The House of Representatives approved a bill Wednesday mandating school emergency plans for students with hearing loss.
Kathleen Megan
Kathleen Megan wrote for more than three decades for the Hartford Courant, covering education in recent years and winning many regional and national awards. She is now covering education and child welfare issues for the Mirror.
Posted inEducation
After lengthy debate, climate change curriculum bill passes House
Republicans objected to the bill, which codifies the requirement for teaching climate change included in the Next Generation Science Standards.
Posted inJustice
Bill that would make prison phone calls free sent to the House
Advocates for a proposal that would allow inmates to make free telephone calls were heartened when the bill was endorsed Tuesday by the legislature’s Appropriation Committee and forwarded to the House of Representatives.
Posted inEducation
Proposal to require that climate change is taught may return next week
The provision drew such vehement opposition from Republicans its proponents pulled it from the bill, but they hope to bring it back next week.
Posted inEducation
House endorses bill requiring courses on black, Latino history
The elective class would become part of every district’s high school curriculum starting in 2021. The bill now goes to the Senate.
Posted inEnergy & Environment
Bill would stop restaurants’ use of Styrofoam containers
Bills limiting use of plastic straws and single-use plastic bags also advance.
Posted inHealth
House passes bill to help LGBTQ community
The bill, which now goes to the Senate, establishes a health and human services network to assess the needs of LGBTQ residents.
Posted inHealth
Lesser’s health scare helped prompt bill on EpiPens
Sen. Matt Lesser, who had a severe allergic reaction at the State Capitol last year, proposed a bill that would make EpiPens available in public venues.
Posted inHealth
House passes bill to ban sale of e-cigarettes to youths under 21
The bill raises the age from 18 to 21 for anyone purchasing cigarettes, tobacco products and electronic nicotine delivery systems.
Posted inEducation
Faculty vote ‘no confidence’ in CSCU leaders and their college consolidation plan
Faculty who cast votes of no confidence in CSCU President Mark Ojakian and his plan to to consolidate the 12 community colleges say no one is listening to them.
Posted inJustice
Senate passes bill toughening penalty for disseminating intimate images, ban on gay panic defense
The penalty for disseminating intimate images without consent would be considerably more severe.
Posted inPolitics
Senate endorses early voting, but not with margin to get on 2020 ballot
The Senate endorsed a constitutional amendment that would create an early voting system, but failed to pass it by the margin necessary to place it on the 2020 November ballot.
Posted inHealth
Auditors: Access Health handed out hefty severance payments
Auditors found that Access Health distributed $678,954 in severance payments to 16 “involuntarily terminated” employees between 2014 and 2018.
Posted inEducation
Proponents of ‘free college’ say it would ease, not strain state finances
The free college idea appeared dead this legislative session, until new numbers suggested it could be a boon for the state.
Posted inHealth
State releases ‘startling’ data on unvaccinated children
Gov. Ned Lamont says the first-ever school-by-school assessment of immunization rates show pockets of non-compliance that are startling.