Month: November 2017
Sen. Osten Welcomes State Reopening of “Care4Kids” Program
Sen. Osten Welcomes State Reopening of “Care4Kids” Program
State Senator Cathy Osten (D-Sprague), who is Senate Co-Chair of the Appropriations Committee, today welcomed the announcement that the State of Connecticut is reopening applications for its “Care4Kids” program, thanks to the state legislature’s appropriating nearly $31 million for the program over the next two years.
Care4Kids is Connecticut’s child care assistance program for low-income families. It closed new applications to most families in August 2016 after the federal government instituted several new costly mandates, including ongoing professional development, background checks for providers, and new eligibility standards for families. As a result of those increased costs, an estimated 5,800 fewer children were served by the program.
Sen. Osten and other child care advocates made re-funding the Care4Kids program a priority in the 2018-19 biennial state budget, and they secured $10.25 million in state funding in the current FY18 fiscal year, and another $20.5 million for FY19.
“My colleagues and I spent a lot of time over the past several months working to ensure that Care4Kids funding was included in the new state budget, so this is a big win for those families who want and need to have their children in a safe and productive learning environment while they are at work earning a salary” Sen. Osten said. “There are a lot of successes in this budget, big and small, and the Care4Kids funding is one of those little line items that doesn’t spend a lot of money in the big picture but which has an enormous impact on the quality of life for thousands of Connecticut families.”
Governor Dannel P. Malloy announced today that effective immediately, the Connecticut Office of Early Childhood (OEC) has reopened the Care 4 Kids program and eligible families on the wait list can now begin to enroll for the state’s primary child care support.
Families who registered on the wait list will begin to receive requests to apply in phases starting today. Consistent with state rules, enrollment begins with the highest-need families defined by priority groups and those families who have been on the wait list longest.
For more information, please visit www.ctcare4kids.com or call 1-888-214-KIDS (5437).
Sen. Gerratana E-news: Support Available for Relocating Puerto Rican Students and Professionals
Legislators Urge Anthem, Hartford Healthcare to Reach Contract Agreement
Legislators Urge Anthem, Hartford Healthcare to Reach Contract Agreement
Legislators representing towns in eastern Connecticut urged Hartford HealthCare and Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield to reach an agreement by Nov. 11 in their contract negotiations over reimbursement rates for medical treatment.
“As negotiations continue—without resolution—we urge you to redouble your efforts to come to an agreement,” Representatives Gregg Haddad (D-Mansfield), Susan Johnson (D-Windham), Linda Orange (D-Colchester), Michael Winkler (D-Vernon) and Senator Mae Flexer (D-Killingly) said in a letter sent Tuesday to the healthcare network and insurance company.
“The effect that your inability to come to agreement has on many insured residents is worsening each day. This is true not only for people who have had to have surgery out-of-network, and also for people who are unable to change insurance companies due to geographic constraints,” the legislators said.
“Many of our constituents are struggling financially, and this contract dispute has left them less secure,” Haddad said. “While Hartford HealthCare and Anthem have reaped hundreds of millions of dollars in profits over the past few years, our constituents are struggling to make ends meet.”
“Anthem is one of the nation’s largest health benefits companies and in fiscal 2014 Hartford HealthCare reported $103 million in profit margins on $2.5 billion in revenue. It’s time they stop sacrificing our constituents and bargain with everyone’s interests in mind,” Rep. Linda Orange said.
“The ongoing contract dispute threatens to severely disrupt the health care of Windham residents who rely on Windham Hospital. Worse still, the burden will fall the hardest on those individuals and families struggling to get by, who may not have the resources to access medical services outside our region,” Rep. Johnson said. “I urge both parties to come to a resolution that prioritizes their patients and clients.”
“The health care of Connecticut residents should not suffer because of Anthem and HHC’s inability to reach an agreement,” Flexer said. “My colleagues and I are calling on you to sit down at the table and reach an agreement. Connecticut residents are not part of your negotiation, they should not suffer because of it, and they should not be treated as a bargaining chip. So please, get back to work, reach an agreement and end this stalemate.”
According to the Hartford Business Journal, the “longer the time period without a contract, the more concerned HHC patients are that they will have to switch doctors to be covered by insurance.”
“Many rural and semi-rural areas have limited health care options and removing for example, Windham Hospital, Backus Hospital and Hartford Hospital has a negative impact on their care. Additionally, HHC has acquired many physician practices which are now considered to be out-of-network for Anthem customers,” the legislators said.
“We ask that you come to a contractual agreement before Nov. 11, and that any new agreement should be retroactive to ensure coverage,” they said.
Senate President Pro Tempore Looney Appoints Patrick Egan to the State’s Municipal Accountability Review Board
Senate President Pro Tempore Looney Appoints Patrick Egan to the State’s Municipal Accountability Review Board
Senate President Pro Tempore Martin M. Looney (D-New Haven) today announced that he has appointed Patrick J. Egan of New Haven to serve on the state’s new Municipal Accountability and Review Board.
The Municipal Accountability and Review Board, created as part of the recently approved biennium budget, establishes an oversight board that will work with financially distressed cities and towns in order to avoid insolvency or bankruptcy.
Egan served for 21 years as a member of the New Haven Fire Department, rising to the rank of Assistant Chief / Executive Officer (2010-2016) where he assisted in overseeing budgetary, administrative, personnel and labor matters. Prior to his appointment as Assistant Chief, Egan served as President of the New Haven Firefighters, IAFF Local 825 for nearly ten years. Egan retired from the NHFD in 2016.
“For more than twenty years, Pat Egan served the people of New Haven as a firefighter, union president and Assistant Chief of the department,” said Senator Looney. “Pat’s valuable experience managing a municipal department’s budget in excess of $30 million, developing cost controls, engaging in complex labor negotiations and knowledge of the state’s collective bargaining laws makes him uniquely qualified to serve on the Municipal Accountability and Review Board. I am most grateful for his willingness to serve on this critically important board.”
“Having many years of experience working in municipal government both as a union leader and manager, I look forward to working with the members of the board and the respective municipalities that need our assistance to re-establish a sound fiscal roadmap to success, while being mindful that not only taxpayers but also employees are affected by our decisions,” Egan said.
Once complete, the board will be composed of 11 members—five appointed by the governor and four appointed by legislative leaders. The Secretary of the Office of Policy and Management and the State Treasurer or their designees will also serve on the board.
Senator Winfield in the News: Q House hits another milestone as expansions begin
Q House hits another milestone as expansions begin
After more than a dozen years, the Q House project has hit another milestone…
Winfield said the concerned citizens committee was “extremely important. People wondered if we were going to get to this day, but because of those women and their persistence, before Jeanette ever came along, we stand here today. What they did is at the core of what community is all about.”
Read the full article at the New Haven Register.
McCrory Lauds Metacomet School Students Who Raised ‘Pennies For Puerto Rico’
McCrory Lauds Metacomet School Students Who Raised ‘Pennies For Puerto Rico’
BLOOMFIELD—State Senator Doug McCrory (D-Hartford) surprised 3rd- and 4th-grade students at Metacomet Elementary Schools’ monthly Community Forum on Friday, November 3, 2017 when he presented a state citation to the 230 students, teachers, faculty and parents in recognition of their work raising $1,854.35 for hurricane disaster relief in Puerto Rico.
The “Pennies for Puerto Rico” fundraiser began after a Metecomet teacher showed 4th-grade students photographs of Puerto Rico before and after it was hit by Hurricane Maria on September 19. The students raised $789.01—which was matched by Principal Freeman Burr—while staff raised another $258.33.
The citation, offered by members of the General Assembly’s Black and Puerto Rican Caucus, lauded the Metacomet students and staff for their “your compassion and willingness to take action to help people far away that you have never met.”
Senator Duff E-News: Bipartisan Budget Deal
Senator Larson E-News: 2-1-1 Service is Here to Help
Fonfara Discusses Bipartisan State Budget on “The Real Story
Fonfara Discusses Bipartisan State Budget on “The Real Story”
HARTFORD— State Senator John Fonfara was invited on Fox 61’s The Real Story last week to discuss the bipartisan state budget with hosts Al Terzi and Jenn Bernstein, opposite Senator Toni Bucher (R-Wilton).
“This was difficult. But I have to say that I’ve never been prouder to be a Connecticut legislator than I was on Thursday night when the Senate passed the budget,” Sen. Fonfara said. “They left partisanship at the door and they stood up for Connecticut.”
The full segment aired on Sunday, October 29, 2017. Watch here.