Month: May 2022

Opioids Bill Passes Both Chambers, Awaits Governor’s Signature

---

HARTFORD – Today, the Connecticut State Senate unanimously passed HB 5430, An Act Concerning Opioids. The bill passed the Connecticut House of Representatives on April 19, also with unanimous bipartisan support.

The bill now heads to Governor Lamont to be signed into law.

“While we have responded to and fought back against the COVID-19 pandemic over the past few years, we’ve continued to struggle with—and, frankly, lose ground to—the opioid epidemic,” said State Representative John-Michael Parker (D-Madison/Durham), who led passage of the bill in the House and coordinated the Public Health Committee’s efforts this year. “The cost of this crisis is staggering, and we cannot continue on this path of rising deaths, bereft families, and torn apart communities. Though there is much more work to be done in the years ahead, this bipartisan bill takes the right next steps and will save lives here in our state.”

HB 5430 codifies a number of critical policies to combat the opioid epidemic in the state, including the expansion of evidence-based treatments and harm reduction measures.

“While we have a long way to go on combatting the opioid crisis, I am incredibly proud of the progress evidenced in House Bill 5430,” said Senator Christine Cohen (D-Guilford). “By way of a collaborative process, we were able to ensure better access to care for behavioral health and substance use disorders and plan for ways to address the serious public health impacts of addiction in a meaningful way. We need to be hyper-focused on this important issue and not continue to allow any further loss of life. During the COVID-19 pandemic, we saw a significant uptick in mental health and addiction needs, and it is incumbent upon us to take immediate action. I am grateful for my colleague, Representative Parker, and for advocates like Demand Zero and For Cameron, who have worked tirelessly to bring us together and realize change.”

The number of lives lost to unintentional drug overdoses in Connecticut has continued to rise over the last few years, up to 1,528 in 2021. According to the CDC, the combined cost of Opioid Use Disorder and unintentional fatal overdose was $17B in 2017—and has only risen since then.

HB 5430 includes measures to enable mobile access to methadone (a medication used to treat individuals with substance use disorder), greatly expanding this critical treatment; to legalize fentanyl testing strips in order to prevent accidental overdose and to expand other harm reduction measures; to implement a “peer navigator” pilot program in urban, suburban, and rural communities across the state to serve people living with opioid use disorder; and to codify the term “substance use disorder” in lieu of “substance abuse” in an effort to reduce stigma.

“We are thrilled”, said Betsy Dean, Director of Durham Middlefield Youth and Family Services, “that the House passed HB 5430, AAC Opioids with the support of John-Michael. This is a huge step forward in providing the help and support so many people need. We will continue offering Narcan training in conjunction with the Durham Middlefield Local Wellness Coalition and our other partners and welcome all who want to learn more about this crisis and this life saving treatment.”

According to Scott Cochran, Director of Madison Youth and Family Services, and Catherine Barden, Assistant Director of Community Support: “MYFS is incredibly thankful for the work that the legislature has put into addressing the opioid epidemic. Unfortunately, we have seen the overdose rates climb year after year. We must all work to restrict access, reduce risk, and support those suffering from substance use disorders.

We look forward to continuing to educate the community about the risks, encourage safe disposal of unused medications, encourage safe storage of medications, host Narcan trainings, and more to ensure we continue to be a part of the solution because we recognize we are all in this together. We also must recognize our collective societal mistake as we ignored the warning signs and then responded so slowly to this epidemic. We hope these are lessons learned as the state learns to manage the new industries for legalized Cannabis and gambling.”

Lisa Deane, founder of demandZERO, lost her son, Joe, to a fentanyl overdose in 2018, and is a fierce advocate for combating the ever-growing opioid epidemic. She was one of many community members involved in the creation and passage of this legislation and has a number of ideas for the next steps that need to be taken.

“We are grateful the bill passed the house unanimously,” Deane said. “However, it’s a bittersweet win. Representative Parker did all he could possibly do, and we are so appreciative. But our work is far from over. The fentanyl crisis is much too dire of a situation. I believe we need a Chief Drug Policy and Control Officer here in the state and will continue to advocate for this position in the future.”

Fiona Firine is another advocate who was instrumental in this legislation.

“I’m thankful for the work of Representative Parker and his colleagues in Hartford. It’s important to me that the laws surrounding our Fentanyl crisis in CT are written and enacted in a bipartisan manner,” Firine said. “I would like to see an even more comprehensive bipartisan bill next session which addresses certain needs, such as a fatal overdose task force. I am very pleased with the passing of this bill and feel Connecticut is headed in the right direction when it comes to battling the horrific problems surrounding fentanyl and opioids.”

Fiona is the founder of For Cameron, a non-profit in honor of her son, Cameron, who lost his life in 2018 to an overdose.

The Connecticut General Assembly is set to pass a number of important related bills this year to strengthen the state’s response to the opioid crisis and support people living with addiction and other mental health challenges.

These include HB 5044, which creates an Opioid Settlement Advisory Committee that will direct unprecedented levels of funding to “substance use disorder abatement infrastructure, programs, services, supports and resources for prevention, treatment, recovery and harm reduction”. This is the result of multistate agreements involving several pharmaceutical companies over their roles in creating and fueling the opioid epidemic and has been championed by Attorney General William Tong and Governor Lamont.

“It is an extraordinary privilege to have led the development and passage of this bill as a freshman legislator, and to be able to make a difference in the lives of so many here in my community—and across the state. I am grateful for the families, providers, practitioners, advocates, and individuals living with opioid use disorder who have guided our work this year, and I am committed to continuing these efforts in future legislative sessions,” said Parker.

WATCH HB 5430 INTRODUCED ON THE HOUSE FLOOR HERE: https://youtu.be/bP0qAoOgM6Q

Sen. Cohen, Senate Democrats Pass State Budget with Half a Billion Dollars in Tax Cuts, Investments in Child Care, Mental Health, Social Services and More

---

HARTFORD – State Senator Christine Cohen (D-Guilford) and her Democratic colleagues in the state Senate today led final passage of a modified second year of the two-year state budget that will bring Connecticut’s 3.5 million residents a half-billion dollars in tax savings while investing hundreds of millions of other dollars in new childcare, mental health, social services, job creation and other new state programs.

The budget was passed by a 24-12 vote and now heads to Governor Ned Lamont for his signature of the bill into law.

“I am proud of this budget and its investment in the people, the places and our environment in the state of Connecticut,” Sen. Cohen said. “This is a moment in history to remember. One which will forever show significant tax cuts for residents, a maxed out Rainy Day Fund that will protect our future and an historic installment to pay down decades of pension debt. From our youngest citizens to our senior citizens, we are putting dollars into programs that support wellness and will help families thrive. From our farms to our schools, we are investing in renewal and growth. From our waterways to our greenways, we are protecting our beautiful communities. This budget is an investment in our future and I was glad to play a part in its creation and passage.”

With an influx of federal aid, and with Connecticut tax revenues soaring due to a rebounding state economy, strong job growth and rising incomes, the second year of the biennial state budget was reconfigured by Democrats and Gov. Lamont to increase investments in important programs by 6.5% to $24.2 billion.

The budget includes historic tax cuts for Connecticut’s citizens as well as major new investments in some of the human needs that were highlighted by the past two years of the devastating COVID-19 pandemic.

The Democratic budget is still under the state-mandated spending cap, has maxed out our state Rainy Day Fund at $3.3 billion, and makes a massive, unprecedented $3.5 billion payment toward Connecticut’s 70 years of built-up pension debt.

Sen. Cohen, who represents Branford, Durham, Guilford, Killingworth, Madison and North Branford and who also serves as Senate Chair of the Environment Committee, said she is particularly proud of the many town-specific and environment-related aspects of the budget bill that she fought to include.

• $15,000 for the Haddam-Killingworth Recreation Department
• $4.5 million for the North Branford Police Department
• $25,000 for the Durham town website
• $7 million for farmland restoration and climate resiliency
• $7 million for ‘climate smart’ farming initiatives
• $10 million for a voucher program to purchase zero-emission medium- and heavy-duty trucks and buses and to improve Connecticut’s electric vehicle charging infrastructure
• $5 million for a sustainable materials management grant program
• $300,000 to establish a state Office of Aquatic Invasive Species
• Require – rather than allow – the teaching of a climate change in public schools.
• $142,000 to conduct training that will result in certification of Green Snow Pro roadside salt applications
• $100,000 for the state police to conduct police crisis intervention training
• $364,000 for five additional Environmental Conservation officers that can be used t promote water safety
• $500,000 to assist Vista Life Innovations and our intellectually and developmentally disabled community

Some of the $600 million in Democratic tax cuts that will help Connecticut residents include:

• Continuation of the 25-cent per gallon gasoline tax holiday through December 1, thereby saving Connecticut residents another $150 million.
• Creates a new $250-per-child credit against the state income tax for low- and middle-income households, up to a maximum of $750, for single filers with earnings less than $100,000 per year and couples making less than $200,000. This saves Connecticut families $125 million.
• A cap on the tax rate charged by cities and towns on motor vehicles will reduce car taxes by $100 million for residents in about 45% of Connecticut towns.
• Increase the maximum property tax credit exemption from $200 to $300, saving Connecticut families $60 million per year this year and into the future.
• Increasing the state Earned Income Tax Credit, a program created by former President Ronald Reagan and used by 186,000 Connecticut residents living in every town in the state. The increased tax deduction will save Connecticut families $49 million a year.
• Accelerating the phase-out of taxes of certain pension and annuity income, saving Connecticut residents nearly $43 million.
• The Democratic budget even eliminates the tax on movie theatre tickets, saving movie-goers $2.5 million this year.

On the spending side, Democrats and Gov. Lamont make major investments in the public services Connecticut residents demanded following two years of the deadly and disruptive COVID-19 pandemic: the mental health crisis impacting our children, expanded services for people with substance-use disorders, better wages for people working in our non-profits and as personal care attendants, increased funds to support survivors of domestic violence, more money for community college tuition, job-training programs, and a historic investment in child care services so parents can get back into the workplace.

Some of the hundreds of millions of new dollars that Democrats are investing in Connecticut residents include:

• $10 million for mental health services at School-Based Health Centers
• $30 million for increased 24/7 mobile crisis services
• $1.4 million for no-cost training to address the hiring needs of Electric Boat
• $72 million for private-sector non-profit pay raises
• $23 million for personal care attendants
• $70 million for childcare industry wage enhancements
• $15 million to renovate and construct early childhood facilities
• $2.5 million to combat gun violence
• $2.8 million for survivors of domestic violence
• $50 million for affordable housing
• $75 million to update school air conditioning and heating systems
• $8 million to increase access to town-run summer camps
• $3 million for senior citizens’ adult day programs and Meals on Meals
• $4 million for Alzheimer’s respite care programs

To view more details and analysis of the Democratic budget, please visit: https://cga.ct.gov/asp/cgabillstatus/cgabillstatus.asp?selBillType=Bill&which_year=2022&bill_num=5506