SEN. KUSHNER, REP. SANTOS, MAYOR ALVES WELCOME STATE BONDING FOR VITAL KENNEDY AVENUE BRIDGE REPAIRS

Posted on May 21, 2026 by sdozapier@senatedems.ct.gov

SEN. KUSHNER, REP. SANTOS, MAYOR ALVES WELCOME STATE BONDING FOR VITAL KENNEDY AVENUE BRIDGE REPAIRS

DANBURY – State Senator Julie Kushner (D-Danbury), Representative Farley Santos (D-Danbury), and Mayor Roberto L. Alves today welcomed the State Bond Commission announcement that it will approve $2.3 million for the rehabilitation of the Kennedy Avenue Bridge when the commission meets next Friday, May 29, at 10:30 a.m. in the Legislative Office Building in Hartford.

The bridge, built in 1964, is in dire need of repairs. The work, which will take about 10 months to complete, consists of repairing the existing precast deck units, patching concrete abutments, installing new 4-inch thick concrete slab, excavating within the Kennedy Park Area, reconstructing deck joints, removing the existing bituminous pavement and placing a new overlay, applying a waterproof membrane, removing existing concrete sidewalks, casting new sidewalks, and installing new trees and shrubs. The total project cost is $4.6 million, with the state paying the entire cost.

“This is yet another great example of the state helping Danbury taxpayers — paying for city infrastructure improvements so we don’t have to foot the bill through our local property taxes,” Sen. Kushner said. “Mayor Alves has prioritized critical infrastructure projects, and me and my Democratic colleagues in the state delegation work tirelessly to bring home the bonding from Hartford that will make a difference in the lives of our residents. I want to thank Mayor Alves and Governor Lamont for recognizing the value of this project and making this funding a reality.”

“This is another major win for Danbury and a perfect example of what persistent advocacy and strong partnerships can accomplish,” said Rep. Santos. “I’m grateful to Governor Lamont and House and Senate leadership for hearing our call and supporting this critical investment. With the state covering the full $4.6 million cost of the Kennedy Avenue Bridge replacement, this is a major relief for Danbury property taxpayers and an important investment in public safety, infrastructure, and keeping our community connected. We fought hard for this, and once again, we’re delivering for Danbury.”

“This $2.3 million investment through the State Bond Commission reflects the continued momentum we are building to modernize and strengthen Danbury’s infrastructure,” said Mayor Alves. “The replacement of the Kennedy Avenue Bridge is critical to the long-term reliability of our road network throughout our city. This investment goes hand in hand with the ongoing Downtown Streetscape Project and the broader work we are doing to modernize aging systems, improve safety, and enhance mobility throughout Danbury. I want to thank our state delegation, Governor Lamont, and leadership in Hartford for working collaboratively with our administration to help deliver this important project for the residents of Danbury.”

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SENATOR ANWAR ISSUES STATEMENT IN RESPONSE TO RFK JR FIRING HEADS OF PREVENTIVE SERVICES TASK FORCE

Posted on May 20, 2026 by sdozapier@senatedems.ct.gov

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Joe O’Leary | Joe.OLeary@cga.ct.gov | 508-479-4969

May 20, 2026

SENATOR ANWAR ISSUES STATEMENT IN RESPONSE TO RFK JR FIRING HEADS OF PREVENTIVE SERVICES TASK FORCE

“Preventive health is the single greatest tool available to medical professionals, as an ounce of prevention has long been said to be worth a pound of cure. Secretary Kennedy has repeatedly shown us he does not agree with common scientific consensus, and his past comments that this task force is ‘woke’ reveal further potential politicization in federal health care policy. Preventive health is a wide-ranging field, covering vital services like cancer screenings, mental health evaluations and tests to support aging populations. To sever or complicate this needed care for the millions of Americans relying on it could cause negative health impacts nationwide.”

State Senator Saud Anwar (D-South Windsor), Senate Chair of the Public Health Committee, responding to reports that Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy fired the two heads of the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force in May 2026.

Looney, Duff, Needleman Release Statement Following Eversource Rate Increase Request

Posted on May 20, 2026 by sdozapier@senatedems.ct.gov

Looney, Duff, Needleman Release Statement Following Eversource Rate Increase Request

“Eversource profits are soaring. Eversource executives are getting huge bumps in pay. And they’re asking Connecticut ratepayers to foot the bill. At a time when the Trump administration’s tariffs, oil price hikes and push for AI and data centers are putting more pressure on our grid and spurring national rate shocks, at a time when we finally see the start of progress in pulling Connecticut electric rates back down, Eversource is asking for more.

Why wouldn’t they? When do they not?

It’s not lost on us that the company’s own statement seems to dangle the state approving its storm securitization funds, which would increase consumer costs, in reducing its proposal – another attempt to threaten the state so the company gets what it wants, and a no-win situation for Connecticut households struggling to make ends meet. Yet again, it’s Wall Street vs. Main Street, and Eversource again hopes to elevate shareholders over ratepayers. Connecticut ratepayers can’t afford this. We encourage PURA to be diligent and skeptical in examining every aspect of this request.”

– Senate President Pro Tempore Martin M. Looney (D-New Haven), Senate Majority Leader Bob Duff (D-Norwalk), and State Senator Norm Needleman (D-Essex) on Eversource’s May 20 rate increase proposal announcement.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact: Kevin Coughlin | kevin.coughlin@cga.ct.gov | 203-710-0193

Looney, Duff, Needleman Release Statement Following Eversource Rate Increase Request

Posted on May 20, 2026 by sdozapier@senatedems.ct.gov

Looney, Duff, Needleman Release Statement Following Eversource Rate Increase Request

Why wouldn’t they? When do they not?

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact: Kevin Coughlin | kevin.coughlin@cga.ct.gov | 203-710-0193

SENATOR MARX JOINS CONGRESSMAN COURTNEY, EASTERN CONNECTICUT NURSES TO CALL OUT FEDERAL GOVERNMENT STUDENT LOAN CAPS FOR NURSES

Posted on May 18, 2026 by sdozapier@senatedems.ct.gov

SENATOR MARX JOINS CONGRESSMAN COURTNEY, EASTERN CONNECTICUT NURSES TO CALL OUT FEDERAL GOVERNMENT STUDENT LOAN CAPS FOR NURSES

With nursing among a number of graduate degree programs no longer deemed “professional” by the federal government, placing hard caps and constraints on students’ borrowing ability, State Senator Martha Marx (D-New London) joined Congressman Joe Courtney and nursing professionals from across Eastern Connecticut today at CT State Three Rivers to decry the new program, which could financially harm more than one in every five nursing graduate students.

Marx and Courtney were joined by Mary Ellen Jukowski, campus president of CT State Three Rivers and Quinebaug Valley; John Brady, vice president of AFT CT; Kimberly Sandor, executive director of the Connecticut Nurses’ Association; Terri Willians, president of the Connecticut Association of Nurse Anesthesiology; and Victoria Vaughan Dickson, dean of the University of Connecticut’s Elisabeth Deluca School of Nursing.

As of July 1, under the federal budget passed by Republican lawmakers in the summer of 2025, nursing will be among teaching and social work as fields no longer considered “professional” graduate degrees. That will halve the funds available to students pursuing these degrees, which will have impacts ranging from pushing them toward private student loans to ending their educations whatsoever.

The shift will effectively raise education costs at a moment when America already faces health care worker shortages, raising alarm about the short- and long-term consequences of the shift.

In response, Connecticut lawmakers including Sen. Marx passed legislation this year creating a graduate student loan program through the Connecticut Higher Education Supplemental Loan Authority, giving students new opportunities to obtain affordable loans and continue their studies.

A nurse with 40 years of experience, Sen. Marx said her field has worked hard to ensure it is seen and accepted as a profession, only for the Trump administration to take direct aim at them in response.
“These are really important people who play strong roles in our public health system,” said Sen. Marx. “Our public health system already has weaknesses, and because of this, that will get worse. I don’t think the Trump administration really understands affordability and what it’s like to be a real person. It’s great that this year in Hartford, we passed the Connecticut Supplemental Graduate Student Loan Program, which was introduced in response to these cuts. We need to keep fighting back.”

“This is a national problem, and sometimes it’s described as a nursing shortage,” said Courtney. “A lot of groups involved are calling it a shortage crisis, because the impact of not having enough people to fill critical conditions falls onto patients in terms of not getting a consistent level of care. Under current Department of Education rules recently passed under the federal budget, people are going to get pushed out of federal loan programs that have been in existence since the 1960s and pushed into the private market, which will also make some people ineligible for loan assistance. If we’re serious as a country in terms of addressing the nursing shortage, we should be knocking down barriers, not creating new barriers.”

“The collective voices of nurses and other health care professionals has enabled us to make great progress over the last couple of years in Connecticut, especially around workplace safety and violence and safe staffing. What the Trump administration has done in capping student loans for nurses works against that effort,” said Brady. “The changes that have occurred and yet to occur from Medicaid defunding will hurt the higher healthcare system. Instead of receiving support from the Trump administration, that administration is working against us. This must stop.”

“Nurses shape and have shaped health care, patient safety and quality outcomes,” said Sandor. “When nurses have a higher education level, patient outcomes improve. Nurses bring independent clinical judgment, patient advocacy, education, assessment and care coordination to every encounter they do. Under these changes, access to loans for nurses is already being felt on the front lines, where we know people are questioning whether or not they can become nurses. We’re in the midst of a nursing shortage. While Connecticut is stepping up, this is happening across the country. We are not going away; we will continue advocating for our profession, our workforce and the patients and communities who depend on us every day.”

TODAY, 11AM, NORWICH: REP. COURTNEY, SEN. MARX, CONNECTICUT NURSES TO DECRY FEDERAL STUDENT LOAN CAPS FOR GRADUATE DEGREES

Posted on May 18, 2026 by sdozapier@senatedems.ct.gov

TODAY, 11AM, NORWICH: REP. COURTNEY, SEN. MARX, CONNECTICUT NURSES TO DECRY FEDERAL STUDENT LOAN CAPS FOR GRADUATE DEGREES

Who: U.S. Congressman Joe Courtney
Connecticut State Senator Martha Marx
Mary Ellen Jukoski, President of CT State Quinebaug Valley and CT State Three Rivers
Victoria Vaughn Dickson, Dean of the UConn Elisabeth Deluca School of Nursing
Kimberly Sandor, Executive Director of the Connecticut Nurses’ Association
Terri Williams, President of the Connecticut Association of Nursing Anesthesiology

Where: CT State Three Rivers, 574 New London Turnpike, Norwich, CT – Second-Floor Nursing Lab

When: Monday, May 18, 11 a.m.

This morning, U.S. Congressman Joe Courtney, State Senator Martha Marx, a career nurse, and educational and nursing leaders will come together to decry new federal caps for graduate degree loans. The Department of Education’s new rules exclude several degrees, including nursing and social work, from its definition of “professional,” which imposes a cap on student loans, halving the amounts students can borrow.

Congressman Courtney and Senator Marx will call attention to this cut in aid despite approximately one in four to one in five students’ costs exceeding the newly imposed caps. They will also note that the cuts impact health care roles despite persistent staffing shortages in the health care industry in recent years, with potential negative impacts on workforce pipelines and quality of care.

MONDAY, NORWICH: REP. COURTNEY, SEN. MARX, CONNECTICUT NURSES TO DECRY FEDERAL STUDENT LOAN CAPS FOR GRADUATE DEGREES

Posted on May 17, 2026 by sdozapier@senatedems.ct.gov

MONDAY, NORWICH: REP. COURTNEY, SEN. MARX, CONNECTICUT NURSES TO DECRY FEDERAL STUDENT LOAN CAPS FOR GRADUATE DEGREES

Where: CT State Three Rivers, 574 New London Turnpike, Norwich, CT – Second-Floor Nursing Lab

When: Monday, May 18, 11 a.m.

On Monday morning, U.S. Congressman Joe Courtney, State Senator Martha Marx, a career nurse, and educational and nursing leaders will come together to decry new federal caps for graduate degree loans. The Department of Education’s new rules exclude several degrees, including nursing and social work, from its definition of “professional,” which imposes a cap on student loans, halving the amounts students can borrow.

Looney, Duff, Gadkar-Wilcox, Slap Release Statement Following Sexual Assault Allegations Against Former CSCU Chancellor

Posted on May 15, 2026 by sdozapier@senatedems.ct.gov

Looney, Duff, Gadkar-Wilcox, Slap Release Statement Following Sexual Assault Allegations Against Former CSCU Chancellor

HARTFORD — Today, Senate President Pro Tempore Martin M. Looney (D-New Haven), Senate Majority Leader Bob Duff (D-Norwalk), Senator Sujata Gadkar-Wilcox (D-Bridgeport) and Senator Derek Slap (D-West Hartford) released a statement about allegations against the former CSCU Chancellor John Maduko.

“We are extremely disturbed by the allegations that former CSCU Chancellor John Maduko persistently sexually harassed a female employee under his supervision. And even more disconcerting is the claim that the harassment carried on for years without any clear response or strong action by the CSCU Board of Regents or by Human Resources.

“A culture of permissiveness and lack of action is exactly what leads to hostile work environments – often for women – and further enables escalated acts of violence to go unaccounted for as well. Title IX was enacted specifically to ensure that educational institutions investigate and act upon claims of discrimination and sexual harassment. And in accordance with these legal mandates, we demand a statement from the CSCU Board of Regents that details their response to this allegation and the origin of the claim years ago.

“Finally, we are outraged by the alleged statement reported by CT Insider that Board Chair Marty Guay stated that he once fired a woman because she reported sexual harassment. We demand an explanation of this statement, which on its face is unlawful and unacceptable.

“While we appreciate that Dr. Maduko has resigned, we believe that this action is insufficient to address the alleged misconduct involved and especially the inaction by Board Chair Guay and General Counsel Karen Buffkin in response to these persistent allegations.

“In the legislature, we have taken action to support the rights of individuals to be free from sexual exploitation, including two bills addressing human trafficking, and explicitly recognizing victims of sexual assault as a protected class. We cannot tolerate the kind of conduct that is alleged in these reports. We demand better, and are not willing to allow a culture of silence and inaction to outweigh the rights of every employee to a harassment free work environment and to equal protection of our laws.”

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact: Kevin Coughlin | kevin.coughlin@cga.ct.gov | 203-710-0193

Looney, Duff, Gadkar-Wilcox, Slap Release Statement Following Sexual Assault Allegations Against Former CSCU Chancellor

Posted on May 15, 2026 by sdozapier@senatedems.ct.gov

Looney, Duff, Gadkar-Wilcox, Slap Release Statement Following Sexual Assault Allegations Against Former CSCU Chancellor

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact: Kevin Coughlin | kevin.coughlin@cga.ct.gov | 203-710-0193

Looney, Duff Applaud Governor’s Release of $30 Million to Offset Republican Federal Cuts

Posted on May 15, 2026 by sdozapier@senatedems.ct.gov

Looney, Duff Applaud Governor’s Release of $30 Million to Offset Republican Federal Cuts

HARTFORD — Today, Senate President Pro Tempore Martin M. Looney (D-New Haven) and Senate Majority Leader Bob Duff (D-Norwalk) applauded Governor Lamont’s release of $30 million from Connecticut’s Federal Cuts Response Fund to support various efforts to counteract cuts from the Trump regime and Republicans in Washington, D.C. The Senate leaders released the following statement.

“As the Trump regime slashes the federal programs that our residents depend on, Connecticut is refusing to let those cuts go unanswered. Washington Republicans are causing longer waits for unemployment checks, pushing families into homelessness, leaving refugees with nowhere to turn, and destroying our health care system. We cannot let that stand.

“We thank Governor Lamont for acting to protect the people and institutions that keep Connecticut functioning. From the caseworkers processing unemployment claims to the staff at IRIS welcoming refugees, these are the people who show up every day to hold our communities together. This funding ensures they can keep doing that work.

“We await word whether the Connecticut Senate and House MAGA caucuses believe residents should be shielded from these cuts or are too afraid to admit the real damage the Trump regime is doing to our state.”

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact: Kevin Coughlin | kevin.coughlin@cga.ct.gov | 203-710-0193