February 23, 2006

DILLON’S LEGISLATIVE PRIORITIES CLEAR HURDLE
Bills unanimously pass Higher Ed Committee

Representative Patricia Dillon (D-New Haven) announced the legislature’s Higher Education Committee unanimously approved two of her top priorities for the 2006 legislative session.

The first was a bill to restore the formula for matching donations to endowment funds for the state’s colleges and universities (HB 5643). Rep. Dillon drafted the language in the original bill because she believed changes made in 2005 had a negative impact on Southern Connecticut State University’s ability to raise money. The compromise adopted by the committee restored matching funds on money raised last year but it does not continue the match going forward.

“This is a victory given that we started with nothing. The compromise means hundreds of thousands of additional dollars for Southern,” Rep. Dillon said.

The second bill would provide loan repayment assistance to nurses and nurse practitioners working within school-based health centers (HB 5619). Nurses who work even part time in school clinics would be eligible for aid.

Rep. Dillon said, “The fact that both bills passed the committee unanimously speaks to the merits of the proposals. The road is still long as both wind their way through the committee process, but today was an important first step.”

The bills await action by the Appropriations Committee.

Representative Dillon was first elected to the General Assembly in 1984. She is an Assistant Majority Leader and serves on the Higher Education and Judiciary.