On Tuesday, State Rep. Jaime Foster, the Connecticut Chapter of the Scholars Strategy Network (CT SSN), and UConn’s Institute for Collaboration on Health, Intervention, and Policy (InCHIP) hosted the first ever “Moving Beyond Implications” conference at the Legislative Office Building. The meeting had over 150 attendees and 15 research presentations were made to eight standing committees of the Connecticut General Assembly. There was ample opportunity to network.
The takeaway: We need more opportunities like this one.
Connecticut’s researchers, legislators, and policymakers care deeply about enacting policies that improve the lives of Connecticut citizens. Each of them are policy experts in their own way, and this conference provided an innovative way to pool Connecticut’s collective expertise.
Lt. Gov. Susan Bysiewicz, who opened the conference, reflected: “One of the benefits of a part-time legislature is that our representatives can come from all walks of life and from a wide range of careers. That variety of experience can then bring a unique perspective to the way we do things or how we look at legislation — often for the better. As a research scientist for the Yale-Griffin Prevention Research Center, Dr. Foster knows first-hand the importance of research — and as a legislator, State Rep. Foster has seen the extraordinary results that can come from turning relevant research into evidence-based policymaking. It was an honor to participate in this first-of-its-kind conference, and I’m looking forward to seeing the results.”
Indeed, all legislators are doing qualitative research. They gather information while they campaign, determine district priorities, and set agendas based on their own community needs assessments. Legislators are eager to enact effective policies to achieve their goals, but determining if a policy will have the desired impact can be complicated, especially when bills are compromised or changed from examples from other states.
That’s where the researchers come in. Using objectivity and scientific methods, they analyze the effects of policies or interventions. Their training allows them to synthesize knowledge across studies, determine policy effects, interpret nuance, and understand implementation challenges.
Effective policy requires both perspectives, and more accurately, it requires ongoing conversations with policymakers and researchers. As we approach the 2024 legislative session — a “short” session — fostering these quick connections is even more pertinent. And now, because of this conference, Connecticut’s policymakers have formed new relationships with researchers from across the state.
The conference covered a range of topics: “Feel Your Best Self,” which provides ways for teachers to address childhood anxiety in schools; solutions to de-carbonize the transportation sector; and why physician conversations regarding secure firearm storage do or don’t happen were all covered. You can access the conference program and all the research briefs here.
Following a presentation on the impact of Medicaid waivers by Dr. Benjamin Howell of Yale, Rep. Michael Quinn said, “I am interested in seeing how Medicaid waivers following incarceration can help the recently released as they transition back into society. If we are truly serious about ensuring that offenders don’t reoffend, then we need to do all that we can to help them find gainful employment and health care.”
Rep. Jeff Currey (Chair of the Education Committee) and Rep. Kathleen McCarty (Ranking member of the Education Committee) both look forward to considering policy on do-it-yourself indoor air purifiers — Corsi-Rosenthal or “CR-boxes.” CR-boxes cost about $4 per student per academic year to make. And guess who can make them: the students themselves. CR-boxes are both an accessible STEM project for Connecticut students, and they improve indoor air quality in a way that is both statistically and substantively significant.
“I already have plans to meet with the academics on this presentation and work on this upcoming session,” Currey said.
In another huge victory, Scott Gaul, Connecticut’s Chief Data Officer, and Rachel Leventhal-Weiner (Director of Evaluation and Impact) both from the state Office of Policy and Management have plans to share the state’s treasure trove of data with academics who can use it to evaluate efficacy of American Rescue Plan-funded pilot programs and also to address other Connecticut-based questions.
The biggest question everyone was asking after the conference was “when’s the next one?” The answer: December 2024 — just before the January 2025 session opens. But in the meanwhile, policymakers and researchers know where to find each other.
State Rep. Jaime Foster represents Ellington, East Windsor, and Vernon in the 57th House District. Kerri M. Raissian is co-leader of the Connecticut Scholars Strategy Network and Associate Professor of Public Policy at the University of Connecticut.