Jayme Stevenson, Connecticut’s Republican candidate for Congress, issued a statement after review of the approved “Inflation Reduction Act.” “Rather than constructing a comprehensive bipartisan plan, this bill was rushed through the legislative process with little to no time for careful review, and without advice from economists and stakeholders. Non-partisan economists and stakeholders say policies in the bill will further raise taxes on struggling businesses and make energy and daily needs even more expensive for families. Overall, this bill is riddled with vague promises and processes that have not been fully vetted. Bad process is as damaging as bad policy. “This bill is a reiteration of the failed Build Back Better initiative. It is an inaccurate representation of “relief” that is effectively a massive climate change spending package that leaves a number of pressing issues on the table – issues that are extremely important to the people of Connecticut. “It fails to address real concerns, like fentanyl and border emergencies, the mental health crisis for children and adults, and the devastating impacts of inflation on families, particularly on seniors and those on a fixed income. Himes and out of touch liberal allies celebrated future tax rebates for solar panels, and electric cars paid for by taxing businesses and pensions. The inflated costs of goods and services will erode any savings to put food on the table. Connecticut residents need to feel relief today in their daily household expenses. “Rather than use his position to do what’s right for Connecticut families, Jim Himes stepped in line once again with Democrat allies. Another lost opportunity to provide real, immediate relief. We need a leader that we can trust to understand what’s affecting the people they represent, and an independent voice to push back on bad policy and stand up for struggling families and businesses in Connecticut.”
[WASHINGTON, D.C.] – U.S. Senator Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), Chair of the Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation Subcommittee on Consumer Protection, Product Safety, and Data Security, released the following statement applauding new rulemaking issued by the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) to strengthen consumer privacy, bolster civil rights, and establish guardrails on the collection and use of consumers’ personal data:
“This announced rulemaking is a tremendous win for consumers, promising strong protections for privacy rights and personal data, and accountability for violating them. Big Tech’s exploitation of Americans’ private information, anti-competitive behavior, and data breaches have created a crisis that demands action. I’ve long urged the FTC to use this essential tool to implement strong and enforceable consumer safeguards and rights. This rule is a major step forward in helping give power back to consumers.”
[WASHINGTON, D.C.] – U.S. Senator Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), Chair of the Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation Subcommittee on Consumer Protection, Product Safety, and Data Security, released the following statement applauding new rulemaking issued by the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) to strengthen consumer privacy, bolster civil rights, and establish guardrails on the collection and use of consumers’ personal data:
“This announced rulemaking is a tremendous win for consumers, promising strong protections for privacy rights and personal data, and accountability for violating them. Big Tech’s exploitation of Americans’ private information, anti-competitive behavior, and data breaches have created a crisis that demands action. I’ve long urged the FTC to use this essential tool to implement strong and enforceable consumer safeguards and rights. This rule is a major step forward in helping give power back to consumers.”
U.S. Senator Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), a member of the Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee, called for National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) action to address child deaths due to frontovers. Recent demonstrations by investigative reporters have shown blind zones in front of some cars to be as big as 16 feet, obstructing children from view and putting them at risk of being run over.
“I am extremely troubled that large blind zones in front of SUVs are reportedly causing senseless deaths of children. In such instances, called ‘frontovers,’ tragedy strikes because a child in front of the car is not visible above the car’s hood and no warning occurs,” wrote Blumenthal to NHTSA Administrator Dr. Stephen Cliff. “I am sure you agree that even one child’s death is one too many. I write to ask for an update on steps by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) to collect and make public relevant data and stop these preventable frontover tragedies.”
While Congress mandated in 2007 that NHTSA issue a rule to establish rear visibility standards in response to countless backover accidents, no such front visibility standards currently exist. Front visibility technology such as cameras and sensors are offered by some manufacturers, but usually only on expensive, upgraded models or for an additional fee.
“Safety is not – and should never be – a premium feature only available to those who can afford it; it should be the default,” Blumenthal continued.
To better understand the scope of the problem and inform comprehensive solutions, Blumenthal called on NHTSA to publish up-to-date non-traffic incident data, which these preventable frontover tragedies would fall under, and inquired about steps the agency is taking to protect children and parents. NHTSA last published its non-traffic surveillance data summary in 2018, which only covered incidents through 2015. More comprehensive data was last published in 2015, but only covered incidents through 2011.
“This delay in more than a decade in releasing data is simply unacceptable. Recent, updated data is critical to understanding the true scope of frontovers and the steps that can be taken to prevent these unnecessary and tragic incidents,” Blumenthal emphasized, pressing the agency to outline the steps it has taken to reduce and prevent frontovers, and any additional authorities it would need to address this issue.
U.S. Senator Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) released the following statement after the Senate approved the Inflation Reduction Act, a measure to cut costs for consumers, lower drug prices, and make historic investments in clean energy:
“The Inflation Reduction Act is history-making and record-setting. This bill will save money, it will save lives, and it will help save the planet.”
“Our bill will cut costs for consumers. It will help families better afford groceries, gas, and utilities while billionaire tax cheats will finally have to pay their fair share. Democrats have fought for years to allow Medicare to negotiate drug prices which will result in huge savings for seniors. This bill is the largest investment and most important action to fight climate change in history.”
“Every single American will benefit from this bill.”
“Despite the years of bipartisan negotiations that led to this bill, my Republican colleagues were categorically unwilling to support it when it actually came to a vote. Instead, they devised a series of bad faith amendments – in effect malicious poison pills. As they made clear, not a single one of their amendments would have changed their vote, which is why I opposed all of them to protect the integrity of the bill.”
Fighting Inflation and Cutting Costs for Consumers
The legislation will close loopholes that allow the biggest corporations to avoid paying taxes and invest in IRS resources to prevent ultra-wealthy tax cheats from gaming the system at the expense of Middle Class Americans.
The bill will invest $300 billion in deficit reduction.
Lowering Drugs and Healthcare Costs
The bill will empower Medicare to negotiate prescription drug prices, beginning with ten of the highest-costing drugs in 2023 and expanding to 20 each year by 2029. It will also cap out-of-pocket costs for Medicare beneficiaries, saving seniors thousands of dollars each year.
The legislation extends the Federal Advance Premium Tax Credits, which reduced health care premiums by millions of dollars for residents of Connecticut.
Fighting Climate Change and Investing in Clean Energy
The combined investments in this bill represent the single biggest climate investment in U.S. history.
The legislation includes rebates to lower high energy costs. The bill also provides resources to help consumers afford technologies that will lower emissions and energy prices by, for example, purchasing new electric appliances or retrofitting their homes with more energy efficient systems.
The bill will increase American energy security by investing in domestic clean energy manufacturing, which will also create millions of new jobs.
The legislation includes major investments in both urban and rural communities that have previously been excluded from the benefits of the transition to a clean economy.
(WATERBURY, CT) – Governor Ned Lamont today announced that he has signed into law Public Act 22-49, which will align Connecticut’s standards on childhood lead poisoning with federal standards and help alleviate the risks associated with it. The governor proposed the legislation earlier this year as part of his package of priorities for the legislative session, explaining that the state needs to proactively do a better job of protecting children from lead poisoning.
The governor discussed the importance of the new law today during an event on the topic in Waterbury, a city where 72% of its housing units were built before 1978, making the presence of lead likely now or in the past. Waterbury has embraced the issue of addressing lead in its housing stock over the last few decades by building a strong remediation program that received $5.7 million in 2020 – the largest possible federal grant – to assist in tackling this issue. Speaking in front of two homes that were recently remediated for lead, Governor Lamont emphasized the importance of lead remediation programs like Waterbury’s and a strong partnership between state and local health departments to combat lead poisoning in Connecticut’s children.
“Childhood lead poisoning has catastrophic impacts on health and development, including irreversible learning and developmental disabilities,” Governor Lamont said. “In particular, this problem has most deeply impacted minority families and those who live in disadvantaged communities. For too long, the standards for lead testing and treatment in Connecticut have fallen well behind the best practices, and I am glad we are making these long-overdue updates.”
The newly signed law includes steps that will strengthen early intervention in instances of lead poisoning by gradually reducing the blood lead level that triggers parental notifications and home inspections to more closely align with recommendations from the Centers for Disease Control and American Academy of Pediatrics. In 2020, 1,024 Connecticut children had a significant enough concentration of lead in their blood that those organizations would have recommended a home inspection. However, Connecticut law required only 178 investigations.
(Hartford, CT) – Attorney General William Tong joined a coalition of 20 states in urging the Biden Administration to extend and expand temporary changes to the Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF) Program to provide borrowers with more opportunities to get closer to loan forgiveness faster.
Under the PSLF Program, remaining balances on federal Direct Loans are forgiven after borrowers – dedicated public servants such as teachers, firefighters, nurses, police officers – make 120 qualifying payments while working full-time for a qualifying employer. However, due to the PSLF Program’s complexity and poor management, millions of public service workers have been unable to access forgiveness, and the program’s denial rates have been as high as 99 percent. To restore the promise of PSLF, in October 2021, the U.S. Department of Education announced a temporary “Limited PSLF Waiver” which temporarily offers millions of qualifying public service workers the chance to have previously nonqualifying repayment periods counted toward loan forgiveness. The Department plans to conduct a one-time account adjustment later this fall that will count certain long-term forbearance periods toward forgiveness under PSLF.
In their letter sent to President Biden and Education Secretary Miguel Cardona, the attorneys general request an extension of the Limited PSLF Waiver’s deadline on October 31, 2022, noting that many borrowers remain unaware of or confused by the waiver, and that an extension is necessary to enable borrowers to get the information and help they need to secure critical waiver benefits. The letter also cautions against ending the waiver just two months after the federal loan portfolio is scheduled to resume repayment and amidst an ongoing transfer to a new PSLF servicer. Further, the letter expresses concerns over subjecting borrowers to repeated PSLF rule changes over a relatively short period of time.
“Millions of teachers, nurses, first responders and other dedicated public servants have been unfairly denied promised loan forgiveness due to longstanding bureaucratic dysfunction. President Biden and Secretary Cardona were right to recognize this injustice, and to provide waivers to get applicants back on track. But the waiver deadline is now just a few months away, and too many borrowers are still unaware of or confused by this process. We need to extend the waiver, and streamline this process to get relief to everyone who needs it,” said Attorney General Tong.
The attorneys general also argue that the waiver should automatically count all forbearance periods toward loan forgiveness and made available to all federal loan borrowers to address pervasive servicer misconduct and resulting missed opportunities to make qualifying payments. In addition, the attorneys general advocate for equal treatment for all federal loan borrowers by recommending that waiver benefits be expanded to include all Parent PLUS borrowers and borrowers who obtained FFEL joint consolidation loans with spouses.
(Hartford, CT) – Attorney General William Tong released the following statement regarding a United Illuminating notice with the Public Utilities Regulatory Authority filed today seeking to raise rates as much as 8 percent over three years. New rates would take effect after September 2023.
“Connecticut families pay far too much for their energy, and a rate increase at this time will only make that worse. My office will intervene on behalf of consumers, and we intend to aggressively scrutinize every charge and assumption in search of savings,” said Attorney General Tong.
The NEVI program aims to build out a national system of electric vehicle (EV) chargers to enhance EV driver confidence while traveling long distances, including across state lines.
Established by the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA), the NEVI formula program will provide $5 billion over five years for states to deploy direct current (DC) fast EV chargers along highway corridors. The funds can be used within one mile of federally approved designated corridors, with less than a 50-mile gap between chargers.
“Connecticut’s NEVI plan will provide our state with a robust roadmap to catalyze the expansion of a safe, reliable, and accessible fast-charging EV network along our interstates,” Connecticut Department of Transportation Commissioner Joe Giulietti said. “Transformational infrastructure programs focused on reducing carbon emissions like this will create a cleaner, more equitable, and resilient transportation system for all drivers.”
The NEVI Program provides formula funding to states to award grants to private, public, and nonprofit entities to build, own, maintain and operate chargers. The program pays up to 80 percent of eligible costs for charging infrastructure. CTDOT will not own or operate any EV chargers.
Phase one of Connecticut’s NEVI Plan will focus on building up to 10 locations consisting of at least four individual public DC fast chargers with a minimum power level of 150kW per port along Connecticut’s interstate system.
Connecticut was one of eleven states to sign the Zero-Emission Vehicle Memorandum of Understanding in 2013 and has committed to an ambitious EV adoption goal of 125,000-150,000 EVs on the road by 2025. With the increased deployment of electric vehicle charging equipment, it’s anticipated that consumers will experience reduced range anxiety and increased confidence in charging accessibility. The new funding for charging infrastructure buildout will encourage EV adoption, and also augment the existing Utilities Make-Ready Program and DEEP’s Volkswagen Diesel Mitigation-Zero Emission Infrastructure grant programs.
As of July 2022, there were over 25,000 EVs registered in Connecticut–a fraction of the nearly 2.9 million light-duty passenger cars and trucks registered in Connecticut. Connecticut Department of Motor Vehicles (CTDMV) records indicate that over the last year, more than 10,800 new light-duty EVs have been registered in Connecticut, increasing from over 9,700 the previous year.
(HARTFORD, CT) – Governor Ned Lamont today announced that he is directing $3.5 million in funds from the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI) to be allocated to Connecticut’s utility-administered energy efficiency programs for low-income customers. This support will increase the delivery of energy efficiency programs that save residents money on their utility bills while reducing energy use and carbon emissions.
The funding augments an approximate annual budget of $37 million dedicated to low-income energy efficiency programs statewide and will be used to support the Home Energy Solutions-Income Eligible (HES-IE) program, allowing the program to reach approximately 1,000 additional homes in 2022.
HES-IE provides home energy audits and core weatherization measures, such as air and duct sealing, for an average savings of $250 on annual household energy bills. After the initial HES-IE visit, customers can receive additional upgrades, such as insulation and efficient windows, that can provide even more savings. Income-eligible customers receive these services for little to no cost through the HES-IE program. HES-IE is available to customers that have a household income that is 60% or less than the state median income, participate in utility forgiveness or matching payment programs, or receive other forms of means-tested assistance.
“Global disruptions in the energy sector are hitting low-income households especially hard, and initiatives like this are designed to provide relief,” Governor Lamont said. “I’ve worked to protect our state’s award-winning energy efficiency programs from damaging budget sweeps and supported Connecticut efficiency contractors through pandemic disruptions. These programs are here to help consumers save money during this energy crisis. These funds will help our most vulnerable residents lower their energy costs, while also helping the environment.”
“Energy efficiency is at the core of the Lamont administration’s strategy to reduce emissions from the electric sector, an area Connecticut has made tremendous strides in over the past several years,” Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection (DEEP) Commissioner Katie Dykes said. “The RGGI program has long been a workhorse providing funding for our energy efficiency programs, and protecting ratepayer efficiency funds has been a priority of Governor Lamont since he took office. This funding will provide residents with a sustainable source of savings on energy costs over time and will be complimented by DEEP’s latest Conservation and Load Management Plan, which directs Connecticut’s utilities to redirect RGGI funding as needed to programs benefitting low-income, energy burdened, and other underserved customers, including those who live in multi-unit dwellings.”
Under Governor Lamont’s leadership and DEEP’s oversight, the energy efficiency programs are well-positioned to meet this heightened demand. In addition to protecting ratepayer efficiency funds from being diverted for other purposes, the Lamont administration has also taken steps to build capacity in Connecticut’s energy efficiency workforce, including through the 2021 launch of the Office of Workforce Strategy’s CareerConneCT program, which will train local workers in in-demand industries such as energy efficiency. With this support, energy efficiency programs will continue to be a source of energy savings, emissions reduction, and economic development for the state.
At the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Lamont administration, including DEEP and the Department of Economic and Community Development, worked closely with the utilities, Energy Efficiency Board, contractors, and other stakeholders to ensure contractors could continue to perform essential services for customers through the statewide energy efficiency programs by implementing health and safety procedures and incentivizing customer participation. These measures generated record levels of demand for the energy efficiency programs that persist to this day. Demand for the state’s utility energy efficiency programs has peaked this year as consumers look for ways to curb their energy costs.
HES-IE is one of many utility-administered energy efficiency programs available through the EnergizeCT initiative. Energize CT provides Connecticut residents and businesses with services, financing, and rebates for energy efficiency and clean energy improvements. More information is available at energizect.com.
RGGI is a cooperative effort among the states of Connecticut, Delaware, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Rhode Island, Vermont, and Virginia to cap and reduce power sector CO2 emissions. RGGI is the nation’s first mandatory, market-based CO2 emissions reduction program. Within the RGGI states, fossil-fuel-fired electric power generators with a capacity of 25 megawatts or greater must hold allowances equal to their CO2 emissions over each three-year control period. Generators must also hold allowances equal to 50% of their emissions during each interim control period (the first two calendar years of each three-year control period). The current three-year control period is January 1, 2021, to December 31, 2023.
