Capitol News from State Senator Bob Duff

September 2009 Issue

Capitol address
Legislative Office Building
Room 2400
Hartford, CT 06106-1595

E-mail
Bob.Duff@cga.ct.gov

On the Web
www.SenatorDuff.cga.ct.gov

Phone
Capitol: 860-240-0414
Toll-free: 1-800-842-1420
Home: 203-840-1333

OFFICE HOURS

September 30
Noon to 1:30 p.m.
Ludlow Commons
Rogers Square, Norwalk

October 14
12:00 p.m.
Broad River Homes
108 New Canaan Avenue, Norwalk

October 27
4:00 p.m.
Irving Freese Homes and Shostak Apartments
57 Ward Street, Norwalk

The legislature has put a two-year budget in place for the State of Connecticut. In this month’s Capitol News, you’ll learn more about that budget and about legislation that will help the thousands of Connecticut families with autistic children, and you’ll find information about an important new study on the long-anticipated Super 7 Expressway.

A Budget for Our State

Connecticut Budget The budget that I voted for, while imperfect, helped move our state forward. We cut over three billion dollars, spend less, raise revenue on couples who earn over one million dollars a year and protect vital investments for students, seniors and middle-income families.

For example, family resource centers in Norwalk will continue to operate for working moms and dads, seniors won’t have to make choices between health care and other necessities and state colleges — like NCC and UConn — can continue to serve students. In addition, education cost sharing grants to municipalities are flat funded so that local officials don't have to pass a greater burden on to property tax payers.

I am still going to keep a watchful eye and a sharpened pencil on our revenue and spending numbers. As your budget watchdog, it is my job to make sure we are getting everything we can for your hard-earned dollars.

Insurance Coverage for Autistic Children

Autism deserves coverage Help is on the way for the thousands of Connecticut families with children who suffer from autism spectrum disorders. This year, I cosponsored this ground-breaking legislation that makes Connecticut the tenth state in the nation to mandate comprehensive health insurance for autism.

Beginning on January 1, health insurance policies in Connecticut must cover the diagnosis and treatment of autism spectrum disorders, including behavioral therapy for a child age 15 and younger, certain prescription drugs and certain psychiatric and psychological services. This will improve treatment for children with autism and provide substantial savings in the often devastating medical costs to their families.

For more information about autism spectrum disorders, visit AutismSpeaks.org.

Strong Support for Super 7

Super 7 Final Report

For nearly five decades, plans to construct the Super 7 Expressway from Norwalk to Danbury have been stalled amidst claims of local opposition to this important project. Earlier this month, I released the results of a study conducted by the University of Connecticut that shows that resident support for Super 7 is nine times greater than resident opposition.

It’s my hope that this study’s findings will be the catalyst that finally starts to move this project off the drawing board and into reality. Route 7 is a congested, dangerous roadway that has long outlived its original purpose. As a major artery into Fairfield County, I believe that construction of Super 7 is vital to future economic growth and viability in southwestern Connecticut.

For more information on the UConn study and to access materials, reports and raw data, please visit my Web site and click the link for the “Super 7 Expressway Survey.”