Senator Anwar Encouraged by State Release of Funds Finance Renovations to East Hartford Veteran’s Memorial Clubhouse
Today, State Senator Saud Anwar (D-South Windsor) was encouraged by the State Bond Commission’s release of funds to provide a grant-in-air to the town of East Hartford. According to the Bond Commission’s latest approval of funding, $400,000 will be used to finance renovations to the Veteran’s Memorial Clubhouse.
“I’m grateful to Governor Lamont and the State Bond Commission for supporting this important project,” said Sen. Anwar. “Our veterans make sacrifices for us every day and the Clubhouse is one way we can show them our deep respect for their service. It also represents an important piece of town culture, used for decades for important functions and making lasting memories for countless residents. I’m excited for it to remain a town landmark with the help of this funding.”
In the State Bond Commission’s release today of new funds, the town of East Hartford will receive $400,000 to finance renovations to the Veteran’s Memorial Clubhouse. While no specific details on the extent of renovations were made available, the town of East Hartford in 2019 repaired two chimneys in the building, and a five-year capital improvement program report indicated the town would commit $5.13 million in the 2022-23 fiscal year to renovations there including construction, painting and general repairs.
Senator Kushner Supportive of State Bond Commission Commits Funding for Family and Medical Leave Insurance Trust Fund
Senator Kushner Supportive of State Bond Commission Commits Funding for Family and Medical Leave Insurance Trust Fund
Today, State Senator Julie Kushner (D-Danbury) was supportive as the State Bond Commission allocated $5.25 million in funding to the Family and Medical Leave Insurance Trust Fund. The funds given will finance the development of important platforms needed for the program, helping it better reach fruition before it begins disbursements to working families in 2022.
“Our Paid Family Leave program is so very popular with our constituents – it means that families struggling with illness, or celebrating the birth or adoption of a child, will no longer have to choose between a loved one and their job. As Senate Chair of the Labor Committee, I strongly support this important funding, which is going toward a program that will benefit families across Connecticut,” said Sen. Kushner. “Enhancing the employee contribution system and preparing this vital program are key to ensuring its success. Connecticut is investing in its workers through this latest role of funding. I’d like to thank Governor Lamont and the State Bond Commission for their commitment.”
The State Bond Commission today approved the release of $5,250,001 to finance the development of the employee contribution platform and associated software and licensing to implement the Paid Family and Medical Leave Insurance program. This program, which will offer up to three months of paid time off to workers having children or experiencing significant medical needs in their family, will begin releasing funds to eligible workers starting in 2022. The funding will assist the completion of the program including enhancing the employee contribution system, implementing a benefits claims system, integrating data and reporting requirements and adding chatbot features to the Paid Leave Authority website.
These funds ensuring the program’s stability are important; in March, the state reported as many as 44,000 businesses still need to register to provide benefits to their employees. Streamlining remaining practices will make the program easier to access, ensuring the program’s longevity.
Duff Asks New Eversource CEO “Who Is Top Priority?”
Duff Asks New Eversource CEO “Who Is Top Priority?”
Customers, Shareholders, or Wall Street Analysts?
Today, Senate Majority Leader Bob Duff (D-Norwalk) sent a letter to the new President and CEO of Eversource, Joe Nolan, asking him for his top priority as he begins to lead the company.
The letter states:
Dear Mr. Nolan,
Congratulations on your appointment as the new President and CEO of Eversource Energy.
As you begin your tenure, I would like to ask one question: out of the three groups you serve, who is your top priority?
1. Customers
2. Shareholders
3. Wall Street Analysts
I am not asking you to weave all three into a response, but to inform the residents of the state where they stand in the hierarchy of a publicly traded monopoly that has to answer to multiple constituencies.
I look forward to your response.
Bob Duff
Senate Majority Leader
In 2020 following Tropical Storm Isaias, Senator Duff joined his colleagues in leading passage of the “Take Back Our Grid Act” in order to change how Connecticut’s utilities are run including Eversource. The legislation aimed to hold utility companies accountable for their actions and practices, additionally adding further oversight and restitution for customers who suffer extended power outages. The new law included:
- EDCs will be required to give customers $25 account credits each day they experience a power outage of more than 96 hours after an emergency, with EDCs not allowed to recover costs for those credits outside of petitioning for a waiver.
- EDCs would be required to compensate residential customers $250 for any medication and food expiring or spoiling due to a power outage lasting more than 96 hours after an emergency.
Sen. Cabrera Votes in Favor of Legislation to Prevent Automobile Accidents Involving Children and Ice Cream Trucks
Sen. Cabrera Votes in Favor of Legislation to Prevent Automobile Accidents Involving Children and Ice Cream Trucks
HARTFORD, CT – Today, state Senator Jorge Cabrera (D-Hamden) voted for the state Senate’s passage of a bill that aims to protect children from automobile accidents when they are purchasing ice cream. Senate Bill 608, “An Act Concerning the Safety of Children When Buying Ice Cream From A Frozen Dessert Truck,” equips ice cream trucks with resources, similar to a school bus, to make the trucks more visible to other motorists when they are parked and serving children ice cream. The legislation passed 33-0.
This bipartisan bill also goes by the name of “Tristan’s Law.” It is named after Tristan Barhorst, a Wallingford boy who was killed after he was struck by a driver while he was crossing the street after purchasing ice cream. Barhorst was only 10.
“There is no greater pain than losing a child and this legislation will ensure children are safe when buying ice cream,” said Sen. Cabrera. “We all know how excited a young person can get when the ice cream truck pulls up in their neighborhood or school, as they race off to catch the truck to buy some ice cream. This can, and has in some instances, lead to injury in my district and even death in other parts of the state. Equipping ice cream trucks with stop signs, like school buses, will caution other drivers to stop and keep our kids safe. My heart goes out to the Barhorst family and I sincerely thank the Transportation Committee for their swift action on this bill and look forward to its enactment.”
SB 608 calls for each ice cream truck to be equipped with the following, effective May 1, 2022:
-
Signal Lamps
- Must be mounted at the same level and as high and as widely spaced laterally as practicable and shall display two alternately flashing red signal lights visible at a distance of not less than five hundred feet to the front and rear in normal sunlight upon a straight level highway.
- Stop Signal Arm
- Must be able to be extended horizontally from the left side of the frozen dessert truck. Two alternately flashing red lights shall be located in the outside corners of the extended signal arm and such corners shall be rounded to conform with the shape of the lights. The word “STOP” shall appear in six-inch-high white letters not to exceed four inches in length in the middle of the signal arm; above the word “STOP”, the phrase “IF SAFE” shall appear in two-inch-high white letters not to exceed one and three-fourths inches in length; below the word “STOP”, the phrase “THEN GO” shall appear in two-inch-high white letters not to exceed one and three-fourths inches in length.
- Convex Mirror
- Must be mounted on the front of the frozen dessert truck so the operator in a normal seating position is capable of seeing the area in front of the truck that is obscured by the hood.
- Front Crossing Arm
- Must be attached to the front bumper of the frozen dessert truck hinged from the truck’s right side.
In addition to safety equipment for ice cream trucks to protect both the drivers and child pedestrians purchasing frozen desserts, SB 608 calls for drivers to stop “not less than 10 feet from the front when approaching and not less than ten feet from the rear when overtaking any frozen dessert truck on a highway when the frozen dessert truck is displaying flashing red signal lights and extending the stop signal arm and the front crossing arm.” The bill also bars ice cream truck drivers from stopping in high-traffic areas. The bill was previously voted out of the Transportation Committee unanimously on March 10.
Sen. Hartley Supports Senate Passage of Updated ‘Sewage Spill Right-to-Know’ Law
Sen. Hartley Supports Senate Passage of Updated ‘Sewage Spill Right-to-Know’ Law
State Senator Joan Hartley (D-Waterbury), joined in bipartisan approval of a bill that requires the state Department of Energy and Environmental Protection (DEEP) to implement a “real time” public notification system that allows individuals to be notified of sewage spills, or of permitted sewage bypasses, within two hours of those incidents being reported to DEEP.
The bill also requires DEEP, by February 1, 2022, to begin annually publishing and making publicly available on its website summary information about sewage spills in Connecticut.
Senate Bill 927, “An Act Concerning Revisions to the Sewage Spill Right-to-Know Statute,” now advances to the state House of Representatives for consideration. The bill passed the Environment Committee on a unanimous and bipartisan vote in mid-March.
“Our rivers and the overall natural beauty of Connecticut’s environment are a primary reason why people choose to settle here or to visit Connecticut,” said Sen. Hartley. “We have an obligation to make every effort to improve communication between state agencies and communities when environmental hazards occur. This bill works to fulfill that obligation.”
In 2012, the Connecticut General Assembly passed the “Sewage Right to Know Law” in order to post online more timely information for the public regarding discharges into state waters and sewage spills.
- More than 80 utilities in Connecticut post live on the DEEP website, available at: https://ctdeep.maps.arcgis.com/apps/MapSeries/index.html?appid=a386eea9cc334192a5fd25134d5afdda
But in the past couple years, sewage spills in the state have surprised town leaders and residents with the scope and impact of the spill.
In January 2018, 6,000 gallons of hydraulic oil spilled into the Naugatuck River, prompting state officials to warn against fishing and eating fish in the river from Waterbury to the Long island Sound.
Environmental advocates say sewage spills not only affect people who may be boating, fishing or swimming in a river or the ocean, but also threaten state industries like oyster farmers, who plant thousands of cured shells in estuaries, where rivers meet the sea.
Under existing state law, sewage treatment plants or collection system operators must report to DEEP within two hours of learning of a sewage spill. This legislation requires the inclusion of permitted sewage bypasses. The electronic report must include a variety of information, including:
- The incident date, time, and location
- The estimated or actual time that the discharge ended, if known
- The geographic area impacted by the discharge
- The estimated discharge volume or rate and, once known, the final discharge volume
- The discharge treatment level
- Steps taken to contain the discharge, once known
- Any reasonable concerns about the environment or public health, safety, or welfare
- Any public safety precautions that should be taken.
Current law also requires a sewage plant or system operator to notify the chief elected official of the municipality where the spill occurred, with notice given within two hours of learning of a spill that exceeds — or is anticipated to exceed — 5,000 gallons.
Senate Bill 927 will instead require a release or permitted bypass of any size to be noticed to a town’s chief elected official and the local public health official. If said spill has potential to impact public health, safety or the environment, the municipal leaders must notify the public within two hours of receiving the information.
Under existing state law, failing to report a sewage spill is already a crime punishable with a fine up to $25,000 per day.
Sen. Haskell Leads Senate Approval of Legislation to Prevent Automobile Accidents Involving Children and Ice Cream Trucks
Sen. Haskell Leads Senate Approval of Legislation to Prevent Automobile Accidents Involving Children and Ice Cream Trucks
HARTFORD, CT – On Wednesday, state Senator Will Haskell (D-Westport) led the state Senate’s passage of a bill that aims to protect children from automobile accidents when they are purchasing ice cream. Senate Bill 608, “An Act Concerning the Safety of Children When Buying Ice Cream From A Frozen Dessert Truck,” equips ice cream trucks with resources, similar to a school bus, to make the trucks more visible to other motorists when they are parked and serving children ice cream. The legislation passed 33-0.
This bipartisan bill was referred to on the floor as “Tristan’s Law.” It is named after Tristan Barhorst, a Wallingford boy who was killed after he was struck by a driver while he was crossing the street after purchasing ice cream. Barhorst was only 10.
“Today, we came together in the state Senate to protect children and prevent further tragedy,” said Sen. Haskell. “With ice cream truck season around the corner, it’s critical that we step up to make sure these trucks are equipped to protect young people from other motor vehicles on the road. I’m so thankful that Tristan’s parents have channeled their unimaginable grief into steadfast advocacy.”
SB 608 calls for each ice cream truck to be equipped with the following, effective May 1, 2022:
-
Signal Lamps
- Must be mounted at the same level and as high and as widely spaced laterally as practicable and shall display two alternately flashing red signal lights visible at a distance of not less than five hundred feet to the front and rear in normal sunlight upon a straight level highway.
- Stop Signal Arm
- Must be able to be extended horizontally from the left side of the frozen dessert truck. Two alternately flashing red lights shall be located in the outside corners of the extended signal arm and such corners shall be rounded to conform with the shape of the lights. The word “STOP” shall appear in six-inch-high white letters not to exceed four inches in length in the middle of the signal arm; above the word “STOP”, the phrase “IF SAFE” shall appear in two-inch-high white letters not to exceed one and three-fourths inches in length; below the word “STOP”, the phrase “THEN GO” shall appear in two-inch-high white letters not to exceed one and three-fourths inches in length.
- Convex Mirror
- Must be mounted on the front of the frozen dessert truck so the operator in a normal seating position is capable of seeing the area in front of the truck that is obscured by the hood.
- Front Crossing Arm
- Must be attached to the front bumper of the frozen dessert truck hinged from the truck’s right side.
In addition to safety equipment for ice cream trucks to protect both the drivers and child pedestrians purchasing frozen desserts, SB 608 calls for drivers to stop “not less than 10 feet from the front when approaching and not less than ten feet from the rear when overtaking any frozen dessert truck on a highway when the frozen dessert truck is displaying flashing red signal lights and extending the stop signal arm and the front crossing arm.” The bill also bars ice cream truck drivers from stopping in high-traffic areas. The bill was previously voted out of the Transportation Committee unanimously on March 10.
Senator Haskell Joins Senate Approval of Anti-Age Discrimination Bill
Senator Haskell Joins Senate Approval of Anti-Age Discrimination Bill
HARTFORD – The state Senate on Wednesday unanimously approved a bill that would make Connecticut a national leader in protecting older workers from age discrimination. State Senator Will Haskell (D-Westport) proudly voted in support of the legislation.
The bill prohibits employers from asking for an applicants’ date of birth or school graduation and/or attendance dates on job applications. If enacted, Connecticut would be one of just a few states in America that explicitly bans this type of information on job applications.
The bill now heads to the state House of Representatives for consideration. The bill passed the legislature’s Aging Committee on a unanimous and bipartisan basis in February.
“Age discrimination still exists today, and it can be as simple as a rejection based on a birth year or a graduation date,” said Sen. Haskell. “We all know that discrimination against a potential new hire is already illegal. Unfortunately, loopholes in our law leave older workers vulnerable to bias when they apply for a job.”
Senate Bill 56, “AN ACT DETERRING AGE DISCRIMINATION IN EMPLOYMENT APPLICATION,” is the same bill that received widespread support last year – including from the Connecticut AARP, the Connecticut Business and Industry Association, and a group of West Hartford seniors – before the coronavirus pandemic ended the 2020 legislative session.
With 436,000 workers in their mid-50’s, Connecticut has the 6th-oldest workforce in the nation, with a median age of 41 (as of 2017.) Just 20% of Connecticut employees were over the age 54 in 2008; today that figure is 26.5%, with the health care, manufacturing, educational services and retail trade industries employing the most workers over age 54.
A 2018 AARP survey found about 60% of older workers have seen or experienced age discrimination in the workplace, and 76% of them see age discrimination as a hurdle to finding a new job. Meanwhile, nearly a third of U.S. households headed by someone age 55 or older have no retirement savings or pension, meaning they’ll have to continue working or rely on Social Security in order to survive financially.
CT Senate Passes Bill Re: Travel Insurance Covering Suicide
CT Senate Passes Bill Re: Travel Insurance Covering Suicide
HARTFORD – The state Senate today approved a bill by state Senator Derek Slap (D-West Hartford) that would prohibit insurance companies in Connecticut that offer travel insurance from denying an insurance claim because an insured’s family member or friend died by suicide, thereby cancelling the vacation and losing any deposits the family may have already made.
The bill — believed to be the first of its kind in the nation — now heads to the House of Representatives for further consideration. The bill had previously received unanimous, bipartisan support in the Insurance and Real Estate Committee.
Sen. Slap introduced the bill after hearing from a constituent whose family vacation was cancelled after a family member died by suicide before the trip; they had travel insurance, but their claim was denied by the insurance company because the insurance company did not consider that family death a coverable event.
“I’m grateful to my colleagues for recognizing the seriousness and the tragedy of such situations, and of working to close a loophole in state law so families can move on from their heartache,” Sen. Slap said. “These incidents may not occur often, but when they do, it’s important that we treat families with fairness and compassion.”
“I would like to thank the members of the Connecticut General Assembly and the Insurance Committee chairs for supporting this bill in honor of my son Sean. I miss him every second of every day, but it gives me some solace to know that another family will not have to endure additional heartache because their loved one suffered from a mental illness,” said Robin Brennan, who asked Sen. Slap to raise the bill.
Sen. Slap’s bill, Senate Bill 89, “AN ACT CONCERNING TRAVEL INSURANCE AND SUICIDE,” seeks to amend Title 38a of the Connecticut General Statutes, which pertains to insurance policies offered and sold in Connecticut.
State Senate Approves Sen. Slap’s Anti-Age Discrimination Bill
State Senate Approves Sen. Slap’s Anti-Age Discrimination Bill
HARTFORD – The state Senate today unanimously approved a bill introduced and championed by state Senator Derek Slap (D-West Hartford) over the past three years that would make Connecticut a national leader in protecting older workers from age discrimination.
The bill prohibits employers from asking for an applicants’ date of birth or school graduation and/or attendance dates on job applications. If enacted, Connecticut would be one of just a few states in America that explicitly bans this type of information on job applications.
The bill now heads to the state House of Representatives for consideration. The bill passed the legislature’s Aging Committee on a unanimous and bipartisan basis in February.
“Today, Connecticut moved one giant step closer to closing a loophole in state law and protecting our older workers. I want to thank my colleagues in the Senate, the Connecticut AARP, and the countless other advocates and individuals who have spoken to me, offered their personal stories, and who have seen this very necessary legislation through to this point. We are on the cusp of a very hard-fought victory,” Sen. Slap said. “I have been saying for years, and the statistics bear this out, that no one should be vetted for a job simply because of their age. We lose too much experience, too much opportunity, and too much economic activity when certain folks are prevented from even getting their foot in the door for a job. That will soon come to an end, and Connecticut and its older workers will be better for it.”
“AARP Connecticut applauds the Senate’s unanimous passage of Senate Bill 56 deterring age discrimination,” said Nora Duncan, AARP Connecticut state director. “Older workers are an asset to Connecticut workplaces, and this legislation will offer them protection when they complete job applications. We were pleased to see this bill pass the Senate with strong bipartisan support, and we encourage the House to take quick action and protect older workers from discrimination.”
Senate Bill 56, “AN ACT DETERRING AGE DISCRIMINATION IN EMPLOYMENT APPLICATION,” is the same bill that received widespread support last year – including from the Connecticut AARP, the Connecticut Business and Industry Association, and a group of West Hartford seniors – before the coronavirus pandemic ended the 2020 legislative session.
With 436,000 workers in their mid-50’s, Connecticut has the 6th-oldest workforce in the nation, with a median age of 41 (as of 2017.) Just 20% of Connecticut employees were over the age 54 in 2008; today that figure is 26.5%, with the health care, manufacturing, educational services and retail trade industries employing the most workers over age 54.
A 2018 AARP survey found about 60% of older workers have seen or experienced age discrimination in the workplace, and 76% of them see age discrimination as a hurdle to finding a new job. Meanwhile, nearly a third of U.S. households headed by someone age 55 or older have no retirement savings or pension, meaning they’ll have to continue working or rely on Social Security in order to survive financially.
Sen. Cohen Leads Senate Passage of Updated ‘Sewage Spill Right-to-Know’ Law
Sen. Cohen Leads Senate Passage of Updated ‘Sewage Spill Right-to-Know’ Law
HARTFORD – State Senator Christine Cohen (D-Guilford), who is Senate Chair of the legislature’s Environment Committee, today led unanimous and bipartisan passage in the state Senate of a new bill that requires the state Department of Energy and Environmental Protection (DEEP) to implement a “real time” public notification system that allows individuals to be notified of sewage spills, or of permitted sewage bypasses, within two hours of those incidents being reported to DEEP.
The bill also requires DEEP, by February 1, 2022, to begin annually publishing and making publicly available on its website summary information about sewage spills in Connecticut.
Senate Bill 927, “AN ACT CONCERNING REVISIONS TO THE SEWAGE SPILL RIGHT-TO-KNOW STATUTE,” now heads to the state House of Representatives for consideration. The bill passed the Environment Committee on a unanimous and bipartisan vote on March 12.
“I vividly remember the angst and the anger last summer when there was a major sewage spill in New Haven that affected a large portion of the Connecticut shoreline, including many towns in my district. Word got out, but it did not go far enough or fast enough. This bill is an attempt to remedy that and improve public communication going forward,” Sen. Cohen said. “Connecticut residents have a right to information in a timely manner when it comes to our safety and impacts to our environment. We should be able to make a determination, regardless of the release size, as to whether we will swim or take part in other recreational activities that may be impacted.”
In 2012, the Connecticut General Assembly passed the “Sewage Right to Know Law” in order to post online more timely information for the public regarding discharges into state waters and sewage spills. More than 80 utilities in Connecticut post live on the DEEP website, available at:
https://ctdeep.maps.arcgis.com/apps/MapSeries/index.html?appid=a386eea9cc334192a5fd25134d5afdda
But recent sewage spills in Connecticut have surprised town leaders and residents with the scope and impact of the spill.
Last July, after a sewer main pipe broke, more than two million gallons of raw sewage leaked into the Mill River and Long Island Sound, forcing officials to close beaches and shell fishing areas in Branford, East Haven, Madison, West Haven and New Haven.
In January 2018, 6,000 gallons of hydraulic oil spilled into the Naugatuck River, prompting state officials to warn against fishing and eating fish in the river from Waterbury to the Long island Sound.
Environmental advocates say sewage spills not only affect people who may be boating, fishing or swimming in a river or the ocean, but also threaten state industries like oyster farmers, who plant thousands of cured shells in estuaries, where rivers meet the sea.
Under existing state law, sewage treatment plants or collection system operators must report to DEEP within two hours of learning of a sewage spill. This legislation requires the inclusion of permitted sewage bypasses. The electronic report must include a variety of information, including:
- The incident date, time, and location
- The estimated or actual time that the discharge ended, if known
- The geographic area impacted by the discharge
- The estimated discharge volume or rate and, once known, the final discharge volume
- The discharge treatment level
- Steps taken to contain the discharge, once known
- Any reasonable concerns about the environment or public health, safety, or welfare
- Any public safety precautions that should be taken.
Current law also requires a sewage plant or system operator to notify the chief elected official of the municipality where the spill occurred, with notice given within two hours of learning of a spill that exceeds — or is anticipated to exceed — 5,000 gallons.
Senate Bill 927 will instead require a release or permitted bypass of any size to be noticed to a town’s chief elected official and the local public health official. If said spill has potential to impact public health, safety or the environment, the municipal leaders must notify the public within two hours of receiving the information.
Under existing state law, failing to report a sewage spill is already a crime punishable with a fine up to $25,000 per day.