Appropriations Committee advances a package of bills, raises 17 bill concepts

The state Appropriations Committee met Tuesday, Feb. 18 and advanced a slate of bills by voice vote, approved referrals to other committees and voted to "raise" 17 bill concepts for further development.

The committee approved bills ranging from adjustments to the Mashantucket Pequot and Mohegan Fund to a proposal permitting retired teachers to return to full-time public school work. Most measures were approved by voice vote with no roll-call tallies recorded. The committee also agreed to raise 17 concepts that its members described on the record, including changes to teachers—s retirement statutes, a study of student-loan repayment programs, a review of nonprofit funding mechanisms and follow-up on the Medicaid rate study.

Why it matters: The measures advanced Tuesday affect municipal reimbursements, state employee retirement calculations, emergency medical protocols used by EMTs and potential future statutory changes touching education, public health and contracting. Committee members framed the raised concepts as vehicles to study policy options or to create statutory language for later debate.

Most important actions and context

- Proposed Senate Bill No. 858, "an act concerning the Mashantucket Pequot and Mohegan Fund," was moved and seconded and approved by voice vote. A committee member summarized the intent as restoring the fund—s disbursement level so "this will put more money out to municipalities." The committee did not record a roll-call tally.

- The committee approved a measure to provide funding for municipalities for early voting (proposed Senate Bill No. 17) and advanced several other bills that will be handled as committee bills or referred to other committees.

- Proposed Senate Bill No. 28, to allow emergency medical technicians to equip and administer intranasal glucagon, prompted a brief question about what intranasal glucagon is; a committee member explained it is a…