New Britain Delegation Members See Promise in State Budget Investing in Towns and Education
The Democratic co-chairs of the Appropriations Committee unveiled a proposed biennial state budget. The proposed budget invests in Connecticut’s towns and public education without exceeding the state spending cap or touching the $3.5 billion Rainy Day Fund.
State Senator Rick Lopes (D-New Britain, Berlin), State Representative Robert Sanchez (D-New Britain), State Representative Manny Sanchez (D-New Britain), and State Representative Peter Tercyak highlighted several promising provisions of the budget, such as an increase in PILOT to New Britain and Berlin.
“The COVID-19 pandemic has reinforced how important it is for us to invest in our cities and towns so they can provide an array of critical services that benefit residents’ quality of life. This budget reflects that importance by boosting state funding to New Britain and Berlin, which will support the well-being and safety of our residents,” said Sen. Lopes. “Additionally, the pandemic has highlighted what we’ve long known: the underfunding of New Britain’s schools. It is critical that the city’s schools have the necessary resources to close gaps in academic opportunity that have been further exacerbated by the pandemic. Greater education funding moves us closer to achieving educational equity, which will benefit the long-term future of all our students here in New Britain”
“In New Britain, there had been no effort by our local administration to increase education funding even with the added and unprecedented challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic. I fought hard to make sure our students received help with additional state funding for education and I am proud this budget reflects that effort,” Rep. Robert Sanchez said. “Increased educational resources that were sorely needed will contribute to our recovery over the coming years.”
“The pandemic has exposed vulnerabilities in our society and how government needs to be prepared for any eventuality. That is why resources and how they are allocated in the budget are critical to preparedness and the ability to respond in a timely and effective manner,” Rep. Manny Sanchez said. “This budget reflects a renewed awareness and commitment from our leaders to focus on funding the important areas that affect our everyday lives.”
“The pandemic has once again exposed the lack of funding and resources that have long been deprived from our school system here in New Britain,” said Rep. Tercyak. “If we want to get serious about promoting equity and equal educational opportunity for all students in New Britain, we have to invest more into our schools. The increased funding that will be coming to our public schools and essential services is a step in the right direction and an investment in the future of New Britain.
Under the proposed state budget:
- New Britain is estimated to receive about $9.6 million for the 2022 and 2023 fiscal years through the Tiered PILOT Program. This figure would represent a little over $4.56 million increase from 2021 fiscal year estimate.
- New Britain is expected to see back-to-back yearly increases in education funding under the Education Cost Sharing Formula (ECS) in the 2022 and 2023 fiscal years. New Britain is estimated to go up from about $95.7 million in 2021 to receiving over $99.6 million in 2022, then around $103.6 million in 2023
- Adult education funding for the city would experience an increase over the next two years as well of an estimated roughly $580,000 in 2021 to over $624,000 in 2023
In calculating all total statutory formula aid for New Britain, the city would receive over $8.5 million in greater funding between 2021 and 2022. This figure would go up to over $12.4 million in more estimated total funding between 2021 and 2023, which is the equivalent of over 4.6 mills.
- Berlin is estimated to receive over $27,000 for both fiscal years of the budget, which is an increase from about $6,100 through PILOT the town is estimated to receive for the 2021 fiscal year.
- Berlin would continue to receive its 2021 adult education funding amount of a little over $11,000, with a slight uptick in both 2022 and 2023.
Other budget highlights include:
Cities and towns:
- Keeps the 2017 bipartisan state budget promises related to municipal Education Cost Sharing (ECS) funding and maintains the current rollout of the ECS funding formula, providing an additional $108 million to cities and towns over the next two years. It also provides an additional $4.7 million in FY 22 and $9.4 million in FY 23 to school systems with higher numbers of low-income students and English Language Learner students.
- The Municipal Revenue Sharing Account was established by Public Act 15-244 as a diversion of one-half of 1 percent of sales tax revenue primarily for three municipal grants: 1) supplemental PILOT funding to towns with high levels of tax-exempt property, 2) reimbursement to municipalities that lose revenue as a result of the car tax cap, and 3) general revenue sharing grants to towns. MRSA has never been funded but, under current law, the $377 million diversion into the account is set to take effect in FY 22.
- Fully funds Local Health District state grants with funding of $2.7 million in both FY 22 and FY 23, an increase of 75 cents per-person in the formulaic grant.
Education, from birth to college:
- Provides $14 million in FY 22 and $15 million in FY 23 from the estimated FY 21 surplus for the Connecticut State Colleges and Universities system to fully implement debt-free community college. Bills under consideration by the legislature would provide ongoing revenue from online lottery revenues for debt-free community college, with growing revenues expected from that source in the out years.
- Provides funding of $2,078,000 in FY 22 and $1,969,100 in FY 23 to reflect the elimination of fees paid by parents or legal guardians of children receiving Birth to Three services and to expand coverage to children who turn age three on or after May 1, until the start of the school year.
- Provides $250,000 each year for the Farm-to-School Grant Program implementation which assists schools in procuring food from local farmers, nutrition/health education, school gardens and education about local food systems.
- Provides $110,548 in FY 22 and $114,800 in FY 23 to support one engineer intern to enhance response to drinking water issues in schools undergoing construction projects, and one environmental analyst to assist the agency in its continued administration of safe drinking water standards for public drinking water.
The Appropriations Committee budget proposal now forms the basis for legislative branch negotiations with Governor Lamont and his executive branch budget proposal that he unveiled in February. The 2021 legislative session is scheduled to end on Wednesday, June 9.
Sen. Cabrera Votes for Measure to Make Prescription Drugs More Affordable
Sen. Cabrera Votes for Measure to Make Prescription Drugs More Affordable
HARTFORD, CT – State Senator Jorge Cabrera (D-Hamden) voted in favor of legislation that would prohibit insurers from implementing copay accumulator programs. A copay accumulator is a strategy used by insurance companies and Pharmacy Benefit Managers (PBMs) that stop copay assistance coupons from counting toward a patient’s deductible. These programs are a disadvantage to patients, making the cost of prescription drugs unaffordable.
“I am pleased to support this legislation,” said Sen. Cabrera. “I’ve heard from so many of my constituents that they are struggling to cover the exorbitant costs of prescription drugs. These are life-saving drugs that should not be priced out of a middle-class American’s budget. We are taking yet another step to protect Connecticut residents from sky-rocketing prices.”
Senate Bill 1003, “An Act Prohibiting Certain Health Carriers and Pharmacy Benefits Managers From Employing Copay Accumulator Programs,” would require certain health carriers and pharmacy benefits managers to give credit for payments made by third parties for the amount of, or any portion of the amount of, an insured’s or enrollee’s cost-sharing liability for a covered benefit.
Copay accumulator programs exacerbate the issue of high prescription drug costs. Additionally, these programs cause many challenges for chronically ill patients as they fall under financial hardship and can increase the likelihood of treatment non-adherence and an advanced disease state. Additionally, patients who continue treatment may incur significant debt for long term costly treatments.
Under copayment accumulator programs, any copayment assistance that a patient receives, whether it be directly from a pharmaceutical manufacturer or from coupon cards such as Good RX, it does not count toward the patient’s deductible. Patients must spend more out of pocket to reach their deductible, sometimes thousands of dollars more. For too many patients, this makes the drugs they depend on unaffordable.
State Senator James Maroney Leads Passage of Bill that Provides a Fair Reimbursement for Power Equipment
State Senator James Maroney Leads Passage of Bill that Provides a Fair Reimbursement for Power Equipment
Today, state Senator James Maroney (D-Milford), Chair of the General Law Committee led discussion and the passage of Senate Bill 264, An Act Concerning Fair Reimbursement To Retail Dealers Of Power Equipment. This bill guarantees fair reimbursement for retail dealers of power equipment and specifies when they should be paying a warranty claim.
“I was proud to lead passage of this bill in the senate,” said Sen. Maroney. “This legislation will ensure that our quality local businesses are paid fairly for their repair work. I am happy to see an agreement made between both the equipment manufacturers and the dealer repair shops.”
Under this bill, when a small repair shop performs warranty work on behalf of a supplier/manufacturer, they must be paid their stated hourly rate. This deal was agreed upon by both the supplier and the retail seller. The seller will pay the supplier the current net price plus 18% for any parts that are needed to be fixed, on top of the hourly labor rate.
SB 264 would benefit several small businesses in the state including businesses in the 14th district that Sen. Maroney represents. Businesses in Orange, like Knights, that perform quality repair work on behalf of the manufacturers, would benefit with this fair reimbursement and just have to submit a claim back to the seller in order to receive the reimbursement within 30 days.
Senator Anwar Votes in Favor of Prohibiting Insurers from Implementing Copay Accumulator Programs
Senator Anwar Votes in Favor of Prohibiting Insurers from Implementing Copay Accumulator Programs
Today, State Senator Saud Anwar (D-South Windsor) voted in favor of legislation that would prohibit insurers from implementing Copay Accumulator programs. A copay accumulator is a strategy used by insurance companies and Pharmacy Benefit Managers (PBMs) that stop copay assistance coupons from counting toward a patient’s deductible. These programs use patients as hostages in the battle of insurers and pharmacy benefits managers versus pharmaceutical companies. The legislation passed the Senate unanimously.
“This bill seeks to prevent a practice that takes advantage of individuals seeking health care and actually increases their cost of care, saving insurance providers in the process,” said Sen. Anwar. “These copay accumulator programs serve to artificially extend a patient’s spending before they reach a deductible; in some cases, they are designed specifically to make a patient pay more before their care cost is shared by an insurance provider. By prohibiting these programs, we provide those getting care in our state with additional financial security, as well as the knowledge that they are not being taken advantage of.”
Senate Bill 1003, An Act Prohibiting Certain Health Carriers And Pharmacy Benefits Managers From Employing Copay Accumulator Programs, would require certain health carriers and pharmacy benefits managers to give credit for payments made by third parties for the amount of, or any portion of the amount of, an insured’s or enrollee’s cost-sharing liability for a covered benefit.
While the high price of prescription drugs is an enormous problem, the answer to this problem is not taking more money from patients. According to Geoffrey Joyce, a pharmaceutical economist at the University of Southern California, “There are no good guys here, this is about control of the market. The only thing that’s clear is who loses. The loser is the patient.”
Copay Accumulators have been present in the specialty pharmacy space for oral drugs for some time, causing many challenges for chronically ill patients as they fall under financial hardship. This hardship can increase the likelihood of treatment non-adherence and can ultimately lead to advanced disease state. Additionally, patients who continue treatment may incur significant debt for long term costly treatments.
Under Copayment Accumulator programs, any copayment assistance that a patient receives, whether it be directly from a pharmaceutical manufacturer or from coupon cards such as Good RX, it does not count toward the patient’s deductible. Patients must spend more out of pocket to reach their deductible, sometimes thousands of dollars more. For too many patients, this makes the drugs they depend on unaffordable.
It appears that these programs may allow insurers to double dip because they get their full co-pays while also extending the duration of patients’ deductibles. Connecticut should protect its residents from this practice.
Sen. Hartley Leads Approval of Legislation to Make Government More Efficient and Support the Remote Work Economy
Sen. Hartley Leads Approval of Legislation to Make Government More Efficient and Support the Remote Work Economy
Today, State Senator Joan Hartley (D-Waterbury), Co-Chair of the Commerce Committee, lead bipartisan approval of a bill in the state Senate to identify state department services that can be made more efficient by blockchain technology. In addition, Senate Bill 1039, “An Act Concerning Blockchain and Emerging Technologies,” seeks to better position the state to serve remote workers in Connecticut by promoting existing remote workspaces and encourage the creation of additional remote workspaces in available building areas such as underutilized office spaces.
“Businesses that have integrated blockchain technology into their operation processes have realized efficiencies and cost savings. It makes sense that we study how this emerging technology can be leveraged to improve efficiencies in State operations ” said Sen. Hartley. “Also, we have to maintain a focus on the future, specifically recognizing that a lasting impact of the coronavirus pandemic will be the increased number of employees working remotely for the long-term. The state developing a plan to encourage the launch of new remote work environments is a direct way we can support these employees and our municipalities can benefit from the growing remote work economy.”
Under Senate Bill 1039, the state Department of Administrative Services will seek information on how the incorporation of blockchain technology can be used to improve the efficiency and cost-effectiveness of department functions. The department commissioner will create a report identifying functions that could benefit from blockchain technology to the Commerce Committee, and the Government Administration and Elections Committee by January 1, 2022.
Blockchain technology, sometimes referred to as distributed ledger technology, is where each block in the chain contains a number of transactions. When a new transaction occurs that change is recorded and available to be viewed by every participant.
An analogy offered to help understand the basis of blockchain technology is a Google Doc. When a Google Doc is created and shared with people it does not create a copy of the document for each person but distributes the same document to all participants. Thus, they all have access to that document at the same time. Further, when any participant makes a change to the document it is recorded in real-time. Plus, the change is reflected when another person views the document on their side and no need to wait for an updated document to be shared.
The forward-thinking aim of Senate Bill 1039 around blockchain technology is coupled with a focus on the future of work, more specifically the remote work economy.
The commissioner of the state Department of Economic and Community Development would develop and submit a plan to the Commerce Committee by January 1, 2022 to support Connecticut’s remote work economy. The plan would be created in consultation with AdvanceCT, a nonprofit geared toward the retention and recruitment of businesses to Connecticut and advancing the state’s economic competitiveness.
The developed plan would cover, but not limited to, promoting existing remote work workspaces in Connecticut and incentivizing the use of locations such as underutilized office space, unoccupied shopping malls, and central business district areas to create new remote work workspaces in the state.
These workspaces can offer employees working remotely several amenities of the traditional office including conference room space and professional networking opportunities. Generally, the main feature of these workspaces is the flexibility of deciding how often to use the work set up and signing up for a corresponding payment plan including a monthly subscription or pay-as-you-go model. The availability of workspaces serving remote workers would benefit employees that are interested in continuing to work from home post-COVID-19 pandemic but may need to use a more structured office space from time to time. According to a 2020 Pew Research Center survey, half of employed adults who say their job can be mainly done from home would want to remain working from home all or most of the time post-pandemic.
Legislation to Make Government More Efficient and Support the Remote Work Economy Approved by Senate
Legislation to Make Government More Efficient and Support the Remote Work Economy Approved by Senate
Today, State Senator Saud Anwar (D-South Windsor) joined in the state Senate’s bipartisan approval of a bill to identify state department services that can be made more efficient by blockchain technology. In addition, Senate Bill 1039, “An Act Concerning Blockchain and Emerging Technologies,” seeks to better position the state to serve remote workers in Connecticut by promoting existing remote workspaces and encourage the creation of additional remote workspaces in available building areas such as underutilized office spaces.
“As Connecticut seeks to make its workforce more streamlined and efficient, proactively adopting new technologies like blockchains will better prepare our state for the future,” said Sen. Anwar. “Blockchain technology resembles an opportunity for our state government to embrace the future while also enhancing how it operates today. I’m excited to see what the future will hold once it’s more widely adopted.”
Under Senate Bill 1039, the state Department of Administrative Services will seek information on how the incorporation of blockchain technology can be used to improve the efficiency and cost-effectiveness of department functions. The department commissioner will create a report identifying functions that could benefit from blockchain technology to the Commerce Committee, and the Government Administration and Elections Committee by January 1, 2022.
Blockchain technology, sometimes referred to as distributed ledger technology, is where each block in the chain contains a number of transactions. When a new transaction occurs that change is recorded and available to be viewed by every participant.
An analogy offered to help understand the basis of blockchain technology is a Google Doc. When a Google Doc is created and shared with people it does not create a copy of the document for each person but distributes the same document to all participants. Thus, they all have access to that document at the same time. Further, when any participant makes a change to the document it is recorded in real-time. Plus, the change is reflected when another person views the document on their side and no need to wait for an updated document to be shared.
The forward-thinking aim of Senate Bill 1039 around blockchain technology is coupled with a focus on the future of work, more specifically the remote work economy.
The commissioner of the state Department of Economic and Community Development would develop and submit a plan to the Commerce Committee by January 1, 2022 to support Connecticut’s remote work economy. The plan would be created in consultation with AdvanceCT, a nonprofit geared toward the retention and recruitment of businesses to Connecticut and advancing the state’s economic competitiveness.
The developed plan would cover, but not limited to, promoting existing remote work workspaces in Connecticut and incentivizing the use of locations such as underutilized office space, unoccupied shopping malls, and central business district areas to create new remote work workspaces in the state.
These workspaces can offer employees working remotely several amenities of the traditional office including conference room space and professional networking opportunities. Generally, the main feature of these workspaces is the flexibility of deciding how often to use the work set up and signing up for a corresponding payment plan including a monthly subscription or pay-as-you-go model. The availability of workspaces serving remote workers would benefit employees that are interested in continuing to work from home post-COVID-19 pandemic but may need to use a more structured office space from time to time. According to a 2020 Pew Research Center survey, half of employed adults who say their job can be mainly done from home would want to remain working from home all or most of the time post-pandemic.
Senator Kushner Leads Senate Approval of Legislation Removing COVID-19 Related Layoffs from Unemployment Experience Account
Senator Kushner Leads Senate Approval of Legislation Removing COVID-19 Related Layoffs from Unemployment Experience Account
Today, State Senator Julie Kushner (D-Danbury), Senate Chair of the Labor Committee, led her colleagues in the State Senate as they approved legislation that removes COVID-19 related layoffs from the unemployment experience account. As the unemployment experience rate depends on the amount of benefits former employees received in the three previous years, the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on unemployment could serve to cause further financial damage to businesses already struggling with economic downturn. This legislation seeks to limit further fiscal issues amid an already difficult economy.
“With hundreds of thousands of layoffs in the early stages of the COVID-19 pandemic, our state’s employers and businesses struggled mightily and are still fighting to recover from the pandemic’s worst effects,” said Sen. Kushner. “The last thing they need is to be financially harmed for those layoffs, but without these changes to those policies, they’ll be hit again. This legislation will preserve the experience rate for thousands of businesses and make sure they are not restricted as they fight to return to normal.”
House Bill 5377, “An Act Concerning The Removal of COVID-19 Related Layoffs From The Unemployment Compensation Experience Account,” will disregard employers’ benefit charges and taxable wages between July 1, 2019 and June 30, 2021 when calculating the employer’s unemployment tax experience rate for taxable years starting on/after January 1, 2022. This otherwise means unemployment benefits paid to an employer’s former employees during that period will not impact the employer’s experience rate.
For regular employers, their experience period will disregard an employer’s benefit charges and taxable wages during the 2019-2021 time period when applicable. For new employers, also known as employers that have not been chargeable with benefits for a period long enough to have a calculatable experience rate, the legislation also applies. In 2022 and beyond, the five-year benefit cost rate will be calculated without the benefit payments and taxable wages for the 2020 and 2021 calendar years, not impacting a rate given to a new employer.
From March 13 to June 15, 2020, Connecticut received more than 600,000 new unemployment claims, with as much as $884 million paid out in unemployment benefits during that time, according to the Connecticut Mirror. Early closures of businesses and policies meant to protect public health had a negative impact on many businesses, leading to unprecedented spikes in unemployment and requiring this legislation.
Two Haskell Bills Pass the Senate
Two Haskell Bills Pass the Senate
Today, State Senator Will Haskell (D-Westport) thanked his colleagues in the Senate for approving two bills that he introduced earlier this year. The bills were approved unanimously and now await a vote in the House of Representatives.
The first bill would require the reporting of accidental deaths and serious injuries that occur on college campuses. This legislation has been championed by the family of Corey Hausman, a young man from Westport who lost his life just a few weeks after leaving for college. While crimes are currently reported under federal law, Senate Bill 954 would require that the number of accidental deaths and serious injuries also be included in the public record.
“We would not be talking about this bill today if it were not for the strength and compassion of Nanette Hausman, Corey’s incredible mother,” said Sen. Haskell. “This bill will make sure that campus administrators invest in the safety of their students and prevent tragedies like the one that took Corey’s life.”
The second bill would simplify and modernize the fuel delivery system in the state, saving both customers and workers time. Previously, fuel deliveries of gasoline, kerosene, fuel oils and similar substances required a physical receipt or delivery ticket to be administered. SB 152 would allow that process to take place electronically if the customer prefers.
“This is the kind of legislation we can all support – all it does is make folks’ lives easier,” said Sen. Haskell. “It cuts through red tape and gives customers a choice. simply by ending an outdated practice and shifting it to digital resources that can easily support it. I’m looking forward to its passing in the House and its signing by the Governor. Both of these great ideas came from constituents, so I encourage everyone who has an idea about how to make our laws better to pick up the phone and call their legislator.”
State Senator Matt Lesser Leads Discussion and Passage of Bill that Prohibits Insurers from Implementing Copay Accumulator Programs
State Senator Matt Lesser Leads Discussion and Passage of Bill that Prohibits Insurers from Implementing Copay Accumulator Programs
Today, state Senator Matt Lesser (D-Middletown), Chair of the Insurance & Real Estate Committee, led debate over Senate Bill 1003 that unanimously passed, 36-0, on the Senate Floor. This bill would prohibit insurers from implementing Copay Accumulator programs. A copay accumulator is a strategy used by insurance companies and Pharmacy Benefit Managers (PBMs) that stop copay assistance coupons from counting toward a patient’s deductible. These programs use patients as hostages in the battle of insurers and pharmacy benefits managers versus pharmaceutical companies.
“It’s outrageous that insurance companies are now trying to claw back coupons and rebates issued by drug manufacturers,” said Sen. Lesser. “Banning copay accumulators is a way to provide much needed relief to consumers facing skyrocketing drug prices. I was pleased to lead debate on this bipartisan health reform legislation that passed unanimously.”
Senate Bill 1003, An Act Prohibiting Certain Health Carriers And Pharmacy Benefits Managers From Employing Copay Accumulator Programs, would require certain health carriers and pharmacy benefits managers to give credit for payments made by third parties for the amount of, or any portion of the amount of, an insured’s or enrollee’s cost-sharing liability for a covered benefit.
While the high price of prescription drugs is an enormous problem, the answer to this problem is not taking more money from patients. According to Geoffrey Joyce, a pharmaceutical economist at the University of Southern California, “There are no good guys here, this is about control of the market. The only thing that’s clear is who loses. The loser is the patient.”
Copay Accumulators have been present in the specialty pharmacy space for oral drugs for some time, causing many challenges for chronically ill patients as they fall under financial hardship. This hardship can increase the likelihood of treatment non-adherence and can ultimately lead to advanced disease state. Additionally, patients who continue treatment may incur significant debt for long term costly treatments.
Under Copayment Accumulator programs, any copayment assistance that a patient receives, whether it be directly from a pharmaceutical manufacturer or from coupon cards such as Good RX, it does not count toward the patient’s deductible. Patients must spend more out of pocket to reach their deductible, sometimes thousands of dollars more. For too many patients, this makes the drugs they depend on unaffordable.
It appears that these programs may allow insurers to double dip because they get their full co-pays while also extending the duration of patients’ deductibles. Connecticut should protect its residents from this practice.
Several organizations in our state support this bill including, the American Cancer Society, the Connecticut Hemophilia Society, the National Multiple Sclerosis Society, the Connecticut State Medical Society, the American Kidney Fund, and the Epilepsy Foundation. All these organizations support the bill many patients depend on financial assistance for their specialty medications and a person with health care issues will spend much more out of pocket cost than the average person. If a patient has to spend more money on their medications, patients are known to skip dosages, split pills and stop taking their medication entirely. This can cause serious health concerns and reduces the effectiveness of their treatment.
State Senator Matt Lesser Votes in Favor of Bill that will Reduce Permit Fees for Club and Café Owners
State Senator Matt Lesser Votes in Favor of Bill that will Reduce Permit Fees for Club and Café Owners
Today, state Senator Matt Lesser (D-Middletown), voted in favor of Senate Bill 263, ‘An Act Concerning Club Permit and Nonprofit Club Permit Fees. This bill will help to reduce permit fees for non-profit clubs that been inadvertently raised by the sweeping overhaul of the state’s liquor statutes in 2019. This bill will allow for an adjustment to the annual fee for the prior holders of club permits and nonprofit club permits and allows the Department of Consumer Protection to refund anyone who paid the difference.
“From the Saengerbund in Newington to the Polish Falcons in Middletown, this legislation will help keep social clubs around the 9th Senate District in operation,” said Sen. Lesser. “Now more than ever, we rely on connection and community and I am pleased we were able to pass this bill unanimously.”
In 2019, the General Assembly enacted a sweeping bill to modernize liquor laws. The bill cut the numerous categories of liquor permits and combined various permits for on-premises consumption, including club and nonprofit club permits, into the existing cafe permit, making the annual fee for a cafe permit $2,000. This bill, SB 263, has been amended and brings the fee for private clubs, like veterans’ organizations to $300, and non-profit clubs to $815. The bill will allow for reimbursement for these organizations who have already paid this year.
The coronavirus pandemic provided hardship on businesses including cafes around the state. Several organizations depend on donations to continue to be successful and with a cost reduction for local public, private and non-profit clubs in the state, places such as The American Legion and The Elks Lodge and stay open and use their funds to continue to support and educate members.
The American Legion exists to serve veterans, their family members, and their direct descendants of eligible wars. They are not operated for a profit and they also sponsor many community programs. Elks invest in their communities through programs that help children grow up healthy and drug-free, meet the needs of today’s veterans, and improve the quality of life. With the passage of this bill, private clubs like The American Legion and The Elks Lodge would benefit as they continue to operate on a tight budget. With a lower cost permit fee, it would allow for funds saved to be put toward helping serve our veterans.