Mary Welander

Did you know residents in every town in the state have applied for CT Paid Leave? Approximately 66,000 workers in Connecticut have received over $375 million in benefits when they were unable to work due to qualifying health or family reasons. 

In 2019, the legislature passed and Governor Ned Lamont signed Public Act 19-25 into law, creating CT Paid Leave. Employee payroll contributions began in 2021. One year later, on January 1, 2022, benefit programs began for qualified applicants.

Families in Connecticut shouldn't have to worry about whether they can balance taking care of family needs or paying the bills. With this program, both can happen, as it offers partial income replacement benefits.

• Parental bonding - the birth of an employee's child or placement of an adopted or foster child with the employee
• Serious health conditions - for the employee or a family member of the employee
• Donors - to serve as an organ or bone marrow donor
• Armed Forces - for family members in the armed forces undergoing treatment for an injury or illness incurred in the line of duty or being deployed to a foreign country
• Family violence - for family violence victims to seek medical care or counseling, obtain services from a victim services organization, relocate because of family violence, or participate in civil or criminal proceedings related to the family

Connecticut is one of 13 states in the nation, along with Washington D.C., to pass paid family and medical leave legislation. New Hampshire and Vermont have enacted voluntary programs for employers who want to opt in.

Connecticut should be proud of its paid leave program. It is held up as a national model for other states to emulate.

• Requires the Connecticut Department of Public Health to oversee the licensing of birth centers
• Prohibits anyone from establishing or operating a birth center unless it obtains a license
• Establishes a doula certification program administered by the Connecticut Department of Public Health
• Directs the Connecticut Office of Early Childhood to design a statewide program for universal nurse home visiting, building on a pilot program in the Greater Bridgeport area that provides a population-level solution to offer care and services early in an infant’s life.

Improving equitable access to health care resources, including providers, is a positive step forward to improving maternal health in Connecticut.

More individuals and families have busy schedules over the summer, but please make sure to visit one of our local libraries. They are great resources, offering a wide range of benefits and opportunities for children and adults. You can take advantage of new books, reading programs, or resources for research.

Our libraries are a safe space for the entire community where you can beat the heat in peace. Click on the links below to see which programs are available in the 114th district:

Woodbridge Town Library

Case Memorial Library

Derby Public Library

Hamden Public Library