Gary Turco

We voted to address the need for temporary adjustments to the Budget Reserve Fund and to appropriate funds to offset reductions in federal programs that directly affect Connecticut residents.

House Bill 8003: An Act Concerning Temporary Adjustments to the Budget Reserve Fund and Appropriating Funds to Address Reductions in Federal Funding represents the state’s $500 million response to recent federal funding cutbacks.

This funding will fill any gaps in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) program, and the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP). 

In addition, I'm hopeful this fund will be used to give children access to free school meals after the passage of H.R. 1 (aka the Big Beautiful Bill).

As many of us know with the rising cost of food due to inflation, tariffs, and other factors, many families rely on children having access to free or reduced nutritious meals while at school, so they can learn -- and we know how difficult it is for a child to learn when hungry.

For some children, school meals may be the only meal they have that day.  It is important for not only their learning, but also their physical and mental health.

Because of the Federal Government's passage of H.R. 1.

• Children will now have less access to free school meals because H.R. 1 cuts funding and imposes stricter rules SNAP eligibility which are used for direct certification.
   
• These changes will cause fewer families to be eligible for benefits, resulting in less direct certification for free meals.
   
• Fewer children participating in these programs means schools will also be less likely to participate in programs that provide free meals to all students, such as the Community Eligibility Provision (CEP).
   
• The new rules will create additional barriers for families, and some may not be able to navigate the complex paperwork to apply for meals through traditional channels, even if they are still eligible, and school will receive less federal funding.

This problem will begin to happen now, regardless of if the Federal government reopens. 

This fund we are setting up needs to be used immediately to help ensure no child in the state of Connecticut has to try and learn while hungry.

During our special session, we voted to approve $390 million in bonding over a five-year period to support capital investments at Waterbury Hospital, as well as Bristol Hospital and Day Kimball Hospital in Putnam, which the state is also in talks to acquire. 

With the approval of House Bill 8001: An Act Concerning the University of Connecticut Health Center Joint Venture Initiative, we voted to preserve access to health care at Waterbury Hospital, voting in favor of a $13 million agreement enabling UConn Health to acquire the facility.

This acquisition is structured as a public-private partnership. Under this model, Waterbury Hospital will join the UConn Health network while remaining privately operated. This approach ensures the hospital remains open, protects existing jobs, and strengthens the future of regional health care for those in the community that rely on it.

Through this partnership with UConn Health, we are securing long-term stability for Waterbury Hospital and expanding access to high-quality care for families who deserve it close to home.

We also passed legislation through a comprehensive bill that continues to build on House Democrats’ commitment to children’s behavioral health care.

Highlights include:

• Statewide study to assess the demand for children’s behavioral health services and improve data collection
• New grant program to support care coordination and resource navigation for kids and families
• Insurance companies must now cover autism treatments, including applied behavior analysis and cognitive behavioral therapy, up to age 26
• Adding substance abuse treatment providers for children to Transforming Children’s Behavioral Health Policy and Planning Committee (TCB)  

Together, these measures represent a stronger, more coordinated system of care for Connecticut’s children.