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Dear Neighbor,
I am fiercely grateful to the thousands upon thousands who turned out together with us to peacefully protest our collective defiance against this deadly regime.
The key is to continue the momentum and keep fighting. I'll be there with you. |
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| Historic Child Care Legislation |
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It's always exciting when groups highlight legislation that we pass from our session. This one is a big one.
From the Women's Business Development Council: Last Tuesday, Gov. Ned Lamont held a press conference to celebrate the passage of historic legislation that will result in the largest expansion of access to early childhood education in state history.
With the passage of these new laws, child care will be free for families enrolled in Early Start CT who earn up to $100,000 per year. For many other families, costs will be capped at 7% of their income.
More than 16,000 new early childhood education slots will be created across the state, expanding access for thousands of children. In addition, child care providers participating in Early Start CT will receive increased compensation, and early childhood educators will benefit from new health care subsidies — ensuring they are better supported as they care for and educate Connecticut’s youngest learners.
At the ceremony, Governor Lamont emphasized this as a transformative step — for families, working parents, and the state’s future.
Click here to see summaries of other legislation that passed. |
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| Yoga Station Receives Ignite Grant |
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Congratulations to the Whitney Coccaro, owner of the Yoga Station (9 Brookside Road, Redding), on receiving a Women's Business Development Council Ignite Grant on June 13. Ignite Grants are designed to help women-owned businesses grow. The program awards grants of between $2,500 and $10,000 to projects that will have a measurable impact on the business, its growth, and profitability. The Yoga Station received a $6,000 grant, which will be used to offer community- and family-oriented programming.
Since its launch, the WBDC program has given a boost to 424 women-owned businesses in Connecticut totaling $3.9 million. In the latest grant round, 60 Ignite grants were awarded totaling $563,8974.
Congrats, Whitney! |
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| End-of-Session Celebration |
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I had a great time at the Vintage Radio and Communications Museum in Windsor on June 14 with fellow legislators to celebrate the end of the 2025 Legislative Session and to highlight our legislative wins on the Aging and Human Services committees.
I was joined by fellow legislator Rep. Jane Garibay and House Majority Leader Jason Rojas.
Majority Leader Rojas delivered a hopeful message of cooperation, hard work and putting people first, which is something to which all legislators should aspire.
Major legislative wins that came out of this session from the Aging Committee included the following:
Biomarker Testing
This session, the legislature passed a new law that generally requires health insurance policies to cover biomarker testing to diagnose and treat patient diseases, such as cancer. Use of the testing must be supported by medical and scientific evidence, such as federal Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approval, Medicare coverage determinations, or nationally recognized clinical guidelines. Generally, biomarker testing identifies certain gene mutations, proteins, or other molecules that help health care providers diagnose diseases and choose targeted treatments that may help improve patient outcomes (PA 25-16, §§ 4 & 5, effective January 1, 2026).
Discrimination in Long-term Care Facilities
A new law generally prohibits nursing homes and assisted living facilities (and their staff) from discriminating against residents based on certain characteristics and statuses, including: race, color, religious creed, sex, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, marital status, age, national origin, ancestry, intellectual disability, mental disability, learning disability, physical disability, status as a veteran, status as a victim of domestic violence, or HIV status. Among other things, it requires long-term care facilities to post a printed nondiscrimination notice, ensure direct care staff receive cultural competency training, and respect residents’ physical privacy in the context of their care. |
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| Topstone Park Playground Reopening! |
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| The Topstone Park Playground in Redding reopens today (Wednesday, June 18)! Celebrate from 1:30 to 5:30 p.m. and check out the park upgrades. There will also be children's music, a scavenger hunt and Italian ice! |
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| Summer Solstice Party in Redding |
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Yoga Station & Wellness, 9 Brookside Road, Redding, is hosting a Summer Solstice Party, titled "Make Music: Georgetown" on Saturday, June 21, from 1 to 7 p.m.
The featured musical acts are as follows:
1 - 3 p.m.: Brian Matzke & Sessionflo
3:45 - 4:15pm: Carrie Sangiovanni (of Caravan of Thieves)
5 -7 p.m.: The Peterman Project! |
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| Juneteenth Celebration in Easton |
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Concerts on the Hill at Christ Church Easton will host a Juneteenth celebration and a Pride concert as part of its summer lineup.
The Juneteenth celebration, co-hosted by the Easton Diversity and Inclusion Task Force, takes place on June 22 and will feature music by Christine Chanel & the Rosters.
Christ Church is also hosting an annual Pride celebration, co-hosted by Easton Pride, on June 29. The featured band will be Hitch & the Giddyup, which plays Misfit American roots and bluegrass music. Prior to the concert, there will be a family-friendly Easton Pride celebration on the hill from 2 to 5:30 p.m.
The concerts are part of the Concerts on the Hill's 2025 summer season, taking place on Sundays from June 22nd to July 27th. Gates open at 5:30 p.m. and music starts at 6 p.m. Admission is $12 for adults, $8 for seniors, and free for kids/teens under 18. |
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Join me and state Sen. Ceci Maher at the League of Women Voters Annual Politics and Pie on the Weston Public Library lawn (weather permitting -- or in the Library Community room) on June 21 from 11 a.m. to about noon. Meet, greet, and question your state legislators while enjoying local pies from Old Mill Market & Cafe.
The event will be moderated by Carol Baldwin.
I look forward to seeing you there!
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| End-of-Session Wrap-Up at Meadow Ridge |
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| Sen. Maher and I will also give an end-of-session wrap-up at Meadow Ridge Senior Living, 100 Redding Road, on Wednesday, July 2, at 11 a.m. |
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Great stopping by the Westport Farmers Market with Easton's Lori Cochran Dougall, the chair of the Connecticut farmers market association and who revived the Westport Farmers Market.
Farmers markets are a boon to the region, both in terms of health and the local economy.
The Westport market, at 50 Imperial Ave., is open Thursdays from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. through Nov. 13. |
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| It's always great to support our young, local entrepreneurs by purchasing a cup of fresh, homemade lemonade! Hopefully the weather improves so we see more stands crop up in Easton, Weston and Redding! |
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| Movie Night Under the Stars in Easton |
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| Easton Park & Rec is hosting Movie Night under the Stars ("Toy Story 4") on Friday, June 27 at 8:20 p.m. at Aspetuck Park, 369 Black Rock Road. There will be a bounce house and snack shack, weather permitting. |
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| Children's Storybook Parade! |
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Friends of the Easton Library group is reviving the Children’s Storybook Parade on Friday, June 20 (all ages, 1 - 2:30 p.m.) to kick off the Summer Reading program.
Children may dress up as their favorite storybook character, carry their favorite book, carry a storybook poster, or wear a homemade mask representing their favorite character. |
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| July 4 Celebration in Weston |
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| Check out the flyer below. |
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As always, please feel free to contact my office at 800-842-8267 or by email at anne.hughes@cga.ct.gov. And "Like" and follow my Facebook page for regular legislative updates.
Peace,
Anne Hughes
State Representative |
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