Legislature Protects Seniors as Malloy Plays Washington Politics with Connecticut Lives

By: State Senator Kevin Kelly

Early last week Connecticut Seniors saw some good news come out of Hartford as the Connecticut General Assembly successfully passed a bipartisan bill that restores funding to the Medicare Savings Program. Eligibility levels for the Medicare Savings Program were adjusted in the bipartisan budget approved last year and lawmakers worked together to find funding to restore the program in the state budget.

To restore the funding for the Medicare Savings Program, the legislature adopted savings in the budget and made cuts to funding in other areas of government such as executive appointments, consultant fees, and duplicative human resource functions in state government.

Unfortunately, while the legislature continues to roll up its sleeves and work together, Governor Malloy has continued to bring the harsh divides of partisan, Washington D.C. politics to Connecticut’s doorstep by threatening to veto the Medicare Savings Program legislation.

Moving forward, it is my hope that the governor sees the importance of this unified effort among all state lawmakers to restore the funding for this program.

This program and the residents of our state who rely on it should not have to suffer while the governor plays party politics with their lives.

As we move closer to the 2018 Legislation Session I hope that this successful bipartisan effort within the General Assembly will continue to guide our efforts to work together to undertake our state’s fiscal problems. Working together I am hopeful that we will be able to move Connecticut in a new direction and make Governor Malloy’s economic reality an idea of the past.