“For over a year, nursing home residents, staff, family members, the Long-Term Care Ombudsman, and AARP Connecticut have advocated for many of the important reforms addressed in this bill, such as improved staffing levels, enhanced infection control measures, requiring stockpiles of personal protective equipment, and better emergency planning”, said Nora Duncan, Director, AARP Connecticut in a statement last month applauding the Connecticut General Assembly’s passage of Senate Bill 1030.
The Act Concerning Long-Term Care Facilities was just one of nearly 50 pieces of legislative testimony that AARP Connecticut advocated on behalf of older adults.
Below is a summary of the AARP Connecticut-supported bills that successfully passed both the House and Senate:
- SB 973, An Act Strengthening the Voice of Residents and Family Councils
- SB 975, An Act Strengthening the Bill of Rights for Long-Term Care Facility Residents
- SB 1046, An Act Concerning Long-Term Care Insurance
- HB 6622, An Act Concerning Prescription Drug Formularies and Lists of Covered Drugs
- HB 6442, An Act Concerning Equitable Access to Broadband
- SB 5, An Act Concerning Increased Opportunities for Absentee Voting, Safe and Secure In-Person Voting, Voter Registration and Certain Other Changes Regarding Election Administration
- HJ 58, Resolution Proposing a State Constitutional Amendment To Allow No-Excuse Absentee Voting
- HJ 59, Resolution Approving an Amendment to the State Constitution to Allow for Early Voting
- SB 56, An Act Concerning Age Discrimination
- HB 5429, An Act Concerning Pedestrian Safety, the Vision Zero Council, Speed Limits in Municipalities, Fines and Charges for Certain Violations and the Greenways Commemorative Account
- HB 6107, An Act Concerning the Reorganization of the Zoning Enabling Act
- HB 6526, An Act Concerning Electric Suppliers
- SB 763, An Act Requiring Drivers of Paratransit Vehicles to Report Suspected Abuse, Neglect, Exploitation or Abandonment of Elderly Persons.
- HB 6100, An Act Concerning the Department of Consumer Protection Licensing and Enforcement
Duncan joined me on the Latino News Network podcast, 3 Questions With… to talk about the three big things on AARP Connecticut’s radar for the rest of the year.
Financial security is at the top of the To-Do list for AARP Connecticut, “Hispanics-Latinos are more likely to not have a retirement program at work; they pay a larger percentage of their income into caregiving (for adults)”, Duncan said while discussing the benefits of the MyCTSavings pilot program. “We hope that we have found the way to help people save for retirement in Connecticut and also make it super easy for our small businesses across the state. I am excited about it!”
SB 56, An Act Concerning Age Discrimination will prohibit employers from asking age and school attendance date information on job applications. Nearly half of older workers worry that their age could negatively impact their current or potential job search, and this legislation will make it more difficult for age to be a determining factor in who is considered for open positions. “I got your back…for no longer being able to ask that kind of information,” says Duncan about AARP Connecticut’s tireless work “to ensure that age is no longer the last acceptable form of discrimination in this country.”
It’s that type of roll-up-your-sleeves dedication that Duncan and her team at AARP Connecticut have in enhancing the quality of life for all communities as they age.
Links to other topics discussed in the podcast, resources, and information
- Paid Family & Medical Leave
- Key Federal Agency to Restore Tougher Penalties for Nursing Home Violations
Publisher’s Note: CTLatinoNews.com is proud to partner with AARP CT in providing information that helps the public live their best lives.