State Senator District 24

What action(s) will you take to reduce out-of-pocket drug costs and reduce the impact of the cost of prescription drugs on taxpayers and insurance premiums?

Too many residents are paying thousands of dollars out-of-pocket for prescription drugs that are vital to their health and well-being. I support increasing price transparency from drug manufacturers, wholesalers, insurers, and pharmacy benefit managers (PBMs) to help guide policy-making around acceptable drug costs. I voted to cap out-of-pocket costs for insulin and insulin supplies–I support setting caps for other critical, life-saving drugs to ensure people aren’t forced to ration care. I’m also interested in exploring the establishment of a state affordability board to review the costs of prescription drugs and make recommendations on those that are deemed unaffordable, which is an approach that states like Maine and New Hampshire have taken.

In these inflationary times, what will you do to help ensure that Connecticut’s middle-income retirees on fixed incomes are able to keep more of their hard-earned money in their pockets?

I support comprehensive planning to reduce the costs of necessities like housing, transportation, and healthcare that eat into the incomes of middle-income retirees on fixed incomes. The state government has an enormous role in ensuring affordable housing, investing in affordable and sustainable transportation, and regulating healthcare costs. I also support improving our tax system to ensure that we’re raising enough revenue from folks in the top 1% to ensure that the financial responsibility for providing essential state services isn’t increasing for middle-income retirees.

How do you plan to address the growing long-term care workforce crisis in the state?

First, I want to underscore how much we owe to long-term care workers who during the pandemic risked their lives, and the lives of their families. These workers were hit hard and suffered the greatest impact taking care of the sick and elderly. Long-term care workers are a critical part of Connecticut’s healthcare system and economy, and we need to ensure that our workforce is robust and supported. This includes increasing Medicaid reimbursement rates to support long-term care and investing in training programs for the next generation of care workers. We also need to address the cost of housing to make Connecticut a competitive, affordable place for care economy workers.

Gas prices are higher than ever, which is difficult for older adults on fixed incomes. Yet, alternatives to cars in Connecticut are limited. What will you do to help older adults access other forms of transportation?

While gas prices are coming down, there’s no question that commuting costs impact seniors and low-income and middle income families. Connecticut needs to make substantial investments in our transportation network— including public transportation—to ensure that people of all ages and income levels are able to travel to work, doctors’ appointments, and to visit friends and family. The recent funding available for infrastructure improvements from the federal government makes now a great time both for capital improvements and expanding the service and frequency of bus routes and paratransit services. I look forward to working with residents, municipal officials, and transportation planners to make sure this funding improves commutes and travel times for our communities.

What are the two most urgent problems facing Connecticut within the context of climate change and the environment, and what will you propose to solve them?

Connecticut is set to receive $5 billion in federal infrastructure dollars. I would like to see these dollars focused on "greening our infrastructure". Last legislative session, we allocated $10 million to redesign and engineer improvements in I-84 to reduce congestion. That's really important, however major investments in creating more public transit (light rail/Fast Track bus corridors) from Danbury to Hartford and Hartford to Boston will provide great alternatives to sitting in traffic for hours. The state budget includes dollars for E-bikes -- we need to pair that with a network of safe and accessible bike lanes, sidewalks and trails. We need to transition away from fossil fuels, while ensuring that the jobs created from transitioning and investing in green energy and infrastructure are good jobs with good benefits.

How can Connecticut's education systems create better outcomes for students in low-income communities?

To create good outcomes for all students in Connecticut, we need to make sure that kids in every community are given the resources and high-quality instruction they deserve. This means reducing class size, increasing salaries and providing packages that will attract the best teachers. In some districts it means providing funds to recruit minority teachers, especially bilingual teachers in my district. To do this, we must ensure that we have an equitable state funding formula for school districts across the state that takes into account the varying economic circumstances and available resources of different school districts and communities.

Pedestrian deaths spiked a few years ago and remain high, and it's fairly clear that driver behavior, such as distracted driving, is only getting worse despite significant efforts by law enforcement to stop it. How can Connecticut's streets be made safe for pedestrians and bicyclists?

To create good outcomes for all students in Connecticut, we need to make sure that kids in every community are given the resources and high-quality instruction they deserve. This means reducing class size, increasing salaries and providing packages that will attract the best teachers. In some districts it means providing funds to recruit minority teachers, especially bilingual teachers in my district. To do this, we must ensure that we have an equitable state funding formula for school districts across the state that takes into account the varying economic circumstances and available resources of different school districts and communities.

How should the state and its school districts deal with COVID-19 going forward?

The COVID-19 pandemic has been devastating to so many people, and I’ve been glad to see life return to a semblance of normalcy finally this year. The best way to ensure that residents and students are able to hold onto that normalcy is to ensure that transmission rates remain low in our communities by making sure that it is easy for residents to get vaccinated and that schools have the funding for safety measures like ventilation. I have been appointed as the Senate Chair of the Working Group on Indoor Air Quality in Public Schools. We’ve been given responsibility to recommend legislation that will address aging HVAC systems, setting standards for temperature and humidity and standardized reports by licensed technicians. Of course, our ability to enact standards and attain acceptable air quality will also rely on adequate funding sources.

What should be done on the state level to further address Connecticut's lack of affordable housing? Do you support, for example, mandating or incentivizing towns and cities to alter their zoning codes to be friendlier to affordable housing?

Housing affordability is a growing concern that is making it more difficult for workers and families to call Connecticut home. I support increased funding for affordable housing, including looking at innovative mixed-income social housing programs like a pilot program recently enacted in Rhode Island. I also support comprehensive zoning reform efforts to create more affordable housing, multi-family housing, and accessory dwelling units (ADUs) to increase the supply of housing that’s affordable for residents of all income levels. It’s clear that local voices and decision-making needs to be part of this process. We all need to work together to make real improvements in affordable housing.

What can be done to prevent excessive consolidation of the healthcare industry and the loss of services – or, in some cases, the loss of small hospitals themselves – in the state's rural areas?

Consolidation in the healthcare industry creates a danger of reduced competition and, in the case of rural areas, can lead to the loss of vital services to communities altogether. To prevent this, we need to promote both competition and regulation. This includes empowering the State Attorney General to do effective antitrust enforcement and promoting price transparency with comprehensive claims databases and regular insurance and provider rate reviews. We should also explore the creation of a public option healthcare plan to compete in provider markets and help guarantee low costs for residents.

Do you think the state's two major electric utilities (Eversource and United Illuminating) are sufficiently regulated? If not, what measures would you take to ensure that consumers are protected to the greatest extent possible against prolonged loss of services and unfair rate increases?

Especially at this time when inflation and energy prices are squeezing middle and working class residents, I support efforts to increase transparency and regulation of Eversource and United Illuminating to ensure that utilities aren’t passing costs on to consumers just to increase profits for investors.

What is your position on whether Connecticut should open its election primaries to unaffiliated voters?

I support opening primaries in Connecticut to unaffiliated voters. Primaries are a significant part of our electoral system and allowing more residents to have a say in shaping who the candidates in our elections are will strengthen democracy in our state. We should look to other states in the Northeast that have done this effectively to guide us in making this change.