Legislative Testimony

Finance, Revenue and Bonding Committee February 26, 2025 Submitted by: William M. Knoegel, MSW, LCSW NASW-CT ELAN Co-Chair Dear Co-Chair Senator Fonfara, Co-Chair Representative Horn, Ranking Member Senator Fazio, Ranking Member Representative Polletta, Vice Chair Senator Cabrera, Vice Chair Senator Miller, Vice Chair Representative Constantine, Vice Chair Representative Rader and members of the Finance, Revenue, and Bonding Committee: On behalf of the National Association of Social Workers - Connecticut Chapter (NASW-CT) representing 2200 members, we strongly support S.B. 740 and H.B. 5986.  Part of the mission of NASW-CT is...

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Public Health Committee February 26, 2025   Submitted by: Dawn Brown, MSW   Dear Honorable Chairpersons Senator Anwar, Representative McCarthy Vahey and distinguished members of the Public Health Committee of the Connecticut General Assembly: My name is Dawn Brown and I am the Executive Director of the National Association of Social Workers – Connecticut Chapter (NASW-CT). On behalf of NASW-CT, representing over 2,200 members, we are in support of S.B. 1331. Instead of a study, however, we urge the Committee to consider the substantive recommendations submitted by Mag Morelli, Amanda Gunthel and Dr. Anthony...

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AGING COMMITTEE February 19, 2025 Presented By: Gina R. Rosich, PhD, LMSW Dear Honorable Chairpersons Senator Hochadel, Representative Garibay and distinguished members of the Aging Committee of the Connecticut General Assembly: My name is Dr. Gina Rosich, a resident of Bloomfield, Chair of the University of Saint Joseph Department of Social Work and Equitable Community Practice, and a member of the Education and Legislative Action Network at the National Association of Social Workers Connecticut Chapter. I am submitting this testimony on behalf of the National Association of Social Workers, CT chapter, which represents over 2,300...

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HB 6187 An Act Concerning the Restructuring of Certain Taxes and Equity

SB 821 An Act Concerning the Reformation of Certain Taxes and Tax Equity

Good afternoon Senator Fonfara, Representative Scanlon, Senator Martin, Representative Cheeseman, and the distinguished members of the Finance, Revenue and Bonding Committee.  My name is Stephen Monroe Tomczak, and I am a longtime resident of Wallingford. I serve on the legislative action network of the National Association of Social Workers, Connecticut Chapter and am a leader in my chapter of the American Association of University Professors at Southern Connecticut State University where I teach social welfare policy and community organization in our social work department.  Both NASW/CT and CSU-AAUP are members of the Recovery for All coalition.

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Testimony on SB 957: An Act Expanding Access to In-Home Counseling Human Services Committee

On behalf of the National Association of Social Workers, CT Chapter representing over 2,300 members, we are in support of Committee Bill 957. The specialized training of home care licensed social workers is an essential aspect of home care, yet one that is not reimbursable outside of a small portion of CT Home Care Program clients. This raises questions of mental health parity and ignores the well-established connection between body and mind that when treated together provides for better health outcomes, often at significantly reduced costs.

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Testimony on H.B. 6446: An Act Concerning The Governor’s Budget Recommendations For Human Services

On behalf of the National Association of Social Workers, CT Chapter we offer the following brief comments on H.B. 6446...

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N.A.S.W. Ct. Chapter consisting of 2,300 members in Connecticut fully endorse this bill. We have always promoted ways to promote the access and voting prowess of all eligible voters.

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TESTIMONY SUPPORTING HB-5429: AN ACT CONCERNING
TRANSIT-ORIENTED DEVELOPMENT.

Dear Honorable Chairpersons Cassano and McCarthy Vahey, Ranking Members Hwang and Zullo, Vice Chairs Needleman and Goupil, and all other distinguished Members of the Planning and Development Committee of the Connecticut General Assembly:

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Testimony on SB 1024: An Act concerning Zoning Authority, certain design guidelines, Qualifications of Certain Land Use Officials and Certain Sewage Disposal Solutions.

On behalf of the National Association of Social Workers, CT. Chapter representing over 2300 members, we are in support of Committee Bill SB 1024. As Social Workers, we face the task in assisting in finding housing for homeless, seniors, disabled people, veterans, low income and working-class families. Based on findings of the Urban Institute, we need to address the decline of new construction in multi-family units and apartments. We are also concerned with the decline of thousands of units with expiring Section 8 housing assistance. There is currently a gap of 86,000 units of affordable housing for very low-income households.

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Testimony on SB 5: An Act Concerning Increased Opportunities for Absentee Voting, Safe and Secure In-Person Voting and Voter Registration

On behalf of the National Association of Social Workers, CT Chapter representing over 2,300 members statewide, we offer this testimony on S.B. 5.

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N.A.S.W. Ct. Chapter consists of 2,300 members in the state support HB 6693. We have always promoted voting rights and innovative ways to increase participation of the citizenry.

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Testimony on S.B. 471 - An Act Concerning Elections And State Voting Rights

On behalf of the National Association of Social Workers, CT Chapter representing nearly 2,400 members statewide, we offer this testimony on S.B. 471.

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Testimony on S.B. 1226 - An Act Concerning State Voting Rights in Recognition of John R. Lewis

On behalf of the National Association of Social Workers, CT Chapter, the state’s largest organization of social workers, we offer this testimony in support of S.B. 1226.

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S.B. No. 246 (RAISED) AN ACT ALLOWING CLINICAL SOCIAL WORKERS AND ADVANCED PRACTICE REGISTERED NURSES EMPLOYED BY THE UNIVERSITY OF CONNECTICUT TO ISSUE AN EMERGENCY CERTIFICATE TO TRANSPORT STUDENTS TO A HOSPITAL

On behalf of the National Association of Social Workers, CT Chapter representing nearly 2,400 members we offer this testimony in opposition to S.B. 246.

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TESTIMONY SUPPORTING HB-6890: AN ACT CONCERNING QUALIFYING
TRANSIT-ORIENTED COMMUNITIES.

Dear Honorable Chairpersons Rahman and Kavros DeGraw, Ranking Members Fazio and Zullo, Vice Chairs Needleman and Chafee, and all other distinguished Members of the Planning and Development Committee of the Connecticut General Assembly:

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Testimony on Bill 7198: AAC Social Workers

On behalf of the Connecticut Chapter, National Association of Social Workers, representing over 2,500 members, we thank the Public Health Committee for raising AAC Social Workers that is meant to reserve the title of Social Worker to those individuals who hold a baccalaureate or master degree in Social Work from a program accredited by the Council on Social Work Education or a doctoral degree in Social Work. By passage of this bill Connecticut will join 35 states that already protect the title of social worker.

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Testimony on HB 6562: An Act Concerning Telehealth

On behalf of the National Association of Social Workers, CT Chapter we support HB  6562: AAC Telehealth. This bill will allow out of state licensed providers to permanently treat persons in Connecticut using telehealth.

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Testimonial on LCO-3614 AAC Telehealth

On behalf of the National Association of Social Workers, CT Chapter I urge the passage of AAC Telehealth before the Insurance Committee. Telehealth has become a primary means of delivering health care in the Covid-19 pandemic and it is critically important that current telehealth rules remain in place, beyond the Governor’s executive order, not just temporarily, but permanently.

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Testimony on HB 5450: An Act Concerning Telehealth

On behalf of the National Association of Social Workers, CT Chapter representing nearly 2,400 members we oppose Section 5 (3) of HB 5450. We are in support of Sections 1-4, especially the new language of sections 2 & 3 regarding applying the telehealth law to Connecticut residents temporarily residing out-of-state.  

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Testimonial on S.B. 1022: An Act Concerning Telehealth

On behalf of the National Association of Social Workers, CT Chapter we urge the passage of S.B. 1022: AAC Telehealth before the Insurance and Public Health Committees. Telehealth has become a primary means of delivering health care in the Covid-19 pandemic and it is critically important that current telehealth rules remain in place, beyond the Governor’s executive order, not just temporarily, but permanently.

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