OLR Bill Tracking Report Is Here, Unemployment Rate Falls, Record Job Gains in CT

July 24, 2024


 
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Dear Neighbor,

I want to call your attention to a special report provided by our non-partisan staff each year, the Office of Legislative Research Bill Tracking Report.

The reason this report is both informative and important is because as we move through the legislative process, bill numbers can change or sometimes bills are combined and you may think a bill didn’t pass, but in reality, it did as part of another piece of legislation. Sometimes legislation is combined in the interest of time. Sometimes it is combined because there is a similar bill that it seems to pair better with as we move to passage. 

We also have a lot of good news for Connecticut this week. Our schools were ranked second in the nation by WalletHub.com and while we are second only to Massachusetts, it’s a testament to our teachers and administrators that our schools are ranked that high. 

In other good news, we have recovered 105.2% of the jobs lost during the pandemic and we have had six consecutive months of job growth.  Also, check out the section below on the Collinsville Redevelopment Company and its vision for the Collinsville Company Axe Factory.

Have a great week,

Eleni
THE OLR BILL TRACKING REPORT IS HERE
The 2024 Office of Legislative Research (OLR) Bill Tracking report identifies bills considered during the regular legislative session and June Special Session whose content or concepts were incorporated into other legislation, under different bill numbers, that the legislature passed. During these two sessions, the content or concepts originating in at least 122 bills were incorporated into other legislation, and enacted in 33 public acts. Click on the image below to view the report and track down the bill concepts you may be wondering about.
 
IN CT: UNEMPLOYMENT RATE FALLS, RECORD JOB GAINS 
This is good news! Click on the image below for more details.
 
BEST SCHOOL SYSTEMS IN THE U.S.? CT RANKS NO.2
We often talk about how great the schools are in Connecticut and WalletHub released its new stats confirming our humble brag. Connecticut schools rank number two in the nation (we see you, Massachusetts). Thank the teachers and school administrators in your life today. They are the reason our schools are great.

Please click on the image below for more details, including an interactive map showing where other states ranked.
 
UCONN CENTER ON AGING

From the moment we are born, we may not think of it this way, but we are aging. I know I think a lot about it when I watch my parents caring for my grandparents or even when I am feeling the effects as I age. That’s why I jumped at the chance to learn more about the aging research and preventative care that is happening in our flagship UCONN health system. 
The UCONN Center on Aging is one of the very few institutions in the U.S. that is not only researching but then putting that research into practice in the UCONN Center for Geriatrics and Healthy Aging. Less than 1% of physicians nationally are geriatricians which makes their work even more important when you consider we have seen a six-fold increase in the number of people over 65 since 2000. The center has eight geriatric psychiatrists—the largest number in the U.S. 

One of the best parts of the center is that instead of the patient going to multiple doctors, they can go to this one location to see all the doctors they may need in one location using a multidisciplinary team. My thanks to all of the wonderful doctors and researchers for having my colleagues and I for this enlightening visit. 
 
CT VETERANS HALL OF FAME ACCEPTING APPLICATIONS
Are you looking to pay homage to distinguished veterans from Connecticut who have continued making positive impacts after leaving military service? You can nominate them for the Connecticut Veterans Hall of Fame Class of 2024! Download the nomination package by clicking on the image below.
Completed nomination packages must be submitted to the Connecticut Department of Veterans Affairs by September 15, 2024. They should be delivered by email to lindsay.jesshop@ct.gov or mailed through the U.S. Postal Service to:
 
Office of the Commissioner of Veterans Affairs
287 West Street
Rocky Hill, CT 06067
Additional information on eligibility criteria and other requirements can be found in the nomination package.
 
WANT COLLINSVILLE REDEVELOPMENT COMPANY UPDATES?
(Buildings of New England)

Wondering what’s going on with the Collinsville Company Axe Factory Site in Canton? There’s an Instagram account for that! Check out and follow the account, cvil_redev to learn more about where they are in the process. In May, there was a great article written on the project and the sisters who are making it happen. You can read it HERE. More information is also available on their website HERE.
 
ONE WEEK TO GO: TAKE THE TOWN OF CANTON SURVEY 
(Town of Canton)

The Canton Economic Development Agency seeks your input on future development ideas and has compiled a survey, which you can access right HERE. The deadline to submit responses is Wednesday, July 31, 2024.
 
ARTIST FELLOWSHIP PROGRAM ACCEPTING APPLICATIONS

The Connecticut Office of the Arts (COA) and its Artist Fellowship program, which, provides recognition and funding support for Connecticut artists to pursue new work and advance their artistic careers, are now accepting applications.

All artistic disciplines are eligible! 

Connecticut artists must be the primary creators of original works of art.

Grants are awarded in three designations and grant amounts:

  • Artistic Excellence grants: $5,000
  • Artist Fellowship grants: $3,000
  • Emerging Recognition grants: $1,000 

The deadline to apply is on or before September 20. Some eligibility restrictions apply, so please review the program webpage before applying HERE.

Sincerely,


Eleni Kavros DeGraw
State Representative
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