HARTFORD – Senator Paul Honig, D-Harwinton, voted Thursday to give final approval to a series of bills that will protect state residents through financial planning for the chaos of disrupted funding by Republicans in Washington while supporting mental health services for children across the state.
“My background in finance taught me that you plan for the worst and hope for the best. Right now, we’re facing unprecedented chaos from Washington, with federal funding for critical programs being cut or threatened on a daily basis,” Senator Honig said. “By setting aside $500 million, we’re protecting hundreds of thousands of Connecticut residents from losing access to food assistance, heating help, and health care. We’re also taking important steps to strengthen children’s mental health services and expand coverage for those with autism spectrum disorder, ensuring our young people get the support they need.”
Today’s Senate action comes one day after Connecticut House Democrats approved the same series of bills; they now go to Governor Ned Lamont for his signature into law.
The highlight of the day was $500 million set aside in the state’s budget reserve – better known as “The Rainy Day Fund” – to make up for hundreds of millions of dollars in state funding that have already been cut, or could be cut even further in the coming months – by Republicans in Washington.
The State of Connecticut will use the funds to make up for federal shortfalls and policy changes that would financially harm hundreds of thousands of Connecticut residents in every city and town with the loss of funding for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP, formerly known as food stamps), the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children (WIC), the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP, which provides low-cost heating fuel over the winter), health care, school meals, child care assistance, and housing assistance.
Senate Democrats today also passed a bill calling for a study of existing behavioral health services for children in the state, and how much demand there may be for such services in the near future. The study will examine how often children interact with The United Way of Connecticut 2-1-1 Infoline program, the 9-8-8 National Suicide Prevention Lifeline, mobile crisis intervention services and urgent crisis centers, subacute crisis stabilization centers, and hospital emergency departments, and will examine state resources to these providers and what demands for children’s behavioral health services they might face in the future. The bill also raises the age, from under 21 to under 26, that applies to required coverage for behavioral therapy for people with autism spectrum disorder under private insurance plans.
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