Andre Baker Jr

New Laws Effective July 1st and PTSD Awareness Day

View this email in your browser Dear Neighbor, I hope this email finds you and your family well! In this week's email, you will find information on new laws effective July 1st and resources I hope are useful to you and your family. As always, if you have any questions or concerns, please contact my office at any time.   New Laws Effective July 1st  Several new laws that were passed during the 2025 legislative session take effect on Tuesday, July 1. Please see below to read about some of them!  Our two-year, $55.8 billion budget takes effect July 1. This bill reflects our shared values, marked by historic investments in children through expanded funding for special education and childcare. Our budget strengthens support for working families and ensures that the essential work of nonprofits is both valued and financially supported. We approved billions of dollars to be used for school construction, transportation infrastructure, housing assistance, and many more local initiatives through our annual bond funding package. Our students will soon learn about three essential topics in the classroom: civics, media literacy, and Asian American and Pacific Islander history. Under two bills passed in 2022 and 2023, students will gain an understanding of what it means to be an active and engaged citizen, how to analyze the modern media landscape, and the rich history of the AAPI community in our state and the entire country. Our elections will soon be more secure and transparent as video recording technology will be added to every absentee ballot drop box in our state. This new law will record the drop boxes from the first day that ballots are issued up through when the clerk retrieves the final ballots, and all of these recordings will be made available to the public.  A novel, landmark bill supporting public libraries struggling to afford the skyrocketing costs of e-books and digital audiobooks will go into effect July 1. The bill bars libraries from entering into or renewing expensive contracts and licensing agreements with publishers. The measure positions Connecticut as a national leader in this arena and marks a significant step toward transparency, equity, and sustainability in how libraries acquire and provide digital resources to the public. Many more bills are going into effect July 1, including one that reforms Connecticut's towing system, one that requires financial literacy instruction in school, and more. You can click the link below for the full list of laws going into effect, and please don't hesitate to reach out if you have any questions.  New Laws July 1, 2025 As always, your calls, emails, and testimony at our public hearings directly influenced these new laws. Please continue to share your views and have your voice heard at the Capitol!  PTSD Awareness Day On PTSD Awareness Day, we honor the strength of survivors and reaffirm our commitment to supporting their healing. Connecticut continues to lead with compassion—expanding access to mental health services, strengthening trauma-informed care, and championing our veterans and first responders. Together, we are building a state where no one faces PTSD alone.   If you or a loved one is struggling, help is right here in Connecticut: 📞 Veterans Crisis Line: Call or text 988, then press 1, or text 838255—available 24/7 for immediate support. 📞 ACTION Line / DMHAS: Call 1‑800‑HOPE‑135 (1‑800‑467‑3135) for adult crisis intervention and support. 📞 General Mental Health Support: Dial 2‑1‑1 (United Way) for free, confidential referrals to a wide range of services, including mobile crisis assistance. As always, please feel free to contact me at 800-842-8267 or by email at Andre.Baker@cga.ct.gov. And for news and legislative updates, please visit my official Facebook page. Sincerely, Andre Baker Facebook Website Email Forward to a friend | Unsubscribe from this list | Update subscription preferences