Month: May 2017

Hartford – Senate Majority Leader Bob Duff (D-Norwalk) and Deputy Senate Republican President Pro Tempore Kevin Witkos (R-Canton) are applauding the state Senate’s passage of a bill that removes barriers to employment by reforming the state’s occupational license laws.

 

Senate Bill 191 phases out occupational licenses for jobs that don’t have educational or professional prerequisites. Currently, Connecticut has many occupational licenses workers are required to pay a fee to obtain even for certain occupations that have no educational or certification requirement. In these cases, such licenses amount to a fee on an occupation. This bill removes barriers to employment while still maintaining health and safety protections for consumers.

 

“Here in Connecticut, we need to create more pathways to career opportunities and jobs,” said Sen. Duff. “I have heard from small business owners from around the state about the need to cut red tape.  I am happy to have been able to work with Senator Witkos to do so in bipartisan manner today.”

 

“This legislation is about cutting red tape,” said Sen. Witkos. “It will allow the state to eliminate unnecessary licensing fees to reduce barriers for individuals pursuing work and careers in a variety of fields. By eliminating financial barriers, we can open up work opportunities to more people. In addition, by eliminating unnecessary fees, this change could also result in reduced costs for customers. I thank Sen. Duff for reaching across the aisle to bring this idea to fruition with bipartisan support.”

 

The bill would eliminate multiple occupational licenses, registrations, and certificates including for the following occupations: Above Ground Swimming Pool Installer, Uniform Student Athlete Agents, Licensed Shorthand Reporters, Itinerant Vendors License, Wholesaler’s Salesman Certificate, Residential Flat Glass or Automotive Glazier and Real Estate Intern.

 

Senate Bill 191 now moves to the House of Representatives. The bill must be passed in the House before the end of the legislative session on June 7 before becoming state law.

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#Bridgeport CT–Senator Marilyn Moore (D-Bridgeport) celebrated the unanimous, bipartisan passage of a bill on Wednesday that will ensure special education teachers are trained to identify and address dyslexia.

 

House Bill 7254 aims to improve the quality of education received by students with dyslexia by requiring special education teachers to complete a course of study and have supervised practicum hours in the detection and recognition of students who have dyslexia.

 

“Children with dyslexia deserve a proper education, but that can’t happen unless they are first properly diagnosed. There are too many cases where children in our school systems aren’t receiving the help they deserve because of misdiagnosis. It’s frustrating for the teacher, for the parent, and most importantly it’s frustrating and detrimental for the student,” Sen. Moore, a member of the legislature’s Education Committee, said. “I applaud my colleagues in the Education Committee for putting forth this important piece of legislation that will aid children in overcoming the hardships associated with dyslexia. Every student deserves a proper education and we need to continue to do everything we can to ensure that all children with learning disabilities have the necessary resources to succeed.”

 

Dyslexia is defined as a learning disability that affects reading, specifically spelling and word recognition. Dyslexia is a neurobiological disorder and is often inconsistent with a student’s other cognitive abilities. It is estimated that 15-20% of children struggle with this condition.

 

Early detection of dyslexia allows children to receive proper treatment which in turn saves districts money in regards to their special education service costs. If dyslexia in a child is undiagnosed, a district may believe that the child is suffering from another disability and thus pay for unneeded or inapplicable treatment services.

 

This bill will ensure that special education teachers are equipped to identify students who are struggling with dyslexia, rather than another learning disability, and get them the help they need.

 

HB 7254 passed in the House 136-69 on April 19 and in the Senate on May 3. It will next go to the desk of Governor Dannel P. Malloy for final consideration.

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