Conn. Gov. Signs Bill to Benefit Sandy Hook Responders

March 12--Gov. Dannel Malloy signed a bill on Tuesday to create a Sandy Hook fund that would provide financial relief to workers such as first responders, teachers and administrators who are not ready to return to work.

Corporate and private donors will fund the assistance fund, which will be managed by the state's Office of Victim Services. The office will accept gifts, donations and grants on behalf of the fund. Charitable organizations also will accept donations, which will be distributed to the fund, according to a press release. Dominion is one of the corporate donors and has said it will give $10,000, said Kevin Hennessy, director of federal, state and local affairs for Dominion last week.

Workers and volunteers who might qualify include those who were employed at Sandy Hook Elementary School at the time of the shooting and those who were involved in the official response and have suffered from a mental health issue as a result of responding, according to a press release.

House Republican Leader, Larry Cafero, R-Norwalk, said first responders and teachers of Newtown approached legislators who answered by saying, "What can we do to help," he said.

House Speaker, Brendan Sharkey, D-Hamden, said he wanted to thank Newtown workers for coming forward.

"All of us as elected officials do this for a reason, and the reason is simply that we want to do good...and rare is the opportunity I think to precisely identify something that can mean so much to people who need help so directly," Sharkey said.

Through the fund qualified volunteers and workers will be able to receive financial resources for mental health services and compensation for time off from work, according to the press release.

"They need help over and above what is provided," said Senate President Pro Tempore Donald Williams, D-Brooklyn. "So we have pulled together as a state."

Connecticut's workers compensation covers work-related injury or illness but does not cover mental health issues such as post-traumatic stress disorder.

Captain of the Newtown Police Department Joe Rios said he was one of the responders to Sandy Hook Elementary who entered the school.

"It's probably something I don't really talk about," he said.

This bill is important and significant because it shows support for first responders, he said.

"If your brain is injured and it is related to an incident at work, I think we have to strongly consider how we take care of our workers," he said. "Because the aftermath, you know, no one ever thought something like this would take place but now we are dealing with the effects of it, mainly the PTSD."

The Newtown Police Department has about 43 sworn officers, the area has hundreds of volunteer firefighters and there are about 80 teachers at Sandy Hook Elementary, said Pat Llodra, first selectwoman of Newtown. She said she wasn't sure of the exact number of personnel that might need to use the financial assistance but she hoped the need and amount of contributions would match.

Llodra also said she would not be seeking financial assistance because she didn't think she was experiencing any of the symptoms.

"Really everyone is doing well, as well as could be expected right now, but PTSD has those unpredictable kinds of ways of displaying itself so even a person today who seems able and fine might tomorrow have some difficulties," she said. "So we need to be prepared."

State Sen. John McKinney, R-Fairfield, who also represents Newtown said he was having a birthday dinner celebration the night after the bill passed both the House and the Senate unanimously, and a fourth-grade teacher from Sandy Hook Elementary was in attendance.

"She was aware of what we had done that day and there was some weight taken off of her shoulders... and she was so thankful," he said.

Copyright 2013 - The Day, New London, Conn.