Juan R. Candelaria

Friday is Juneteenth, a day of reflection, celebration, and progress.

As we commemorate the end of slavery in the United States and celebrate the resilience and contributions of the Black community, let's continue to strive for equality, justice, and freedom for all.

Time is running out to sign up for Access Health CT's health insurance plan with Temporary Premium Assistance!

The Temporary Premium Assistance program was created to help customers who lost all financial assistance when the federal enhanced Premium Tax Credits expired late last year.

The program has provided over $1.6 million in savings for 10,580 Connecticut residents so far.

The Special Enrollment Period for the event will end Tuesday, June 30, and I hope you'll consider applying!

I was so proud to see an additional investment of approximately $320 million into Connecticut’s Early Childhood Education Endowment.

Established in 2025 through Public Act 25-93, the endowment serves as a permanent funding source dedicated to strengthening Connecticut’s early childhood education system. This new investment, combined with last year’s initial $300 million commitment, positions Connecticut as a national leader in creating sustainable, long-term solutions that support children, families, educators, and providers.

The Connecticut Higher Education Supplemental Loan Authority (CHESLA) has officially launched the MyCHESLA Grad Loan, a new state-based graduate loan program designed to preserve access to affordable, fixed-rate financing for Connecticut students pursuing advanced degrees following the elimination of the federal Grad PLUS loan program, effective July 1.

Monday is Memorial Day, a time for reflection, remembrance, and gratitude.

Let's take time to honor the heroes who made the ultimate sacrifice in defense of our nation and the values we hold dear. We also recognize the families who carry the weight of that sacrifice every day.

As a community, let us come together to remember their service, support one another, and recommit ourselves to the ideals of courage, service, and patriotism that define our country.

Last week, the House concluded its legislative session, wrapping up months of hard work to deliver for the people of Connecticut.

In New Haven alone, we delivered millions for our residents, including $7.65 million in additional education funding, a $12.42 million state grant, and a total of $347 million in state aid. This achievement could not have been done without the New Haven delegation working together for the benefit of our great city.

While the Connecticut legislature has been busy at work passing bills that will help our state, I wanted to take a moment to share something more personal.

It was a busy week, as the State House of Representatives was in session Monday-Thursday. We passed a number of bills, and you can read about some of them here.