Rochelle lauds legislation to support senior citizens

state Rep. Kara Rochelle State Rep. Kara Rochelle, D-Ansonia/Derby,  is highlighting critical legislation passed during the 2021 legislative session to help support seniors across the Valley and Connecticut.

Rochelle backed bills to cut taxes for seniors and increase funding for vital programs and services like Meals on Wheels and aging in place initiative. She advocated for legislation to strengthen the nursing home residents' Bill of Rights which also was made law this session. “Our older neighbors, friends, and loved ones deserve to age with dignity, independence, and support. The legislation we passed this session seeks to address gaps in care and improve seniors' overall quality of life. I'm proud to be a part of this effort and look forward to building on these measures in future sessions,” said Rep. Rochelle.

Here’s a closer look at the bills:

HB 6458, An Act Lowering the Age of Eligibility for Property Tax Relief for Senior Citizens and Establishing a Task Force to Protect Senior Citizens from Fraud, gives towns the ability to lower the age to provide property tax relief for seniors to 65, and as described, creates a task force to prevent seniors from fraud.

HB 6457, An Act Concerning Access to Recordings and Images from Technology Used by Nursing Home Residents for Virtual Visitation and Virtual Monitoring, expands the rights of nursing home residents and ensures their right to use technology to facilitate virtual visits with family and friends.

SB 975, An Act Strengthening the Bill of Rights for Long-Term Care Residents and Authorizing the Use of Resident Technology for Virtual Visitation and Virtual Monitoring, expands the nursing home patients' bill of rights to include a resident's right to treat their living quarters as their home, including purchasing and using virtual visitation and virtual monitoring technology.

SB 1046, An Act Concerning Long Term Care Insurance, puts in place strong consumer protections for long- term care insurance to prevent significant, unexpected rate increases and ensure affordable products are available.

The state budget continues to phase out the state income tax on pensions and annuities - exempting an additional 28 percent over the next 2 years, which will exempt in total 70 percent of this income from state taxes for most seniors.

The state budget also increases funding for nursing homes, aging in place initiative, Meals on Wheels and other services.

This is a press release from Rochelle's office.