At the conclusion of a seven-hour House debate through the night which ended at 5:45 a.m., Representatives Laura Hoydick (R-120) voted in opposition to a bill which would require the State Department of Motor Vehicles to issue valid Connecticut driver’s licenses to illegal immigrants who reside in the state in violation of federal immigration laws.

“I believe we all want to do something to fix the problems with our broken immigration system, but this isn’t a solution,” said Rep. Hoydick. “With a social problem of this magnitude, we really need to be crafting policy a better way. The task force we recommended could have completed its work in six months and we would have been acting afterward with a much higher degree of knowledge about who this bill impacts, how it would impact them, and what the cost would be. Right now much of that is a mystery, and the long debate last night demonstrated that there remain more questions than answers.”

Republicans introduced a number of amendments which were in turn defeated on a partisan basis.  One such amendment would have created a task force to study the process and procedure of granting such licenses, and would have allowed it to be implemented at an accelerated timeline after review. 

Hoydick said that among the many failings of the legislation is an alarming lack of a mechanism to validate where an individual is originally from, or where they currently reside.  It provides an incentive for out-of-state felons to move to Connecticut because there is no attempt to ascertain if there is any criminal record for the applicant outside the boundaries of Connecticut.  It also allows unverifiable documents such as emails to suffice as valid forms of proving residence.

There are an estimated 50,000- 250,000 undocumented aliens who might be made eligible for a state driver’s license under this legislation, and as this state would be the only one on the East Coast of the United State to enact such a law, our state would instantly become a magnet for undocumented aliens from across the country seeking to obtain this documentation which would convey legitimacy upon them.

A poll in March of this year conducted by Quinnipiac University found that 65% of state residents opposed giving driver’s licenses to illegal immigrants.

The bill passed by a vote of 74-55 and now moves on to the State Senate for action there.  This session of the General Assembly concludes at midnight, June 5^th.

Reps. Laura Hoydick, Tony Hwang and Larry Miller recognized the Disability Resource Center of Fairfield County and the great work they do, last night at their annual meeting. Their thirty-second Annual Meeting was held at St. Joseph’s of Stratford National Catholic Center and featured a performance from the Triumphant Fire Choir. The dinner honored the retirement of Tony LaCava, the organization’s executive director.

“It was a pleasure to have the opportunity to recognize the amazing contributions of Tony LaCava at his last annual meeting as Executive Director of the Disability Resource Center of Fairfield County,” said Rep. Hoydick. “His leadership and direction have been indispensable in raising the agency to new heights providing essential resources, technology and support to disabled adults.”

“I want to thank Executive Director Tony LaCava for the tremendous effort and passion he has given to the advocacy of the Disability Resource Center of Fairfield County,” said Hwang. “The DRCFC has done remarkable work to ensure that those with disabilities are empowered and that they are given the tools to do so successfully. Their effort to remove the societal barriers that sometimes face those with disability is truly a great asset to have in our community.”

“Tony LaCava has been a driving force behind the success of the Disability Resource Center of Fairfield County,” said Rep. Miller. “His service to those in need in our region has set a tremendous example of providing the means of independence to countless citizens, and we will all miss him in his well-earned retirement.”

The Disability Resource Center of Fairfield County is a cross-disability resource and advocacy organization for people with disabilities. Its basic values are consumer primacy, empowerment, and a belief that the problems of disability are located in society, not in the individual. The work of Centers for Independent Living is directed primarily at advocating for the removal of physical and psychological barriers and assisting consumers in dealing with those barriers.

State Representatives Jason Perillo (R-113), Laura Hoydick (R-120), Larry Miller, (R-122) and State Senator Kevin Kelly (R-21) joined Dr. Stuart G. Marcus, President of St. Vincent’s Medical Center and Mr. William Jennings, President and CEO of Bridgeport Hospital today to stand in opposition to proposed cuts to Connecticut hospitals in the Governor’s proposed budget which would have a significant impact on patient care and healthcare workers in the region.

At a press conference today at the St. Vincent’s Medical Center Urgent Care Center in Shelton, the legislators and hospital presidents outlined how in a span of only four years, hospitals have gone from gaining $50 million in FY12 to losing $268 million in FY15. What started as a mechanism to help the state and hospitals has turned out to be a tax increase with the state retaining almost all of the tax revenue instead of returning it to hospitals. In addition, hospitals will begin seeing reductions in federal Medicare dollars starting next year.

“This cut proposed by Governor Malloy could have a significant long-term negative impact on the ability of our local medical facilities to provide timely, critical care to patients in our region,” said Rep. Perillo.  “This tremendous drop in funding can have no other result than to compromise the ability of our healthcare providers and emergency responders to provide our area with needed medical services.  We stand with our local hospitals today to oppose the dangerous course the administration is setting us on.”

“The state budget shouldn’t be balanced on the backs of our healthcare providers, or at the expense of quality care across Connecticut,” said Rep. Hoydick.  “We are collectively calling on the administration to recognize the need to adequately fund our hospitals and to honor the commitment they made just a couple of years ago to make them whole in the state budget.” 

“I don’t think it’s any secret that all areas of the economy are having substantial difficulty in recovering from the recession,” said Rep. Miller.  “But it is inexcusable to place into jeopardy the quality of care and patient service at our local hospitals by shifting funding away from them to satisfy other state budget items.”

“The Governor’s proposed cuts to hospitals will reduce healthcare quality and access, eliminate jobs we need and shred a safety net which many people depend upon, especially those families who do not qualify for Medicaid and have no insurance,” said Sen. Kelly. “I oppose the Governor’s proposed cuts to healthcare, and I am working to keep these good paying jobs and hospitals in our community by reversing this poor public policy choice.”

 ”At this juncture, it is imperative that legislators and their constituents realize the devastating impact on patient care at our hospitals that will result from Governor Malloy’s proposed budget cuts,” said Dr. Marcus. “We ask state residents to express their opposition and legislators to vote against these cuts which amount to a huge tax on hospitals, a tax far greater than that imposed on for-profit corporations.”

“The proposed state budget cuts to hospital reimbursement would have a devastating impact on Connecticut hospitals,” said Mr. Jennings. “In this changing healthcare environment, we need to find ways to balance the interest of our safety nets with the state’s budget shortfall.  We need targeted reforms that will create a long-term solution to rising healthcare costs.  It is critical that the proposed cuts are removed from the state budget.”

In December of 2012 (FY13), faced with a current-year deficit, the legislature worked on adjustments to the Governor’s Deficit Mitigation Plan. The largest part of the plan was a reduction in funding to hospitals. Governor Malloy proposed cutting hospitals by $113 million. Republicans fought during negotiations to reduce that cut by $10 million – to $103 million. In his proposed budget for FY 14 and FY15, Governor Malloy has proposed cuts of $207.4 million and $343.1 million in each of the fiscal years, respectively. Cuts are applied to the state’s Disproportionate Share – Hospital (DSH) program, as well as Medicaid.