CT Hero Pay Program Changes Made, See New Benefit Levels

CONNECTICUT — State legislators approved additional funding and changes to the premium pay bonus program during a special session Monday.

The bill changed payment amount brackets to favor lower-paid essential workers who were on the front lines during the worst of the COVID-19 pandemic. Workers who made under $50,000 would get the full $1,000 payment. Payments gradually diminish to $100 for workers who made between $100,000 and $150,000.

The vote in the House was 134-7 and the Senate passed it unanimously. The bill was part of a larger special session package that also extended the state gas tax freeze and added funds to the state’s low-income heating assistance program, among other things.

The original plan was for workers who made under $100,000 to get up to a $1,000 payment, but demand for the program far outstripped the original $30 million allocation.

In total, more than 155,000 applications were approved, Comptroller-elect and current state Rep. Sean Scanlon said. It would take about $142 million to fully fund the program under the original plan.

Gov. Ned Lamont originally pitched $90 million for the total funding figure, but settled on more after a last-minute recalculation led to more approved applications.

“I came to an agreement with the governor to go to $105 million for a total appropriation from $90 [million],” House Speaker Matt Ritter said during a news conference. “That was predicated on the idea that we had about a 15 percent jump in applicants, so we added about 15 percent to the fund.”

Connecticut was offering more payments than some other nearby states, Ritter said.

“Look, there’s a negotiation that happened, this is where we landed, and I think we are overall pretty happy,” he said.

Getting the full benefit amount to the lowest-paid workers was a priority during the compromise, Scanlon said.

“We’re making sure that grocery clerk from a Stop and Shop in Connecticut that makes less than $50,000 a year, 66,000 of them are getting the full $1,000 that was promised,” Scanlon said.

Workers who made up to $100,000 would’ve received a prorated $232 payment without any additional funding or program changes.