Jeff Currey

This Saturday is Connecticut Open House Day! Residents and families across the state can enjoy more than 200 museums, arts and cultural venues, historical sites, farms and restaurants, with free or discounted admission or special offers.

In almost half a year, more than 200 mass shootings have occurred in the United States. It is unthinkable that our country and communities continue to mourn the loss of innocent lives - children, elderly, worshippers, shoppers at supermarkets and malls - to senseless mass shootings. Please join me by calling upon our lawmakers in Washington to demand bolder gun laws NOW - which the vast majority of Americans support.

This weekend, Connecticut is expected to experience high temperatures reaching 95 degrees. Cooling centers are opening across the state to provide residents with immediate relief from the heat. To find a cooling center near you, dial 2-1-1.

With the weather heating up and the end of the school year getting closer, have you been thinking about ways you can keep your child engaged in fun activities this summer? East Hartford, Manchester, and South Windsor are offering a variety of programs for kids to stay active and connected to their peers this summer. Take a look below to see what our towns are offering and how you can get your child involved.

After months of negotiation and hearing input from residents in-district and across our state, the House of Representatives and Senate sent the state budget proposal to Governor Lamont, who signed it into law yesterday. This budget package provides $600 million in tax relief for so many residents in Connecticut and makes essential investments in our schools, municipalities, nonprofits, child care providers, and more.

We have long championed measures that promote a healthier environment and I am pleased to share that finally, SB 4 – a measure that now heads to the governor's desk for signing, is an important step forward in that direction.

On Wednesday, the House sent numerous proposals to the Senate for consideration, including HB 5001, the historic children's mental health bill. This is a transformative piece of legislation that responds directly to the youth mental health crisis, which has been aggravated by the impacts of the pandemic, presenting itself in the form of increased rates of depression, suicide, and self-harm among adolescents.

On Tuesday, I was proud to join my legislative colleagues and education advocates to highlight H.B. 5283, a comprehensive and thoughtful approach to funding for our public schools. This bill would simplify and disentangle Connecticut's education funding system, fully and equitably fund all public school students, and ensure all public school students are funded based on their individual learning needs. The bill would take effect in 2025, heading off a fiscal cliff when federal COVID-19 relief expires.