WASHINGTON — Connecticut has received nearly $1 million this week from the federal government to combat the Zika virus – enough for now, state officials say, but not if the crisis worsens. Meanwhile, the blame game continues in Washington over who is responsible for holding up more than $1 billion that could bolster states’ efforts to fight the disease.
Congress
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Murphy starts new campaign fund to help gun control candidates
WASHINGTON – Since Congress won’t pass any new gun control legislation, Sen. Chris Murphy and two Senate colleagues are taking another tack – raising money for candidates who will support these bills in the next Congress.
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Push intensifies for terror-list gun bill backed by CT lawmakers
WASHINGTON – Senate Democrats, including those representing Connecticut, escalated the pressure on GOP colleagues Tuesday to revisit and pass legislation that would prohibit those on the federal terror list from purchasing a gun.
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Congress fighting over Zika funding that could aid CT pharmaceuticals
WASHINGTON — Congress is tied in a partisan knot over funding U.S. response to the outbreak of the Zika virus, money that could help several Connecticut pharmaceutical companies continue their work toward a vaccine.
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Blumenthal, Himes sponsor new bill to combat human trafficking
WASHINGTON – After Shandra Woworuntu lost her job as a manager of a bank in Indonesia, she responded to an employment ad she thought would offer her a new life in the United States . But instead of a job, she found herself ensnared by sex traffickers who sold her in New York and Connecticut for the next three years.
Posted inEnergy & Environment, Health
Most CT schools don’t test water for lead, but that could change
WASHINGTON – Most of Connecticut’s more than 1,000 schools and child care centers don’t have to test their water for lead under federal or state laws. But the tragedy in Flint, Mich., has spawned a number of proposals to better combat lead contamination in schools and elsewhere.
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CT Latino panel urges Congress to act quickly to help Puerto Rico
WASHINGTON — Connecticut’s Latino and Puerto Rican Affairs Commission has asked Congress for quick action on legislation to help Puerto Rico with its $72 billion debt crisis.
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DeLauro to join Obama on Cuba trip
WASHINGTON — Rep. Rosa DeLauro will be among about 20 other lawmakers, most of them Democrats, to visit Cuba with President Obama, when he makes his historic trip to the island next week.
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Republican Novak making third try for Courtney’s seat
WASHINGTON — It may be flying largely under the political radar, but there’s a race for the 2nd District congressional seat, pitting veteran Rep. Joe Courtney, a Democrat, against Republican Daria Novak. She hopes her third try for the job is a charm.
Posted inHealth, Politics
Governors ask for money, share strategies to combat opioid crisis
WASHINGTON — The nation’s governors have pressed the federal government for money to help them combat the opioid abuse and heroin addiction that has resulted in a spike of overdoses and strained state public health systems. They also shared with the Obama administration and each other policies they’ve implemented to confront the crisis.
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Even without challengers, CT lawmakers spend lots of campaign cash
WASHINGTON — They may not have well-funded challengers, or any political rivals at all, but the members of Connecticut’s delegation to the U.S. House of Representatives continued to raise campaign money and spend a lot of it, on everything from consultants to tickets for sporting events.
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Newtown businessman says he’s running for Esty’s seat
The crowded field running for the 5th District congressional seat became larger Friday with the entry of Newtown resident and business executive Bill Stevens.
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3 GOP challengers looking to oust Esty
WASHINGTON– Rep. Elizabeth Esty’s latest Republican challengers may not have Andrew Roraback’s name recognition or Mark Greenberg’s wealth, but they are all determined to win the right to represent the 5th District in Congress and change the composition of Connecticut’s all-Democratic congressional delegation. They are Matt Maxwell of Sandy Hook, Clay Cope of Sherman and John Pistone of Brookfield.
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Newtown father lonely voice as Senate panel blasts Obama gun moves
WASHINGTON – Mark Barden ,who lost his 7-year-old son Daniel in the massacre at Sandy Hook Elementary School, was outnumbered but undaunted Wednesday at a Senate hearing on President Obama’s recent moves to tighten gun laws. “I am before you today as an informed, proud American. These modest proposals will go a long way toward not only saving lives, but also improving quality of life,” he said. “And I am before you today as a grieving father who knows firsthand the cost of inaction.”
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For CT delegation, a flurry of successes in a blizzard of bills
WASHINGTON – Sen. Richard Blumenthal sponsored and co-sponsored 377 bills and amendments in 2015, more than any other U.S. senator. But a Connecticut Mirror analysis found other Connecticut lawmakers were busy, too.
