State Rep. Rochelle Praises Legislation Assisting Seniors

Rep. Kara Rochelle (D Ansonia/Derby) is proud to support tax relief for those who receive social security and pensions and an increase in funding for the Meals on Wheels program, both included in the 2019 budget. 

 In addition to these budgetary efforts to support seniors, Rochelle also supported four additional bills focusing on our seniors’ well-being and quality of life. Legislation passed in the most recent session included funding initiatives that will help keep seniors in their homes as long as possible, requiring appropriate staffing levels in nursing homes, providing the public access to a searchable database of people who may be a risk to our seniors and people with disabilities, and requiring certain health care providers to receive training in recognizing the signs of and symptoms of Alzheimer’s disease and dementia.

“Our older neighbors, friends, and loved ones deserve pathways to age with stability, proper support, and dignity.  These legislative efforts all work toward that goal.  I’m proud to be a part of improving the lives of our seniors and look forward to continued efforts in future sessions.” said Rochelle

A closer look at the bills:

The Budget

·       Tax Relief for Seniors: This year’s budget implements tax cuts for seniors on social security and for those who receive pensions. For social security recipients who earn a total income of less than 75k/year or couples who earn less than $100,000k/year the state will no longer be taxing social security income. For those who earn above these thresholds, you will receive a 75 percent tax credit on social security. For those receiving pensions: starting this year and going forth every year until we reach zero the state will be reducing pension taxes on those earning less than $75k/year for an individual and $100k/year for a couple by 14 percent each year.

·       Increase in Meals on Wheels Funding: This year’s budget saw an increase in funding for Meals on Wheels, critical for supporting thousands of seniors across the state and many seniors here in Ansonia and Derby.

      Legislation: 

         HB6170, An Act Increasing Funding For Aging In Place Initiatives – funds various initiatives to help our older neighbors remain in their own homes as long as possible with proper support as needed.

·       SB375, An Act Concerning Nursing Home Facility Staffing Levels- ensures the well-being of nursing home residents by requiring nursing homes to provide clear safety data to the state including but not limited to the number of nurses that will direct patient contact for each shift and minimum number of required staff for each shift.      

          SB832, An act Concerning Registries of Persons Found Responsible For Assaults Or Other Abuse , Neglect, Exploitation Or Abandonment Of Elderly Persons Or Persons With Disabilities –provides the public with access to a searchable database of perpetrators of crimes and other substantiated abuse, neglect, exploitation or abandonment of elderly persons or persons with disabilities.

·       SB827, An Act Concerning Alzheimer’s Disease and Dementia Training And Best Practices – requires certain health care professionals who provide primary care or emergency treatment for adults to receive training in recognizing the signs and symptoms of Alzheimer’s disease dementia. This bill also establishes a working group to develop recommendations on improving the care for Alzheimer’s disease and dementia patients.

(This is a press release from Rochelle's office)

Rep. Klarides-Ditria Renews Call to Pass School Safety Bill

HARTFORD – State Rep. Nicole Klarides-Ditria submitted testimony last week in support of legislation that seeks to enhance classroom safety and school climate.

Under the bill, H.B. 7110, boards of education would be required to revise their safe school climate plans to include provisions relating to disruptive or injurious incidents that occur in classrooms, to develop and implement a state-wide school climate survey, and to require the Department of Education to provide assistance to school districts relating to school climate.

Rep. Klarides-Ditria said, “It is crucial that we highly prioritize the safety of students and teachers. Giving teachers the ability to remove dangerous students for a short time with the requirement that they follow designated protocols will protect the rights and safety of the child in question, the teacher, and fellow students.

A similar bill was passed by the House and Senate last session but was vetoed by Governor Dan Malloy. For more information about the people or to track legislation visit, cga.ct.gov.

(This is a press release from CT House Republicans)

Coffee Hour with Valley Lawmakers

House Passes Sports Helmets Safety Bill Introduced by Klarides Sisters

 

HARTFORD - Yesterday, the House unanimously passed legislation, introduced by House Republican Leader Themis Klarides and State Rep. Nicole Klarides-Ditria, which will provide consumers with better information regarding the safety of sports helmets.

 

The Klarides sisters brought this legislation forward after, Jason Klein of Force3 Pro Gear, a local Derby business, expressed his frustration that his company and others were unable to share their helmet safety test results with the public.

 

According to Klein, sports safety helmets are tested by the National Operating Committee on Standards for Athletic Equipment. The NOCSAE helmet standard uses a pass/fail threshold to determine whether or not a helmet meets the standard performance criteria. The NOCSAE pass/fail threshold is 1200 Severity Index units or SI. A helmet must test below 1200 SI in all 16 designated and random impact locations, including impacts at a helmet in ambient, high and low temperatures.

 

Klein said in testimony, "There’s been no place for an athlete or parent seeking helmet safety information to turn and no way for them to compare results with other helmets currently on the market."

 

Rep. Klarides and Klarides-Ditria said in a joint statement, "Helmet manufacturers should be able to tell the public that their protective equipment is tested and safe. We want to thank Jason for bringing this forward. This legislation will keep athletes of all ages safe."

 

The bill now heads to the Senate.

 

(This is a press release from Spencer Rubin/CT House Republicans)

Klarides Sisters Renew Call to Provide Tax Relief for Disabled Veterans

HARTFORD - House Republican Leader Themis Klarides and her sister State Rep. Nicole Klarides-Ditria are continuing to fight to pass legislation that helps disabled veterans.

 

House Bill 5231 will allow municipalities, with their legislative body's approval, to freeze property taxes on homes owned by certain disabled veterans and their spouse or surviving spouse.  To be eligible, the veteran must have a service-connected disability and either the veteran or spouse must have lived in Connecticut for at least one year.

 

House Republican Leader Themis Klarides said, "In these difficult economic times, we are aware that municipalities are struggling financially. That is why this bill was written to provide towns and cities an option to offer this opportunity rather than mandate it."

 

Rep. Klarides continued, "Veterans who are injured as a result of their service live on fixed incomes and freezing their property taxes will help make living in our state more affordable."

 

Rep. Klarides-Ditria added, "Letting our local governments decide to freeze taxes for disabled veterans is something they should be allowed to do. Disabled veterans deserve this tax relief, and I will continue to fight to get this legislation passed."

 

The Veterans' Affairs Committee passed this legislation unanimously. Before the bill can become law it must pass both the House and Senate.

 

(This is a press release from Spencer Rubin, State of CT House Republicans)

Klarides-Ditria Fights for Animal Welfare

Dear Neighbors,   Today, I joined my colleagues on the Animal Welfare Caucus to announce major animal welfare initiatives for the 2018 legislative session.   Here are a few bills we will be fighting for this session:   ✅ Adequate shelter for dogs in extreme weather   ✅ Removing accelerated rehabilitation as an option for animal abusers   ✅ Implementing recommendations from the Human Animal Welfare Task Force   (Click on link below to WATCH)

https://www.facebook.com/REPNKD/videos/1613478805372762/ 

Valley Lawmakers to Host Forum in Derby

Klarides to Testify on State Spending Cap

Spending Cap Public Hearing- April 3rd   In 1992, Connecticut voters overwhelmingly approved an amendment to add a spending cap to the State Constitution. Yet, the spending cap that is currently in place has loopholes which allow lawmakers to legally exceed the cap if they agree and take special steps.   The original intent of the spending cap was to keep spending in line with inflation and actual increases in personal income. Since 1992, Connecticut’s population only grew by 9%, inflation rose 67%, and state spending has increased by 201%. Yes, you read that correctly, state spending has increased by 201% since Connecticut voters asked their lawmakers to enforce a state spending cap.   The legislature can no longer let our state spending go unchecked. I am asking you to join me in supporting legislation that will enforce the state spending cap. On Monday, April 3rd, at 12:00 p.m. the Appropriations Committee will be holding a public hearing on a number of proposals that aim to strengthen the spending cap, including House Bill 6511.   Here are instructions on how to submit testimony:   1) Send testimony to apptestimony@cga.ct.gov (the email may be as brief as you like) 2) Copy me on the email Nicole.Klarides-Ditria@housegop.ct.gov (include your name and town) 3) Put “Support Spending Cap- Pass H.B. 6511” in the subject line.   You can also testify in person. Click here for a guide for testifying at hearings.   As always, if you have any questions or concerns, please feel free to reach out to me at Nicole.Klarides-Ditria@housegop.ct.gov or (860) 240-8700.     Sincerely,       State Representative Nicole Klarides-Ditria

State Rep. Gentile Pushes Bill that Targets "Dark Money"

HARTFORD - State Rep. Linda Gentile, D-Ansonia, Derby, joined her colleagues in a press conference today to discuss legislation designed to shed light on and reduce the amount of special interest “dark money” in state election campaigns.
 

“Voters deserve to know who is financing a campaign,” Gentile said. “This bill not only increases transparency and trust between the public and the government, but it will also ensure that candidates are elected to office by their constituents and not by third party special interest groups.” 

 

The bill, HB5589, An Act Concerning Campaign Financing Reform, would:

• Require corporate political expenditures to be approved by their board of directors and disclosed to shareholders
• Limit contributions to organizations making independent expenditures to an aggregate of $70,000 in a calendar year
• Ban foreign influenced entities from making independent expenditures or contributing to an organization that does

(This is a press release from Gentile's office)

Crisco welcomes new law to help horse owners, stables

State Sen. Joseph J. Crisco, D-Woodbridge, talks Tuesday with 'Cheyenne' and Fiona Hynes, 12, of Woodbridge at Locket's Meadow Farm in Bethany just before the ceremonial signing of a new state law designed to help reduce insurance costs for horse owners and horse stables. Hynes testified earlier this year before the General Assembly in favor of the new law./ Contributed photo

BETHANY - State Sen. Joseph J. Crisco, D-Woodbridge, Tuesday joined horse owners and Gov. Dannel P. Malloy for the ceremonial signing of a new state law that will protect horse owners and equestrian businesses from paying significantly higher insurance premiums for owning or boarding horses and other, related animals. 

Crisco, Malloy and others were on hand at Locket's Meadow Farm for the re-signing of Public Act 14-54, which requires that in any civil action brought against the owner or keeper of any horse, pony, donkey or mule to recover damages for any alleged personal injury, the animal shall not be found to belong to a species that possesses a naturally mischievous or ‘vicious’ propensity. 

The bill passed the General Assembly in early May on a unanimous and bipartisan vote.

“I was alerted to this issue earlier this year by calls from my constituents in Bethany, many of whom own horses or board their horses at places like Locket's Meadow,” Crisco said, who co-sponsored the legislation. 

“From a personal perspective, insurance coverage for these animals would have become unaffordable if they were automatically deemed to be vicious in nature. And from an economic standpoint, horse farms, stables and training centers – which contribute quite a lot to Connecticut’s economy – could have been put out of business. So I think this new law gives everyone a little peace of mind.”

The new state law was passed in reaction to a state Supreme Court ruling earlier this year which found that an owner of a domesticated animal has a duty, under a two-part test, to use reasonable care to restrain the animal so as to prevent it from doing injury. 

“Connecticut has a large population of horse owners and handlers, and as such, I’m happy to sign this legislation so that we can ensure their operations can continue without possible negative consequences,” Malloy said.  

“I am proud of Connecticut’s growing agricultural sector, and I remain committed to the growth of this industry and to the hard working farm families of Connecticut.”

This is a press release from Crisco's office.

Malloy visits Bethany farm to celebrate passage of law to protect horse owners

Bethany resident Kathleen Schurman of Locket's Meadow Farm, left, rejoices Tuesday after Gov. Dannel P. Malloy, far right, held a ceremony to mark passage of a law that protects owners and handlers of domesticated horses. 

Stay tuned for a story in the New Haven Register.

Crisco wins Senate OK of bill protecting families from sex offenders

HARTFORD - State Sen. Joseph J. Crisco, Jr. (D-Woodbridge) led the state Senate Friday evening in passing legislation that will give municipal leaders the ability to best secure the safety and well-being of their towns’ families.
The bill passed the Senate by a unanimous, bipartisan vote.

“This bill gives municipal leaders a valuable and necessary tool for ensuring the public’s safety in Connecticut’s cities and towns,” Crisco said. 

“As a parent and grandparent, it makes me feel safer knowing my town’s leader will have the ability to notify me if there is a threat to my family’s safety. This bill is good public policy, and a commonsense approach to securing our families in their homes and neighborhoods.”

Senate Bill 432 requires the Department of Emergency Services and Public Protection  to notify the municipal chief executive officer when a registered sex offender is released and resides, or intends to reside, in such municipality.

DESPP must email this notice and provide the CEO with the same registry information that DESPP will post publicly on the Internet about the registrant.

This is particularly important in situations where a sexual offender is released into a neighborhood where young children reside.
The bill would give the municipal CEO discretion to inform residents of the neighborhood so that parents could take appropriate actions with respect to the safety of their children.

The bill previously passed the Judiciary and Planning and Development Committees by unanimous, bipartisan votes.

Crisco and State Rep. Themis Klarides, R-Derby, co-sponsored the legislation in response to a recent situation in the Town of Woodbridge where a Group Home is home to two sex offenders. One of the offenders was convicted of four felony sex offense crimes, two of which involved young girls ages 5 and 7. The other offender was convicted of two felony crimes involving sexual assault of a child.

Within two blocks of the Group Home live families with 28-30 children, ranging in age from 1 to 17. School-age children get on and off the bus mornings and afternoons and walk to their homes.

The bus stop for one of the children was located directly in front of the Group Home. It was relocated at the request of the parent once he learned of the residents of the Home. However, it was several years before the parents learned this information and were able to take appropriate action.

This legislation would have made a difference by giving the municipal CEO the information necessary to inform families of the situation, and better secure the safety of these children.


This is a press release from Crisco's office.

 

Conroy backs bill extending 'Good Samaritan' protections

Calls heroin use 'a public health crisis'

HARTFORD - State Rep. Theresa Conroy, D-Seymour, Thursday lauded House approval of legislation to extend “Good Samaritan” protections to someone who administers an opioid antagonist (such as Narcan) to someone experiencing an opioid-related drug overdose. 

The bill (HB 5487) provides civil and criminal immunity to members of the public who act with reasonable care to administer Narcan.

“We are in the midst of a public health crisis,” said Conroy, an Advanced Practice Registered Nurse. “Heroin is devastating families in our state.  Narcan will save lives and we want to protect people who act to save their loved ones.”

Existing law allows licensed health care practitioners authorized to prescribe an opioid antagonist to family members of drug users if they believe it could assist a person who may experience an overdose.

The bill goes next to the state Senate for consideration.

Conroy urged area residents to attend an upcoming forum on the heroin epidemic. The event, hosted by the Valley Substance Abuse Action Council, will be held at 11:30 a.m.Tuesday at the Valley United Way office in Shelton.

This is a press release from Conroy's office.

Crisco, Klarides hail committee approval of bill to protect families

HARTFORD - State Sen. Joseph J. Crisco, Jr., D-Woodbridge, and state Rep. Themis Klarides, R-Derby, welcomed the Judiciary Committee’s unanimous vote last week to approve legislation that will protect families from registered sexual offenders.

Crisco and Klarides have championed Senate Bill 432 to give municipal leaders the ability to better secure the safety of their towns’ families.

“I’m happy that my colleagues agree so strongly that this is a supremely important bill,” said Crisco. “Families deserve to know if they are living in a neighborhood that is anything less than secure. 

This bill will enable municipal leaders and parents to make informed decisions to protect their children and families.”

“It’s important for municipal leaders to understand the changing makeup of their towns so they can keep parents informed and enable them to take the proper precautions to keep children safe,” Klarides said. 

“Town and city leaders are expected to take responsibility for public safety, and this sensible legislation will give them the opportunity to make residents safer and more knowledgeable.”

S.B. 432 will require the state’s Department of Emergency Services and Public Protection to provide notice to the chief executive officer of a municipality upon the release of a registered sexual offender into such municipality.

The bill would give the municipal CEO discretion to inform residents of the neighborhood so that parents could take appropriate actions with respect to the safety of their children.

Crisco and Klarides advocated for the bill in response to a recent situation in the Town of Woodbridge. A Group Home in the town is home to two sex offenders. One was convicted of four felony sex offense crimes, two of which involved young girls age 5 and 7. 

The other offender was convicted of two felony crimes involving sexual assault of a child.

Within two blocks of the Group Home live families with 28-30 children, ranging in age from 1 to 17. School-age children get on and off the bus mornings and afternoons and walk to their homes.

The bus stop for one of the children was located directly in front of the Group Home. It was relocated at the request of the parent once he learned of the residents of the Home. 
However, it was several years before the parents learned this information and were able to take appropriate action.

This legislation would have made a difference by giving the municipal CEO the information necessary to inform families of the situation, and better secure the safety of these children.

S.B. 432 heads to the Senate where it will await action.

This is taken from a press release from the offices of Crisco and Klarides.