Toni E. Walker

Today I stood with my Democratic colleagues in the House and Senate to unveil the Democratic Values Agenda for the 2018 legislative session, ensuring that everyone in the New.Haven area as well as across Connecticut is treated fairly.

If you may be affected by the changes made to the Medicare Savings programs, there is good news. The Department of Social Services is delaying the income eligibility reductions for the programs.

Just in case you hadn’t heard, the State Bond Commission has approved funding for body cameras for our city police. Both law enforcement authorities and victim advocates have supported technology such as body cameras, and this funding will help ensure that citizens and their rights are protected. New Haven was one of 14 municipal police departments approved for the purchase of body-worn recording equipment and digital stage devices.

Today marks Giving Tuesday, an annual reminder that the spirit of the holidays is to help those less fortunate.

Great news! Don’t miss out. NH Public Schools are taking applications for Head Start and School Readiness programs. To schedule an appointment to apply or to obtain more information, just call (203) 946-6950 or (203) 946-8446.

Care 4 Kids, the state’s primary child-care support program, has been reopened, and eligible families on the wait list can now begin to enroll.

Rep. Toni Walker joined her legislative colleagues who represent New Haven and surrounding towns at a press conference to denounce the Republican state budget. “These are cuts we cannot sustain if we expect Connecticut to thrive,” Rep. Walker said.

Hidden in the Republican budget is a new, annual tax on all public school teachers. Every teacher must contribute 1% of salary for half of this year, and 2% of all of next year's salary to state general fund! The GOP bill is cleverly worded. The word "teacher" does not appear in the legislation but it clearly pertains to teachers.