Treneé McGee

Greetings Neighbor!

 

I love Spring and the warmer temperatures that come along with it. I hope you and your family are well and had a good holiday weekend.







I had a great time at the Memorial Day Parade!

 

This is my legislative update for May, and below, you will find updates on what I have been up to and what we’ve been doing in the legislature.

 

Please let me know if you have any questions or concerns about the issues raised in this newsletter or any other topics you think I should know about.

 

Have a wonderful day!

House Bill 6919 is a bill that I first introduced this session, which gives Connecticut theaters a tax credit for certain pre and post Broadway theater productions. This legislation is expected to be included in the final passage of the budget.

Earlier this month I held press conference with members of the theater community to speak on the important of passing this bill.



You can read more about the press conference here or watch it in full below.

ICYMI: We have passed a number of great bills in the House! Learn more about these bills below:

I was honored to be the guest speaker at the Connecticut Prayer Breakfast in the Capitol. I thank all those who supported me.

Members of Connecticut's General Assembly, from both sides of the aisle,  came together outside of their offices and chambers, in the spirit of bipartisanship, for some fun and good causes.



The CT General Assembly held its Second Annual Kickball Classic earlier this month at Dunkin' Park in Hartford, home of the Yard Goats. 



We played like a team! The kickball fundraiser was a success, can’t wait to come back and win next year!

Councilwoman Robbin Watt Hamilton Councilman Mitch Gallignano and myself led an “Act It Out,” acting workshop with the seniors of Prete Senior Housing.



We had an amazing time of improvisational theater, spontaneous movement, food, give-aways and fun! Pictures below and video to come soon! It was so much fun!!

I applaud the commitment and creativity the governor’s office is making to fund the Baby Bonds Program. This first-of-its-kind statewide policy is designed to invest directly in Connecticut children born into poverty while simultaneously narrowing the generational and racial wealth gaps in our state.

 

Under the current law, $3,200 would be placed in a trust on behalf of each baby born into HUSKY, the state’s Medicaid program, starting July 1. Those investments would grow over time and recipients could access that money between the ages of 18-30.

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.