AFT Connecticut Legislative Update
Tuesday, April 6, 2021 11:44 AM
HB6187 An Act Concerning The Restructuring Of Certain Taxes And Tax Equity. - SUPPORT
Status: FIN Public Hearing: Mon 3/15 09:00 AM @ (3/11)
To restructure certain taxes to assist in the economic recovery of all state residents and require the Labor Commissioner to make a one-time direct payment of five hundred dollars to individuals who experienced economic hardships due to the COVID-19 pandemic and received unemployment compensation benefits between March 15, 2020, and December 31, 2020, inclusive.
Public Hearing Date(s):
Mon 3/15 9:00 AM @
SB821 An Act Concerning The Reformation Of Certain Taxes And Tax Equity. - SUPPORT
Status: FIN Public Hearing: Mon 3/15 09:00 AM @ (3/11)
To reform certain taxes to reduce taxes for middle-class families and enable investments in education, housing, health care and long-term care services, and to require the Labor Commissioner to make a one-time direct payment of five hundred dollars to individuals who experienced economic hardships due to the COVID-19 pandemic and received unemployment compensation benefits between March 15, 2020, and December 31, 2020, inclusive.
Public Hearing Date(s):
Mon 3/15 9:00 AM @
HB5071 An Act Concerning The Administration Of Vaccines By Medical Assistants. - OPPOSE
Status: Referred to Joint Committee on Public Health (1/11)
To allow medical assistants, under certain conditions, to administer vaccines.
HB6550 An Act Concerning The Office Of Health Strategy's Recommendations Regarding Various Revisions To Community Benefits Programs Administered By Hospitals. - SUPPORT
Status: File Number 231 (3/31)
To make various revisions to community benefits programs administered by hospitals.
Public Hearing Date(s):
Mon 3/8 9:00 AM @
SB54 An Act Establishing A Task Force To Evaluate The Efficacy Of The State's Certificate Of Need Program And Its Impact On The Health Care System. - MONITOR
Status: Referred to Joint Committee on Public Health (1/8)
To establish a task force to evaluate the state's certificate of need program and its impact on the health care system.
SB106 An Act Permitting Nurse's Aides To Administer Vaccines. - OPPOSE
Status: Referred to Joint Committee on Public Health (1/12)
To increase the number of medical staff who may vaccinate patients in a time when the demand for such staff exceeds the supply.
SB134 An Act Requiring The Comptroller To Fund The Unfunded Pension Liability Portion Of Fringe Benefit Costs For The University Of Connecticut Health Center. - MONITOR
Status: APP Public Hearing: Fri 3/26 11:00 AM @ (3/22)
To facilitate the privatization of The University of Connecticut Health Center, or the ability of the health center to enter into public-private partnerships.
Public Hearing Date(s):
Fri 3/26 11:00 AM @
SB285 An Act Allowing Medical Assistants To Administer Vaccines. - OPPOSE
Status: File Number 33 (3/9)
To allow medical assistants to administer vaccines.
Public Hearing Date(s):
Mon 2/8 9:00 AM @
SB842 An Act Concerning Health Insurance And Health Care In Connecticut. - SUPPORT
Status: Favorable Change of Reference, House to Committee on Finance, Revenue and Bonding (3/30)
To: (1) Authorize the Comptroller to offer health coverage to plan participants and beneficiaries in this state under a multiemployer plan, nonprofit employers and their employees and small employers and their employees; (2) assess an annual fee against certain insurers, health care centers and exempt insurers; (3) require the Connecticut Health Insurance Exchange to (A) administer the "Connecticut Health Insurance Exchange account", (B) consult with the Office of Health Strategy to develop and, if approved, implement a plan to (i) establish a subsidiary, (ii) seek a state innovation waiver, and (iii) use the moneys deposited in said account for the purposes set forth in the plan, (C) consult with the Commissioner of Social Services to develop and, if approved, implement a methodology to determine eligibility for the working persons with disabilities program, and (D) determine whether certain individuals referred to the exchange by the Labor Commissioner are eligible for free or subsidized health coverage or other assistance or benefits and, if such individuals are eligible for such coverage, assistance or benefits, enroll such individuals in such coverage, assistance or benefits; (4) establish the "Connecticut Health Insurance Exchange account"; (5) require certain qualified health plans offered through the exchange to (A) provide coverage for certain benefits, (B) have a minimum actuarial value of at least seventy per cent, and (C) provide enrollees with access to the broadest provider network available under the qualified health plans offered by the health carrier through the exchange; (6) require the Office of Health Strategy to (A) annually determine, and disclose to the Office of Policy and Management, the amount of an annual assessment against certain insurers, health care centers and exempt insurers, and (B) develop, and submit to the joint standing committee of the General Assembly having cognizance of matters relating to insurance for approval, a plan for the exchange to (i) establish a subsidiary to create a marketplace for health carriers to offer affordable health insurance coverage to persons who are ineligible for coverage under the qualified health plans offered through the exchange, (ii) seek a state innovation waiver to (I) reduce the cost of health insurance in this state, (II) make health insurance coverage available to persons in this state who are ineligible for coverage under a qualified health plan offered through the exchange, and (III) allow persons to receive coverage under the working persons with disabilities program through the exchange, and (iii) use the moneys deposited in the "Connecticut Health Insurance Exchange account" to (I) reduce the cost of qualified health plans offered through the exchange, (II) make coverage affordable for persons who are ineligible for coverage under a qualified health plan offered through the exchange, and (III) implement the state innovation waiver if the federal government issues su
Public Hearing Date(s):
Tue 2/9 11:00 AM @
HB6535 An Act Concerning Issues Relating To School Security. - MONITOR
Status: Favorable Change of Reference, Senate to Committee on Appropriations (3/30)
To (1) convene a working group to examine the employment and role of school resource officers in public schools, (2) conduct a study to determine whether classroom doors that can be locked from the inside and outside of the classroom should be included in school safety infrastructure criteria, (3) require the Department of Education to develop a state-wide plan for responding to large-scale school crisis events, and (4) require the Department of Emergency Services and Public Protection to conduct random audits to ensure that the school security and safety plans are being developed and implemented in schools.
Public Hearing Date(s):
Wed 3/3 10:00 AM @
HB6556 An Act Addressing Issues Created By The Covid-19 Pandemic On Public Education In Connecticut. - MONITOR
Status: Favorable Change of Reference, Senate to Committee on Appropriations (4/5)
To address issues arising out of the COVID-19 pandemic on the provision of public education in the state by requiring the identification and mitigation of student learning loss and student disengagement, prohibiting the use of student performance data in teacher performance evaluations for three school years, requiring the offering of summer learning programs in alliance districts, creating a summer learning program grant, and providing flexibility in the hiring of substitute teachers during the pandemic.
Public Hearing Date(s):
Mon 3/8 10:00 AM @
HB6557 An Act Concerning Social And Emotional Learning. - MONITOR
Status: Favorable Change of Reference, Senate to Committee on Appropriations (4/5)
To implement the recommendations of the Social Emotional Learning and School Climate Advisory Collaborative and to integrate the principles of social-emotional learning and restorative practices into the provision of public education in Connecticut.
Public Hearing Date(s):
Mon 3/8 10:00 AM @
HB6617 An Act Concerning Authorization Of State Grant Commitments For School Building Projects And Revisions To The School Building Projects Statutes. - MONITOR
Status: Favorable Change of Reference, Senate to Committee on Finance, Revenue and Bonding (3/30)
To authorize state grant commitments for school building projects; to require that all plans for a school building project submitted on and after July 1, 2022, provide for the installation of water bottle filling stations; and to require boards of education to be responsible for establishing or reestablishing school building committees for school building projects.
Public Hearing Date(s):
Wed 3/17 10:00 AM @
HB6618 An Act Concerning Funding Issues Related To Public Education In Connecticut. - MONITOR
Status: Favorable Change of Reference, Senate to Committee on Appropriations (3/30)
To (1) provide boards of education for alliance districts flexibility in how they utilize and expend their alliance district funds, (2) permit boards of education to carry forward any unexpended federal funds received for the purpose of covering costs associated with the COVID-19 pandemic into the next fiscal year, and (3) permit a regional board of education to deposit into a nonlapsing account any unexpended funds from the prior fiscal year from the budgeted appropriation for education for the regional school district, provided such deposited amount does not exceed two per cent of the total budgeted appropriation for education for such prior fiscal year.
Public Hearing Date(s):
Wed 3/17 10:00 AM @
SB2 An Act Concerning Social Equity And The Health, Safety And Education Of Children. - MONITOR
Status: File Number 246 (4/1)
To (1) establish a youth suicide prevention training program, (2) require certain licensed health care professionals to complete mental health and suicide screening and prevention training, (3) permit minors to receive more than six outpatient mental health treatment sessions without the consent of a parent or guardian, (4) require local and regional boards of education to integrate the principles and practices of social-emotional learning into programs of professional development and statements of educational goals, (5) permit parents to attend parent-teacher conferences remotely, (6) require additional parent-teacher conferences during periods when a school district conducts school sessions remotely, (7) require the provision of information by teachers concerning safety, mental health and food insecurity during such conferences, (8) permit local and regional boards of education to provide instruction to high school students remotely and prohibit such boards from deeming absent a student who attends school remotely, (9) require local and regional boards of education to permit students to take up to four mental health wellness days per school year, (10) require the collection of adverse childhood experiences data by local and regional boards of education and the Department of Education, (11) require the Commissioner of Children and Families to provide children in the care and custody of the commissioner remote visitation opportunities in lieu of in-person visitation, in the event of a pandemic or outbreak of communicable disease, (12) require the Commissioner of Children and Families to develop a policy requiring the cessation of in-person visitation on a case-by-case basis in the event that such visitation could result in the contraction of a communicable disease by one or more participants, (13) expand the operation of the Department of Children and Families telephone Careline to accommodate the receipt and provision of information concerning child abuse and neglect by text message, (14) require the Commissioner of Children and Families to provide certain notice to parents and guardians in the event that the commissioner is considering removal of a child from the home, and the services of a translator, if necessary, during any meeting to discuss such removal, (15) require the Commissioner of Early Childhood to develop and implement a plan to expand the birth-to-three program to provide early intervention services to children five years of age and under and eliminate parent fees for such services, (16) require the Commissioner of Education to establish an Internet access grant program for local and regional boards of education to provide students, educators and staff with Internet access during school sessions that are conducted remotely, and (17) establish a task force to study the comprehensive needs of children in the state.
Public Hearing Date(s):
Tue 3/9 1:00 PM @
SB288 An Act Concerning Indoor Air Quality In Schools. - SUPPORT
Status: Filed with Legislative Commissioners' Office (3/29)
To require local and regional boards of education to maintain healthy indoor air quality in their schools.
Public Hearing Date(s):
Mon 2/8 9:00 AM @
SB932 An Act Concerning An Alliance District Teacher Loan Subsidy Program. - MONITOR
Status: Senate Calendar Number 191 (4/6)
To require the Connecticut Higher Education Supplemental Loan Authority to establish the Alliance District Teacher Loan Subsidy Program to provide low interest student loans to teachers who are employed in alliance districts.
Public Hearing Date(s):
Thu 3/4 12:00 PM @
SB948 An Act Addressing Education Funding And Racial Equity In Connecticut. - OPPOSE
Status: Favorable Change of Reference, House to Committee on Appropriations (3/30)
To make revisions to how public education is funded in the state to address issues of equity and systemic racism.
Public Hearing Date(s):
Wed 3/3 10:00 AM @
SB977 An Act Concerning Virtual Learning. - MONITOR
Status: Favorable Change of Reference, House to Committee on Appropriations (4/5)
To require the Department of Education to develop uniform standards for the provision of virtual learning in public schools, conduct a comprehensive audit of virtual learning programs in the state and develop guidelines for training educators in the provision of virtual learning.
Public Hearing Date(s):
Mon 3/8 10:00 AM @
HB5545 An Act Concerning The Budget Of The Connecticut State Colleges And Universities. - SUPPORT
Status: File Number 145 (3/29)
To require the Board of Regents for Higher Education to include the central office of the Connecticut State Colleges and Universities in the itemization of its budget request.
Public Hearing Date(s):
Tue 3/9 10:00 AM @
HB6375 An Act Concerning The Unfunded Pension Liability Portion Of The Fringe Benefit Cost For Employees Of The Constituent Units Of The State System Of Higher Education. - SUPPORT
Status: Referred to Office of Legislative Research and Office of Fiscal Analysis 04/06/21 5:00 PM (3/31)
To require the Comptroller to fund the unfunded pension liability portion of the fringe benefit cost for employees of the constituent units of the state system of higher education.
Public Hearing Date(s):
Tue 3/9 10:00 AM @
SB824 An Act Requiring Training For The Members Of The Governing Boards Of Institutions Of Higher Education And Concerning The Connecticut State Colleges And Universities' Budget And Authority To Merge Or Close Institutions. -
Status: Senate Calendar Number 189 (4/6)
To require training for board members responsible for governing any institution of higher education in the state.
Public Hearing Date(s):
Tue 3/9 10:00 AM @
HB5149 An Act Excluding Reimbursements To State Employees For Mileage And Payments For Overtime From The Calculation Of Retirement Income. - OPPOSE
Status: APP Public Hearing: Fri 3/26 11:00 AM @ (3/22)
To eliminate mileage reimbursements and payments for overtime from being included in pension calculations for state employees.
Public Hearing Date(s):
Fri 3/26 11:00 AM @
HB5209 An Act Excluding Overtime Pay And Legislative Mileage Allowances From The Calculation Of State Pensions. - OPPOSE
Status: APP Public Hearing: Fri 3/26 11:00 AM @ (3/22)
To exclude overtime pay and legislative mileage allowances from the calculation of state pensions.
Public Hearing Date(s):
Fri 3/26 11:00 AM @
HB5750 An Act Excluding Reimbursements For Mileage And Payments For Overtime From The Calculation Of Retirement Income. - OPPOSE
Status: APP Public Hearing: Fri 3/26 11:00 AM @ (3/22)
To prohibit travel reimbursements and overtime pay from being included in the calculation of state pensions.
Public Hearing Date(s):
Fri 3/26 11:00 AM @
HB5754 An Act Excluding Mileage Reimbursements And Overtime Pay From The Calculation Of Retirement Income. - OPPOSE
Status: APP Public Hearing: Fri 3/26 11:00 AM @ (3/22)
To save the state money and reduce the unfunded pension liability.
Public Hearing Date(s):
Fri 3/26 11:00 AM @
HB5149 An Act Excluding Reimbursements To State Employees For Mileage And Payments For Overtime From The Calculation Of Retirement Income. - OPPOSE
Status: APP Public Hearing: Fri 3/26 11:00 AM @ (3/22)
To eliminate mileage reimbursements and payments for overtime from being included in pension calculations for state employees.
Public Hearing Date(s):
Fri 3/26 11:00 AM @
HB5209 An Act Excluding Overtime Pay And Legislative Mileage Allowances From The Calculation Of State Pensions. - OPPOSE
Status: APP Public Hearing: Fri 3/26 11:00 AM @ (3/22)
To exclude overtime pay and legislative mileage allowances from the calculation of state pensions.
Public Hearing Date(s):
Fri 3/26 11:00 AM @
HB5750 An Act Excluding Reimbursements For Mileage And Payments For Overtime From The Calculation Of Retirement Income. - OPPOSE
Status: APP Public Hearing: Fri 3/26 11:00 AM @ (3/22)
To prohibit travel reimbursements and overtime pay from being included in the calculation of state pensions.
Public Hearing Date(s):
Fri 3/26 11:00 AM @
HB6381 An Act Establishing A Task Force Regarding The State Workforce And Retiring Employees. - SUPPORT
Status: File Number 27 (3/9)
To establish a task force to study the state workforce and retiring employees.
Public Hearing Date(s):
Tue 2/9 10:00 AM @
HB6576 An Act Concerning The Nondisclosure Of Residential Addresses Of Certain Employees Under The Freedom Of Information Act. - SUPPORT
Status: Filed with Legislative Commissioners' Office (4/1)
To prohibit the disclosure under the Freedom of Information Act of the residential addresses of employees of the office of the Attorney General.
Public Hearing Date(s):
Wed 3/10 1:00 PM @
SB134 An Act Requiring The Comptroller To Fund The Unfunded Pension Liability Portion Of Fringe Benefit Costs For The University Of Connecticut Health Center. - MONITOR
Status: APP Public Hearing: Fri 3/26 11:00 AM @ (3/22)
To facilitate the privatization of The University of Connecticut Health Center, or the ability of the health center to enter into public-private partnerships.
Public Hearing Date(s):
Fri 3/26 11:00 AM @
SB261 An Act Concerning Recommendations By The Department Of Motor Vehicles. - OPPOSE
Status: File Number 89 (3/18)
To implement the recommendations of the Department of Motor Vehicles.
Public Hearing Date(s):
Wed 1/27 12:00 PM @
SB846 An Act Concerning The Certification Of Independent Inspectors And Inspection Firms To Perform State Building Code Inspections. - OPPOSE
Status: Referred to Office of Legislative Research and Office of Fiscal Analysis 04/12/21 10:00 AM (4/5)
To establish a program to certify independent inspectors and inspection firms to perform inspections under the State Building Code.
Public Hearing Date(s):
Thu 2/11 1:00 PM @
SB920 An Act Concerning Public Private Partnerships. - OPPOSE
Status: Referred to Office of Legislative Research and Office of Fiscal Analysis 04/12/21 5:00 PM (4/6)
To revise the requirements regarding the utilization of public-private partnerships to design, develop, finance, construct, operate or maintain projects.
Public Hearing Date(s):
Wed 3/3 11:00 AM @
Please contact Teri Merisotis if you have concerns or would like additional information. Your input assists us greatly in evaluating and formulating the position of AFT Connecticut on all legislation.
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