Author: Devin James

SENATOR KUSHNER WELCOMES $135,000 FOR STUDENT SUMMER MENTAL HEALTH SERVICES THROUGH 2025

Posted on by Devin James

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Wednesday, August 16, 2023      

SENATOR KUSHNER WELCOMES $135,000 FOR STUDENT SUMMER MENTAL HEALTH SERVICES THROUGH 2025

DANBURY – State Senator Julie Kushner (D-Danbury) today welcomed the news that $135,000 in state grants will be awarded to the Danbury public school system to support mental health services for students over the summer through mid-2025.

Awarded through the state Department of Education’s Summer Mental Health Supports Grant program, these grants will support mental health services for students during summer months over a three-year period. The grants are the result of legislation passed by the General Assembly and spearheaded by Senate Democrats during the 2022 legislative session.

“Last year I was proud to vote for Senate Bill 1 – our caucus’s top legislative priority – which addressed childhood mental and physical health services in schools. Part of that was providing grants for school districts to hire and retain more school social workers, school psychologists, school counselors and nurses,” Sen. Kushner said. “Mental health is 365 days a year. It doesn’t take summers off. Our children deserve our caring and support, and this grant will help accomplish that in Danbury.”

“The need for mental health support services among youths does not stop at the end of the school year, and these grants will enable these critical services to continue during the summer months,” said Governor Ned Lamont.

The competitive state grant program uses federal American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA). This is the third of three rounds of grants the department is releasing with ARPA funding that are aimed at increasing access to mental health support services for youths in schools. Eligible costs incurred beginning in summer 2023 through summer 2025 are reimbursable under this grant program.

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SEN. OSTEN, HEBRON OFFICIALS WELCOME STATE FUNDNG TO INSTALL COMMUNITY WELLS FOR PLANNED HOUSING

Posted on by Devin James

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Wednesday, August 16, 2023

SEN. OSTEN, HEBRON OFFICIALS WELCOME STATE FUNDNG TO INSTALL COMMUNITY WELLS FOR PLANNED HOUSING

HEBRON – State Senator Cathy Osten (D-Sprague) and Hebron officials today welcomed the news that the State of Connecticut has awarded Hebron a $2,106,000 state grant for the Hebron Town Center Initiative that will bring recreation, economic development, and future developments in town, including affordable housing.

Currently there is insufficient water capacity to grow the Hebron town center, and this infrastructure grant will help install community wells, which will help enable the construction of approximately 52 housing units on a 16.5-acre parcel of land on Church Street that St. Peter’s Episcopal Church purchased last fall.

“In a lot of small Connecticut towns, population growth and housing growth and economic growth is often stifled by a lack of basic, necessary infrastructure like water lines, sewer lines, storm water management and electrical service. This state grant for Hebron, with a population of about 9,600 people, is absolutely key to unlocking the water that will be needed to serve new homes, grow Hebron’s population, its tax base, and launch more economic activity. I’m very happy for Hebron,” Sen. Osten said.

“This state grant is huge. It’s going to get the ball rolling in a few different ways. It’s going to give us money to do exploratory drilling on the property,” Hebron Town Manager Andy Tierney said. “This project will be a big economic boost for the center of town, and I want to thank Senator Osten for listening to us and getting this grant through.”

Amy D’Amaddio, president of the Coalition on Diversity & Equity (CoDE) which seeks to improve affordable housing, economic development and education in Hebron, Marlborough, Andover and Columbia, said she’s excited with the changes the grant can bring.

“It’s important to recognize that segregation will continue without state government making investments in infrastructure. People can’t move to these areas, and we can’t see the development that we want to see, without government supporting infrastructure like water and sewer lines,” D’Amaddio said. “The community well that will be built on St. Peter’s property will make this housing a reality.”

The Hebron grant is part of a total $23 million in state funds that have just been awarded to eight towns and cities under the third round of the recently launched Connecticut Communities Challenge Grant program. Administered by the state Department of Economic and Community Development, this program was created in 2021 with the purpose of funding a wide range of revitalization projects that will spur the growth of new jobs.

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SENATOR KUSHNER WELCOMES $135,000 FOR STUDENT SUMMER MENTAL HEALTH SERVICES THROUGH 2025

Posted on by Devin James

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Wednesday, August 16, 2023

SENATOR KUSHNER WELCOMES $135,000 FOR STUDENT SUMMER MENTAL HEALTH SERVICES THROUGH 2025

DANBURY – State Senator Julie Kushner (D-Danbury) today welcomed the news that $135,000 in state grants will be awarded to the Danbury public school system to support mental health services for students over the summer through mid-2025.

Awarded through the state Department of Education’s Summer Mental Health Supports Grant program, these grants will support mental health services for students during summer months over a three-year period. The grants are the result of legislation passed by the General Assembly and spearheaded by Senate Democrats during the 2022 legislative session.

“Last year I was proud to vote for Senate Bill 1 – our caucus’s top legislative priority – which addressed childhood mental and physical health services in schools. Part of that was providing grants for school districts to hire and retain more school social workers, school psychologists, school counselors and nurses,” Sen. Kushner said. “Mental health is 365 days a year. It doesn’t take summers off. Our children deserve our caring and support, and this grant will help accomplish that in Danbury.”

“The need for mental health support services among youths does not stop at the end of the school year, and these grants will enable these critical services to continue during the summer months,” said Governor Ned Lamont.

The competitive state grant program uses federal American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA). This is the third of three rounds of grants the department is releasing with ARPA funding that are aimed at increasing access to mental health support services for youths in schools. Eligible costs incurred beginning in summer 2023 through summer 2025 are reimbursable under this grant program.

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SENS. HARTLEY & CABRERA WELCOME $3 MILLION STATE INVESTMENT IN NAUGATUCK YMCA CHILDCARE CENTER

Posted on by Devin James

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Tuesday, August 15, 2023

SENS. HARTLEY & CABRERA WELCOME $3 MILLION STATE INVESTMENT IN NAUGATUCK YMCA CHILDCARE CENTER

NAUGATUCK – State Senators Joan Hartley (D-Waterbury) and Jorge Cabrera (D-Hamden) today welcomed the news that the State of Connecticut is investing $3 million to expand the Naugatuck YMCA’s childcare facility by renovating the adjacent vacant Saint Frances Parochial School.

The plans include a licensed birth to five childcare center, school and teen programming, a teenage recreational center, and family resources. Located less than a half mile from the newly planned rail line platform and 200 mixed-rate apartments, the expansion will help meet childcare needs in the area.

Just last year, Sen. Hartley welcomed a different $1 million state investment in the Naugatuck YMCA for upgrades including roof repairs.

“Every investment in childcare is an investment in economic development. With the expansion of the Naugatuck Y’s childcare facility, we will enable more parents to return to the workplace knowing they have nearby quality, affordable and accessible childcare,” Sen. Hartley said. “Having recently secured a state bonding allocation for the Naugatuck Y, and now with the CCC grant, I am thrilled to see this program come to fruition.”

“When we created this program two years ago, I knew good things were going to happen for the people of Connecticut. Now we’ve got childcare expansion and a teen rec center at a time in Naugatuck when the economy is booming, more folks are working full-time and new housing is being built,” said Sen. Cabrera, who represents the southern half of Naugatuck. “This is the right investment at the right time, and I couldn’t be happier that Naugatuck was awarded this state grant.”

Naugatuck YMCA CEO Mark LaFortune said over the past two years, his organization has received a total of $5.9 million in state and federal grants, and that this latest grant will have a positive impact on Naugatuck.

“We’re going to create a state-of-the-art facility for local families, from birth to adult,” LaFortune said. “And one of the things we learned throughout the pandemic is that our teens need more services and more places to go. This grant will help create that for teens and serve them in a supervised environment.”

Governor Ned Lamont recently announced that the state is awarding a total of $23 million to eight towns and cities – including Naugatuck – under the third round of his administration’s

recently launched Connecticut Communities Challenge Grant program. Administered by the state Department of Economic and Community Development, the program was created in 2021 with the purpose of funding a wide range of revitalization projects that will spur the growth of new jobs. This third round of grants leverages approximately $105 million in non-state dollars.

More details on the Connecticut Communities Challenge Grant program can be found online at portal.ct.gov/DECD/Content/Business-Development/05_Funding_Opportunities/CT-Communities-Challenge-Grant.

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SEN. FLEXER WELCOMES $1.37 MILLION IN SCHOOL MENTAL HEALTH GRANTS FOR LOCAL PUBLIC SCHOOLS

Posted on by Devin James

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Tuesday, August 9, 2023

SEN. FLEXER WELCOMES $1.37 MILLION IN SCHOOL MENTAL HEALTH GRANTS FOR LOCAL PUBLIC SCHOOLS

State Senator Mae Flexer today welcomed the news that a $1,371,683 in state grants will be released to seven nearby public schools to support the hiring and retention of school mental health specialists for the 2024, 2025 and 2026 school years.

The state recently announced the release of a total of $15 million in funding for 72 school districts across Connecticut, supporting the hiring and retention of school mental health specialists for the 2024, 2025 and 2026 school years. Grant values range from $25,150 to $120,000 in each of the first two years and 70% of that amount in the third year.

The grant program uses funding from the federal American Rescue Plan Act, and it was just awarded to Connecticut schools as a result of the 2022 passage of Senate Bill 1, Sen. Flexer and the Connecticut Senate Democrats’ top legislative priority that year, which aimed to address children’s mental health statewide.

“We’ve just gone through a long and significant debate in Killingly about the need and the importance of mental health care for students. Parents made their voices loud and clear that this was a priority for them in Killingly, as I know it is for parents all across Connecticut,” Sen. Flexer said. “I’m overjoyed that a stand I took last year for more student mental health care is now coming to fruition for more than 7,500 public school students in the region.”

The following area school systems will receive mental health support funds for the 2024 through 2026 school years:

· Canterbury, $160,698.34

· Killingly, $162,000

· Putnam, $162,000

· Region 19, $164,840.40

· Scotland, $240,300

· Thompson, $319,844.70

· Windham, $162,000

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SEN. OSTEN WELCOMES $865,000 IN SCHOOL MENTAL HEALTH GRANTS FOR LOCAL PUBLIC SCHOOLS

Posted on by Devin James

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Tuesday, August 9, 2023

SEN. OSTEN WELCOMES $865,000 IN SCHOOL MENTAL HEALTH GRANTS FOR LOCAL PUBLIC SCHOOLS

State Senator Cathy Osten (D-Sprague) today welcomed the news that $865,621 in state grants will be released to five nearby public schools to support the hiring and retention of school mental health specialists for the 2024, 2025 and 2026 school years.

The state recently announced the release of a total of $15 million in funding for 72 school districts across Connecticut, supporting the hiring and retention of school mental health specialists for the 2024, 2025 and 2026 school years. Grant values range from $25,150 to $120,000 in each of the first two years and 70% of that amount in the third year.

The grant program uses funding from the federal American Rescue Plan Act, and it was just awarded to Connecticut schools as a result of the 2022 passage of Senate Bill 1, which was Sen. Osten and the Connecticut Senate Democrats’ top legislative priority that year and which aimed to address children’s mental health care statewide.

“Many of our young students, especially young women, are struggling with mental health issues like sadness, hopelessness, or thoughts of suicide, Young women are twice as likely as young men to have these thoughts. And there have not been enough resources for them,” Sen. Osten said. “My hope is this three-year investment will make a difference.”

The following area school systems will receive mental health support funds for the 2024 through 2026 school years:

· Columbia, $167,400

· Integrated Day Charter School, $193,050

· Lebanon, $209,774

· Ledyard, $162,000

· Norwich Free Academy District, $133,397

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SEN. OSTEN REMINDS VETERANS EXPOSED TO AGENT ORANGE & BURN PITS TO APPLY BY WEDNESDAY FOR PACT ACT BENEFITS

Posted on by Devin James

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Monday, August 7, 2023

SEN. OSTEN REMINDS VETERANS EXPOSED TO AGENT ORANGE & BURN PITS TO APPLY BY WEDNESDAY FOR PACT ACT BENEFITS

State Senator Cathy Osten (D-Sprague) today reminded military veterans that – while they can apply at any time– they have until Wednesday to apply for federal PACT Act benefits that could be retroactive and which cover an expanded list of health conditions that may be linked to Agent Orange, burn pits, or other toxic, chemical exposures.

Sen. Osten is a U.S. Army veteran, a member of the legislature’s Veterans’ Affairs Committee, and post commander for the American Legion Joseph St. Germaine Post 85 in Sprague.

“It’s taken a long time for veterans to get the recognition they deserve for the damage that was caused by a decade of use of Agent Orange in Vietnam and the burns pits in Iraq, Afghanistan and elsewhere. Even if veterans were denied health benefits before, they may likely be approved under the new PACT Act,” Sen. Osten said. “We need to honor our promises to our military veterans to take care of them, and vets should make this call or go online to apply.”

The PACT Act (the Sergeant First Class Heath Robinson Honoring our Promise to Address Comprehensive Toxics Act) was passed by Congress in June 2022 and brings these changes:

· Expands and extends eligibility for U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs health care for veterans with toxic exposures and veterans of the Vietnam, Gulf War, and post-9/11 eras

· Adds 20+ more presumptive conditions for burn pits, Agent Orange, and other toxic exposures

· Adds more presumptive-exposure locations for Agent Orange and radiation

· Requires the VA to provide a toxic exposure screening to every veteran enrolled in VA health care

· Helps the VA improve research, staff education, and treatment related to toxic exposures

To apply, please visit: https://www.va.gov/disability/file-disability-claim-form-21-526ez/introduction

or call the VA at:

800-698-2411

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SENATOR FLEXER HAILS NEW CONNECTICUT STATE LAWS TO PROTECT WOMEN’S REPRODUCTIVE FREEDOM

Posted on by Devin James

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Wednesday, July 19, 2023

SENATOR FLEXER HAILS NEW CONNECTICUT STATE LAWS TO PROTECT WOMEN’S REPRODUCTIVE FREEDOM

HARTFORD – State Senator Mae Flexer today welcomed the signing of several new, bipartisan bills into laws that will strengthen women’s reproductive rights in Connecticut, ensuring that they retain the power to make their own medical decisions amid national concerns over reproductive rights.

These Connecticut laws were passed this past legislative session in response to the conservative U.S. Supreme Court’s recent overturning of Roe v. Wade, which for half a century guaranteed a woman’s right to an abortion in America.

“I have the great privilege of representing the students at the University of Connecticut in Storrs. And last summer, these students were terrified. But they didn’t just sit there in their fear – they instead said, ‘What can we do to make this better? What can we do to make sure that we have better access to healthcare here at UConn?’ And they reached out to Representative Haddad and me,” Sen. Flexer told a large crowd at the bill signings press conference. “This is a shining example of how you can take your concern for something in a moment when so many things in our country are under attack, and actually make change happen. I am so thankful to these students for the leadership that they demonstrated.”

The four bills signed into law today will:

  • Protect medical providers in Connecticut who provide health care for out-of-state residents from adverse actions (i.e. arrest) taken by some other state where abortion has essentially been outlawed.
  • Allow pharmacists to prescribe birth control without patients first needing to visit their doctor. The law permits pharmacists to prescribe a hormonal contraceptive and emergency contraceptive only if they have completed an accredited educational training program.
  • Increase access to reproductive care by college students by requiring public higher education institutions (i.e. UConn, the state universities) with on-campus residences to develop a plan by January 1, 2024, that addresses students’ need for reproductive health care, including contraception, abortion, and gender-affirming care.
  • Protect the privacy of patient health data online, ensuring that individuals who are seeking health care information and services online can trust that their personal data and information is secure and cannot be collected and used against them.

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SEN. KUSHER EARNS PERFECT 100% VOTING RECORD IN 2023 LEGISLATIVE SESSION 

Posted on by Devin James

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE 

Monday, June 26, 2023  

SEN. KUSHER EARNS PERFECT 100% VOTING RECORD IN 2023 LEGISLATIVE SESSION 

Senator Julie Kushner of Danbury on June 2, 2023, casting one of her 501 votes this session. 

HARTFORD – State Senator Julie Kushner (D-Danbury) earned a perfect 100% voting record in the 2023 legislative session, voting 501 times on 501 different public policy matters, according to the Senate Clerk’s Office.   

Sen. Kushner was one of just 11 state senators out of 36 to achieve a perfect voting record in 2023. The 2023 Regular Session ran 22 weeks, from January 4 to June 7.  

“The people of Danbury, New Fairfield and Ridgefield elected me to do a job for them. I am in constant contact with my constituents, and that input is reflected in my votes, on issues large and small,” Sen. Kushner said. “It’s an honor to have the faith and trust of the voters, and it’s an honor to be their state senator.”  

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SEN. OSTEN WELCOMES STATE BONDING FOR NECESSARY PUBLIC PROJECTS IN NORWICH AND LEDYARD

Posted on by Devin James

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Friday, June 23, 2023

SEN. OSTEN WELCOMES STATE BONDING FOR NECESSARY PUBLIC PROJECTS IN NORWICH AND LEDYARD

St. Vincent de Paul, Jubilee Park, Gales Ferry FD Benefit from State Investments

NORWICH – State Senator Cathy Osten (D-Sprague) announced today that the State Bond Commission is expected to approve a combined $2.7 million in state aid for three public projects in the region when the commission meets next week in Hartford.

After recent input from Sen. Osten, next week’s State Bond Commission agenda includes:

· $1.7 million for the St. Vincent de Paul Place soup kitchen on Cliff Street for capital renovations and improvements including elevator work, windows and clinic build-outs. St. Vincent de Paul Place is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization affiliated with the Roman Catholic Diocese of Norwich and has been serving the poor in the region since 1979.

· $500,000 for park upgrades, including drainage improvements, to Jubilee Park Lower Broadway. Castle Church is overseeing plans to turn Jubilee Park into a gathering place for city events.

· $500,000 for a new roof and fire equipment for the Gales Ferry Volunteer Fire Department in Ledyard, which was founded in 1942. The department moved into its station on Route 12 in 1986 and has since refinished the firehouse exterior and replaced the front apron with a concrete pad.

“I’m always advocating up in Hartford for eastern Connecticut to get its fair share of state bonding, and I believe these are three very worthwhile projects that deserve state support,” Sen. Osten said. “I look forward to the positive changes that these investments will have on the quality of life for tens of thousands of people in the region.”

The State Bond Commission is scheduled to meet at 10:30 a.m. Friday, June 30 in Room 1-E of the Legislative Office Building in Hartford.