Legislative Updates

session
February 8, 2021
As the legislative session gets into full swing, committee hearings, meetings with advocates and calls with constituents are the order of the day. In the midst of all of that, COVID remains at the forefront of the conversation.

Today, the Governor announced that beginning this Thursday, 2/11, residents 65 or older are now able to make appointments to get the vaccine. There are 350,000 CT residents who are 65-74. Our residents age 65 and older are 18% of the population but account for 88% of our fatalities. It is expected that it will take approximately 4 weeks to get this portion of the population vaccinated. Please be patient and expect some wait times as things open up on Thursday. Here is some helpful information about where you can turn to make an appointment.
  • VAMS – This is the online sign up portal that is a CDC based system. I have heard from many that it can be tricky, but for a number of weeks, this has been the primary way to make appointments. This system will allow you to make appointments at many of the over 125 current vaccination sites around the state
  • Vaccine Appointment Assistance Line (VAAL) – 877-918-2224 - In partnership with the United Way, beginning today, if you need assistance by phone you can call this number from 8am – 8pm seven days / week to make your appointment. These appointments are for 12 sites around the state, with the closest site to us here in Fairfield in New Haven.
  • Yale New Haven Health System – You can call 833-ASK-YNHH to make an appointment at one of their vaccine clinics.
  • My Chart – If you have access to this system, you can make an appointment this way.
  • Coming Soon – information about how to access appointments at CVS, Walgreens and Walmart. Approximately 24 pharmacies around the state are now offering vaccines and by the end of the week there should be another 60 coming online. The focus is on socially vulnerable and rural communities.
  • CT.GOV – Get the latest information on availability, eligibility, and access to the COVID-19 vaccine. Vaccine access is only for those who live or work in Connecticut.
  • Fairfield Health Department – Our own CERT Team has volunteered to answer calls right here at home. There are a lot of ways to access help. Please click here to reach out.
This past week, I have had the opportunity to hear directly from our Commissioner of Public Health as well as the doctors at Bridgeport Hospital. This is some of the other important information and perspective they have shared:
  • If you have questions or concerns about the vaccine or have people in your life who are hesitant about the vaccine, you can find information and resources many places, including at YNNH and the state portal. Please also feel free to watch the virtual town halls addressing the facts about the vaccine from YNHH and the Greater Bridgeport NAACP. Watch it in English or with Spanish Closed Captioning.
  • For those who are concerned about the timing of the second dose appointment, the CDC has issued guidance saying that they recommend the second dose be given no later than 42 days.
  • The DPH Distribution Principles include assuring equal distribution across regions; a focus on equity and access – especially in areas that are socially vulnerable as measured by the CDC’s Social Vulnerability Index (SVI); providing multiple channels; increasing rapid access and coordinating with local jurisdictions.
  • Vaccine supply remains an issue. The Yale New Haven docs said today that, “We could vaccinate more people if we had more vaccine.” DPH shared last week that the new administration now provides a 3 week forecast for supply, giving the state a better ability to plan ahead.
  • The Yale team expressed concern about a decrease in testing. We need to make sure we are still going to get tested, including asymptomatic testing.
  • Even if you have been vaccinated, you are encouraged to continue wearing your mask. These days, there are recommendations to double mask as well.
  • Finally, the Yale team shared that the variants are spreading up to 60% faster. The sooner we can get more people vaccinated, the more we can slow and stop the spread. We need to continue to mask, maintain distance and get tested.
Committee Hearings & Meetings

Last week the Planning and Development Committee held a Committee Meeting to vote to

 advance bills, an informational forum on GIS (Geographic Information Systems), and a Public Hearing. I have been leading a working group effort on GIS since last summer. I was thrilled to have state agencies including Health, Transportation and Environment as well as UI and private providers join the committee to talk about their work and how improved collaboration could help us provide better services in some cases lower costs across jurisdictions. Things like GIS are not what you hear about every day, but our 911 centers, 211 line, vaccine information and more rely on GIS mapping.

If you’d like to learn more about GIS or hear some of the many conversations (Wednesday’s hearing was 9.5 hours), please check out the committee's YouTube page here. One way you can find out what is happening every day with the General Assembly is to check what is called the Bulletin It is posted and updated daily on the CGA homepage. It will be your guide to understanding what is happening and when, including how to sign up to testify or submit written testimony on bills.
Transportation – Vehicle Miles Traveled

As some of you may know, I submitted HB 6080 to allow our Department of Transportation to participate in studies or pilot programs regarding Vehicle Miles Traveled. The bill does NOT propose or institute a tax. CT is currently the only state in the nation unable to participate in such studies or pilots.

General Motors, in just the past few weeks, announced they plan to move to a fully Electric Vehicle offering by 2035 and Amazon and UPS are converting their fleets to Electric Vehicles. With more fuel efficient standards, and more EVs on the road (which I believe is a good thing) the effectiveness of the gas tax, which we have traditionally relied upon to fund transportation, will continue to decline. Long term, data driven decision making requires research and information.

The federal government has funded pilot programs in both “red” states and “blue” states for the past six years. When the new Secretary of Transportation, Pete Buttigieg, was confirmed, he noted that there are questions about privacy with these programs, and I agree. These are questions which deserve attention and study.

How we pay for transportation is bound to change in the future. What will not change are the tremendous transportation funding needs and the importance of lowering greenhouse gas emissions. Transportation accounts for 38% of our greenhouse gas emissions, the largest of any sector. Gas and diesel account for 92% of those emissions.
 
I will be hosting an informational forum and will keep you posted on the date and time so that you can join if you are interested.
 
As always, please remember to wear your properly fitted mask, maintain six feet of distance (it is farther away than you think), wash your hands, go get tested (even for the asymptomatic folks), stay home if you are not feeling well, and make your vaccine appointment as soon as you are able.