State News – Page 7

State News

BLUMENTHAL & LARSON INTRODUCE THE ESSENTIAL CAREGIVERS ACT

May 9, 2024 Alex

[Hartford, CT] – Today, U.S. Senator Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) and U.S. Representative John Larson (D-CT-01), joined by U.S. Senator John Cornyn (R-TX) and U.S. Representative Claudia Tenney (R-NY-24), introduced the bipartisan, bicameral Essential Caregivers Act. This bill would protect the residents in long-term care facilities, giving all residents nationwide the right to have in person access to an essential caregiver when visitations are restricted due to a declared emergency. The bipartisan bill seeks to prevent a repeat of the isolation and lack of care that long-term care residents were unjustly subjected to during the COVID-19 pandemic. It also requires CMS to set clear and fair guidelines for essential caregivers to protect the safety of facility staff and residents. “The COVID-19…

State News

ATTORNEY GENERAL TONG URGES UNITEDHEALTH GROUP TO HELP PATIENTS AND PROVIDERS HARMED BY CYBERATTACK ON CHANGE HEALTHCARE

Apr 27, 2024 Alex

(Hartford, CT) -- Attorney General William Tong announced today that he has joined a bipartisan, multistate coalition of 22 attorneys general in sending a letter to UnitedHealth Group, Inc. urging the corporation to take more meaningful action to better protect providers, pharmacies, and patients harmed by the recent catastrophic outage of Change Healthcare. UnitedHealth Group is the nation’s largest health insurer and the parent company of Change Healthcare. On February 21, 2024, Change Healthcare experienced a cyberattack by ALPHV/Blackcat, which crippled its platform. In the intervening weeks, providers, pharmacies, and facilities have reported catastrophic disruptions to care infrastructure, inability to verify coverage or obtain prior authorization, and inability to process claims or obtain reimbursements. Patients report delayed or denied access to…

State News

BLUMENTHAL & SULLIVAN CALL ON PRESIDENT TO ENFORCE STRONGER SANCTIONS AGAINST IRAN

Apr 26, 2024 Alex

[Hartford, CT] —U.S. Senators Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) and Dan Sullivan (R-AK), members of the Senate Armed Services Committee, today called on President Biden to enforce stronger sanctions against Iran. Citing Iran’s attacks on Israel on April 13, as well as the repeated attacks by Iran’s proxies on Israel and U.S. Navy ships, the senators detailed several ways the United States could enforce stronger sanctions against Iran and cripple their ability to fund aggression and terrorism. “Since Hamas’ attack on October 7, 2023, our servicemen and women, our naval vessels, our other allies in the region, and international shipping have come under attack from Iranian funded, trained, coordinated, and assisted groups. And now, the Iranian attack against Israel demonstrably shows that…

State News

GOVERNOR LAMONT, CONGRESSIONAL DELEGATION ANNOUNCE CONNECTICUT SELECTED TO RECEIVE $62.5 MILLION FOR SOLAR PROJECTS BENEFITTING LOW-INCOME RESIDENTS

Apr 23, 2024 Alex

(HARTFORD, CT) – Governor Ned Lamont and the members of Connecticut’s Congressional delegation today announced that the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is awarding the Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection (DEEP) with a $62.5 million grant under its Solar for All initiative. This competitive grant program through the EPA’s Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund is aimed at expanding solar energy investment in low-income and disadvantaged communities (LIDAC). The grant competition is funded by President Joe Biden’s Investing in America agenda as part of the Inflation Reduction Act. Connecticut’s grant application was led by DEEP in close collaboration with the Connecticut Green Bank, the Connecticut Public Utilities Regulatory Authority (PURA), the Connecticut Housing Finance Authority, the Connecticut Department of Housing,…

State News

BLUMENTHAL SPONSORS LEGISLATION TO PREVENT YOUTH SUICIDE AMID YOUTH MENTAL HEALTH CRISIS

Apr 18, 2024 Alex

[HARTFORD, CT] – U.S. Senator Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) joined Senate colleagues in introducing legislation to prevent youth suicide, which is the second leading cause of death for people aged 10 to 24. The Child Suicide Prevention and Lethal Means Safety Act would fund suicide prevention initiatives, ensure health care providers receive training to prevent intentional harm, and create a centralized hub to provide safety information to at-risk youth and their support networks. “Across the country we are seeing a trend of increasing suicide rates that are beyond disturbing and gut-wrenching. We know we can do something. That’s why I’ve introduced the Child Suicide Prevention and Lethal Means Safety Act to support care and counseling wherever children can be reached – in the schools, in…

State News

Will New Leadership At State Police Be Enough To Fix State PD?

Apr 15, 2024 Stephen Krauchick

Daniel Loughman was formally sworn in as Colonel of the Connecticut State Police, succeeding his role as Interim Colonel since November 1, 2023. The ceremony took place at the Connecticut Police Academy in Meriden, where DESPP Commissioner Ronnell Higgins administered the oath. Expressing gratitude and humility, Colonel Loughman emphasized his dedication to the men and women of the Connecticut State Police. He lauded their excellence, not only within the state but across the nation, highlighting the agency's 120-year legacy of citizen protection. "I am honored to lead the Connecticut State Police and serve alongside our committed troopers," stated Loughman. "Having visited each of the 11 barracks during my interim tenure, I've gained valuable insights into our troopers' needs and aspirations.…

State News

GOVERNOR LAMONT APPLAUDS PRESIDENT BIDEN’S APPROVAL OF NEW FEDERAL RULE EXPANDING BACKGROUND CHECKS ON GUN SALES

Apr 13, 2024 Alex

(HARTFORD, CT) – Governor Ned Lamont is applauding an announcement made today by the White House that the Biden-Harris administration has approved a new federal rule implementing a key provision of the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act of 2022 that clarifies who must register as a federally licensed firearms dealer and requires anyone who sells firearms to conduct criminal and mental health background checks on potential buyers, regardless of how a sale is conducted. The requirement addresses a loophole in federal rules that up until now did not require background checks for firearms that are sold online and at gun shows. Connecticut already requires universal background checks for gun sales, however many states do not. By implementing this new federal rule, these background…

State News

GOVERNOR LAMONT, CONGRESSIONAL DELEGATION APPLAUD EPA AWARDS TO REDUCE CARBON POLLUTION AND INVEST IN GREEN ENVIRONMENTAL INFRASTRUCTURE

Apr 5, 2024 Alex

(HARTFORD, CT) – Governor Ned Lamont and the members of Connecticut’s Congressional delegation are applauding an announcement made today by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) that $5 billion from the Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund, which was created under President Joe Biden’s Inflation Reduction Act, is being awarded to the Coalition for Green Capital, a consortium of organizations from throughout the country that includes the Connecticut Green Bank. The Connecticut Green Bank will use the funding to catalyze public-private investments in the creation of environmental infrastructure in vulnerable communities to help reduce greenhouse gas emissions, lower energy costs for consumers, and increase resilience against climate change. Priority projects will include infrastructure in areas such as green schools, green school buses, green homes,…

State News

4.7 Magnitude Earthquake

Apr 5, 2024 Stephen Krauchick

I'm receiving numerous calls about a possible earthquake. My family felt it in Fairfield along with other viewers. The United States Geological Survey website says there was an earthquake in Lebanon New Jersey.

State News

Arrest Made in Conspiracy to Commit Murder and Risk of Injury to Minors Case

Apr 4, 2024 Alex

(New London, CT) - Joshua Peikert was apprehended and charged with Conspiracy to Commit Murder and Conspiracy to Commit Risk of Injury to Minors while attending a hearing at New London Superior Court for unrelated charges. This arrest comes after a thorough investigation, which included inquiries in Texas where the accused's accomplice provided a full confession. The accomplice, taken into custody by law enforcement officials in Azle, TX, on 04/02/2024, awaits extradition back to Connecticut to face identical charges. Despite being unable to post the court-set $500,000 bond, Joshua Peikert has been remanded to the custody of the CT Department of Correction.

BLUMENTHAL & LARSON INTRODUCE THE ESSENTIAL CAREGIVERS ACT

ATTORNEY GENERAL TONG URGES UNITEDHEALTH GROUP TO HELP PATIENTS AND PROVIDERS HARMED BY CYBERATTACK ON CHANGE HEALTHCARE

BLUMENTHAL & SULLIVAN CALL ON PRESIDENT TO ENFORCE STRONGER SANCTIONS AGAINST IRAN

GOVERNOR LAMONT, CONGRESSIONAL DELEGATION ANNOUNCE CONNECTICUT SELECTED TO RECEIVE $62.5 MILLION FOR SOLAR PROJECTS BENEFITTING LOW-INCOME RESIDENTS

BLUMENTHAL SPONSORS LEGISLATION TO PREVENT YOUTH SUICIDE AMID YOUTH MENTAL HEALTH CRISIS

Will New Leadership At State Police Be Enough To Fix State PD?

GOVERNOR LAMONT APPLAUDS PRESIDENT BIDEN’S APPROVAL OF NEW FEDERAL RULE EXPANDING BACKGROUND CHECKS ON GUN SALES

GOVERNOR LAMONT, CONGRESSIONAL DELEGATION APPLAUD EPA AWARDS TO REDUCE CARBON POLLUTION AND INVEST IN GREEN ENVIRONMENTAL INFRASTRUCTURE

4.7 Magnitude Earthquake

Arrest Made in Conspiracy to Commit Murder and Risk of Injury to Minors Case

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