Celebrating Black History Month, The Legislative Process, Do You Have Money Waiting?

February 2, 2024

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Dear Neighbor,

This is our final newsletter before the start of the 2024 legislative session, which begins next Wednesday, February 7th. I sit on the Environment, Planning and Development, and Finance, Revenue and Bonding Committees and will be providing you plenty of updates regarding the work we're doing for CT.

On Monday, I met with the Southeastern Connecticut Council of Governments to discuss their legislative priorities. As a member of the Environment Committee, I look forward to collaborating with our municipal leaders to tackle our solid waste crisis, especially developing a plan to divert organic materials from our waste stream to composting facilities.

I will continue to provide insights, information, and resources available within the 41st district.

More importantly, I want you to know that as your Representative, my focus will always be on serving you. As always, I appreciate your support,

Aundré

In this edition of the newsletter, topics include:

What's Our Rep's Been Up To?
Celebrating Black History Month
The Legislative Process
A Thank You for Attending Our Town Hall
Senator Blumenthal Visits Areas Vulnerable To Flooding
Public Hearing on Groton Utility Rates on Wednesday, Feb. 14th
Nursing and Home Health Care in CT
Fighting for Racial Equality in State Government
Reminder: IDD Informational Forum on Tuesday, Feb. 13th
CT Medal of Technology Call for Nominations Deadline is March 6th
Do You Have Money to Claim?
Groton Utilities: EVs in Cold Weather
February is Cancer Prevention Month
Sunday is Transit Equity Day
Community Events and Notices

What's Our Rep Been Up To?

From the Greater Mystic Chamber of Commerce:

WHAT'S POPPIN'

What a wonderful turnout for PopOver Eatery Mystic- Ribbon Cutting this week!

Thank you to Pam, Sarah, and their team for their amazing hospitality and all of the delicious treats that were shared with our guests including their signature popovers, specialty bites, and vegan dessert options!

State Representative Aundré Bumgardner and representatives from Senator Heather Somers and Senator Chris Murphy were there to present welcome citations for the Popover Eatery Mystic locations issued by the State of Connecticut. We cannot be more thrilled to welcome our new neighbor and exceptional addition to the Mystic community.

"Our mission is to source local, healthy, organic products whenever possible. We like to think we are creating masterpieces with every bite."

Pop Over Eatery. Check them out in Down Mystic CT 24 E Main St.
Mystic, CT
Open Mon-Sun 8 am-3 pm
*View menus below*
https://www.popovereatery.com/

Watch the ribbon-cutting below.

Pop-Over Eatery Ribbon Cutting

Celebrating Black History Month

February is Black History Month, a time when we celebrate the many achievements and contributions of individuals from the Black diaspora, as well as reckon with the systemic racism from our past that is still prevalent today.

The theme for this year's month-long celebration is “African Americans and the Arts,” which spotlights Black Americans who excelled in various fields of creative expression, and the influence they had on our country's culture.

Thanks to the tireless work of the Black and Puerto Rican Caucus and other colleagues in the General Assembly in 2019, Connecticut became the first state to require public schools to include

Black and Latino history in their curriculums.

Black history is American history - this law ensures that the stories and triumphs of Black Americans will be taught throughout the school year.

I encourage you to take some time to celebrate and learn more about Black history, locally and throughout America.

Connecticut is home to several organizations that honor and celebrate the Black experience, such as the Amistad Center for Art & Culture in Hartford, and the Ruby and Calvin Fletcher African American Museum in Strafford.

Click

here to find more places to honor and support Black history and culture in our state.

The Legislative Process: How it Works

A Thank You for Attending Our Town Hall

I would like to thank you for attending the Pre-Legislative Town Hall hosted by me and fellow state Representatives Christine Conley and Anthony Nolan this week. I thought it was a great opportunity to share thoughts, ask questions, and comment about how we can work better together for you in Hartford. The 2024 legislative session begins on Wednesday.

We stand ready to represent you!

Thanks again for coming and special thanks to the Public Library of New London for having us!

Senator Blumenthal Visits Areas Vulnerable To Flooding

I was proud to join U.S. Senator Richard Blumenthal and local officials including Groton Mayor Keith Hedrick paid on a recent visit to the area over serious flooding concerns, especially around Shore Avenue near East Point Beach. The City of Groton is planning to do an engineering study and seek federal funding. Read more in the Day HERE.

Public Hearing on Groton Utility Rates on Wednesday Feb. 14th

Groton Utilities Commissioners will hold a Public Hearing on Wednesday, February 14, 2024, at 6:00 P.M., at the Municipal Building, 295 Meridian Street, Groton, Connecticut, on proposed revisions to the existing electric rate schedules.

All consumers of electricity, property owners serviced by the Electric Division, City of Groton, Department of Utilities, and other interested persons will have an opportunity to be heard, and written communications relative to the above will be received and considered. For more details, please click HERE.

Nursing And Home Health Care in CT

I was proud to stand with fellow lawmakers and members of the Black and Puerto Rican Caucus (BPRC), for a critical discussion on the state of nursing and home health care in Connecticut this week.

Key stakeholders came together to discuss the current safety measures in place for nurses and home healthcare workers and what more can be done; what role does law enforcement play in the delivery of home healthcare services as well as what can be done to address the safety concerns in caring for homebound individuals and survivors of violent crimes.

The discussion also focused on the steps to address these issues and how the current state of healthcare affects CT taxpayers.

I would like to thank Harriott Home Health Services, BPRC Chair, state Senator Patricia Billie Miller, and Vice Chair, state Representative Antonio Felipe for hosting the discussion.

Fighting for Racial Equality in State Government

An impressive and diverse panel discussed Connecticut’s efforts to dismantle structural racism within our state government this week. Several leaders talked about our commitment to increasing equity in the workforce throughout the hiring, retention, and promotion processes.

The CT Commission on Racial Equity in Public Health shared its inaugural report and provided some recommendations for building racial equity including:

Establishing leadership buy-in to set the tone for state agencies to advance racial equity work
Building infrastructure to support racial equity work in government
Requiring state agencies to develop equity plans to identify racial inequities that exist internally, and to outline steps to address them

For more recommendations and to read the full report, please click the picture below.

Reminder: IDD Informational Forum Tuesday Feb. 13th

The Intellectual or Development Disability (IDD) Caucus invites you to join an informational forum for those who would like to learn more or who have questions regarding what the IDD Caucus entails.

The informational forum will be held on Tuesday, February 13^th, in room 1E at the Legislative Office Building, 300 Capitol Ave., Hartford, at 10 a.m.

Representatives from The ARC CT will be joining to share their experiences, advocate for their goals, and answer any questions. This will be a great refresher for those seasoned members and an awesome opportunity for newer members or those looking to get involved to receive in-depth knowledge about the caucus. We hope that you are able to join!

CT Medal of Technology Call for Nominations Deadline March 6th

The Connecticut Medal of Technology, Connecticut's highest honor for technological achievement in fields crucial to Connecticut's economic competitiveness, will be awarded to an individual and a team, company/non-profit, or divisions of companies/non-profits.

Modeled after the National Medal of Technology and Innovation, the award is bestowed in alternate years with the Connecticut Medal of Science.

Please note: Nominations are due via email on March 6, 2024 at 4:00 p.m. EST

The 2024 Call for nominations can be found HERE. The 2024 CT Medal Nomination Form can be found HERE.

Do You Have Money To Claim?

Do you have money waiting to be returned to you? There’s a good chance you do—and it’s easy to check. February 1 was National Unclaimed Property Day.

Take a moment to see if YOU have money to claim.

Visit CTBigList.com, Connecticut’s official unclaimed property website, to easily search for your property for free. If you find something, you can instantly file a claim. There is no time limit to claim your funds.

Lost or forgotten money and other property is handed over to the Connecticut Office of the Treasurer for safekeeping until they can be claimed by their rightful owners.

This unclaimed property can include unpaid life insurance benefits, forgotten bank accounts, utility deposits and refunds, annuities, and more. Most unclaimed property owners are individuals, but corporations, municipalities, schools, nonprofits, hospitals, and small businesses are also among those who’ve found they have money owed to them.

Connecticut has returned more than $1 billion to rightful owners through the unclaimed property program. It’s estimated that one in seven Americans has unclaimed property waiting for them. Visit CTBigList.com today and find out if you have money coming to you, too.

Groton Utilities: EVs in Cold Weather

There are so many benefits to Electric Vehicles, including operating costs but cold weather does affect driving range and charging speed. Groton Utilities has a very good read on the details in its News Flash below. Please click on the image below to learn more.