Looney, Duff Applaud Biden’s Build Back Better Framework
“A Tremendous Win for Connecticut”
HARTFORD – Today, Senate President Pro Tempore Martin M. Looney (D-New Haven) and Senate Majority Leader Bob Duff (D-Norwalk) released the following statement applauding today’s Build Back Better framework announcement from President Joe Biden.
“The Build Back Better framework is a tremendous win for Connecticut. If it is adopted by Congress we will see more job creation and economic growth, increased financial support for middle class families, and more clean energy.
“Specifically, families will receive significant savings on childcare and receive beneficial tax cuts through the Child Tax Credit. Universal, free pre-school for all young children will provide a platform nationwide for our future generations to support stronger and earlier access to education. It invests heavily in responding to climate change, and in doing so provides strong incentives for families to adopt clean energy – with more clean energy resources built right here in our country. It represents the nation’s biggest leap in affordable health care since the adoption of the Affordable Care Act, works to counter the increased costs faced by middle-class workers and requires corporations to pay their fair share.
“Our thanks to President Biden for shepherding this historic plan to this point. And thank you to our superb Congressional delegation, Senators Dick Blumenthal and Chris Murphy and Representatives Rosa DeLauro, John Larson, Joe Courtney, Jim Himes, and Jahana Hayes. Their support for a strong Build Back Better plan will pay dividends for Connecticut for a generation.
“Our nation needs solutions to move forward in this decade. Build Back Better provides a blueprint to help us do just that.”
Looney, Duff Applaud Biden’s Build Back Better Framework
Looney, Duff Applaud Biden’s Build Back Better Framework
“A Tremendous Win for Connecticut”
HARTFORD – Today, Senate President Pro Tempore Martin M. Looney (D-New Haven) and Senate Majority Leader Bob Duff (D-Norwalk) released the following statement applauding today’s Build Back Better framework announcement from President Joe Biden.
“The Build Back Better framework is a tremendous win for Connecticut. If it is adopted by Congress we will see more job creation and economic growth, increased financial support for middle class families, and more clean energy.
“Specifically, families will receive significant savings on childcare and receive beneficial tax cuts through the Child Tax Credit. Universal, free pre-school for all young children will provide a platform nationwide for our future generations to support stronger and earlier access to education. It invests heavily in responding to climate change, and in doing so provides strong incentives for families to adopt clean energy – with more clean energy resources built right here in our country. It represents the nation’s biggest leap in affordable health care since the adoption of the Affordable Care Act, works to counter the increased costs faced by middle-class workers and requires corporations to pay their fair share.
“Our thanks to President Biden for shepherding this historic plan to this point. And thank you to our superb Congressional delegation, Senators Dick Blumenthal and Chris Murphy and Representatives Rosa DeLauro, John Larson, Joe Courtney, Jim Himes, and Jahana Hayes. Their support for a strong Build Back Better plan will pay dividends for Connecticut for a generation.
“Our nation needs solutions to move forward in this decade. Build Back Better provides a blueprint to help us do just that.”
Senator Kushner Named ‘Legislator of the Year’ By Connecticut EMS Advisory Board
Senator Kushner Named ‘Legislator of the Year’ By Connecticut EMS Advisory Board
This week, State Senator Julie Kushner (D-Danbury) was named “Legislator of the Year” by the Connecticut EMS Advisory Board’s Council of Regional Presidents at its 2021 CT EMS Awards, awarded at Foxwoods Resort & Casino Wednesday evening. Sen. Kushner, who is Senate Chair of the Labor and Public Employees Committee, has fought tirelessly to support first responders across the state in her time in office. Among her accomplishments was legislation she introduced to provide EMS professionals with access to post-traumatic stress injury treatment through worker’s compensation programs, fulfilling a promise she made when similar legislation supporting fire and police professionals was passed in 2019.
“It’s an honor to receive this award from the Connecticut EMS Council, on behalf of the 22,000 emergency medical services personnel who just last year responded to 779,000 calls,” said Sen. Kushner. “This year, I led my colleagues in passing legislation providing EMSs and paramedics with access to treatment for post-traumatic stress injury through workers’ compensation. These brave essential workers proved during the pandemic that they were willing to put themselves at risk to keep the rest of us safe during the height of the pandemic. The long-term effects of PTSI can be incredibly damaging, and it’s vitally important that those in need have access to care.”
In 2019, when legislation was passed that provided PTSI care to firefighters and police officers, critics noted that other positions, like emergency service workers, were not included in that coverage. In response, Sen. Kushner announced she would fight for them to receive those benefits. While initially-proposed legislation in 2020 did not move forward due to the COVID-19 pandemic’s cancellation of the legislative session, the legislation was again introduced in 2021 and passed the Labor and Public Employees Committee, and was passed on the Senate floor with Sen. Kushner introducing it. 911 dispatchers, corrections officers and health care workers impacted by COVID-19 were also covered by the legislation.
Senator Lesser Lauds Health Care Advances Announced in ‘Build Back Better’ Framework
Senator Lesser Lauds Health Care Advances Announced in ‘Build Back Better’ Framework
Co-Chair of Insurance and Real Estate Committee hails lower premiums, deductibles
Senator Matt Lesser (D-Middletown), co-Chair of the Insurance and Real Estate Committee, on Thursday hailed the announcement of President Biden’s Build Back Better framework.
The framework represents a compromise with Senators Manchin and Sinema as well as Democratic Leadership, and the legislation will be a companion bill to the Bipartisan Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act.
“Thanks to President Biden and Connecticut’s Congressional delegation, the Affordable Care Act is poised to become truly affordable,” Senator Lesser said. “The framework announced today will dramatically lower premiums and out-of-pocket deductibles for Connecticut residents who purchase health insurance on AccessHealth Connecticut, a huge win for families and small businesses across our state. Recently, I spoke to a middle-class Danbury resident whose family will be saving $1,200 a month – let’s be honest, that’s life changing.”
President Biden’s framework syncs closely with Connecticut’s CoveredConnecticut program, which Connecticut passed earlier this year, making health insurance free for more than 40,000 parents and childless adults across the state on AccessHealth CT. The framework suggests the expanded affordability will last for at least five years.
Additional health-related components of the announced framework will expand hearing aid coverage to people on Medicare and massively expand support for home-care programs for seniors and people with disabilities.
Open enrollment for AccessHealth CT begins on November 1.
Senator Lesser Receives Legislative Leadership Award
Senator Lesser Receives Legislative Leadership Award
This morning, state Senator Matt Lesser (D-Middletown) received the Legislative Leadership Award following his work around mental health issues. Members of ‘Keep The Promise Coalition’ presented the award to Senator Lesser virtually during an awards ceremony.
Senator Lesser worked on legislation along with Representatives Sean Scanlon and Brenda Kupchick that was signed into law in 2019 that ensures insurance coverage for people in the state suffering from mental health and substance use disorder conditions as they would for other illnesses. The law – known as the “Mental Health Parity Act” – delivers parity for behavioral healthcare, recognizing that mental health and substance use conditions are equal to physical illnesses.
The bill requires that insurance companies not place more stringent limits on mental health and substance use disorder benefits than for medical and surgical benefits. It also requires insurance coverage of substance abuse services if required by a court. Lastly, the bill requires that insurance companies file annual reports with the state certifying that they are complying with parity.
This past session, Senator Lesser led debate on legislation that will extend telehealth services in Connecticut for another two years. The legislation passed with unanimous bipartisan support. This extension allows health care providers and patients to continue using a vital tool for Connecticut residents seeking health services during the COVID-19 pandemic. For instance, those who are unable to leave their home, may be able to continue using telehealth services for not only physical health but mental health reasons.
Telehealth has helped facilitate providing numerous health care needs including, but not limited to: diagnosis, consultation and treatment, and self-management of a patient’s mental health. This virtual practicing of medicine continues to be a critical tool in connecting state residents with health care should they need to use online services for mental health purposes.
Senator Anwar Sends Letter to Insurance Commissioner Mais Seeking Moratorium on Long-Term Care Insurance Rate Hikes
Senator Anwar Sends Letter to Insurance Commissioner Mais Seeking Moratorium on Long-Term Care Insurance Rate Hikes
Today, State Senator Saud Anwar (D-South Windsor) sent a letter to Department of Insurance Commissioner Andrew N. Mais, seeking a moratorium on rate hikes for long-term care insurance policyholders. Since his election to the Senate in 2019, the issue of long-term care insurance cost has been a focal point of Sen. Anwar’s advocacy for older residents of the state, who continue to suffer and struggle under intense financial burdens caused by issues not of their own.
A pervasive pattern, laid out in two Hartford Business Journal articles from 2020, illustrates the issue at hand. In July 2020, the news source reported long-term care insurers requested big rate hikes due to a history of mismanagement, including mispricing of policies sold in the past; at the same time, long-term care costs are rising faster in Connecticut than even the national average, according to a second article from the news source in late 2020.
The financial strain caused by these factors is leaving ratepayers, who have relied on this insurance, in some cases, for years, facing intense financial strain. Speaking of constituents he has heard from, Sen. Anwar said some “have had to sacrifice basic needs like food to afford their insurance payments; in others, they’ve been forced to stop making payments, meaning they lose coverage they’ve invested in for years, sometimes decades.”
Aware of the further challenges posed by the lingering financial damage caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, Sen. Anwar concludes the letter asking for a moratorium on long-term care insurance rate hikes.
The full letter is available below.
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Dear Commissioner Mais,
Unfortunately, I write to you again, seeking fixes to a significant problem that continues to trouble and impact a number of my constituents. I have contacted you in recent years regarding the increasing issues harming those paying for long-term care insurance. Over past decades, these customers have recognized they may need to live in long-term care facilities due to health or aging concerns and have been paying into insurance plans yearly for that reason. However, for reasons not of their fault, they run the risk of financial ruin.
Media reports continue to detail that significant rate hikes requested by long-term care insurance providers in recent years result from incorrect estimations made in the past by those providers. A 2020 Hartford Business Journal article cites Paul Lombardo, the life and health division director of the Connecticut Insurance Department, who says the long-term care insurance rate increases are “largely spurred by mispricing of legacy policies sold years or even decades ago, when insurers made incorrect future assumptions about mortality rates, care costs, insurance rates…”
While these rate hikes are primarily due to providers’ incorrect estimates, the consequences are falling hard on insurance ratepayers. I have heard from many constituents and state residents that these continued rate hikes force them to choose between their financial obligations and retaining their coverage, a no-win scenario. In some cases, customers on fixed incomes have had to sacrifice basic needs like food to afford their insurance payments; in others, they’ve been forced to stop making payments, meaning they lose coverage they’ve invested in for years, sometimes decades.
This issue existed before the COVID-19 pandemic began impacting our state in early 2020, but it has not diminished. If anything, it only further harms these individuals, with financial difficulties and pressure compounding on itself. Moreover, Connecticut is still working to recover from the worst of the pandemic’s effects, and as such, these rate hikes are even more damaging in my view.
The need for a moratorium on long-term care insurance rate hikes is no longer ignorable. Thousands of Connecticut residents risk further financial harm the longer it is not put in place. I hope to speak with you and discuss this issue, with the well-being of our state’s residents at the forefront of our conversation.
Sincerely
State Senator Saud Anwar
3rd District
Sen. McCrory Named One of the 100 Most Influential Blacks in Connecticut
Sen. McCrory Named One of the 100 Most Influential Blacks in Connecticut
State Senator Doug McCrory (D-Hartford, Windsor, and Bloomfield) was named one of the NAACP’s top 100 Most Influential Blacks in the state. The CT Conference of NAACP Branches will be awarding 100 Black people in Connecticut who are on their list as influencers, community leaders, and industry trailblazers later in the month.
“I want to thank the NAACP for this recognition and congratulations to my fellow honorees,” said Sen. McCrory. “Our country is at an inflection point. We have to seize this moment to the fullest to advance policies and initiatives that will uplift those in our communities who have been left behind or have not had the same access to opportunities as others. I remain energized to advocate for my constituents and to press for a more equitable future for all in Connecticut.”
As a long-time educator and community leader in Hartford, Sen. McCrory has focused on strengthening neighborhoods through education, community development and civic engagement that uplifts all residents.
Sen. McCrory has been leading advocate for education equity and enactment of policies that make Connecticut’s education system more inclusive for students and educators. He championed approval of the 2019 law that requires high schools in Connecticut to offer a course to students on African-American, Black, Puerto Rican, and Latino studies starting in the fall of 2022. Also, during the 2021 legislative session, he led passage of a bill in the Senate that would have bolstered minority teacher recruitment and retention in Connecticut.
Throughout his years of public service, Sen. McCrory has been committed to helping craft and approve legislation that will close racial disparities. His commitment more solidified following a summer of demonstrations across Connecticut calling for racial justice and re-imagining public policies to better support equity. This legislative session, he supported legislation that:
- Declares racism a public health issue to address root causes of unequal care and systemic racism in health care
- Restores voting rights to people on parole
- Has family dental and vision health insurance cover children through their 26th birthdays
- Prohibits workplace discrimination against individuals on the basis of hairstyles historically associated with race
Also, Sen. McCrory joined in strong support of a state budget that funded debt-free community college and boosted local education funding to increase learning opportunities.
The CT Conference of NAACP Branches will recognize the 100 Most Influential Blacks in the state on October 23rd at 6:00 p.m. The event will be held at Foxwoods Resort Casino, 350 Trolley Line Blvd. in Mashantucket.
Sen. Hartley Joins Unveiling of New App to Promote Early Childhood Development
Sen. Hartley Joins Unveiling of New App to Promote Early Childhood Development
State Senator Joan Hartley (D-Waterbury, Middlebury and Naugatuck) joined Lieutenant Governor Susan Bysiewicz, Office of Early Childhood Commissioner Beth Bye, Commissioner of the Department of Public Health Manisha Juthani, President & CEO of United Way of Connecticut Lisa Tepper Bates, Mayor Neil M. O’Leary of Waterbury, and State Representative Geraldo Reyes to announce the launch of the Sparkler app. The mobile developmental screening and family engagement tool is the first in the nation to offer universal access to services that promote healthy early childhood development in children from birth to 6 years old.
“The Sparkler app is the latest innovation made in Connecticut to help parents and support the life-long success of their children,” said Sen. Hartley. “This easily accessible app puts right into the hands of parents a tool to follow the development of their kids in their first years, while sharing fun activities to promote the child’s growth. This new resource will be a daily help to families as they balance the many different hats that come with raising a child. I want to thank the governor and lieutenant governor, and all the partners involved in bringing this app to life. We are bettering the lives of our future community leaders.”
Sparkler provides over 1,200 activities for children up to 5 years old in both English and Spanish. The wide range of activities includes art projects, games, and reading.
Each of these activities helps children practice a skill measured by the Ages and Stages Questionnaire, which is a research and time-tested developmental screening tool. The ASQ helps parents follow their child’s growth of their communication, fine motor, gross motor, personal-social, and problem-solving skills.
In addition, Sparkler connects parents with available resources if they are concerned about their child’s development or want to seek professional device. Resources available through Sparkler include being connected to Connecticut’s 211 Child Development Infoline and Sparkler’s early childhood coaches who can share tips with the family through the app.
Families are encouraged to use screening tools like Sparkler and the ASQ in measuring a child’s development in their first years because it helps to identify early any possible developmental concerns and connect children with support to treat development delays. Children who receive support in addressing developmental delays are more likely to graduate from high school and able to retain a job once in their adult years.
The Sparkler app is available on both the Apple App Store and the Google Play Store.
Senator Anwar Addresses the World Conference on Covid-19 and Critical Care with Physicians from Across the Globe
Senator Anwar Addresses the World Conference on Covid-19 and Critical Care with Physicians from Across the Globe
State Senator Saud Anwar (D-South Windsor) spoke this weekend at the World Conference on COVID-19 and Critical Care, an international event dedicated to global efforts to fight the COVID-19 pandemic. Sen. Anwar joined thousands of doctors worldwide who listened to and participated in the event, providing his own point of view and experiences due to his roles and responsibilities in the pandemic. This event, held virtually and featuring professionals from around the world including India, was intended to further conversations about ending the COVID-19 pandemic and preventing future ones using the lessons learned in the last two years.
Sen. Anwar, who is a practicing pulmonologist and intensivist, spoke on COVID-19 and policymaking, given his unique perspective as both a legislator and a physician during the COVID-19 pandemic. In his talk, on the topic of “COVID-19 and Public Policy: Making People Happy Or Keeping Them Alive,” Sen. Anwar discussed policymaking and executive choices, decisions, and messaging made and distributed in different parts of the world, noting the differences in respective outcomes. One thing was made clear: where policy makers did not work collaboratively with scientists and public health professionals, health outcomes were poor and resulted in higher morbidity and mortality during the various phases and peaks of the pandemic.
Sen. Anwar also deliberated about some examples of where things worked well and talked about the urgent need for future alignment of public health and disaster management professionals with policymakers to help better management of disasters. Early coordination, developing basic understanding of the disaster and having evidence and science-based management will improve protections of citizens. Disasters are tragedies, he said, and not learning from them to save more lives is also a tragedy.
State Senator Marilyn Moore Releases Statement Following Attorney General’s Decision not to Investigate Bridgeport Church Foreclosure
State Senator Marilyn Moore Releases Statement Following Attorney General’s Decision not to Investigate Bridgeport Church Foreclosure
Today, state Senator Marilyn Moore (D-Bridgeport) is releasing a statement following the decision made by Attorney General William Tong to not investigate the Cathedral of Holy Spirit.
“The Bridgeport Delegation has done all that we can to give access to the Attorney General and the Commissioner of Banking,” said Sen. Moore. “Our concern was to ensure the lender didn’t have a misstep that could have contributed to the cycle of foreclosure. I am satisfied with Attorney General Tong’s decision and now the case is left in the hands of the court system.”
On September 23, The Bridgeport Delegation including state Senators Marilyn Moore and Dennis Bradley, Representatives Andre Baker, Jr., Antonio Felipe, Jack Hennessy, Christopher Rosario, Steve Stafstrom, and Charlie Stallworth wrote a letter to Attorney General William Tong asking him to investigate predatory lending that took place at the Cathedral of the Holy Spirit.
Following the letter, Senator Moore spoke with Attorney General Tong on the phone at great length and discussed the case. Attorney General Tong explained there was nothing that violated Connecticut Laws and there was nothing he could pursue further.