State Capitol Update from Rep. Fortier

May 22, 2023


 
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Dear Neighbor,
 
Happy Monday!
 
I hope you are well and had a good weekend.
 
The House is in full swing, and we are in session Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday this week.
 
Below is a legislative update with a summary of bills passed in the House last week and a few events I attended.
 
You can email me any questions or comments about the policies listed or the legislative process.
 
Don't forget - you can watch it all live at CT-N.com.

 
Governor Lamont Announces State Funding for Recreational Trail in Bristol
Photo credit: The Bristol Edition (TBE)
Governor Ned Lamont and Energy and Environmental Protection Commissioner Katie Dykes a  $9 million in grants are being released through the Connecticut Recreational Trails Program to plan, build, expand, and improve a total of 50 multi-use trails across Connecticut.
Photo credit: The Bristol Edition (TBE)
Bristol will receive $320,000 to plan and design a new recreational trail for pedestrians and bicyclists along the Pequabuck River.
Photo credit: The Bristol Edition (TBE)
I am grateful that Bristol is receiving this funding which will provide residents with another open space, to walk, run and explore. I thank Governor Lamont and the State Bond Commission for their consideration.
Read More Here
 
2023 Donate Life Connecticut Arts Contest Awards Ceremony
Last week, I had the pleasure of handing out citations honoring five Connecticut high school students for the excellent artwork they created for this year's Visual Arts Contest.

Congrats to Nora Diaz Azarine, Jasmin Martinez, Trezzure Roberson of Bullard Technical High School in Bridgeport, Summer Austin of Holy Cross High School in Waterbury, and John Dexter of Norwich Free Academy.

Summer is this year's recipient of the Tony Award, and John is the recipient of the Youth Advocate Award.

Congrats to everyone!
Learn More About the Visual Arts Contest 2023
 
Connecticut Manufacturing Internship Program
Act now! Enroll your interns in Connecticut’s Manufacturing Engineering Internship Program. Receive up to $7,000 in wage reimbursement for engineering interns. All enrolled interns (across all departments) are invited to statewide professional development events starting with the Internship Program Kickoff Orientation on June 5 at Trumpf in Farmington. Interns will discover the skills needed to excel in today’s industry from Chief Manufacturing Officer Paul Lavoie, learn tips from professional coach Karen Hinds, CEO of Workplace Success, hear best practices from experienced interns and tour Trumpf's North American headquarters.

Enroll your interns by May 26 to attend the kickoff. Learn more here and enroll your interns here. 
 
House Passes Legislation on
Wrong-way Crashes
Sadly, wrong-way crashes and deaths have been on the rise in Connecticut. Studies have shown that wrong-way driving crashes are 100 times more likely to be fatal than other types of crashes. Our own State Representative Quentin “Q” Williams of Middletown was killed by a wrong-way driver in January.  

The House of Representatives took action on Wednesday with the passage of HB 6746, which seek to reduce incidents and minimize fatalities from wrong-way drivers.
HB 6746 requires the Connecticut Department of Transportation (CTDOT) to expand its efforts to implement wrong-way driver countermeasures, including:
Wrong-way driving detection and notification systems on at least 120 high-risk highway exit ramps
A public awareness campaign to educate the public on ways to reduce wrong-way driving incidents and the actions drivers should take when they encounter a wrong-way driver

The number of people killed or injured on state roads is startling, especially because many of them were the result of preventable crashes. I am glad we passed this important legislation to help make our roads safer.

 
House Passes Important Clean Slate Updates
The House of Representatives passed HB 6918 last Tuesday that makes important clarifying and technical changes to the groundbreaking Clean Slate legislation signed into law in 2021, which can now be fully implemented and deliver on the promise of a fresh start for hundreds of thousands of people in education, employment and housing without the burden of a long-past criminal conviction.

Business organizations and chambers of commerce have lined up behind Clean Slate legislation in Connecticut and throughout the country, recognizing it as an economic driver by enhancing someone's ability to be gainfully employed, start a business and secure housing.

Outdated technology and outstanding legal and policy questions required updating in order to automatically erase criminal records of people seven years after the date of their conviction for a misdemeanor or 10 years after the date of their conviction for certain felonies if they have not been convicted of other crimes. 

No one's future should be limited because of mistakes made years or even decades ago.

Click Here to Learn More About Clean Slate
 
Legislation Passed In The House This Week

ICYMI: Here's a sample of some of the bills that we passed this week: House of Representatives.

 

HB 6642: Schools need help keeping kids safe and navigating federal Title IX
https://www.cga.ct.gov/asp/cgabillstatus/cgabillstatus.asp?selBillType=Bill&bill_num=HB06642&which_year=2023

HB6638: Modernizes and improves consistency in CT's discrimination statutes.
https://www.cga.ct.gov/asp/cgabillstatus/cgabillstatus.asp?selBillType=Bill&which_year=2023&bill_num=6638

 

HB 6775: Expands protections for seniors by increasing the number of mandated reporters for suspected abuse, neglect, exploitation or when a senior needs protective services.
 https://www.cga.ct.gov/asp/cgabillstatus/cgabillstatus.asp?selBillType=Bill&bill_num=HB06775&which_year=2023

 

  HB 6892: Putting teeth in municipal blight laws to increase the tools towns have to deal with abandoned, blighted and unsafe properties.
https://www.cga.ct.gov/asp/cgabillstatus/cgabillstatus.asp?selBillType=Bill&bill_num=HB06892&which_year=2023

 

HB 6077: Establishes a process to add additional statues outside the Capitol that reflect the diversity, character, and accomplishments of the state.
https://www.cga.ct.gov/asp/cgabillstatus/cgabillstatus.asp?selBillType=Bill&which_year=2023&bill_num=6077

 

HB 6561: Protecting our children is the most important part of youth athletic competition. HB 6561 creates a task force that will study safety measures for all sports.
https://www.cga.ct.gov/asp/cgabillstatus/cgabillstatus.asp?selBillType=Bill&which_year=2023&bill_num=6561

 

H.B. 5902: Establishes standards that restaurants must follow to ensure customers alert staff about their allergies. The bill will also require informational posters to be displayed in restaurants to ensure increased safety and awareness.
https://www.cga.ct.gov/asp/cgabillstatus/cgabillstatus.asp?selBillType=Bill&which_year=2023&bill_num=5902

 

HB 5314: Businesses will no longer be able to charge your credit card, debit card, or third-party payment account without your consent for automatic renewal or continuous services.
https://www.cga.ct.gov/asp/cgabillstatus/cgabillstatus.asp?selBillType=Bill&which_year=2023&bill_num=5314

 

HB 6898: Requires the Attorney General’s Office to submit a report on the settlement agreement with Juul Labs. In April, Juul Labs agreed to a $462 million settlement between six states, including Connecticut, for their role in marketing addictive nicotine products to teens. 
https://www.cga.ct.gov/asp/cgabillstatus/cgabillstatus.asp?selBillType=Bill&bill_num=HB06898&which_year=2023

HB 6677: Families who are tasked with taking care of loved ones need a lifeline. HB 6677 will require the Department of Social Services to develop a plan that will increase the number of residents eligible to receive adult day services.
https://www.cga.ct.gov/asp/cgabillstatus/cgabillstatus.asp?selBillType=Bill&which_year=2023&bill_num=6677

  

HB6891: A small but mighty change for taxpayers to allow charge card, debit card or electronic payment of municipal taxes or penalties.
https://www.cga.ct.gov/asp/cgabillstatus/cgabillstatus.asp?selBillType=Bill&bill_num=HB06891&which_year=2023

HB6590: This bill makes it easier for families to get access to the childcare they need.
http://cgalites/asp/cgabillstatus/cgabillstatus.asp?selBillType=Bill&which_year=2023&bill_num=6590
 
May is Older Americans Month
To older Americans across Connecticut - we will always support you. Your lifetimes of hard work, devotion to family, and commitment to community have laid the foundation for the state and country we are today. We have a rock-solid responsibility to ensure our Nation’s seniors can age with dignity and financial security. 
 
Eversource, UI File Reduced Rates for Electricity with PURA
Eversource and United Illuminating (UI), Connecticut's two electric distribution companies (EDCs), have filed new and lower standard service rates for residential customers from July 1 through December 31 with the Connecticut Public Utilities Regulatory Authority (PURA), and the average bills are expected to decrease significantly from current levels.

Eversource and UI file to change rates twice annually, with the rates going into effect on January 1 and July 1 of each year. The cost of natural gas, which provides the fuel for most of the heat and electricity across Connecticut and New England, is subject to continued market volatility and international factors like Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. As a result, present bills were pushed as much as $80 higher on average since the beginning of 2023 and running through June 30.

While dropping electricity rates is positive news, PURA also recently took a significant step toward additional accountability for Eversource and UI by implementing performance-based regulation (PBR) starting in 2024. Connecticut is one of the first states in the country to establish such a system, which was part of the “Take Back Our Grid Act” we passed in October 2020.

PBR has the potential to align regulatory tools since there are certain goals Eversource and UI will be expected to achieve, including fulfillment of public policies, empowering customers, and providing reasonable, equitable and affordable rates as opposed to roller coaster increases and decreases.

Connecticut’s implementation of PBR signals a commitment to dually improving utility performance and customer outcomes. It is not an attempt to hurt the utilities. PBR will show residents, however, that the utilities will keep their best interests in mind within a specific operating framework.

 
Please feel free to contact me at the Capitol at 1-800-842-8267 or by email at Mary.Fortier@cga.ct.gov if you have any questions or concerns.

Sincerely,

Mary Fortier
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