Weekly News Feb 19 - 25

February 24, 2017

It's been another busy week in Hartford! This week I would like to focus on an issue of great importance to our district and region - crumbling concrete foundations. My colleagues and I continue to work toward solutions that will provide relief for homeowners affected by this issue.

On Wednesday evening I took part in a public forum in South Windsor on crumbling foundations hosted by the Town Council Crumbling Foundations Committee. Information on the committee and their upcoming meetings is available here.

I have also attended two informational forums on this issue this month in the legislature's Planning and Development Committee. The forum that took place at the beginning of February is available to view on the Capitol's live-streaming service, CT-N.


Four legislative committees - Planning and Development, Insurance, Banks and Public Safety - are holding a joint public hearing on Tuesday, February 28 at 10am in Room 2C of the Legislative Office Building on six bills to address crumbling concrete foundations. All four committees will hear these bills in order to make it easier for people to testify.

I encourage you to testify in person or submit written testimony in favor of legislation that you support, or to offer input on legislation you feel could be improved.

Signing up for testimony will begin at 8 am in room 2C. If this goes beyond 9:30, they most likely will move signups to 2D. Here are the six bills that the committees will hear testimony on:

SB 794 AN ACT ASSISTING HOMEOWNERS WITH CRUMBLING FOUNDATIONS

SB 905 - AN ACT CONCERNING FAILING CONCRETE FOUNDATIONS

HB 7175 - AN ACT REQUIRING THE TESTING OF CONCRETE AGGREGATE FOR THE PRESENCE OF PYRRHOTITE

Testimony for the above bills can be emailed to PDTestimony@cga.ct.gov. Please put the bill on which you're testifying in the subject line.

SB 881 - AN ACT CONCERNING A STUDY OF POTENTIAL METHODS OF PROVIDING RELIEF TO HOMEOWNERS WITH CRUMBLING FOUNDATIONS
Email testimony to INSTestimony@cga.ct.gov.

SB 806 - AN ACT ALLOWING MUNICIPALITIES TO ESTABLISH A GRANT PROGRAM TO REPLACE OR REPAIR CONCRETE FOUNDATIONS
Email testimony to PSTestimony@cga.ct.gov.

HB 7160 - AN ACT CONCERNING A STUDY OF A LOAN GUARANTEE FUND FOR CRUMBLING FOUNDATIONS
Email testimony to BATestimony@cga.ct.gov.

Testimony must be on one or more of the above six bills; however, if you are testifying in person, the committees will not object to you providing additional comment on other bills related to crumbling foundations. Click here for a list of additional bills regarding crumbling foundations.

Instructions on testifying at a public hearing are available here.


On Thursday I met with advocates from the CT Association of School Based Health Centers who were attending an Appropriations Committee meeting to hear from the Commissioner of the Department of Public Health regarding the over 1 million in reductions to school based health centers (SBHCs) in the Governor's budget. I'd like to thank all of the advocates for coming to the Legislative Office Building, especially Deb Poerio, President of Integrated Health Services, who has served the students of East Hartford for the last 23 years To learn about the East Hartford SBHCs, click here.

Click here for general information on SBHCs.


With school based health center advocates at the LOB


EAST HARTFORD:
In the spirit of the successful community outreach program ‘Coffee With A Cop’, the East Hartford Police Department announces Sandwich With A Cop. Sandwich with a Cop is on Tuesday, Feb. 28 from 11am to 1pm at the Subway at 309 Ellington Rd. All community members are invited to join East Hartford Police Officers—over a sandwich—to discuss issues and learn more about each other. Learn more here.

Click here for the town meetings calendar.

Click here for the community events calendar.


SOUTH WINDSOR:
Do you know someone who has improved the quality of life in South Windsor through their voluntary service? The South Windsor Board of Education is accepting nominations for the Eugene Policelli Service Awards. Nominations are due by March 3, 2017. You can find the nomination form here.

Click here for the public meetings calendar.

Click here for the community events calendar.


MANCHESTER:

Manchester Public Schools is starting their Parent Workshop Leadership Trainings soon! The eight session training is held on Monday evenings, beginning on March 6. Click here for more information. Contact Angela Geiger Flanagan at ageiger@mpspride.org to sign up.

View the full town calendar here.


IN THE NEWS

Since its launch in 2014, CTNext has awarded $544,000 to 52 companies through the Entrepreneur Innovation Awards. These grants support companies at the earliest stages of growth which creates a positive economic impact in our state. Learn more here.


The state has approved $50 million in bonding to advance work on the Hartford to Springfield, Mass. section of the Hartford Line commuter rail system. I believe high-frequency commuter trains along the I-91 corridor will attract jobs as well as residential and commercial development.


Whether you’re trying to save, looking for scholarships, considering a loan, or just want to figure out how to put it all together, CT Dollars & Sense is a great resource for Connecticut students and their families. Check out a recent news story on the website here.


Upcoming Meetings and Events

A full calendar of all events happening at the Capitol next week, including public hearings, is available on the General Assembly website.

You can find the agenda for public hearings on the calendar by clicking on the calendar item and following the link to the committee page. For instructions on how to testify at a public hearing, please click here.