenwich from 9:30 to 10:30 a.m. for coffee and conversation. 

And I'll be marching Sunday in the St. Patrick's Day Parade in Greenwich - I hope to see you there!

Have a great weekend,
Rachel

 
Addressing Our Worker Shortage

In January, I introduced a bill to address worker deficits in the fields of teaching and healthcare. Both industries are facing severe shortages as many teachers and healthcare workers left their jobs in response to the pressures of the pandemic. The bill, HB5441, provides incentives to attract and retain nursing and teaching students. We must maintain high quality education and healthcare if we hope to attract residents and businesses to Connecticut and keep them here. 

I’m happy to report that the bill has been voted out of Committee, and I’ll keep you updated on its progress. 

 
Video Update
 
 
Learn About Bills I've Co-Sponsored

I’ve co-sponsored several bills to lower the costs of health insurance for small businesses, to address wage discrimination, to promote energy efficient technologies, to protect children’s health by prohibiting the use of polystyrene containers in food trays, and protect our diminishing population of horseshoe crabs. 

The more we can do to improve the quality of life for families, reduce the costs of owning a small business, and make our state more efficient, the more we can continue to make CT a destination for families and businesses. Click here to learn more about the bills I co-sponsored.

 
HB 6890: Transit-Oriented Development
On Wednesday, the Planning and Development Committee held a public hearing on HB 6890, a transit-oriented development bill designed to address the shortage of housing at all levels that we face in the state. 
 
Greenwich residents have voiced many concerns, which I share, about the density this kind of development will bring to downtown areas, as well as the “de-prioritization” that municipalities who do not participate will face when applying for discretionary infrastructure funds. Should the transit-oriented development bill be voted out of committee, I will not support it. 
 
However, we must provide viable solutions to the affordable housing crisis in our town and throughout the state. The lack of affordable housing is hampering our state’s economic growth. I urge our municipal leaders to work with haste to build more affordable housing so that Greenwich can meet its affordable housing obligations and no longer be subjected to top-down housing mandates. 
 
Improving Driver Safety

As mentioned in my video update, the Transportation Committee voted 10 bills out of committee last week. Among the bills we voted on:

SB 1082, which would lower the legal blood alcohol level in Connecticut from .08 to .05 by weight. Read more HERE from CT NewsJunkie. I voted in favor of this bill.

HB 5917 implements the recommendations of the Vision Zero Council, which aims to reduce causes of transportation-related fatalities and severe injuries to pedestrians, bike riders, transit users, motorists and passengers. I voted in favor of this bill.
 
HB 6746 requires CTDOT to expand efforts to implement wrong-way driving countermeasures and requires driver’s education programs to include instruction concerning ways to reduce wrong-way driving incidents and actions to take when an operator encounters a motor vehicle being operated in the wrong direction. I voted in favor of this bill.

 
Expanding Access to Voting

On Wednesday, in the Government Administration and Elections Committee voted several bills out of committee which will go a long way toward expanding access to voting:
 
SJ 29 and HJ 1 would approve an amendment to add No Excuse Absentee Voting to the State Constitution. I voted in favor of these bills.
 
SB 1057SB 1064 and HB 5004 will make Connecticut the 47th state to implement Early Voting. I voted in favor of these bills.
 
And, not to forget, SB 390 which will designate Pizza as the State Food! I voted in favor of this bill.

 
Aquarion Water Update

On Wednesday, PURA approved a final decision that rejects Aquarion Water Company’s proposed multi-year distribution rate increase and instead reduces current customer rates effective immediately.

PURA's action will decrease the average residential customer’s total bill by approximately $67 per year. Under the decision, the Authority approves an annual revenue requirement for Aquarion in the amount of $195,561,690 in base rates for the rate year commencing on March 15, 2023, and a return on equity (ROE) of 8.70%. This authorized annual revenue requirement represents a decrease of almost $2 million, or 1%, compared to current levels, and, paired with the Water Infrastructure Conservation Adjustment (WICA) surcharge being reset to $0, results in an 11% decrease in Aquarion customers’ rates.  

To read more about it, click HERE.

 
Public Hearings for the Week of March 20
 
PCAs Will Have Additional Access to Affordable Health Insurance

Personal care attendants (PCAs) will have additional access to affordable health insurance after an agreement was reached to expand the application deadline for PCAs to apply for the first round of the new premium assistance benefit.

PCAs, who provide valuable services and support to more than 7,000 of Connecticut’s Medicaid consumers so they can remain in their homes and communities, may now apply for the premium benefit through April 7. The special enrollment period for coverage through Access Health CT, the state's health insurance exchange, runs until May 15. For those who do not apply for assistance by April 7, another application period will be provided later this year with payment on or around September, in time for the traditional open enrollment period on Access Health CT.
 
Connecticut is one of the first states to do this, and I encourage all PCA s who are not enrolled in health coverage to sign up for this important benefit.

Access Health CT has a special enrollment period and dedicated telephone line with navigator assistance for PCAs so that they can easily find the best health insurance option for them and obtain enrollment support. The Access Health CT navigators also screen the PCAs for eligibility for the HUSKY and Covered CT programs. 
 
PCAs will soon receive communication with instructions on how they can access this important benefit.

If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to reach out to my office.

 
It's Tax Season...Beware of Scams

Tax filing season is upon us. As you prepare to file, I urge you to be mindful of potential scams. The IRS produces a list of "dirty dozen" tax scams.  While these scams can occur year-round, they tend to increase during this time of the year. It’s wise to stay on top of the latest list of common issues - and take some simple steps to stay safe from them.

A great way to protect yourself is to do additional research on anything that seems suspicious. Do not click on an email or a link to an unfamiliar website. Never give out any personal information - especially your Social Security Number - to someone claiming to represent the IRS over the phone or online. When in doubt, visit IRS.gov for additional guidance.
 
Filing taxes can be a stressful process. Avoiding these scams can prevent an even larger headache. The deadline to file is April 18.