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| Friends and Neighbors,
And just like that with my backpack packed ... the House of Representatives is back in session!
Some days it will feel like we never left. Other days it probably will feel like we will never leave. Every day, however, I love representing and working for you at the State Capitol. |
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I am committed to keeping you informed and engaged in the lawmaking process. The resources below will help you stay updated on crucial developments, events, proposed policies, and key discussions as they happen, so I hope you follow along and get involved.
Here's how you can stay connected and actively participate:
- The nonpartisan Office of Legislative Research (OLR) recently released the 2024 Major Issues Report. This comprehensive document highlights and summarizes key issues the legislature could take up during the upcoming session.
- You can view the Connecticut General Assembly's upcoming events by checking out its schedule on the CGA official website.
- Follow CT-N for live coverage of committee meetings, as well as House and Senate floor debates.
- You can register to monitor any bill's journey as it goes through the legislative process. By signing up, you can enter the bill number and receive real-time updates. Stay informed with email notifications whenever there's a change in the bill's progress.
- Visit this website for information on how to testify on a bill at a public hearing.
Together, we can make a positive impact and ensure that our community's needs are represented at the State Capitol.
Please continue reading below for more news, notes and resources that I hope you find useful.
Have an easy weekend, especially with recent word from our friend, Manchester's own Chuckles, the official groundhog of Connecticut, who said it's going to be an early spring.
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| To stay informed with everything happening in Hartford, click the "At the Capitol, In District, & Beyond" link below, but also please check out the other subject links in this intro to go right to the topic in the body of this email.
You can find additional resources and information on my website. If there's something you need help with that isn't included in this email, please check my website. If you can't find what you're looking for there, please don't hesitate to reach out to me. |
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| Since this is the "Education Chair's Corner," I am going to exercise some latitude here.
In the 2023 Legislative Session, we negotiated $150 million for K-12 public education for the upcoming fiscal year and Governor Lamont wants to reallocate the money before it’s even spent, which is an abrogation of the two-year budget agreement that supposedly made historic investments in our schools.
Funding matters. Attracting and retaining qualified teachers is critical as well. Supporting professional development, competitive salaries, and manageable workloads is essential. Additionally, investing in early childhood education yields long-term benefits, setting students on a path to success from the beginning.
We must additionally embrace innovative approaches that cater to diverse learning styles and prepare students for the demands of the 21st century. This includes investing in technology, STEM programs, and career-oriented curricula that provide valuable skills and connect education to real-world applications. Concerns persist about property tax reliance and ensuring adequate funding for all school districts.
Equitable access to quality education remains a challenge. Strong public schools, however, are the cornerstone of vibrant communities, so expect further reform of the education funding system to address concerns about equity and adequacy.
During the 2024 Legislative Session that runs briskly through May 8, the Education Committee, which already held its first meeting and voted on concepts to be raised, will continue Connecticut's journey toward equitable and effectively funded K-12 public education with a sustained commitment to invest strategically, monitor progress, and adapt to ever-changing funding needs. I give you my word on that.
The only thing you bring with you into the legislature is your word. Unfortunately, Governor Lamont is not keeping his when it comes to funding K-12 public education.
For a more nuanced take, please read this op-ed by Lisa Hammersley, the executive director of School and State Finance Project. She discusses how drastically reducing funds for K-12 public education not only passes the buck onto local taxpayers and straining town budgets, but it also strips away resources that are critical to helping our state’s children, families, and future. |
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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 have on our country's culture.
Connecticut was home to several notable moments in Black history. The Canterbury Female Boarding School, the first boarding school for young Black girls in the country, was in Canterbury. Abolitionist John Brown was born in Torrington. The 29th Colored Regiment, an all-Black regiment based out of Fair Haven during the Civil War, was one of the first units to enter Richmond, Virginia after it was abandoned by the Confederate Army. Click here to read more about Black history in our state.
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, and 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 Stratford.
Click here to find more places that honor and support Black history and culture in our state.
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The Connecticut Department of Agriculture (CT DoAg) is awarding 53 grants totaling more than $2.8 million through its Connecticut Grown for Connecticut Kids Grant (CTG4CTK Grant) to increase the availability of local foods in child nutrition programs, allow educators to use hands-on educational techniques to teach students about nutrition and farm-to-school connections, sustain relationships with local farmers and producers, enrich the educational experience of students, improve the health of children in the state and enhance the state's economy.
East Hartford Public Schools has been awarded $50,000 for the East Hartford Farm to School Project that is ready to expand its programming and increase sustainability. The grant will support its program by bringing on a part time farm-to-school coordinator, updating existing gardens, professional development, kitchen equipment, and farm field trips for students.
To learn more about the CTG4CTK Grant, including success stories from previous recipients, please visit: portal.ct.gov/DOAG/ADaRC/ADaRC/Grants/CT-Grown-for-CT-Kids-Grant/Success-Stories.
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Connecticut has launched its new jobs portal, jobs.ct.gov, which is aimed at assisting state residents — and those seeking to move here — in the process of finding a job.
Jobs.ct.gov joins health.ct.gov and business.ct.gov as the next service category in Connecticut's ongoing journey toward an all-digital state government that streamlines and improves access to services and resources. Some of the resources available through jobs.ct.gov include:
- Powerful job search tools
- Job search tips and personal help
- Free and low-cost training, certificate, and classroom programs
- Resources to help employers hire, train, and retain employees
All of the resources are Connecticut-specific and focus on connecting jobseekers with the variety of employment and workforce development opportunities.
The strong and steady statewide economy continues to add jobs, but employers in some industries still face workforce shortages, and jobs.ct.gov will be a valuable resource to them. This portal also importantly provides employers with information to reach greater numbers of skilled jobseekers from diverse backgrounds, which is critical to a more equitable Connecticut economy. |
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| If you're struggling to pay utility bills, Operation Fuel may be able to help.
Operation Fuel's energy assistance program opened this week for the Winter/Spring season. Applications will be accepted until March 1 unless available funds run out before that date.
Households with incomes that do not exceed 75% of the State Median Income Guidelines may qualify for assistance. These households include — but are not limited to — the elderly, disabled, working families, or individuals facing a financial crisis.
Eligible clients may apply for energy assistance (gas, electric, oil, or other deliverable fuel) ONCE per year and receive a grant of UP TO $500.
For utility assistance (electric & gas), clients must show they made at least four payments in the past 12 months, must owe a past due amount, and provide at least four weeks of income information.
Operation Fuel is accepting applications for water and energy bill assistance for:
Electric: Eversource, United Illuminating (UI), and Norwalk Public Utilities
Gas: Eversource, UI, Yankee Gas, Southern Connecticut Gas (SCG), and Connecticut Natural Gas (CNG)
Water: CT Water and The Metropolitan District (MDC)
Operation Fuel has been assisting Connecticut residents for 46 years. In that time, Operation Fuel has distributed millions of dollars in assistance to help thousands of Connecticut households.
For more information and to apply for assistance, click HERE. |
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The ArrayRx program is now OPEN.
I highly encourage you to take advantage of this free program that can save Connecticut residents up to 80% off certain prescriptions at nearly all pharmacies in the state. There's no cost, age restriction or income restriction to join. To sign up, please click here.
Visit the ArrayRx web site and enter your name, your email address, birth date, home address and zip code. After signing up, you will be emailed a digital discount card.
The program is part of Public Act 23-171, An Act Protecting Patients and Prohibiting Unnecessary Health Care Costs, which I proudly supported.
For more information on ArrayRx, including a drug price lookup tool, visit arrayrxcard.com.
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| For local and state resources, click the links below:
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Below are a variety of resources and links to federal benefits for veterans. For more information, visit U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs.
Hotlines
- Toll-Free 24/7 Referral Services: 1-877-WAR-VETS (1-877-927-8387)
- VA Suicide Prevention Hotline: 988 then Press 1 or Text 838255
Resources
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Manchester’s Early Childhood Fair will be held on Saturday from 9 a.m.-12 p.m. in the Manchester High School Cafeteria, 134 Middle Turnpike East, with the entrance being off of the Brookfield Street parking lot. The snow date is scheduled for Saturday, February 17.
Manchester’s Early Childhood Fair is free, open to the public, and provides a wealth of information on preschools, programs, services, recreation, and local resources available for infants, toddlers, preschoolers, and young children up to age 8.
For more information, please contact the Manchester Youth Service Bureau at (860) 647-5213.
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The Town of East Hartford Youth & Social Services is recruiting East Hartford residents to serve as members on the Local Prevention Council (LPC). The East Hartford LPC works together to plan and implement substance use and misuse prevention programs for East Hartford youth. We are looking for members of all backgrounds, including parents, youth, educators, youth serving organizations, substance misuse organizations, local government, law enforcement, health care, media, business, faith-based organizations, civic and volunteer groups, and persons with lived experience.
For questions, contact Youth & Social Services at (860) 291-7248.
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East Hartford Parks & Recreation is offering an American Red Cross Babysitter Training Course on Saturday, March 2 from 9 a.m.-4 p.m. for youth ages 11 to 15, where current and future babysitters will learn how to safely care for children.
This course is open to both residents and non-residents. Registration is required at Ehparks.org.
For more information on our classes and events please visit easthartfordct.gov/parks-recreation or call the office at (860) 291-7160.
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Let's rock n' roll!
On Sunday, March 24 from 12-3 p.m. at the Hall of Fame Silver Lanes in East Hartford is MARC's 11th Annual Rockin' Bowl-A-Thon! Let's have some bowling fun! All proceeds benefit individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities.
Joining the fun is simple! Register online to create or join a team. All bowler registrations are needed by March 1 at marcct.org/bowl-a-thon.
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The Town of Manchester has received a $7.5 million Community Investment Fund grant to fund long-sought safety and streetscape improvements to downtown. The project is intended to do what the Manchester community has asked us to do for many years: Invest in downtown to make it an even better destination for everyone, including residents, business and property owners, customers, employees and visitors.
Please visit the project webpage and be on the lookout for a series of open houses.
Here are some details for those who care about downtown and are interested in the project:
- No plans have been finalized.
- Downtown currently rates as a high crash area with numerous accidents and sadly, fatalities.
- Complete Streets projects typically result in increased business activity and private investment.
- A “road diet” is designed to make vehicular traffic through downtown: Slower, Smoother and Safer to benefit all.
- Conceptual plans show no net decrease in the number of on-street parking spaces and additional off-street public parking spaces.
- The town is actively working with representatives of the Manchester Road Race to ensure these improvements will enhance and not negatively impact, the race and other important downtown events.
- A mix of diagonal, parallel and off-street public spaces will remain.
For more information, please contact Gary Anderson, Director of Manchester Planning & Economic Development at ganderson@manchesterct.gov or (860) 647-3044
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| For local resources, click the links below:
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| Through the state's Department of Labor, the American Job Center offers resources, information, and support for individuals throughout the state searching for a job. You can receive help writing a resume and attend interview technique workshops for those currently on the job hunt. For more information, click here. |
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| The State of Connecticut is hiring! You can find a variety of seasonal, part-time, and full-time positions. There are jobs open to members of the public as well as those already employed at a state agency or organization. You can find a full list of openings here. |
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| EAST HARTFORD:
Click here for the Town Meetings calendar.
Click here for the Community Events calendar.
Click here for information on the East Hartford Public Library.
Click here for East Hartford Community Television. |
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| MANCHESTER:
Click here for the Town Meetings and Community Events Calendar.
Click here for information on the Manchester Public Library.
Click here for Manchester Public Television. |
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Upcoming Meetings and Events
A full calendar of upcoming events and meetings happening at the State Capitol and Legislative Office Building is available on the General Assembly website.
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