Maryam Khan

We are in the final 3 days in the legislative session and will be debating the budget today. Today until Wednesday, we are in session every day (usually late into the night). You can watch us live on CT-N here. 

This session has been jam-packed with many great discussions and important work. I’ve received many emails and surveys back from the community that have helped guide the work we do here every day. Thank you for staying engaged in the process and please continue to reach out if you’d like to share comments or concerns as we countdown toward the final day (Sine Die!) 

Below is an update on Bills we passed last week at the Capitol, information on important issues, and spotlights on events in the district. Below are some helpful links to click on to jump between sections.

• The Bill Bulletin
• The Community Calendar
• The District Diary
• The Bonus Bytes

A key aspect of this bill is providing tax incentives for opening grocery stores in food deserts. These incentives will revitalize communities in several ways:

• Providing access to healthy foods
• Creating new jobs
• Stimulating economic growth in underserved communities
• Quality of life improvement
• Enhanced sense of community

I was thrilled to see this bill pass, and look forward to it becoming law.

• Facility improvements, which can cover a variety of capital improvements, including air and HVAC systems, lighting, accessibility features, vehicle acquisition, maintenance, and repurposing.

• Programming, which can include the acquisition of program registration software, web design renovation capability, extended senior center hours, special or focused entertainment or programming, while also encompassing expanded staff hours to support those programs, when applicable.

The remaining funds will be used by the Connecticut Department of Aging and Disability Services to support its statewide senior center activities. Learn more about this exciting announcement here: tinyurl.com/56z2ym95

HB 5001 is a comprehensive multi-year measure that expands vital services to these vulnerable individuals, so that their most basic needs are properly met. This new bill complements the children's mental health legislation that became law last year.
 
Key provisions in this wide-ranging bill, which reflect strong bipartisan efforts, include the reduction of waitlists and updating a decades old approach in serving this community.

• Housing Needs
• Educational and Transitional Services
• Transportation
• Day Programming
• Career and Job Coaching
• Life Skills Training
• Behavioral Services
• Assistive Technology

It is my goal to continue working on finding solutions that not only bring a level of relief and peace of mind to guardians and family caregivers, but to the individuals who are developmentally challenged to help them reach their best potential.

• SB 922: Under this bill,Connecticut higher education institutions can no longer withhold transcripts as a means to collect debt.
• SB 1117: Expands protections for victims of human trafficking by prohibiting hotels, motels, and similar operators from offering discounts on many hourly rates.
• SB 1018: Expands your ability to collect the small remaining cash balance of a gift card and it eliminates the requirement to provide the proof of purchase or a gift receipt.
• SB 1017: The task force goal of SB 1017 is to ensure that our local emergency services and firefighter departments have enough personnel to keep our communities safe and protected.
• SB 1102: Exciting news for healthcare! S.B. 1102 expands pharmacists’ roles to include ordering and administering COVID-19, HIV, and influenza tests, prescribing HIV-related prophylaxis, and administering epinephrine cartridges. Plus, mobile pharmacies are now allowed with DCP’s approval.
• SB 1165: High schoolers should be financially literate. Educating students about managing money and debt can help them with a much brighter financial future.
• SB 953: Modernizes Connecticut's racial profiling law to reflect the reality that often race is not the only motivation for detention, but a major contributing factor.
• SB 1103: Data privacy is a high priority - SB 1103, establishes regulations and procedures for how state departments will regulate and use artificial intelligence and creates a working group to look at certain issues concerning AI.

• HB 6901: Connecticut is the fifth-highest student debt holder in the nation. HB 6901 establishes a program to reimburse some student loan payments for certain Connecticut residents and incentivizes them to stay in our state.
• HB 6599: Intimate partner violence is a leading contributor to death during pregnancy. To help identify and circumvent tragedies, HB 6599 requires the distribution of educational materials to pregnant and postpartum patients on intimate partner violence in birthing hospitals and healthcare providers.
• HB 6762: This bill includes provisions for early childhood education, special education, audits of state and local testing requirements, a Multilingual Learners Bill of Rights, and the establishment of task force to study and develop strategies to improve and promote civic engagement and instruction on civics, citizenship, media literacy and American government.
• SB 913: The reality is some people witness traumatic incidents on the job. SB 913 expands coverage to make all employees eligible for workers' compensation coverage for post-traumatic stress injuries.
• SB 1108: Students should not have to choose between their education and their reproductive health. That’s why S.B. 1108 requires the Board of Regents for Higher Education and the UConn Board of Trustees to establish a plan for providing reproductive health care services to students living on residential campuses.
• SB 956: SB 956 Requires written hospital and nursing home discharge plans for patients, to include the date and location of each follow up medical appointment and a list of medications the patient is taking.
• HB 6796: Expands on legislation we passed last year to prevent the theft of catalytic converters by allowing the sharing of information among law enforcement units in other states, creating a uniform approach to the sales and penalty for the theft of a catalytic converter and establishing a task force to further study how to deter these thefts

• SB 869: Expanding career options for workforce advancement is one of our top priorities. SB 869 will direct the Office of Workforce Strategy to help identify additional career training opportunities and training providers through the Connecticut Career Accelerator Program.
• SB 9: This is a multipronged healthcare bill. This measure addresses our state's response to the fentanyl and opioid abuse crisis, ensures access to reproductive healthcare, improves the overall health of Connecticut residents, grows and protects our health care workforce.
• HB 1148: Human and bear interactions are growing more commonplace. HB 1148 ensures that you have the right to defend yourself and others from a bear. This law also prohibits the feeding of bears to reduce the number of bears approaching people.
• HB 6397: This requires Connecticut state agencies to create a roadmap to decarbonize Connecticut’s economy and secure federal funding for this decarbonization effort.
• SB 100:This bill provides funding for cities and towns to test for and remediate drinking water contaminated with PFAS. This will help the communities throughout Connecticut struggling to address well water with elevated levels of PFAS.

This past week, I hosted a webinar with CIF Staff for info on the Community Investment Fund about grant information and how to qualify. If you missed the webinar, you can view a different informational session here. The next round of CIF application is due June 30 - if you have any questions or would like to schedule a 1:1 meeting with CIF staff, you can request to do so  here.

Click on the button above to get free online help. An Access Health customer service representative will answer your questions in real-time if you click on the “Live Chat” icon on the right side of the page. That service is available Monday through Friday from 8:00 a.m. to 3:45 p.m.



Residents may contact the call center at 1-855-805-4325, Monday through Friday from 8:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. and Saturdays from 9:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. Help is available in over 100 languages.



HUSKY Health customers are also invited to attend any of the following enrollment fairs in June.

• Waterbury: Wednesday, June 14 at New Opportunities, Inc., located at 232 N. Elm Street, from 5:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. Register here
• Norwich: Thursday, June 15 at Otis Library, located at 261 Main Street, from 10:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. Register here
• Meriden: Saturday, June 24 at Augusta Curtis Cultural Center, located at 175 E. Main Street, from 10:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. Register here 

Please utilize our state resources to ensure that you continue to get the health coverage you and your family deserve.

You can read more about the train service here.

Sincerely,

Maryam Khan