Jennifer Leeper

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.

Thousands of Connecticut residents have dedicated their careers to public service. The federal Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF) program recognizes this choice with complete student loan cancellation after 10 years of public service work and loan payments. Teachers, nurses, government and nonprofit employees, veterans and others are among those eligible for this program.

Connecticut has launched its 14th Annual Safe Teen Driving Video Contest, which engages high school students on the dangers of distracting driving and the importance of driving responsibly. The announcement coincides with National Teen Driver Safety Week falling during the week of October 16 through 22.

As a thank you for their tireless work, Connecticut childcare workers will soon receive bonus payments. Governor Lamont released $70 million in state funding for the Wage Supports for Early Childhood Educators program.

With $12.71 billion in manufactured goods exports in 2020, manufacturers help drive Connecticut’s economy. Did you know there are an average of 158,000 manufacturing employees in our state? I was proud to support a state budget and other legislative initiatives to bolster and expand the industry.

This weekend, several new laws in Connecticut will go into effect on October 1. These laws are a result of my colleagues' hard work during the 2022 session.

Connecticut continues to make sound financial decisions that will strengthen our state long term. State Comptroller Natalie Braswell announced that her office will transfer $3.1 billion into the rainy-day fund.

State Representative Jennifer Leeper (D-Fairfield) is proud to announce that the town of Fairfield has been awarded grant funding through the state’s Small Town Economic Assistance Program (STEAP).