Sen. Osten Bill Would Fund Generator Purchase for RHAM
HARTFORD – A bill put forward by state Senator Cathy Osten (D-Sprague) and voted out of the Appropriations Committee today calls for the purchase of a backup electrical generator to be installed at RHAM High School in Hebron, thereby allowing the 256,000-square foot facility to be used as a regional emergency shelter during adverse weather events and other catastrophes.
Sen. Osten’s Senate Bill 95, “AN ACT CONCERNING FUNDING FOR A GENERATOR PURCHASE TO ALLOW THE HIGH SCHOOL IN HEBRON TO BE USED AS AN EMERGENCY SHELTER,” was referred today from the Appropriations Committee to the Finance, Revenue and Bonding Committee for further consideration. The bill seeks up to $2 million in state funding for the generator, installation and related equipment.
“Like most other towns, Hebron has libraries and churches and town offices that can provide temporary shelter for people in certain circumstances. But it’s certainly not optimal and it’s certainly not for the kind of long-term need that we would find with a blizzard or a hurricane or a long-term power outage,” Sen. Osten said. “There’s no reason why the residents of Hebron or Andover or Marlborough should have to drive to Windham or Colchester to seek long-term shelter in an emergency. The high school is safe, it’s modern, it’s centrally located, it has the room, and all it needs is a generator to keep the lights and heat working.”
RHAM High School, located off Route 316 in Hebron, serves about 1,200 students from Hebron, Andover and Marlborough. It was competed in 2003 at a cost of $50.5 million and features a glass atrium entrance, classrooms, a gymnasium, an open cafeteria, a lecture hall, a library/media center, and an 800-seat auditorium.
Senator Anwar Leads Joint Public Hearing on Children’s Mental Health
Senator Anwar Leads Joint Public Hearing on Children’s Mental Health
Today, State Senator Saud Anwar (D-South Windsor), Senate Chair of the Children’s Committee and Vice Chair of the Public Health Committee, led a joint public hearing between the two committees regarding important legislative proposals introduced to support and improve children’s mental health in Connecticut. Even before the COVID-19 pandemic, as many as one in six children in the United States had mental health disorders, with the pandemic itself only worsening mental health outcomes in children.
“Our children’s health, both mental and physical, is vital to their development and well-being, and we must do all we can to protect and help them,” said Sen. Anwar. “I’m encouraged that this legislation improves how our state provides for, nurtures and supports our future generations and look forward to championing these causes.”
Senate Bill 2, “An Act Expanding Preschool and Mental and Behavioral Services For Children,” seeks to address the pandemics impact on depression, anxiety and developmental delays through expanding support services. Its major points of emphasis include:
- Extending access to child care and preschool
- Increasing access to mentoring and after-school programs to better reach disengaged or struggling students
- Providing greater supports and resources for children and adolescents disconnected from school
- Universal pre-kindergarten starting at age 3 to provide important social and individual growth for all children
- Furthering social-emotional learning by involving parents in new methods of education; children with highly involved parents see enhanced social functioning, fewer behavioral problems
- Joining PSYPACT to allow out-of-state psychologists to conduct telehealth and in-person practice across state boundaries to meet increased need
House Bill 5001, “An Act Concerning Children’s Mental Health,” is similarly designed to improve the availability and provision of mental, behavioral and substance disorder treatment services to children. Its major points of emphasis include:
- Ensuring adequate levels of social workers in the state by temporarily waiving examination requirements, as long as an individual continues to be supervised
- Expanding regional behavioral health consultation programs to include the pediatric patients of providers, including allowing telehealth mental health appointments for children
- Extending telehealth expansions from 2023 to 2024
- Adoption and implementation of a truancy intervention model accounting for mental and behavioral health, including providing notice to parents or guardians of children of mental and behavioral health screening services and tools, as well as evaluations of truant children to monitor for behavioral health concerns
- Public safety answering points shall have licensed behavioral, mental health and substance use disorder services to provide aid to 911 callers in need, including referring such callers to providers of services or outside agencies to provide aid
- Increasing the number of mental health facility beds in the state by June 2026
- By 2021, the Office of Emergency Medical Services would develop protocols for transporting pediatric patients with mental or behavioral health needs by ambulance to an urgent care center operated by the Department of Children and Families
Sen. Looney & Sen. Duff Release Statement on House GOP Press Conference
Sen. Looney & Sen. Duff Release Statement on House GOP Press Conference
HARTFORD – Today, Senate President Pro Tempore Martin M. Looney (D-New Haven) and Senate Majority Leader Bob Duff (D-Norwalk) released the following statement in response to the House Republican press conference:
“We believe that the committees of cognizance should hold a public hearing to examine in detail the procedures, processes, and operations of the school construction program to determine what legislative action should be taken. Such a review of policy and operations is the proper role of the General Assembly. However, the notion that the General Assembly can launch a criminal investigation parallel to and superior to the ongoing federal investigation is naïve and/or deliberately misleading. We trust the law enforcement professionals in the federal government to complete their investigation thoroughly and effectively and will not play politics or encourage unrealistic expectations of incendiary revelations.”
Sen. Looney & Sen. Duff Release Statement on House GOP Press Conference
Sen. Looney & Sen. Duff Release Statement on House GOP Press Conference
HARTFORD – Today, Senate President Pro Tempore Martin M. Looney (D-New Haven) and Senate Majority Leader Bob Duff (D-Norwalk) released the following statement in response to the House Republican press conference:
“We believe that the committees of cognizance should hold a public hearing to examine in detail the procedures, processes, and operations of the school construction program to determine what legislative action should be taken. Such a review of policy and operations is the proper role of the General Assembly. However, the notion that the General Assembly can launch a criminal investigation parallel to and superior to the ongoing federal investigation is naïve and/or deliberately misleading. We trust the law enforcement professionals in the federal government to complete their investigation thoroughly and effectively and will not play politics or encourage unrealistic expectations of incendiary revelations.”
Public Health Committee Raises School Indoor Air Quality Standards Legislation Introduced by Sen. Anwar
Public Health Committee Raises School Indoor Air Quality Standards Legislation Introduced by Sen. Anwar
Today, the Public Health Committee raised a bill concept introduced by State Senator Saud Anwar (D-South Windsor) aiming to introduce indoor air quality regulations and standards in Connecticut. With the importance of ventilation and air quality receiving new focus in schools during the COVID-19 pandemic, and reflecting on the potential health risks of poor air quality for both development of and severity of respiratory conditions, establishing such standards would provide significant health guidance statewide.
“We have indoor air quality standards for businesses like pet stores to ensure animals there remain healthy. That makes it all the more jarring to lack such regulations in our schools,” said Sen. Anwar. “The Department of Public Health rightly recognizes that poor indoor environmental quality in schools is a major public health issue statewide and nationwide. I’m confident that better standards for health in our schools will go a long way toward preserving the health of our youth, as well as the health of the teachers and staff who aid and guide their development every day.”
“The pandemic showed us we simply can’t delay in remediating HVAC systems in our schools,” said State Representative Jonathan Steinberg (D-Westport), House Chair of the Public Health Committee. “Some retrofits, like adding controls or adding small circulation/filtration units, don’t have to be expensive. And we need better protocols for effective maintenance.”
Senator Marilyn Moore Achieves Perfect 100 Score on Environmental Issues
Senator Marilyn Moore Achieves Perfect 100 Score on Environmental Issues
HARTFORD – State Senator Julie Kushner (D-Danbury) has received a perfect score of 100 from the Connecticut League of Conservation Voters (CTLCV) for her support of environmental public policy bills during last year’s 2021 legislative session.
The CTLCV released its annual scorecard (https://www.ctlcv.org/scorecard2021.html) ranking all Connecticut legislators on their support or opposition to a variety of pro-environmental legislation designed to protect and improve Connecticut’s air, soil and water for generations to come.
The scorecard throws into sharp relief the difference between Democrats and Republicans when it comes to protecting the beauty of our natural environment: the average Senate Democrat scored a 97.5 (A+), while the average Senate Republican scored a 70 (C-) and the average House Republican scored a 58.7 (F).
“There was a poll last fall which showed that nine out of 10 Connecticut residents believe that climate change is a serious problem, and that state government has a public policy role to play in reducing greenhouse gas emissions, investing in solar and wind energy, plugging gas leaks in transmission pipes, and other proactive environmental measures,” Sen. Kushner said. “I’m proud to play a role in protecting Connecticut’s environment and keeping its residents and businesses healthy and productive.”
The CTLCV says its biggest legislative wins last session were:
- SB 1037 Modernizing and Expanding the “Bottle Bill”
- SB 837 Restricting Toxic PFAS in Consumer Packaging and Firefighting Foam
- SB 356 Energy Retrofits in Affordable Housing
- SB 925 Wildlife Trafficking
- SB 952 Energy Storage
- SB 999 Workforce Development Programs for Renewable Energy
- HB 6503 Composting
- HJ 53 Long Island Sound Blue Plan
“We urge lawmakers to use this document as a framework for what is still urgently needed to address climate change, and to make significant and lasting investments in our state’s environment,” said CTLCV Executive Director Lori Brown.
“All the available science proves that we are in a climate emergency. Lawmakers need to ramp- up their efforts to make the environment a priority this year,” said Megan Macomber, CTLCV Policy Advocate. “This is a critical year for legislators to rally their colleagues and push through bills that were stalled last year.”
For more than two decades, the CTLCV’s annual Environmental Scorecard rates state legislators on key environmental priorities each year. The CTLCV grades lawmakers on a scale of 0 – 100 based on how they vote on key environmental bills in committees, the House, and the Senate. Their final score represents an average of their votes on those specific bills.
Senator James Maroney Achieves Perfect 100 Score on Environmental Issues
Senator James Maroney Achieves Perfect 100 Score on Environmental Issues
HARTFORD – State Senator James Maroney (D-Milford) received a score of 100 from the Connecticut League of Conservation Voters (CTLCV) for his support of environmental public policy bills during last year’s 2021 legislative session.
The CTLCV released its annual scorecard today (https://www.ctlcv.org/scorecard2021.html), ranking all Connecticut legislators on their support or opposition to a variety of pro-environmental legislation designed to protect and improve Connecticut’s air, soil and water for generations to come.
The scorecard throws into sharp relief the difference between Democrats and Republicans when it comes to protecting the beauty of our natural environment: the average Senate Democrat scored a 97.5 (A+), while the average Senate Republican scored a 70 (C-) and the average House Republican scored a 58.7 (F).
“It is an honor to receive such a high score from the Connecticut League of Conservation Voters and recognition from them regarding my work on helping sustain a better environment in Connecticut,” said Sen. Maroney. “I will continue to encourage residents in our state to keep our environment clean and I will always work to address issues including pollution, waste disposal, and public health issues created by lack of cleanliness. Supporting our environment is very important in the 14th district as we have a very long coastline. We need to keep our water clean and protect all the other beautiful natural assets the Connecticut shoreline has to offer.”
The CTLCV says its biggest legislative wins last session were:
- SB 1037 Modernizing and Expanding the “Bottle Bill”
- SB 837 Restricting Toxic PFAS in Consumer Packaging and Firefighting Foam
- SB 356 Energy Retrofits in Affordable Housing
- SB 925 Wildlife Trafficking
- SB 952 Energy Storage
- SB 999 Workforce Development Programs for Renewable Energy
- HB 6503 Composting
- HJ 53 Long Island Sound Blue Plan
“We urge lawmakers to use this document as a framework for what is still urgently needed to address climate change, and to make significant and lasting investments in our state’s environment,” said CTLCV Executive Director Lori Brown.
“All the available science proves that we are in a climate emergency. Lawmakers need to ramp- up their efforts to make the environment a priority this year,” said Megan Macomber, CTLCV Policy Advocate. “This is a critical year for legislators to rally their colleagues and push through bills that were stalled last year.”
For more than two decades, the CTLCV’s annual Environmental Scorecard rates state legislators on key environmental priorities each year. The CTLCV grades lawmakers on a scale of 0 – 100 based on how they vote on key environmental bills in committees, the House, and the Senate. Their final score represents an average of their votes on those specific bills.
Senator Osten Achieves Perfect 100 Score on Environmental Issues
Senator Osten Achieves Perfect 100 Score on Environmental Issues
HARTFORD – State Senator Cathy Osten (D-Sprague) has received a perfect score of 100 from the Connecticut League of Conservation Voters (CTLCV) for her support of environmental public policy bills during last year’s 2021 legislative session.
The CTLCV released its annual scorecard (https://www.ctlcv.org/scorecard2021.html)
ranking all Connecticut legislators on their support or opposition to a variety of pro-environmental legislation designed to protect and improve Connecticut’s air, soil and water for generations to come.
“Eastern Connecticut is a land of farms and agriculture, of trout streams and state forests, and home to thriving economic powerhouse employers like Hillendale Farms and Prides Corner,” Sen. Osten said. “We know the value of a sound environment out here, and I know the value of sound environmental policies for Connecticut and its people. I’m proud of my perfect score from the Connecticut League of Conservation voters.”
- The CTLCV says its biggest legislative wins last session were:
- SB 1037 Modernizing and Expanding the “Bottle Bill”
- SB 837 Restricting Toxic PFAS in Consumer Packaging and Firefighting Foam
- SB 356 Energy Retrofits in Affordable Housing
- SB 925 Wildlife Trafficking
- SB 952 Energy Storage
- SB 999 Workforce Development Programs for Renewable Energy
- HB 6503 Composting
- HJ 53 Long Island Sound Blue Plan
“We urge lawmakers to use this document as a framework for what is still urgently needed to address climate change, and to make significant and lasting investments in our state’s environment,” said CTLCV Executive Director Lori Brown.
“All the available science proves that we are in a climate emergency. Lawmakers need to ramp- up their efforts to make the environment a priority this year,” said Megan Macomber, CTLCV Policy Advocate. “This is a critical year for legislators to rally their colleagues and push through bills that were stalled last year.”
For more than two decades, the CTLCV’s annual Environmental Scorecard rates state legislators on key environmental priorities each year. The CTLCV grades lawmakers on a scale of 0 – 100 based on how they vote on key environmental bills in committees, the House, and the Senate. Their final score represents an average of their votes on those specific bills.
Senator Kushner Achieves a Perfect 100 Score on Environmental Issues
Labor Committee Co-Chairs Kushner & Porter Stand in Support of Fair Work Week Scheduling Bill
Thousands of low-wage workers struggle to maintain stable income due to unpredictable work schedules
HARTFORD — Labor and Public Employee Committee Co-Chairs Senator Julie Kushner (D-Danbury) and state Representative Robyn Porter (D- New Haven) today urged other state lawmakers to help them pass House Bill 5353, An Act Concerning a Fair Work Week Schedule,
The Fair Work Week bill will ensure that workers have access to a stable job that treats them and their families with respect by ensuring retail, food service and hospitality workers have their schedules set in advance, which allows for more predictable schedules and paychecks and gives part-time workers the opportunity to work more hours if they so choose.
“The pandemic has only increased the already high number of workers who work multiple jobs. Without fair work week legislation, it’s impossible for workers holding multiple jobs to manage their schedule in a way to keep working,” Sen. Kushner said. “Advanced notice of the schedule benefits both the employer and the workers in managing their schedule so they don’t have to call out because of last-minute changes. If we’re basing our economy and our recovery on part-time work, then we have to commit ourselves to making it work. That requires advanced notice, incentivizing workers who can pick up shifts and paying a nominal amount for workers who are called in and then sent home. It’s clear that work volume and weather conditions have an impact on an employer’s need for workers at any given time, but workers shouldn’t bear the entire cost of this; it should be shared with employers.”
“Two-thirds of Connecticut workers have unpredictable work schedules ,and most of them are women and Black and brown workers. Yet over seventy percent want a predictable work schedule,” Rep. Porter said. “Therefore, we continue to demand a fair work week schedule because it’s not just about a predictable schedule but a predictable paycheck. It is long overdue for Connecticut workers to have the sustainability that they need and deserve, and House Bill 5353 will provide them with the necessary tools to assist with things like housing and food security and help to level the playing field at its most vulnerable intersections for these undervalued low-wage workers.”
Sen. Kushner and Rep. Porter were joined by a variety of Fair Work Week Schedule supporters, including Senate President Pro Tempore Martin Looney (D-New Haven), Senate Majority Leader Bob Duff (D-Norwalk), Representatives Bob Godfrey (D-Danbury) and Gary Turco (D-Newington), and AFL-CIO President Ed Hawthorne, President, CT Women’s Education and Legal Fund Executive Director Janée Woods Weber, CT Working Families Party State Director Sarah Ganong, and Cristher Estrada, an impacted worker.
“I worked part-time at the Clinique counter at Macy’s while I was attending college full-time,” Estrada told reporters today as Sen. Kushner and Rep. Porter looked on. “I loved the work, but they made it so hard for me – last-minute schedule changes, they’d dock you points if you were even five minutes late, and one time I showed up for my shift and they told me it had been canceled and they didn’t want to pay me. Everyone deserves a good, steady job that pays a living wage and treats them with respect. Legislators must support the Fair Work Week bill.”
“All workers have a right to a good, stable job that pays a living wage and treats them respectfully. In Connecticut, hundreds of thousands of low wage hourly workers, many earning poverty wages, struggle to earn a stable income because of unpredictable work schedules,” Ganong said. “After several years, it is long past time for legislators to pass House Bill 5353 and ensure Connecticut workers have access to a stable job that respects them, their time, and their families, and gives them a path to prosperity.”
“If we are serious about creating more equity in our state and in our economy, then passing fair work week legislation is mandatory,” Woods Weber said. “Women and people of color are over-represented in jobs with unpredictable scheduling and low wages. If we don’t put basic protocols like fair and predictable scheduling into place, then as a state we cannot claim to value women in the workplace or people of color in the workplace. We need to pass this bill this session, without any more excuses that value business profits over people’s lives.”
Senator Anwar Releases Statement as Bill Allowing Police Officers to Wear Religious Head Coverings Receives Public Hearing
Senator Anwar Releases Statement as Bill Allowing Police Officers to Wear Religious Head Coverings Receives Public Hearing
HARTFORD – State Senator Saud Anwar (D-South Windsor) released the following statement as the Public Safety and Security Committee today held a public hearing to consider legislation including Raised Senate Bill No. 133, “An Act Allowing Police Officers To Wear Religious Head Coverings As Part Of A Police Uniform.”
“In 2021, the Senate passed legislation allowing police officers in Connecticut to wear religious head coverings as part of their police uniforms, but that legislation was never made law. I am hopeful that this important legislation, reflective of our state’s diverse population and supportive of members of the Sikh religion, will be approved this year. Religious police officers today may have to choose between following tradition and wearing their assigned uniforms. Providing them with the freedom to protect their communities and remain devout to their beliefs alike is important; I hope we can get it across the finish line this year.”