AG, LEGISLATORS ANNOUNCE BIPARTISAN BILL TO STRENGTHEN CONNECTICUT’S ANTI-ROBOCALL LAWS

(Hartford, CT) – Attorney General William Tong and a bipartisan coalition of legislators announced new proposed legislation to strengthen Connecticut’s ability to fight obnoxious and intrusive robocalls. The legislation would modernize the state’s anti-robocall statutes to match new tactics and technology used to inundate Connecticut households with relentless, unwanted calls. Connecticut’s robocall statutes have not been updated since 2015. Some portions have not been updated since they were first enacted in 1996. Our laws have failed to keep up with current tactics used by scammers. Specifically, the proposal expands the statutes to cover text messages, bans “gateway” voice over internet protocol (VoIP) providers from facilitating overseas scammers’ access to the U.S. telecom networks, allows for enforcement action against calls received…

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GOVERNOR LAMONT ANNOUNCES FORGE ESTABLISHES OPERATIONS IN CONNECTICUT, OFFERING FREE SUPPORT TO LOCAL STARTUPS

(HARTFORD, CT) – Governor Ned Lamont today announced that FORGE – a nonprofit organization that connects startups creating physical products with the product development, manufacturing, and supply chain resources they need to grow and succeed – is establishing operations in Connecticut and will begin providing its services – free of charge – to local startups. The staff at FORGE are experts in helping innovators navigate the journey from physical prototype to commercialization. They do this by connecting startups with experienced product experts, manufacturers, engineers, and the local supply chains to drive business relationships. Since its founding in 2015, the organization has operated in Massachusetts, where it has supported hundreds of creators of physical products, leading to the creation of more than 5,000…

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GOVERNOR LAMONT PROPOSES LEGISLATION TO REDUCE HEALTH CARE COSTS

(HARTFORD, CT) – Governor Ned Lamont today held a news conference in New Britain to announced that he has submitted multi-pronged legislative proposals to the General Assembly that focus on reducing health care costs for Connecticut residents, with a particular emphasis on enhancing competition, eliminating unnecessary charges, reducing rising prices, and increasing affordability for residents and employers. The legislation is House Bill 6669, An Act Protecting Patients and Prohibiting Unnecessary Health Care Costs, and Senate Bill 983, An Act Limiting Anticompetitive Health Care Practices. “Gallup recently reported that record-high numbers of Americans are putting off care due to costs,” Governor Lamont said. “Approximately 38% of Americans put off care in 2022, the highest percentage Gallup has ever seen in its…

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Insurance For “Undocumented”

Connecticut - Tuesday, February 14th at 9 a.m. healthcare advocates, immigrants rights groups, immigrant community members, and legislators gathered in support ahead of a public hearing where over 220 individuals signed up to testify via zoom, and hundreds more submitted written testimony in support of H.B. 6616, An Act Concerning Expansion Of HUSKY Health Benefits To Those Ineligible Due To Immigration Status. The bill would provide HUSKY health coverage to all Connecticut residents through the age of 25, who meet eligibility criteria, regardless of immigration status and was introduced in the Human Services Committee after a campaign by immigrants and healthcare providers and advocates. The coalition’s legislative push comes off the heels of back-to-back legislative wins. In 2021 and 2022,…

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Yale New Haven Health Unveils Second SkyHealth Helicopter

Yale New Haven Health will host a press conference on Thursday, February 9 beginning at 4pm to unveil their second SkyHealth Helicopter, designed with advanced features to provide the latest in emergency critical care. SkyHealth emergency patient transport helicopter is staffed by highly skilled medical professionals, including a critical care flight nurse and a critical care flight paramedic. The SkyHealth transport team is vital in providing life-saving treatment for patients in critical medical situations en route to the destination hospital, including the Connecticut Burn Center at Bridgeport Hospital. Designed specifically for helicopter EMS use, SkyHealth has the latest technology and safety features. It meets and exceeds all safety recommendations set forth by the National Transportation Safety Bureau and includes advanced…

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GOVERNOR LAMONT ANNOUNCES 2023 LEGISLATIVE PROPOSAL: CUT INCOME TAX RATES FOR THE MIDDLE CLASS

Governor Calls for Connecticut’s First Income Tax Rate Reduction in Almost Thirty Years and the Largest Rate Reduction in State History (EAST HARTFORD, CT) – Governor Ned Lamont today held a news conference in East Hartford to announce that the fiscal years 2024 and 2025 biennial state budget proposal that he will present to the General Assembly later this week calls for a broad-based reduction in income tax rates for middle-class workers in Connecticut. Currently, single (joint) filers pay a 3% state personal income tax on their first $10,000 ($20,000) of adjusted gross income and a 5% tax on income up to $50,000 ($100,000). Governor Lamont is proposing to permanently lower the 5% rate to 4.5% and the 3% rate…

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GOVERNOR LAMONT AND CONGRESSIONAL DELEGATION ANNOUNCE CONNECTICUT RECEIVING $18 MILLION FEDERAL GRANT TO ADDRESS UNSHELTERED AND RURAL HOMELESSNESS (NEW HAVEN, CT) – Governor Ned Lamont, Senator Richard Blumenthal, and Senator Chris Murphy today held a news conference in New Haven to announce that the State of Connecticut is receiving an $18 million grant from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development to address homelessness among people in unsheltered settings and in rural communities. The funds are being directed toward two state agencies – the Connecticut Department of Housing and the Connecticut Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services – and will be distributed over a three-year period with the state receiving approximately $6 million annually. These funds will be…

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LEGISLATION TO LIMIT THE USE OF NON-COMPETE AGREEMENTS

WASHINGTON—U.S. Senator Chris Murphy (D-Conn.) and U.S. Senator Todd Young (R-Ind.) on Thursday noted growing support for the Workforce Mobility Act, legislation to limit the use of non-compete agreements, which negatively impact almost one in every five American workers. U.S. Senator Tim Kaine (D-Va.) and U.S. Senator Kevin Cramer (R-N.D.) co-sponsored the legislation, and U.S. Representative Scott Peters (D-Calif.-52) and U.S. Representative Mike Gallagher (R-Wis.-08) reintroduced the bill in the U.S House of Representatives. The Workforce Mobility Act would: Narrow the use of non-compete agreements to include only necessary instances of a dissolution of a partnership or the sale of a business; Charge the Federal Trade Commission and the Department of Labor with enforcement, as well as making explicit a…

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GOVERNOR LAMONT ANNOUNCES 2023 LEGISLATIVE PROPOSAL: CANCEL MEDICAL DEBT FOR CONNECTICUT RESIDENTS

(HARTFORD, CT) – Governor Ned Lamont today held a news conference in Hartford to announce a proposal he will introduce during the 2023 legislative session that will cancel overdue medical debts for thousands of Connecticut residents who are struggling to pay their bills. Based on a model that other governments throughout the United States have used recently, the governor’s proposal calls for the state to invest $20 million in federal COVID-19 recovery funding it received from the American Rescue Plan Act and use those dollars to contract with a nonprofit organization that buys medical debt and eliminates it at a fraction of the original cost. The nonprofit will contact local hospitals and hospital systems directly, purchase entire portfolios of debt owed by…

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Increase To School Meal Programs

U.S. Senator Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) will join advocates to announce significant federal funding increases for both the Supplemental Nutritional Insurance Program (SNAP) and child nutrition programs, which include school meal programs, as growing numbers of Connecticut families face food insecurity this winter. The federal budget includes $154 billion for SNAP, an increase of $13.4 billion over last year, $28.5 billion for Child Nutrition Programs including historic funding allowing schools to serve healthy meals, and $6 billion for the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC). Connecticut’s SNAP and child nutrition programs are expected to receive a boost of millions of dollars to support access to affordable and nutritious foods. According to Feeding America, nearly 400,000 people in…

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