State News

Special Session For Police Accountability

HARTFORD, CT) – Governor Ned Lamont released the following statement regarding the package of legislative proposals announced today by the Senate Democratic caucus:  “I plan on calling the General Assembly into special session during the month of July to address the issues of police accountability and expanding access to absentee ballots. There’s still more that we need to do in addition to those issues to address the complex and difficult problems of racial and economic inequality. I look forward to working with legislators and other stakeholders on those issues during the next regular session.”   This news report is made possible by: [caption id="attachment_66365" align="aligncenter" width="400"] Visit Interstate's website at: https://ctbattery.com/[/caption]

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BIPARTISAN RESOLUTION CONDEMNS DISCRIMINATION AGAINST IRANIAN AMERICANS

WASHINGTON, D.C.] – U.S. Senator Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) and U.S. Representatives Gerald E. Connolly (D-VA) and Francis Rooney (R-FL) led the introduction of a resolution denouncing discriminatory treatment of Iranian Americans. This bicameral, bipartisan resolution comes after earlier this year, a U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) office on the U.S.-Canada border was found to have directed its agents to detain and question Americans of Iranian origin about their faith and military service following the U.S. killing of Iranian general Qassem Soleimani. The resolution calls on the U.S. Department of Homeland Security to launch a civil rights probe into the incident and directs government officials to ensure that civil rights and liberties of all Americans – including Iranian Americans –…

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THE GREAT AMERICAN OUTDOORS ACT

WASHINGTON—U.S. Senator Chris Murphy (D-Conn.) on Wednesday applauded Senate passage of the Great American Outdoors Act. The bipartisan legislation, which passed by a vote of 73-25, fully and permanently funds the Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF) at $900 million per year. The LWCF is the main federal program to ensure protection of and access to our public lands. The Great American Outdoors Act will also address our nearly $12 billion repair backlog in National Parks and on other public lands by directing up to $9.5 billion over five years to address maintenance needs within the National Park System. The legislation now heads to the U.S. House of Representatives, and President Trump has signaled he would sign this bill into law.   “Today is big win for our public lands. The Great American Outdoors Act fully…

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Aircraft Safety and Certification Reform Act

#WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), author of the Restoring Aviation Accountability Act and a member of the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science & Transportation, released the following statement on the Aircraft Safety and Certification Reform Act, introduced earlier today by U.S. Senators Roger Wicker (R-MI) and Maria Cantwell (D-WA), the Chair and Ranking Member of the Commerce Committee.   “I’m glad to see this bipartisan reform proposal include several provisions I’ve championed, including stronger protections for whistleblowers, minimum qualifications for those preforming work on behalf of the FAA, targeted audits of ODA units, and addressing concerns about compensation and bonuses for meeting performance goals,” Blumenthal said. “Left to its own devices, the aviation certification system puts corporate profits before…

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AG Leads Coalition On Price Fixing

Hartford, CT) – Attorney General William Tong led a coalition of 51 states and territories today in filing the third lawsuit stemming from the ongoing antitrust investigation into a widespread conspiracy by generic drug manufacturers to artificially inflate and manipulate prices, reduce competition, and unreasonably restrain trade for generic drugs sold across the United States. This new Complaint, filed in the U.S. District Court for the District of Connecticut, focuses on 80 topical generic drugs that account for billions of dollars of sales in the United States. The Complaint names 26 corporate Defendants and 10 individual Defendants. The lawsuit seeks damages, civil penalties, and actions by the court to restore competition to the generic drug market. The topical drugs at…

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Governor Wants Independent Review Of Nursing Homes

HARTFORD, CT) – Governor Ned Lamont announced that he is ordering an independent, third-party review to be conducted of the preparation and response to the COVID-19 pandemic inside of Connecticut’s nursing homes and assisted living facilities. The review will incorporate a top-to-bottom analysis of all elements of the pandemic and how it was addressed in these facilities, which were disproportionately impacted by the virus. The governor said he wants the analysis completed before the start of autumn in order to prepare for a potential second wave of the virus.   “Our state took proactive and innovative steps to address the outbreak in our long-term care facilities, but we must take steps to better understand how prepared the system was, and…

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Policing Act of 2020

#WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senators Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) and Chris Murphy (D-CT) co-sponsored the Justice in Policing Act of 2020, the first-ever bold, comprehensive approach to hold police accountable, change the culture of law enforcement and build trust between law enforcement and our communities, introduced by U.S. Senators Kamala D. Harris (D-CA) and Cory Booker (D-NJ) and U.S. Representative Karen Bass (D-CA) and Jerrold Nadler (D-NY). “This sweeping, far-reaching reform in police practices and training is long overdue. Revamping police training, new methods for screening prospective officers, eliminating chokeholds as a practice, and imposing individual accountability to officers who break the law are among the necessary changes offered in this impactful legislation,” said Blumenthal. “We need both Republicans and Democrats to come together to support…

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Senators Say Covid Aid Checks For Those Not Filing With IRS

WASHINGTON, DC – While the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act that the president signed into law last week ensured that the Treasury Department had the authority to send automatic direct cash assistance to Social Security beneficiaries regardless of whether they file taxes or not, the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) released contradictory guidance earlier this week stating that Social Security beneficiaries would need to file tax returns in order to receive direct payments. U.S. Senators Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.) and Chris Murphy (D-Conn.) joined a group of 41 senators in expressing alarm over this guidance and calling for the Treasury Department and Social Security Administration to ensure that all Social Security beneficiaries will automatically receive the direct assistance included…

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