Rep. Klarides-Ditria Opposes Massive “Just In Case” Public Health Bill

Despite several good components, State Representative Nicole Klarides-Ditria (R-105) today was unable to support a signature piece of the Democrats’ legislative agenda, an omnibus public health bill that unfortunately expands government bureaucracy and creates a state-managed fund for out-of-state people traveling to Connecticut for reproductive health and gender-affirming care.

During debate in the House of Representatives, Rep. Klarides-Ditria noted that much of the bill was crafted “just in case” the federal government makes future changes, and she also expressed concerns with the size and scope of the legislation, pointing out that several separate proposals were wrapped into the single, larger bill.

“It’s frustrating because several components of this bill are good, unfortunately the majority party chose to once again stuff dozens of ideas and important policy changes into one massive bill instead of considering each proposal by its own merits,” Rep. Klarides-Ditria, Ranking Member of the Public Health Committee, said. “I am pleased that we were able to negotiate the removal of an awful section that would have established “safe injection sites” for illegal drug users to consume substances under medical supervision, but this bill still goes too far and tries to accomplish too much.”

Other problematic sections in the bill include the creation of a “Safe Harbor” account to collect and distribute funds for costs like travel, lodging, and meals to people coming to Connecticut to receive reproductive or gender-affirming care.  Similarly, sections 8 and 9 would establish two new accounts that would eventually stash millions of dollars just in case the federal government cuts public health funding in the future, and for messaging.

“Before we consider spending millions to take care of residents from other states, we should first be prioritizing our local needs, including education, seniors, our veterans, the intellectual and developmentally disabled community, the homeless, and those who are hungry or food insecure,” Rep. Klarides-Ditria said. “If we have an issue with lost funding from Washington D.C. we will come back as a legislature and figure out where the money needs to go.”

The bill passed the House with a 92 to 55 vote and will now be sent to the governor for action.