Eleni Kavros DeGraw

With many families in Connecticut facing added financial strain due to rising prices, the legislature went into special session earlier this week to provide some relief. A bipartisan bill passed by the General Assembly and signed into law by Governor Lamont extends the current suspension of the gasoline tax, provides additional funding for energy assistance programs, and continues premium pay for frontline workers.

I am sure we share the same concerns about Eversource and United Illuminating, the state's two main electric distribution companies, which both filed their new rates for standard service supply rates with the Public Utilities Regulatory Authority (PURA) that will increase rates by approximately 40%.

Once approved by PURA, these new rates will go into effect from January 1, 2023, through the first six months of the year.

A recent report detailed that throughout Connecticut there was an increase of 13% in overall homelessness from 2021 to 2022.

My legislative colleagues and I are actively working on solutions ahead of the upcoming winter season. Most recently, as part of the state budget adjustment passed during the 2022 legislative session, we included $5 million for the Connecticut Department of Housing (CTDOH) for eviction prevention. The funding will be divided as follows:

In its first full year, Connecticut's "nickel-per-nip" program has generated over $4.2 million for municipalities throughout the state. The program, which places a 5-cent surcharge on every 50 mL container of alcohol, commonly called a "nip", was passed in 2021 as part of updates to our state's Bottle Bill. Each municipality receives 5 cents for every nip sold within its borders. Checks are sent to cities and towns every April and October.

Connecticut will be making a 5-year, $46.6 million investment to expand small business assistance programs across our state to help drive small business growth in underserved areas

Earlier this summer, the Biden Administration announced student loan debt relief, and I'm pleased to share that the application is now open!

This week is Fire Prevention Week - do you have an escape route for your home? Fire Prevention Week offers us all a reminder to consider fire safety and discuss with our family what we'll do in the event of a fire. This year's campaign seeks to educate everyone about the simple, yet important, actions they can take to stay safe from house fires.

An additional $1 billion boost in federal funding, allowing for more households to receive the benefit in the state, has been allocated as part of an emergency supplemental aid package approved by congress this week.