Sen. Moore Votes For Free School Lunches, Extending State Budget Safeguards
HARTFORD – State Senator Marilyn Moore (D-Bridgeport) voted with her colleagues today to fund free student breakfasts and lunches through the end of the current school year for half a million Connecticut students, and to continue for another five years Connecticut’s tough budget safeguards that have allowed our state to build up its largest budget reserve ever while putting billions of dollars toward old, unfunded pension debt.
“For some students lunch is the only meal they have access to, and lunch time happens to be during school hours,” said Sen. Moore. “Ensuring free lunch ensures children are able to eat and removes the weight off a parent’s shoulder if they cannot afford to send their child to school with lunch money. I am proud to support this bill as eating lunch is critical to a student’s well-being. No child should go hungry.”
Free Meals
During the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, the federal government extended its free and reduced-price meals policy to all 50 million public school students nationwide – including those in Connecticut. But, like many federal grants tied to the pandemic, that funding was for a limited time only. The federal funding for free school meals for everyone expired on September 30, 2022, although last spring Democrats set aside $30 million from the federal American Rescue Plan Act and out it in the state budget to continue providing free school breakfast and lunch to Connecticut students through December 31, 2022.
Now, those funds have run dry. Today’s vote moves $60 million from the Invest CT program and into the Free Meals for Students program to provide free school meals through the end of the current school year, usually around mid-to-late June. Free meals will be provided to more than 500,000 students in all 169 towns.
Budget Safeguards
The senator also voted today to continue the Democrat-led financial restraints that were first put in place in 2017.
Today’s bill will:
- Continue those 2017 fiscal constraints for at least another five years, until July 1, 2028, and potentially for another five years after that until July 1, 2033
- Raise the maximum amount of Connecticut’s Budget Reserve Fund – also known as our “Rainy Day Fund” – from 15% of budgetary expenditures to 18% of expenditures – essentially raising Connecticut’s financial cushion from its current $3.3 billion to about $4 billion. Right now, when our budget reserve fund exceeds 15%, any excess state revenues are used to pay off old pension debt. Under the new plan, once the budget reserve fund exceeds 18%, all excess revenue above that will go toward paying off Connecticut’s 70 years of legacy pension debt
- Provide additional funding to school-based health centers
- Maintain Connecticut’s current “Revenue Cap” at spending just 98.75% of all funds, instead of continuing with a planned phase-out to 98%. That means that the legislature can only continue to spend 98.75% of all the projected revenue coming into state coffers
- Change the Bond Allocation Cap base from $2.1 billion to $2.4 billion, meaning that the maximum amount of state bonding (long-term borrowing) that the State Bond Commission can potentially approve in any given calendar year will increase from the current $2.1 billion (adjusted for inflation) to $2.4 billion (adjusted for inflation in subsequent years). Due to Connecticut’s recent budgetary restraint, our state bond ratings increased in 2021 for the first time since 2001, saving taxpayers millions of dollars in annual higher interest costs
- •Change the Bond Issuance Cap – the amount of state bonds that the state treasurer can sell in any given year – from $1.9 billion to $2.4 billion
SEN. OSTEN VOTES FOR FREE SCHOOL LUNCHES, EXTENDING STATE BUDGET SAFEGUARDS
SEN. OSTEN VOTES FOR FREE SCHOOL LUNCHES, EXTENDING STATE BUDGET SAFEGUARDS
HARTFORD – State Senator Cathy Osten (D-Sprague) voted with her colleagues today to fund free student breakfasts and lunches through the end of the current school year for half a million Connecticut students, and to continue for another five years Connecticut’s tough budget safeguards that have allowed our state to build up its largest budget reserve ever while putting billions of dollars toward old, unfunded pension debt.
“We’ve come a long way with our budget over the past five years, and most all of that is due to the financial guardrails we’ve had in place. Now we’re keeping them in place for another five or ten years,” Sen. Osten said. “Of course that’s paid off in a higher Rainy Day Fund and more pension payments and better bond ratings, but to me the real impact is how we’re freeing up money in the state budget to do real good – like paying for free student meals for the next several months. Think of all the other good investments we’ll be able to make over the next few years because of the financial restraint we’ve shown. That’s a double win.”
Free Meals
During the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, the federal government extended its free and reduced-price meals policy to all 50 million public school students nationwide – including those in Connecticut. But, like many federal grants tied to the pandemic, that funding was for a limited time only. The federal funding for free school meals for everyone expired on September 30, 2022, although last spring Democrats set aside $30 million from the federal American Rescue Plan Act and out it in the state budget to continue providing free school breakfast and lunch to Connecticut students through December 31, 2022.
Now, those funds have run dry. Today’s vote moves $60 million from the Invest CT program and into the Free Meals for Students program to provide free school meals through the end of the current school year, usually around mid-to-late June. Free meals will be provided to more than 500,000 students in all 169 towns.
Budget Safeguards
The senator also voted today to continue the Democrat-led financial restraints that were first put in place in 2017.
Today’s bill will:
- Continue those 2017 fiscal constraints for at least another five years, until July 1, 2028, and potentially for another five years after that until July 1, 2033
- Raise the maximum amount of Connecticut’s Budget Reserve Fund – also known as our “Rainy Day Fund” – from 15% of budgetary expenditures to 18% of expenditures – essentially raising Connecticut’s financial cushion from its current $3.3 billion to about $4 billion. Right now, when our budget reserve fund exceeds 15%, any excess state revenues are used to pay off old pension debt. Under the new plan, once the budget reserve fund exceeds 18%, all excess revenue above that will go toward paying off Connecticut’s 70 years of legacy pension debt
- Provide additional funding to school-based health centers
- Maintain Connecticut’s current “Revenue Cap” at spending just 98.75% of all funds, instead of continuing with a planned phase-out to 98%. That means that the legislature can only continue to spend 98.75% of all the projected revenue coming into state coffers
- Change the Bond Allocation Cap base from $2.1 billion to $2.4 billion, meaning that the maximum amount of state bonding (long-term borrowing) that the State Bond Commission can potentially approve in any given calendar year will increase from the current $2.1 billion (adjusted for inflation) to $2.4 billion (adjusted for inflation in subsequent years). Due to Connecticut’s recent budgetary restraint, our state bond ratings increased in 2021 for the first time since 2001, saving taxpayers millions of dollars in annual higher interest costs
- •Change the Bond Issuance Cap – the amount of state bonds that the state treasurer can sell in any given year – from $1.9 billion to $2.4 billion
SEN. COHEN VOTES FOR FREE SCHOOL LUNCHES, EXTENDING STATE BUDGET SAFEGUARDS
SEN. COHEN VOTES FOR FREE SCHOOL LUNCHES, EXTENDING STATE BUDGET SAFEGUARDS
HARTFORD – State Senator Christine Cohen (D-Guilford) voted with her colleagues today to fund free student breakfasts and lunches through the end of the current school year for half a million Connecticut students, and to continue for another five years Connecticut’s tough budget safeguards that have allowed our state to build up its largest budget reserve ever while putting billions of dollars toward old, unfunded pension debt.
“I’m so happy that we’re able to keep funding free student meals for the remainder of the school year. This was a wildly popular program during the two years of the pandemic, and I think it also had the ancillary effect of reducing some of the embarrassment that some students may feel in getting a free or reduced-price meal,” Sen. Cohen said. “I’m hopeful that we’ll be able to afford to fund more programs like this in the coming budget, in part because of the fiscal restraint that we’ve exhibited over the past half-decade and which I’ve pledged to continue for at least the next half-decade. Connecticut is in a far, far different fiscal place today than we were just five years ago, and today we renewed our commitment to protecting taxpayer funds.”
Free Meals
During the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, the federal government extended its free and reduced-price meals policy to all 50 million public school students nationwide – including those in Connecticut. But, like many federal grants tied to the pandemic, that funding was for a limited time only. The federal funding for free school meals for everyone expired on September 30, 2022, although last spring Democrats set aside $30 million from the federal American Rescue Plan Act and out it in the state budget to continue providing free school breakfast and lunch to Connecticut students through December 31, 2022.
Now, those funds have run dry. Today’s vote moves $60 million from the Invest CT program and into the Free Meals for Students program to provide free school meals through the end of the current school year, usually around mid-to-late June. Free meals will be provided to more than 500,000 students in all 169 towns.
Budget Safeguards
The senator also voted today to continue the Democrat-led financial restraints that were first put in place in 2017.
Today’s bill will:
- Continue those 2017 fiscal constraints for at least another five years, until July 1, 2028, and potentially for another five years after that until July 1, 2033
- Raise the maximum amount of Connecticut’s Budget Reserve Fund – also known as our “Rainy Day Fund” – from 15% of budgetary expenditures to 18% of expenditures – essentially raising Connecticut’s financial cushion from its current $3.3 billion to about $4 billion. Right now, when our budget reserve fund exceeds 15%, any excess state revenues are used to pay off old pension debt. Under the new plan, once the budget reserve fund exceeds 18%, all excess revenue above that will go toward paying off Connecticut’s 70 years of legacy pension debt
- Provide additional funding to school-based health centers
- Maintain Connecticut’s current “Revenue Cap” at spending just 98.75% of all funds, instead of continuing with a planned phase-out to 98%. That means that the legislature can only continue to spend 98.75% of all the projected revenue coming into state coffers
- Change the Bond Allocation Cap base from $2.1 billion to $2.4 billion, meaning that the maximum amount of state bonding (long-term borrowing) that the State Bond Commission can potentially approve in any given calendar year will increase from the current $2.1 billion (adjusted for inflation) to $2.4 billion (adjusted for inflation in subsequent years). Due to Connecticut’s recent budgetary restraint, our state bond ratings increased in 2021 for the first time since 2001, saving taxpayers millions of dollars in annual higher interest costs
- •Change the Bond Issuance Cap – the amount of state bonds that the state treasurer can sell in any given year – from $1.9 billion to $2.4 billion
Sen. Gaston Votes For Free School Lunches, Extending State Budget Safeguards
Sen. Gaston Votes For Free School Lunches, Extending State Budget Safeguards
HARTFORD – State Senator Herron Keyon Gaston (D-Bridgeport)voted with his colleagues today to fund free student breakfasts and lunches through the end of the current school year for half a million Connecticut students, and to continue for another five years Connecticut’s tough budget safeguards that have allowed our state to build up its largest budget reserve ever while putting billions of dollars toward old, unfunded pension debt.
“Extending the free lunch program for our students not only allows those in need of a meal to continue to get one during the day but will also eliminate the stigma from students whose parents may make a certain amount of money,” said Sen. Gaston. “Providing free lunch at school eliminates the barrier from students who have parents that are high earners and students who have parents that are low earners. I hope in the future, lunch at school will always be provided to children at no cost.”
Free Meals
During the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, the federal government extended its free and reduced-price meals policy to all 50 million public school students nationwide – including those in Connecticut. But, like many federal grants tied to the pandemic, that funding was for a limited time only. The federal funding for free school meals for everyone expired on September 30, 2022, although last spring Democrats set aside $30 million from the federal American Rescue Plan Act and out it in the state budget to continue providing free school breakfast and lunch to Connecticut students through December 31, 2022.
Now, those funds have run dry. Today’s vote moves $60 million from the Invest CT program and into the Free Meals for Students program to provide free school meals through the end of the current school year, usually around mid-to-late June. Free meals will be provided to more than 500,000 students in all 169 towns.
Budget Safeguards
The senator also voted today to continue the Democrat-led financial restraints that were first put in place in 2017.
Today’s bill will:
- Continue those 2017 fiscal constraints for at least another five years, until July 1, 2028, and potentially for another five years after that until July 1, 2033
- Raise the maximum amount of Connecticut’s Budget Reserve Fund – also known as our “Rainy Day Fund” – from 15% of budgetary expenditures to 18% of expenditures – essentially raising Connecticut’s financial cushion from its current $3.3 billion to about $4 billion. Right now, when our budget reserve fund exceeds 15%, any excess state revenues are used to pay off old pension debt. Under the new plan, once the budget reserve fund exceeds 18%, all excess revenue above that will go toward paying off Connecticut’s 70 years of legacy pension debt
- Provide additional funding to school-based health centers
- Maintain Connecticut’s current “Revenue Cap” at spending just 98.75% of all funds, instead of continuing with a planned phase-out to 98%. That means that the legislature can only continue to spend 98.75% of all the projected revenue coming into state coffers
- Change the Bond Allocation Cap base from $2.1 billion to $2.4 billion, meaning that the maximum amount of state bonding (long-term borrowing) that the State Bond Commission can potentially approve in any given calendar year will increase from the current $2.1 billion (adjusted for inflation) to $2.4 billion (adjusted for inflation in subsequent years). Due to Connecticut’s recent budgetary restraint, our state bond ratings increased in 2021 for the first time since 2001, saving taxpayers millions of dollars in annual higher interest costs
- •Change the Bond Issuance Cap – the amount of state bonds that the state treasurer can sell in any given year – from $1.9 billion to $2.4 billion
Sen. McCrory Votes for Free School Lunches
Sen. McCrory Votes for Free School Lunches
HARTFORD – State Senator Herron Keyon Gaston (D-Bridgeport)voted with his colleagues today to fund free student breakfasts and lunches through the end of the current school year for half a million Connecticut students, and to continue for another five years Connecticut’s tough budget safeguards that have allowed our state to build up its largest budget reserve ever while putting billions of dollars toward old, unfunded pension debt.
“Extending the free lunch program for our students not only allows those in need of a meal to continue to get one during the day but will also eliminate the stigma from students whose parents may make a certain amount of money,” said Sen. Gaston. “Providing free lunch at school eliminates the barrier from students who have parents that are high earners and students who have parents that are low earners. I hope in the future, lunch at school will always be provided to children at no cost.”
Free Meals
During the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, the federal government extended its free and reduced-price meals policy to all 50 million public school students nationwide – including those in Connecticut. But, like many federal grants tied to the pandemic, that funding was for a limited time only. The federal funding for free school meals for everyone expired on September 30, 2022, although last spring Democrats set aside $30 million from the federal American Rescue Plan Act and out it in the state budget to continue providing free school breakfast and lunch to Connecticut students through December 31, 2022.
Now, those funds have run dry. Today’s vote moves $60 million from the Invest CT program and into the Free Meals for Students program to provide free school meals through the end of the current school year, usually around mid-to-late June. Free meals will be provided to more than 500,000 students in all 169 towns.
Budget Safeguards
The senator also voted today to continue the Democrat-led financial restraints that were first put in place in 2017.
Today’s bill will:
- Continue those 2017 fiscal constraints for at least another five years, until July 1, 2028, and potentially for another five years after that until July 1, 2033
- Raise the maximum amount of Connecticut’s Budget Reserve Fund – also known as our “Rainy Day Fund” – from 15% of budgetary expenditures to 18% of expenditures – essentially raising Connecticut’s financial cushion from its current $3.3 billion to about $4 billion. Right now, when our budget reserve fund exceeds 15%, any excess state revenues are used to pay off old pension debt. Under the new plan, once the budget reserve fund exceeds 18%, all excess revenue above that will go toward paying off Connecticut’s 70 years of legacy pension debt
- Provide additional funding to school-based health centers
- Maintain Connecticut’s current “Revenue Cap” at spending just 98.75% of all funds, instead of continuing with a planned phase-out to 98%. That means that the legislature can only continue to spend 98.75% of all the projected revenue coming into state coffers
- Change the Bond Allocation Cap base from $2.1 billion to $2.4 billion, meaning that the maximum amount of state bonding (long-term borrowing) that the State Bond Commission can potentially approve in any given calendar year will increase from the current $2.1 billion (adjusted for inflation) to $2.4 billion (adjusted for inflation in subsequent years). Due to Connecticut’s recent budgetary restraint, our state bond ratings increased in 2021 for the first time since 2001, saving taxpayers millions of dollars in annual higher interest costs
- •Change the Bond Issuance Cap – the amount of state bonds that the state treasurer can sell in any given year – from $1.9 billion to $2.4 billion
SEN. MARX VOTES FOR FREE SCHOOL LUNCHES, EXTENDING STATE BUDGET SAFEGUARDS
SEN. MARX VOTES FOR FREE SCHOOL LUNCHES, EXTENDNG STATE BUDGET SAFEGUARDS
HARTFORD – State Senator Martha Marx (D-New London) voted with her colleagues today to fund free student breakfasts and lunches through the end of the current school year for half a million Connecticut students, and to continue for another five years Connecticut’s tough budget safeguards that have allowed our state to build up its largest budget reserve ever while putting billions of dollars toward old, unfunded pension debt.
“A hungry student cannot learn,” said Sen. Marx. “Today, we made sure students across the state won’t be dealing with hunger in the classroom, allowing them to focus on their lessons. This is a great step forward and I hope we can preserve it for years to come. Additionally, continuing the budgetary safeguards that have helped improve Connecticut’s financial position in the last half-decade is going to be strongly beneficial for our state’s continued fiscal improvements in years to come. With this, we now know the parameters with which we can better develop the state budget as this session continues.”
Free Meals
During the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, the federal government extended its free and reduced-price meals policy to all 50 million public school students nationwide – including those in Connecticut. But, like many federal grants tied to the pandemic, that funding was for a limited time only. The federal funding for free school meals for everyone expired on September 30, 2022, although last spring Democrats set aside $30 million from the federal American Rescue Plan Act and out it in the state budget to continue providing free school breakfast and lunch to Connecticut students through December 31, 2022.
Now, those funds have run dry. Today’s vote moves $60 million from the Invest CT program and into the Free Meals for Students program to provide free school meals through the end of the current school year, usually around mid-to-late June. Free meals will be provided to more than 500,000 students in all 169 towns.
Budget Safeguards
The senator also voted today to continue the Democrat-led financial restraints that were first put in place in 2017.
Today’s bill will:
- Continue those 2017 fiscal constraints for at least another five years, until July 1, 2028, and potentially for another five years after that until July 1, 2033
- Raise the maximum amount of Connecticut’s Budget Reserve Fund – also known as our “Rainy Day Fund” – from 15% of budgetary expenditures to 18% of expenditures – essentially raising Connecticut’s financial cushion from its current $3.3 billion to about $4 billion. Right now, when our budget reserve fund exceeds 15%, any excess state revenues are used to pay off old pension debt. Under the new plan, once the budget reserve fund exceeds 18%, all excess revenue above that will go toward paying off Connecticut’s 70 years of legacy pension debt
- Provide additional funding to school-based health centers
- Maintain Connecticut’s current “Revenue Cap” at spending just 98.75% of all funds, instead of continuing with a planned phase-out to 98%. That means that the legislature can only continue to spend 98.75% of all the projected revenue coming into state coffers
- Change the Bond Allocation Cap base from $2.1 billion to $2.4 billion, meaning that the maximum amount of state bonding (long-term borrowing) that the State Bond Commission can potentially approve in any given calendar year will increase from the current $2.1 billion (adjusted for inflation) to $2.4 billion (adjusted for inflation in subsequent years). Due to Connecticut’s recent budgetary restraint, our state bond ratings increased in 2021 for the first time since 2001, saving taxpayers millions of dollars in annual higher interest costs
- •Change the Bond Issuance Cap – the amount of state bonds that the state treasurer can sell in any given year – from $1.9 billion to $2.4 billion
SEN. NEEDLEMAN VOTES FOR FREE SCHOOL LUNCHES, EXTENDING STATE BUDGET SAFEGUARDS
SEN. NEEDLEMAN VOTES FOR FREE SCHOOL LUNCHES, EXTENDNG STATE BUDGET SAFEGUARDS
HARTFORD – State Senator Norm Needleman (D-Essex)voted with his colleagues today to fund free student breakfasts and lunches through the end of the current school year for half a million Connecticut students, and to continue for another five years Connecticut’s tough budget safeguards that have allowed our state to build up its largest budget reserve ever while putting billions of dollars toward old, unfunded pension debt.
“Today, we took action to support Connecticut’s next generations in two different ways,” said Sen. Needleman. “By ensuring our students can learn without having to deal with hunger, we give them a school year where they can focus on learning before anything else. By keeping our budget guardrails in place, we ensure the state can continue improving its financial position for years to come, creating an environment beneficial to our students. I’m fully supportive of the work we completed today.”
Free Meals
During the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, the federal government extended its free and reduced-price meals policy to all 50 million public school students nationwide – including those in Connecticut. But, like many federal grants tied to the pandemic, that funding was for a limited time only. The federal funding for free school meals for everyone expired on September 30, 2022, although last spring Democrats set aside $30 million from the federal American Rescue Plan Act and out it in the state budget to continue providing free school breakfast and lunch to Connecticut students through December 31, 2022.
Now, those funds have run dry. Today’s vote moves $60 million from the Invest CT program and into the Free Meals for Students program to provide free school meals through the end of the current school year, usually around mid-to-late June. Free meals will be provided to more than 500,000 students in all 169 towns.
Budget Safeguards
The senator also voted today to continue the Democrat-led financial restraints that were first put in place in 2017.
Today’s bill will:
- Continue those 2017 fiscal constraints for at least another five years, until July 1, 2028, and potentially for another five years after that until July 1, 2033
- Raise the maximum amount of Connecticut’s Budget Reserve Fund – also known as our “Rainy Day Fund” – from 15% of budgetary expenditures to 18% of expenditures – essentially raising Connecticut’s financial cushion from its current $3.3 billion to about $4 billion. Right now, when our budget reserve fund exceeds 15%, any excess state revenues are used to pay off old pension debt. Under the new plan, once the budget reserve fund exceeds 18%, all excess revenue above that will go toward paying off Connecticut’s 70 years of legacy pension debt
- Provide additional funding to school-based health centers
- Maintain Connecticut’s current “Revenue Cap” at spending just 98.75% of all funds, instead of continuing with a planned phase-out to 98%. That means that the legislature can only continue to spend 98.75% of all the projected revenue coming into state coffers
- Change the Bond Allocation Cap base from $2.1 billion to $2.4 billion, meaning that the maximum amount of state bonding (long-term borrowing) that the State Bond Commission can potentially approve in any given calendar year will increase from the current $2.1 billion (adjusted for inflation) to $2.4 billion (adjusted for inflation in subsequent years). Due to Connecticut’s recent budgetary restraint, our state bond ratings increased in 2021 for the first time since 2001, saving taxpayers millions of dollars in annual higher interest costs
- •Change the Bond Issuance Cap – the amount of state bonds that the state treasurer can sell in any given year – from $1.9 billion to $2.4 billion
SEN. SLAP VOTES FOR FREE SCHOOL LUNCHES, EXTENDING STATE BUDGET SAFEGUARDS, POTENTIAL UCONN SUSTAINABLE AVIATION CENTER
SEN. SLAP VOTES FOR FREE SCHOOL LUNCHES, EXTENDING STATE BUDGET SAFEGUARDS, POTENTIAL UCONN SUSTAINABLE AVIATION CENTER
HARTFORD – State Senator Derek Slap voted with his colleagues today to fund free student breakfasts and lunches through the end of the current school year for half a million Connecticut students, and to continue for another five years Connecticut’s tough budget safeguards that have allowed our state to build up its largest budget reserve ever while putting billions of dollars toward old, unfunded pension debt. The Senate also voted to require UConn to make a proposal for federal funding which could create a center for sustainable aviation on campus.
“Today, the Senate took action on forward-thinking legislation that will benefit our state,” said Sen. Slap. “I’m relieved to know our students will be able to have free meals at school, as hungry children cannot learn effectively. Our work to retain the budgetary safeguards that have helped improve Connecticut’s finances considerably will continue. And I’m looking forward to the potential development of a sustainable aviation center at UConn, which would bolster the offerings of our state’s flagship university while also furthering our state’s federal and business relationships.”
Free Meals
During the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, the federal government extended its free and reduced-price meals policy to all 50 million public school students nationwide – including those in Connecticut. But, like many federal grants tied to the pandemic, that funding was for a limited time only. The federal funding for free school meals for everyone expired on September 30, 2022, although last spring Democrats set aside $30 million from the federal American Rescue Plan Act and out it in the state budget to continue providing free school breakfast and lunch to Connecticut students through December 31, 2022.
Now, those funds have run dry. Today’s vote moves $60 million from the Invest CT program and into the Free Meals for Students program to provide free school meals through the end of the current school year, usually around mid-to-late June. Free meals will be provided to more than 500,000 students in all 169 towns.
Budget Safeguards
The senator also voted today to continue the Democrat-led financial restraints that were first put in place in 2017.
Today’s bill will:
- Continue those 2017 fiscal constraints for at least another five years, until July 1, 2028, and potentially for another five years after that until July 1, 2033
- Raise the maximum amount of Connecticut’s Budget Reserve Fund – also known as our “Rainy Day Fund” – from 15% of budgetary expenditures to 18% of expenditures – essentially raising Connecticut’s financial cushion from its current $3.3 billion to about $4 billion. Right now, when our budget reserve fund exceeds 15%, any excess state revenues are used to pay off old pension debt. Under the new plan, once the budget reserve fund exceeds 18%, all excess revenue above that will go toward paying off Connecticut’s 70 years of legacy pension debt
- Provide additional funding to school-based health centers
- Maintain Connecticut’s current “Revenue Cap” at spending just 98.75% of all funds, instead of continuing with a planned phase-out to 98%. That means that the legislature can only continue to spend 98.75% of all the projected revenue coming into state coffers
- Change the Bond Allocation Cap base from $2.1 billion to $2.4 billion, meaning that the maximum amount of state bonding (long-term borrowing) that the State Bond Commission can potentially approve in any given calendar year will increase from the current $2.1 billion (adjusted for inflation) to $2.4 billion (adjusted for inflation in subsequent years). Due to Connecticut’s recent budgetary restraint, our state bond ratings increased in 2021 for the first time since 2001, saving taxpayers millions of dollars in annual higher interest costs
- •Change the Bond Issuance Cap – the amount of state bonds that the state treasurer can sell in any given year – from $1.9 billion to $2.4 billion
SEN KUSHNER SEEKS TO MODERNIZE CANCER LAW FOR FIREFIGHTERS
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Tuesday, February 7, 2023
SEN KUSHNER SEEKS TO MODERNIZE CANCER LAW FOR FIREFIGHTERS
HARTFORD –
To create a rebuttable presumption that a firefighter’s diagnosis of cancer arose out of and in the course of employment for purposes of workers’ compensation
AN ACT PROVIDING WORKERS’ COMPENSATION BENEFITS FOR CERTAIN CANCERS IN FIREFIGHTERS.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General Assembly convened:
1 Section 1. Section 31-294j of the general statutes is repealed and the
2 following is substituted in lieu thereof (Effective October 1, 2023):
3 (a) For the purpose of adjudication of claims for payment of benefits
4 under the provisions of this chapter, a uniformed member of a paid
5 municipal or volunteer fire department, a regular member of a paid
6 municipal police department, a constable, as defined in section 31-294i,
7 or a member of a volunteer ambulance service shall be eligible for such
8 benefits for any disease arising out of and in the course of employment,
9 including, but not limited to, hepatitis, meningococcal meningitis,
10 tuberculosis, Kahler’s Disease, non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma, and prostate
11 or testicular cancer that results in death or temporary or permanent total
12 or partial disability.
13 (b) For purposes of this section, there shall be a rebuttable
14 presumption that the diagnosis of cancer of a uniformed member of a
15 paid municipal or volunteer fire department arose out of and in the
16 course of employment as a result of exposure particular to the duties
17 performed as a firefighter. Such presumption applies to any condition
18 of cancer affecting the brain, skin, skeletal system, digestive system,
19 endocrine system, respiratory system, lymphatic system, reproductive
20 system, urinary system or hematological system that results in the death
21 or temporary or permanent total or partial disability of such firefighter.
22 Such presumption may be rebutted by clear and convincing evidence
23 that:
24 (1) Upon entry into service, a physical examination of such firefighter
25 revealed evidence of the claimed cancer;
26 (2) Such firefighter failed to submit to annual physical examinations
27 subsequent to entry into service;
28 (3) Subsequent physical examinations of such firefighter revealed
29 evidence of, or a propensity for, the claimed cancer;
30 (4) Such firefighter used cigarettes, as defined in section 12-285, or
31 any other tobacco products, as defined in section 12-330a, during the
32 fifteen-year period prior to the diagnosis of the claimed cancer;
33 (5) At the time the claimed cancer is diagnosed or should have been
34 diagnosed, such firefighter was employed for less than five years as:
35 (A) An interior structural firefighter at a municipal, state or volunteer
36 fire department; or
37 (B) A local fire marshal, deputy fire marshal, fire investigator, fire
38 inspector or such other class of inspectors or investigator meeting the
39 minimum standards of qualification adopted pursuant to section 29-298;
40 (6) Such firefighter failed to used respiratory protection, as described
41 in 29 CFR 1910.134 of the Occupational Safety and Health Standards, or
42 other personal protective equipment, as described in 29 CFR 1910.134 of
43 the Occupational Safety and Health Standards in the course of such
44 employment; or
45 (7) Such claimed cancer is not known to result from the exposure to
46 heat, radiation or a known carcinogen as determined by the
47 International Agency for Research on Cancer or the National Toxicology
48 Program of the United States Department of Health and Human
49 Services.
50 (c) Any individual who is no longer actively employed or serving as
51 a firefighter and who would otherwise qualify for benefits under this
52 section may apply for benefits under the provisions of this chapter not
53 later than five years after the date such individual was employed or last
54 served as a firefighter.
This act shall take effect as follows and shall amend the following sections:
Section 1 October 1, 2023 31-294j
Statement of Purpose:
To create a rebuttable presumption that a firefighter’s diagnosis of cancer arose out of and in the course of employment for purposes ofworkers’ compensation
Senators Maher and Anwar Support Free School Lunch Legislation As It Receives Public Hearing In Children’s Committee
Senators Maher and Anwar Support Free School Lunch Legislation As It Receives Public Hearing In Children’s Committee
Today, as legislation that would expand school meal programs to ensure no student goes hungry received a public hearing in the Children’s Committee, State Senator Ceci Maher (D-Wilton), Senate Chair of the Children’s Committee, and State Senator Saud Anwar (D-South Windsor), Senate Chair of the Public Health Committee and former Chair of the Children’s Committee, gave the bill their support. The bill in question would expand school meal programs for all students, with funding through State Board of Education grants, and is a response to the end of federal programs that provided universal K-12 meals during the COVID-19 pandemic and ended in late 2022.
“”One in six children in the United States struggles with hunger, and one in eight in Connecticut,” said Sen. Maher. “For the last nearly three years, one of the few silver linings of the pandemic was federal policies making sure every student learning wasn’t doing so on an empty stomach. With those programs gone, countless families and students are struggling. But those programs also proved we can do this, and we can do it in a way that protects students and families. I’m grateful for the testimony from so many supporters of this bill and hope to see this bill become law.”
“Studies show that children at risk of hunger are more likely to experience developmental issues. They’re more likely to have lower math scores, more likely to repeat a grade. Hungry children can’t properly learn. Young children who experience food insecurity early in life are more likely to lag behind their peers in school,” said Sen. Anwar. “This isn’t just a crisis of hunger on its own but an alarming threat that could hamper Connecticut children’s long-term development. We need to take strides to support public health, our children and our families, too many of which are struggling today. Free school lunches will provide benefits in the short- and long-terms alike.”
Senate Bill 929, “An Act Expanding School Meal Programs To Provide Free School Meals To All Students,” seeks to provide free school meals to all students, doing so by creating grants for schools and school boards through the State Board of Education. Sens. Maher and Anwar in January stood with school officials from across the state to advocate for free student lunches upon the ending of federal funding support in late 2022.
Written testimony provided to the Children’s Committee prior to Tuesday’s public hearing was universally supportive of Senate Bill 929, with a wide-ranging show of support from parents, teachers, school officials and a number of organizational leaders. Their reasons for support were numerous; Karen Asetta, school business manager for East Hampton Public Schools, said the end of school lunch support may drop student participation in East Hampton school lunch programs by as much as 40%, requiring layoffs among workers who remained in schools during the worst conditions of the COVID-19 pandemic to feed hungry students. Abby Kassman-Harned, director of food and nutrition services for Tolland Public Schools, noted that students in school cafeterias are now foregoing free meals, despite qualifying for them, due to stigma.
Lisa Cacace, food service manager for Cromwell High School, said the end of “free” lunches led to a drop of almost 20% of students receiving lunch and that “as the students come through the line almost all of them ask how much money they do or don’t have. They should not be worried about this. They should be receiving a balanced meal and focus on learning.”
Paul Sworkin, a pediatrician and Executive Vice President for Child Community Health at Connecticut Children’s Medical Center, said that nearly 40% of families the hospital system screens experience food insecurity. “As a developmental-behavioral pediatrician I can assure you that kids cannot learn to their fullest potential if they are hungry,” Sworkin said. “By making no-cost school lunch available to all children, we can destigmatize free school lunch and best of all, help ensure that hunger does not harm any child’s readiness to learn during the school day.”
“Nearly 92,000 children, or 12.6%, in Connecticut are food insecure with thousands more in households that are just getting by,” said Jason Jakubowski, President and CEO of Connecticut Foodshare. “Of those 92,000 children, 25% of them do not qualify for government assistance.” He noted that CT Foodshare saw a “significant increase” in attendance at food pantries when school meal programs started. “We, as a society, have both the resources and the ability to feed our school children – and if the federal government will no longer cover the expense of school meals, then we (as a state) need to,” Jakubowski said.