Jennifer Leeper

Happy Monday! We are now embarking on our 3 final days of the 2023 legislative session. We are expected to vote on the next biennium budget later tonight, which represents the bulk of the important work we do. Nonetheless, I also want to highlight a few upcoming events in Fairfield.

Happy Friday! There is less than one week left of our legislative session, and there is still much work left to get done, including the passage of our budget. The next few days will be long but critical for residents of Connecticut. Things are moving very quickly now so please don't hesitate to reach out about any policies you've been tracking.

Happy Friday! It's hard to believe that it is already Memorial Day weekend and summer is just around the corner. What this also means is that there is only a week and a half remaining in this legislative session. We got a lot of important work done this week and there is still a lot remaining (along with many very late nights). Things are moving very quickly now so please don't hesitate to reach out about any policies you've been tracking.

Monday, May 29 is Memorial Day, and Fairfield will hold its annual Memorial Day parade and ceremonies starting at 10 am. Memorial Day is a day of remembrance, thankfulness, and unity. While Memorial Day is a solemn day to honor and pay our respects to those who made the ultimate sacrifice for our country, this parade always provides a beautiful tribute and opportunity for us to come together as a community.

During our legislative session Wednesday, the House approved HB 6489: An Act Concerning Retiree Members Of The Teachers' Retirement Board.

This legislation increases the number of retired teachers on the Teachers' Retirement Board from two to four. There are more than 38,000 retired teachers in Connecticut, and they deserve representation on the very board that oversees their retirements benefits. Teachers contribute directly to their pensions and retirement health care when they work (and do not receive any Social Security in Connecticut).

Thank you Lt. Gov. Susan Bysiewicz for coming to Fairfield to announce the $6.2M grant that the school district was awarded for indoor air quality improvements in four of our schools. It was a pleasure to serve as Co-Chair of the Indoor Air Quality Working Group to help make improving our schools' air quality a priority for the state. These state funds for Fairfield will offset the required local investment and free up local resources for other needed infrastructure projects.

HB 6846: An Act Implementing Crisis Response Drills in Schools passed the House Tuesday 139-9. I’m really proud to have been able to work collaboratively to get this legislation to a place where it earned such broad bipartisan support. But most of all, I’m thrilled that we in the House have taken a meaningful step to keep our children safe and protect their overall well-being.

Last week, we had our third Main Street Working Group Lunch & Learn and it was wonderful to welcome CT Main Street Center Executive Director Michelle McCabe and several municipal partners to the LOB to discuss the importance of HB 6892, an Anti-Blight and Receivership bill.