State Capitol Update from Rep. Figueroa

May 19, 2023


 
View this email in your browser
Dear Neighbor,

Happy Monday!
 
I hope you are well and had a good weekend.
 
The House is in full swing, and we are in session Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday this week.
 
Below is a legislative update with a summary of bills passed in the House last week and a few events I attended.
 
You can email me any questions or comments about the policies listed or the legislative process.
 
Don't forget - you can watch it all live at CT-N.com.

 
Eversource, UI File Reduced Rates for
Electricity with PURA
Eversource and United Illuminating (UI), Connecticut's two electric distribution companies (EDCs), have filed new and lower standard service rates for residential customers from July 1 through December 31 with the Connecticut Public Utilities Regulatory Authority (PURA), and the average bills are expected to decrease significantly from current levels.

Eversource and UI file to change rates twice annually, with the rates going into effect on January 1 and July 1 of each year. The cost of natural gas, which provides the fuel for most of the heat and electricity across Connecticut and New England, is subject to continued market volatility and international factors like Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. As a result, present bills were pushed as much as $80 higher on average since the beginning of 2023 and running through June 30.

While dropping electricity rates is positive news, PURA also recently took a significant step toward additional accountability for Eversource and UI by implementing performance-based regulation (PBR) starting in 2024. Connecticut is one of the first states in the country to establish such a system, which was part of the “Take Back Our Grid Act” we passed in October 2020.

PBR has the potential to align regulatory tools since there are certain goals Eversource and UI will be expected to achieve, including fulfillment of public policies, empowering customers, and providing reasonable, equitable and affordable rates as opposed to roller coaster increases and decreases.

Connecticut’s implementation of PBR signals a commitment to dually improving utility performance and customer outcomes. It is not an attempt to hurt the utilities. PBR will show residents, however, that the utilities will keep their best interests in mind within a specific operating framework.

 
House Passes Bill to Detect and Prevent
Wrong-Way Driving
Sadly, wrong-way crashes and deaths have been on the rise in Connecticut. Studies have shown that wrong-way driving crashes are 100 times more likely to be fatal than other types of crashes. Our own State Representative Quentin “Q” Williams of Middletown was killed by a wrong-way driver in January.  

The House of Representatives took action on last Wednesday with the passage of

HB 6746, which seek to reduce incidents and minimize fatalities from wrong-way drivers.
HB 6746 requires the Connecticut Department of Transportation (CTDOT) to expand its efforts to implement wrong-way driver countermeasures, including:
  • Wrong-way driving detection and notification systems on at least 120 high-risk highway exit ramps
  • A public awareness campaign to educate the public on ways to reduce wrong-way driving incidents and the actions drivers should take when they encounter a wrong-way driver

The number of people killed or injured on state roads is startling, especially because many of them were the result of preventable crashes. I am glad we passed this important legislation to help make our roads safer.

 
House Passes Important Clean Slate Updates
The House of Representatives passed HB 6918 last Tuesday that makes important clarifying and technical changes to the groundbreaking Clean Slate legislation signed into law in 2021, which can now be fully implemented and deliver on the promise of a fresh start for hundreds of thousands of people in education, employment and housing without the burden of a long-past criminal conviction.

Business organizations and chambers of commerce have lined up behind Clean Slate legislation in Connecticut and throughout the country, recognizing it as an economic driver by enhancing someone's ability to be gainfully employed, start a business and secure housing.

Outdated technology and outstanding legal and policy questions required updating in order to automatically erase criminal records of people seven years after the date of their conviction for a misdemeanor or 10 years after the date of their conviction for certain felonies if they have not been convicted of other crimes. 

No one's future should be limited because of mistakes made years or even decades ago.

Click Here to Learn More About Clean Slate
 
Legislation Passed in The House
In HB 6909 state agencies are required to solicit feedback from members of a community before using terminology to describe such community.
https://www.cga.ct.gov/asp/cgabillstatus/cgabillstatus.asp?selBillType=…
Families who are tasked with taking care of loved ones need a lifeline. HB 6677 will require the Department of Social Services to develop a plan that will increase the number of residents eligible to receive adult day services.
Attention consumers! Under HB 5314 businesses will no longer be able to charge your credit card, debit card, or third-party payment account without your consent for automatic renewal or continuous services.
Food allergies can be life-threatening. H.B. 5902 establishes standards that restaurants must follow to ensure customers alert staff about their allergies. The bill will also require informational posters to be displayed in restaurants to ensure increased safety and awareness.
Protecting our children is the most important part of youth athletic competition. HB 6561 creates a task force that will study safety measures for all sports.
 
 
If you have questions, or ever need any help please don't hesitate to reach out by phone, 860-240-8585 or email, Anabel.Figueroa@cga.ct.gov.

Sincerely,

Anabel Figueroa
State Representative
Website
Website
Email
Email
Facebook
Facebook

Forward to a friend | Unsubscribe from this list | Update subscription preferences