Connecticut Democrats in May passed legislation to protect Connecticut’s current health standards amid increasing uncertainty in future decisions made by federal leaders.
These concerns are grounded in recent recommendations and actions taken by the Food and Drug Administration and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention since the confirmation of federal Health and Human Services Commissioner Robert F. Kennedy. They also reflect continuing concerns about the changing legal landscape of the United States, such as the nature of reproductive rights after the repeal of Roe v. Wade.
Sen. Saud Anwar, D-South Windsor, Senate chair of the Public Health Committee, said the bill was designed to “future-proof” the state’s public health policies to ensure they remained aligned with accepted standards of care.
“Challenges to widely accepted emergency room treatment policies, preventative treatment for dental health, and provision of reproductive and gender-affirming care could upend our systems as we know them if not for proactive consideration,” Anwar said.
Senate Bill 7, Senate Democrats’ primary public health bill for the 2025 legislative session, takes steps including retaining the current standard of low-level fluoridation in public drinking water, preserving legally mandated care to stabilize patients in emergency rooms, and creating an advisory board of medical experts to review CDC and FDA recommendations.
The bill also establishes safeguards for public health including a communication account for public health officials to draw on should health funding be slashed and urgent communication becomes necessary in the event of a public health emergency.
“Challenges to decades-old medical policies that have saved lives and impacted public health require an aggressive response to preserve the safety of our residents,” said Senate President Martin M. Looney, D-New Haven. “This bill preserves vital emergency room care standards that can mean the difference between life and death. Protecting dental health among children, it retains fluoride levels that have been long known to be safe.”
Recently, the FDA announced it will review fluoride levels in public drinking water. Additionally, vaccine skepticism from the federal government is growing, with health professionals limiting availability of COVID-19 vaccines to the public and Kennedy downplaying the effectiveness of vaccines, including tying them to debunked claims they cause autism.
Additionally, a federal rule requiring stabilizing health care in emergency departments – the Emergency Medical Treatment and Active Labor Act – is being weakened after the repeal of Roe v. Wade, as the legality of providing reproductive health to save lives is under question.
With increasing scrutiny on reproductive and gender-affirming care, the bill further supports the creation of a safe harbor account that will collect private contributions to support health care providers and nonprofits engaged in such care.
The bill has two dozen sections, with additional support for public health including declaring opioid use disorder a public health crisis, requiring automatic external defibrillators to be installed in nursing homes and increasing support for pancreatic cancer screenings.
