Since coming to Congress, I have had 11 pieces of legislation signed into law under two Administrations including:
The Palomares Veterans Act removes barriers to benefits and compensation for the veterans who responded to the 1966 nuclear accident in Palomares, Spain. This was passed as part of the Honoring Our PACT Act.
The bipartisan VA Mental Health Staffing Act and provisions from the VA Mental Health Counseling Act were included in the Commander John Scott Hannon Veterans Mental Health Care Improvement Act of 2019 a comprehensive approach to bolster mental health care for veterans and address veteran suicide.
Dependency and indemnity compensation (DIC) legislation included in the Johnny Isakson and David P. Roe, M.D. Veterans Health Care and Benefits Improvement Act of 2020.
The Access to Baby Formula Act, passed in 2022 improves access to infant formula amid a shortage for families who participate in the WIC (Women, Infants and Children) program during a crisis.
The Find the Missing Act, also known as Billy’s Law, supports efforts to solve missing persons cases by closing the gaps in law enforcement databases through improved coordination across federal, state, local, and non-profit agencies. Billy’s Law was inspired by Janice Smolinski of Cheshire, Connecticut, after her 31-year-old son, Billy, went missing in Waterbury, Connecticut.
The STEM Learning Opportunities Act included in the CHIPS and Science Act, invests in engaging opportunities to strengthen the pipeline of students entering the STEM workforce, especially from traditionally underrepresented groups including women and communities of color.
The Housatonic Wild and Scenic River Act creates a U.S. National Park Service protective designation for 41 miles of the Housatonic River, running through Sharon, Canaan, Cornwall, Salisbury, New Milford, Kent, and North Canaan.
The Save Education Jobs Act, included in the American Rescue Plan establishes through FY2030 the Education Jobs Fund, from which the Department of Education must award grants to state educational agencies and, through them, subgrants to local educational agencies to retain and create education jobs.
The Pell Grant Restoration Act as included in the FY2021 appropriations legislation, restores a student's Pell Grant eligibility for any period of time during which the student qualified for, or would have qualified for, federal student loan forgiveness due to school closure, assertion of a defense against repayment, or institutional fraud or misconduct.
Provisions of the Clean School Bus Act were included in the Infrastructure, Investment and Jobs Act would replace diesel school buses with electric ones.
This legislation represents the wide range of concerns I have heard from my constituents in CT-05 including the need to support Veterans and their families, protect access to healthcare, safeguard our environment, advocate for educators, students, and families, and ensure our workforce represents the best and brightest we have to offer as a nation.