Dear Neighbor,
When we began this year’s legislative session on February 5th, I expected to be working on many of the issues that you all have prioritized for me including reducing the cost of health insurance, making it easier to exercise your right to vote, and bringing back more support for our schools. Then, on March 8th Connecticut had its first confirmed case of coronavirus, and on March 9th, the Governor declared a state of Public Health and Civil Preparedness Emergencies. Our lives have been radically changed ever since.
My commitment to you and your family has not changed. We will get through this period and I know our state will be stronger on the other side.
This newsletter is intended to provide you with helpful information and resources, as well as an overview of some of the work my office has been doing during this time.
If you have any questions, concerns, or if I can be helpful to you in working with any state agency or understanding how any of our state laws or regulations can affect your work, our schools, or your opportunities, please call or email me anytime.
Sincerely,
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Estimado vecino, El 5 de febrero, cuando comenzamos la sesión legislativa de este año, esperaba estar trabajando en muchas de las prioridades que ustedes me han comunicado, incluyendo la reducción del costo del seguro de salud, hacer más fácil ejercer su derecho al voto, y traer de vuelta más apoyo para nuestras escuelas. El 8 de marzo, Connecticut tuvo su primer caso confirmado de coronavirus. El 9 de marzo, el Gobernador declaró estado de Emergencia de Salud Pública y Preparación Civil. Y desde entonces nuestras vidas han cambiado radicalmente. Sin embargo, mi compromiso con usted y su familia no ha cambiado. Este período pasará, y sé que al final, nuestro estado será más fuerte. El propósito de este boletín es proveer información y recursos útiles, y resumir algunos de los proyectos que mi oficina ha estado trabajando durante este tiempo. Si tiene alguna pregunta, inquietud, o si puedo serle útil para conectarse con cualquier agencia estatal o ayudarlo a entender cómo nuestras leyes o regulaciones estatales pueden afectar su trabajo, nuestras escuelas o sus oportunidades, por favor llame o envíeme un correo electrónico. Sinceramente,
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2020 Plans and Actions:
This session I worked on and introduced several pieces of legislation that unfortunately were unable to be voted on before COVID-19 hit our state and our legislative session ended:
- HB 5057 Eliminating the state’s authority to impose a lien against formerly incarcerated persons
- Strengthening our language for celebrating Juneteenth in CT
- Making sure New London has a permanent seat on the Port Authority’s Board of Directors
- Sleep Technologists Licensing
- Preventing Credit Reports from use for Insurance Rates
- 911 Calls – increasing punishments for racially motivated emergency calls
- Police Issues
When COVID-19 hit our state, I didn’t stop acting. I remained in constant contact with the Governor about issues for our district including:
- Business Licensing Fees
- Access to care for undocumented persons
- Allowing more time for housing payments
- WiFi access for students
- Dept. of Corrections COVID-19 issues
- Racial Disparities in COVID-19 testing
- Health inequities (didn’t start with COVID)
- Electric Boat COVID-19 testing facility
Coronavirus Resources
For the most up to date information please visit www.ct.gov/coronavirus
The CDC and Governor Lamont are continuing to require individuals to wear masks in public when you are unable to “social distance” more than 6 feet away from others.
If you are out of work, you have the right to file for unemployment insurance. Visit www.FileCTUI.com to file your claim or call: 860-263-6975, 203-455-2653, 860-263-6974 or
203-455-2650.
If you are a business owner, the Department of Economic and Community Development is developing and updating guidelines on safe ways to operate your business: business.ct.gov/Recovery. They have also opened a small business hotline: 860-500-2333.
If you notice a business not operating in a safe manner, call 2-1-1.
If you are having trouble paying your residential mortgage or rent, we have worked with banks and landlords to provide you additional time to put together payments. For more information on these programs, visit portal.ct.gov/coronavirus/information-for/homeowners-and-renters.
In addition, we have worked with the federal delegation and the Governor’s office to develop and fund a number of smaller assistance programs ranging from funding for artists to farmers, to helping our schools deal with unexpected expenditures. For more on these, please visit my website: www.housedems.ct.gov/Nolan.
I know that working with state agencies and our partners during this time can be complicated. Phone lines are crowded, and applications may be confusing. My office is here to help. Call or email me anytime, and I promise I will get you help.
Sign up for CTAlert, the state’s emergency alert system,
which provides text message notifications to users.
To subscribe, text the keyword COVIDCT to 888-777
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Recursos de Coronavirus Para obtener información actualizada, visite portal.ct.gov/coronavirus El Centro para el Control y la Prevención De Enfermedades y el gobernador Lamont, siguen exigiendo que las personas usen mascarillas en público cuando usted no puede usar medidas de “distancia social” de más de 6 pies de distancia de los demás. Si usted está desempleado, usted tiene el derecho de solicitar un seguro de desempleo. Visite www.FileCTUI.com para llenar su reclamo o llame al: 860-263-6975, 203-455-2653, 860-263-6974 o 203-455-2650. Si usted es dueño de un negocio, el Departamento de Desarrollo Económico y Comunitario está desarrollando y actualizando reglas sobre formas seguras de operar su negocio: business.ct.gov/Recovery. También han abierto una línea directa para pequeños negocios: 860-500-2333. Si usted nota que algún negocio no está funcionando de manera apropiada, llame al 2-1-1 Si usted está teniendo problemas para pagar su hipoteca residencial o renta, hemos trabajado con bancos y propietarios dándole tiempo adicional para hacer sus pagos. Para obtener más información sobre estos programas, visite portal.ct.gov/coronavirus/information-for/homeowners-and-renters. Además, hemos trabajado con la delegación federal y la oficina del Gobernador para desarrollar y financiar una serie de programas de asistencia más pequeños que van desde fondos para artistas hasta agricultores, y ayuda a nuestras escuelas para bregar con gastos inesperados. Para obtener más información sobre estos, visite www.housedems.ct.gov/Nolan. Sé que trabajar con agencias estatales y otros colaboradores durante este tiempo puede ser complicado. Las líneas telefónicas están llenas, y las aplicaciones pueden ser confusas. Mi oficina está aquí para ayudar. Llámame o envíame un correo electrónico en cualquier momento, y le prometo que le conseguiré ayuda. |
Advocating For You During this Time
This has been a remarkably challenging time for all of us. My office has worked with many of you to fix issues including unemployment applications, helping your businesses apply for financial aid, and working with the DMV to get your cars registered. I know that it is during these challenging times when we need government help and services the most.
That’s why I have worked with my colleagues to advocate for all of you with the Governor and his administration. I am proud to say that because of our advocacy, we have expanded tele-medicine, brought additional drive thru & walk thru COVID-19 testing sites to our community, expanded affordable childcare options for front-line workers, and delayed due dates for state income taxes and municipal property taxes. If there are more ways that we can make state government work better for you, please let me know.
The Bond Package
One of the few votes we took this year in the House of Representatives was for the Bond Act. I am proud to say that this legislation contained authorizations for state aid for our community. The bill also contained funds for workforce development, launching the Paid Family Medical Leave insurance program, and funding transportation improvements. It is now up to Governor Lamont and the Bond Commission to release these funds, and I will hold them to that.
| New London Budget Summary | FY 20 | FY 21 |
|---|---|---|
| LoCIP (Local Capital Improvement Project) |
$311,720 | $311,720 |
| Town Aid Road | $385,032 | $385,032 |
| Grants For Municipal Projects | $33,169 | $33,169 |
| Education Cost Sharing | $27,533,840 | $28,769,105 |
| PILOT | $5,018,742 | $5,018,742 |
| Total State Funds To Town | $37,219,540 | $38,454,805 |
Change is Here
Over the past several weeks I have attended rallies from New London to as far away as Hartford & New Haven. I have met with passionate youth from Hearing Youth Voices & Black Lives Matter who have pushed a great movement for change by rallying support and not accepting the status quo. As we move forward, we need to maintain the strength of this powerful movement to not just make change, but to ensure the changes that are made will fairly benefit all of us.
On This Summer’s Special Session
In early June, legislative leadership and the Governor agreed that it was time for members of the General Assembly to meet and pass reforms in response to the current crises our state faces. In addition to ensuring that our residents have the resources to avoid catching COVID-19 and are adequately supported to cope with social distancing, we intend to ensure that everyone has access to absentee ballots in the November general election. We also intend to take immediate action on police accountability and transparency legislation.
Where Do We Go From Here?
While we continue to be guided by public health experts on the steps we need to take to safely “reopen”, we also have an opportunity to build a stronger and more robust state.
Already we are working to ensure hospitals and health care providers such as nursing homes have adequate stock of personal protective equipment. And we are working with farmers and food banks to protect and localize our food supply chain.
Your stories and experiences are important to helping us improve the quality of life for you. How well did the safety net work for you and your family? How can we do better? What services were not available that you really needed? I want to hear from you!
More than ever, it continues to be an honor and privilege to represent you.