Thank you for the opportunity to serve our community and bring your voice to the State Capitol.
Please read and share this summary of major laws that were passed in Connecticut last year, as well as a summary of potentially harmful legislation I worked hard to stop.
I hope this is a helpful way to learn about what was discussed and approved in Hartford this year.
If you have questions about these bills or ideas about any other state issue please feel free to contact my office at [email protected] or call 800-842-1421.
New Laws to Protect & Help Connecticut Residents
I fought for, supported and passed many new bipartisan laws to help people across our state, including laws that accomplished the following:
Helping Victims of Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault (Public Act 19-189) by creating parity between sexual assault in the case of a spousal or cohabitating relationship and other crimes of sexual assault.
Improving Access to Women’s Health Care by promoting screening for cancers that impact women (Public Act 19-45), allowing for Medicaid reimbursement for donor breast milk when medically necessary (Public Act 19-48), and expanding health insurance coverage for preexisting conditions (Public Act 19-134).
Advocating for Seniors.
Sen. Kissel joined with area advocates at the Sep. 22 Enfield Walk to End Alzheimer’s. Sen. Kissel supported and co-sponsored An Act Concerning Alzheimer’s Disease and Dementia Training and Best Practices. The bill is now law.
Creating Parity for Mental Health Care by passing legislation that seeks to increase access to treatment for mental health issues and substance abuse (Public Act 19-159).
Combating Opioid Abuse by increasing the penalties for the sale of Fentanyl (Public Act 19-38) and establishing new requirements when prescribing an opioid for an extended period of time (Public Act 19-191).
Expanding Workforce Development by establishing multiple new initiatives related to apprenticeship training, careers in manufacturing, certificate programs, and computer science instruction in public schools. (Public Acts 19-68, 19-58, 19-103, 19-128).
Supporting Vulnerable Families.
Sen. Kissel chats with ShopRite of Enfield CFO MaryBeth Duffy during “Help Bag Hunger Day” event at ShopRite of Enfield. As part of National Hunger Action Month, Sen. Kissel joined other volunteers in bagging groceries as cashiers asked customers to round up their purchases to the nearest dollar as a donation to help fill the shelves of local food banks.
Supporting Veterans by establishing a military to machinist job training program for veterans (Public Act 19-129) and by increasing the property tax exemption for disabled vets (Public Act 19-171).
Protecting Seniors by expanding training for Alzheimer’s disease diagnosis and treatment (Public Act 19-115), expanding health insurance coverage for hearing aids (Public Act 19-133), and establishing a Community Ombudsman program to investigate complaints concerning care received by recipients of home and community-based services to help seniors aging in place (Special Act 19-18).
Sen. Kissel greets a shopper during his Oct. 1 “Senator on Your Sidewalk” event outside of Enfield ShopRite. Sen. Kissel hosts the regular outreach event in order to speak with area taxpayers in a casual setting about state policies.
Giving Nursing Home Residents A Voice by providing an opportunity for residents or their guardians to make their voices heard during receivership proceedings (Public Act 19-42). The legislation, which I introduced and championed, addresses serious concerns that were raised following the closure of the Blair Manor nursing home facility in Enfield.
Raising Awareness About Cancer Prevention.
Girl Scout Troop 10355 Ambassador Olivia Trosen, Kara Trosen, and Lori Gates appeared on “Senator Kissel and Friends” to discuss a bill Sen. Kissel introduced and championed at the State Capitol to allow children to apply over-the-counter sunscreen before outdoor activities if their parent gives written authorization to the school nurse. That bill is now law (Public Act 19-60). “Senator Kissel and Friends” airs on PATV 15 Mondays at 9 p.m. and Tuesdays at Noon.
Celebrating Windsor Locks Heritage Day with local students and teachers.
