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Dear Friend,
After a busy week in Congress, I’m back home in eastern Connecticut and here with an update on new federal infrastructure funding for traffic safety in CT, American Rescue Plan resources being used to expand access to mental health services in our schools, and lots more. As always, thanks for starting your weekend here with me.
Named Ranking Member on Seapower and Projection Forces Subcommittee
As the Representative in Congress for eastern Connecticut – the Submarine Capital of the World and the home to thousands of shipbuilders and U.S. Navy sailors – I'm excited to share that I’ve been selected to serve as Ranking Member on the House Seapower and Projection Forces Subcommittee in the 118th Congress. Having served as the former Chairman of the Subcommittee in the 116th and 117th Congresses under the previous House majority, I can confirm that the Seapower Subcommittee is one of the most bipartisan panels in Congress. I was always ready to work across the aisle with my colleagues as Chairman, and that’s the same approach I’ll continue to bring with me every day.
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| This Wednesday, Rep. Courtney was named Ranking Member of the House Seapower and Projection Forces Subcommittee. Click here to lead more. |
On the Seapower Subcommittee, our work is cut out for us. Congress is mandated to "provide and maintain a Navy" and our panel has direct oversight of all U.S. Navy shipbuilding. I’m proud of the work we were able to accomplish while I served as Chairman over the past several years. We fought off predations to the Virginia-class submarine program and kept our two-per-year build rate going strong. We shepherded the new Columbia-class submarine program across the finish line, turning it from an idea into a cold, hard, national security priority. We made new investments to grow our shipyards in Groton, our supplier-base across eastern Connecticut, and our skills-training programs – all to keep up with increasing demand for decades to come. Those are just a few examples. All of our work has been critically important for our U.S. Navy, and it’s been crucial for the continued growth we’ve seen throughout eastern CT’s shipbuilding and manufacturing sectors. I’m looking forward to working with new Chairman Congressman Trent Kelly (R-MS), and to continue delivering results for our Navy and for eastern Connecticut. To stay up to date on my work as Ranking Member on the Seapower Subcommittee, visit my website here.
New Infrastructure Law Funding for Safer Streets in CT
More good news coming from the Infrastructure Law this week! On Wednesday, I joined my colleagues in the Congressional Delegation to announce new IIJA funding coming to Connecticut to improve traffic and pedestrian safety in our state. For the Second District, $1.3 million in federal IIJA funding is now on the way to the Capitol Region Council of Governments (CRCOG), the Northeastern CT Council of Governments (NECCOG), and the Lower CT River Valley Council of Governments (RiverCOG) to support the development of comprehensive action plans to improve traffic and pedestrian safety across our region.
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| On Wednesday, Rep. Courtney announced $1.3 million in new Infrastructure Law funding was on its way to the Second District to improve traffic safety. Click here to read more. |
Traffic and pedestrian safety has tragically become a more pressing issue over the last several years. Transportation-related fatalities increased by 20% in Connecticut in the past year. The bipartisan Infrastructure Law isn’t just about increasing economic opportunity, although it’s doing plenty of that throughout eastern Connecticut – it's also about making investments to keep our communities safe places to live, work, and raise our families. This new round of federal infrastructure funding is going to kick-start efforts to improve traffic and pedestrian safety in towns throughout our region, and it’s another great example of how the IIJA is paying dividends for our region.
American Rescue Plan Continues to Deliver: Expanded Mental Health Services in Eastern CT Schools
It’s common knowledge by now that America’s youth need more access to mental health care and counseling. That need was only made worse during the pandemic, but across the county, a serious lack of school-based mental health services persists. Today, I helped announce $5 million in federal American Rescue Plan (ARP) funding that will be put to use in Connecticut to hire and retain school mental health workers during the 2023, 2024, and 2025 school years – including just under $1.5 million for schools in Preston, Hebron, Mansfield, East Hampton, Stonington, and East Haddam. This funding will be administered to school districts through a grant program, and it’s the first of three rounds of ARP funding that will eventually total $28 million to support school mental health services in Connecticut.
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| Today, Rep. Courtney helped announce the use of federal American Rescue Plan funding to expand access to mental health services in Connecticut schools. Click here to read more. |
We passed the American Rescue Plan back in 2021 to direct federal resources straight to our state and local communities when they needed them most, and this is a great example of how those resources are still working hard for us today. With this funding, eastern Connecticut school districts will be able to acquire the tools, professional staff, and programming they need to provide students with the mental health resources and support systems they deserve. Read more about this new federally-funded grant program here.
Re-Introducing Bipartisan Legislation to Improve Access to Workers’ Compensation for Thousands of Federal Workers in Eastern CT
Finding smart ways to support our economy and get folks back to work is top of mind, and this week I teamed back up with a bipartisan group of colleagues in the House and the Senate to reintroduce a bill that would help do just that: the Improving Access to Workers’ Compensation for Injured Federal Workers Act. Right now, federal workers are barred by the Federal Employees Compensation Act (FECA) from visiting licensed Nurse Practitioners and Physician’s Assistants when they need treatment for workplace injuries and illnesses. This bipartisan bill that I re-introduced along with Rep. Tim Walberg (R-MI) would simply enable NPs and PAs to certify workers’ claims, get reimbursed, and help federal employees get healthy and get back on the job sooner—that includes the 1,000+ crane operators, firefighters, police officers, and other federal workers we’ve got at SUBASE New London.
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| In 2022, the Improving Access to Workers’ Compensation for Injured Federal Workers Act passed the House with strong bipartisan support |
The House already passed our bill last year on a bipartisan basis, and we’re glad to be joined this year by Senators Susan Collins (R-ME) and Sherrod Brown (D-OH) who introduced the bill in the Senate. This is really a commonsense fix to FECA, and it has broad support from healthcare workers groups like the American Academy of Physician Associates (AAPA) and American Association of Nurse Practitioners (AANP). Read more about our reintroduction of the bill here.
Thanks for taking some time to read my update. If we can be of any assistance, don't hesitate to give my Norwich office a call at (860) 886-0139. Have a great weekend!
Sincerely,
Joe Courtney
Member of Congress
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