Author: Stephen Krauchick

Connecticut will receive an additional $19.6 million in federal funding for the Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP), as part of the 2023 omnibus appropriations bill. Since November, Connecticut has received more than $105 million in LIHEAP funding from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

“LIHEAP helps thousands of Connecticut families and seniors keep their lights on and their homes warm each year. This winter’s high energy costs have put a major strain on the program, and that’s why our delegation has consistently pushed the administration to get as much federal funding out the door as possible. I’m glad to see our state receive an additional $19.6 million to help more people afford their energy bills and stay warm,” said Murphy.

“Everywhere I travel across our state, I hear again and again from people fearful and angry about the crushing cost of home heating bills. This $19.6 million for LIHEAP will deliver real relief to Connecticut families when they need it most. No one should ever have to choose between putting food on their table, keeping the lights on, or heating their home, and thanks to this funding, fewer people will face those tough choices this winter,” said Blumenthal.

“I have long believed that no one should have to choose between buying groceries or keeping their homes warm. This additional $19.6 million in LIHEAP funding that I secured while Chair of the Appropriations Committee for Connecticut’s families is a matter of values, and the government has a moral responsibility to ensure hard working families can make ends meet,” said DeLauro. “That is why I continue to strongly support the Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP), which has provided energy assistance for more than 40 years to our most vulnerable families and children amid steeply rising energy prices. Not only will this help working families save money, it will help reduce mortality rates here in Connecticut and across the country. I am proud to fight for robust investments in programs like LIHEAP that help working families and seniors by reducing energy insecurity, lowering their cost of living, and improving health outcomes.”

“At a time when families are struggling with the impact of volatile energy prices, LIHEAP is a lifeline,” said Hayes. Connecticut will receive $19.6 million through the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services to ease the burden of utility costs and prevent shut-offs across the state. This support is particularly important as over 40% of Connecticut households rely on home heating oil or petroleum products to meet their primary heating needs. In Congress, I will continue to advocate for additional funding for this vital resource and efforts that promote energy independence.”

“Rising home heating costs have placed a strain on household budgets across the state and country,” said Larson. “The Connecticut delegation has worked together throughout the fall and winter to ensure this crucial program is fully funded. Today’s announcement will ensure families struggling to afford to heat their homes have the support they need.”

“Spring is just around the corner, but we’ve still got cold weather ahead of us in eastern Connecticut—that’s why it was so important that we worked together to re-fuel the federal LIHEAP program, and now this new funding is going to be there for our people in our region when they need it,” said Courtney. “This federal support is going to provide real, tangible financial relief to thousands of households in our region, it’s going to help people stay warm in their homes, and there are more households that qualify for this support now than ever before thanks to new program rules. My office is ready to help anyone in eastern Connecticut who is interested in this support.”

“LIHEAP is a lifeline for thousands of Fourth District families who struggle to afford high energy bills,” said Himes. This funding means that recipients throughout Connecticut will receive the support they need to pay their bills and keep their families safe and warm through the colder months.”

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(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 by Connecticut area codes regardless of where the calls originate, bars telemarketers from contacting Connecticut residents before 9 a.m. and after 8 p.m., strengthens disclosures that telemarketers must make, and clarifies protections provided by the Do Not Call List.

“Americans lose billions of dollars each year to robocall scams. Our laws have failed to keep pace with the tactics and technology these scammers use. Our bipartisan proposal brings Connecticut’s robocall laws into the modern era. It’s not just phone calls anymore– we need to crack down on fraudulent text messages too. And we need to take on the gateway providers that get rich off patching overseas scammers into our American networks. With strong, modern laws we can shut down this telecom fraud highway and bring scammers to justice,” said Attorney General Tong.

“In addition to being just downright annoying, robocalls and telemarketing – especially those originating overseas – are a hotbed of consumer fraud.” Rep. Mike D’Agostino said. “Our continued collaborative work with Attorney General Tong, and his office, will strengthen our enforcement and consumer protection safeguards, so we can do more to prevent these activities.”

“Eliminating robocalls is one of the many important measures we can take to ensure protection for Connecticut’s consumers. Fraudulent companies are popping up every day and consistently targeting those who they know will likely fall victims to their schemes. More than just intrusive and annoying, for our most vulnerable residents robocalls have caused significant financial losses. I thank Attorney General Tong for not only working to stop these predatory companies and assist their victims, but for looking for a long-term solution to protect our residents,” said Rep. Jeff Currey.

“I have worked diligently to protect Connecticut online data privacy and now I am committed to overseeing legislation that works to protect you when answering a phone call. Thank you to Attorney General William Tong for his efforts in providing preventative measures when it comes to consistent robocalls,” said Sen. James Maroney. “I, like many Connecticut residents, frequently receive calls from ‘Spam Risk’. I will join AG Tong in the fight to protect the privacy and solitude for all Connecticut residents.”

State Rep. David Rutigliano said, “I am pleased to join the Attorney General as his office focuses on this most important topic to my constituents, these calls and deceptive tactics are not just a nuisance, they are potential fraud.”

“As the ranking member of the General Law Committee, my top priority is to deliver effective solutions for my constituents, particularly senior citizens, who are increasingly plagued by intrusive and predatory robo-calls. These calls are often used by dishonest actors to deceive even the most discerning individuals,” said State Sen. Paul Cicarella. “Not only are these calls unwanted, but they are also misleading—they often appear to originate from local sources when they are actually coming from thousands of miles away. We must take a stand against these malicious practices and work to prevent people from being exploited through their phones, which are our primary connection to the world around us.”

“In 2020, 9 in 10 American adults encountered a fraud attempt and according to the Federal Trade Commission, the phone remains the most successful way to target a scam. Scammers have latched on to robocall technology to bilk consumers. Our consumer protections need to line up with ever changing technology and cover all forms of person to person communications,” said Nora Duncan, State Director for AARP Connecticut.

In 2022 alone, Connecticut consumers received approximately 471 million robocalls. Of those, 26 percent were scams. These calls predominantly originate overseas using automated dialing systems, chat bots, and prerecorded calls. VoIP gateway providers play a big role in facilitating these scams by enabling these foreign calls into the U.S. telephone network. Without these willing gateway providers, these scam calls could not get through. This legislation seeks to hold those gateway providers accountable by extending liability to those who provide substantial support or assistance to those engaging in the fraud.

Connecticut is among 16 states leading the nationwide Anti-Robocall Litigation Task Force. In its first action last summer, the task force issued 20 civil investigative demands seeking information from 20 gateway providers and other entities allegedly responsible for a majority of foreign robocall traffic into our country. That investigation is active and ongoing. Those civil investigative demands were filed in an Indiana state court under state laws there. The proposed legislation would bring Connecticut’s statutes in line with other states and strengthen Connecticut’s ability to pursue independent actions against bad actors facilitating intrusive scam calls in our state.

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