Rebecca Martinez

We had an incredible turnout this week at the Plainville Senior Center, where we gathered with our amazing seniors to discuss important issues that impact their lives.

Everyone had such great questions, making for an engaging and insightful discussion! I’m grateful for the opportunity to serve this incredible community and connect on issues that truly matter.

This week is National Nurses Week, and I was proud to join colleagues and advocates to discuss one of the biggest barriers to keeping our nurses safe: the Medicaid medication administration rate.

I had one main message for my fellow lawmakers this session: we need policy, not pizza parties, and we will fight as long as we need to to give our nurses the respect they deserve.

I want to give you an exciting update about some of the work I'm doing for you at the Capitol.

This week marked the first press conference for the newly formed Blue Collar Caucus! I'm honored to co-chair this caucus alongside State Representative Kara Rochelle. We are starting off with over 40 legislators who are focused on the issues that matter most to Connecticut's working- and middle-class residents, including protecting people in the workplace, tax policies that puts working people first, lowering costs, and more. We are ready to get to work!

Saturday, April 26 from 10am-2pm is DEA National RX Take Back Day. If you have unused, unwanted, and/or expired OTC and/or prescription medicine in your cabinets, now is a great time to safely dispose of them. Many police departments already have permanent medication drop boxes in their building, but DEA Take Back Day is a great day to dispose of these meds, too.

Any Connecticut-based businesses, nonprofits, and municipalities that have been impacted by recent actions from the federal government are encouraged to report that information through a newly established online reporting tool.

The information will be compiled into a central database and provide policymakers with a better understanding of how these directives are affecting various groups, geographical regions, and sectors of the economy.

Some examples of reportable items include:

Pauses, cancellations, and reductions in federal funding
Reductions in employment
Impact from tariffs

Please report only confirmed issues you've encountered, not potential impacts.

Any information that is reported will become public information.

People who live in Connecticut currently pay the second-highest electricity prices in the country, placing an undue financial strain on families, businesses, and communities. Our goal in the legislature is to implement policies that lower prices and enhance transparency that would benefit all ratepayers.

There are two important pieces of legislation, House Bill 1531 and House Bill 7206, aimed at tackling the rising cost of utility bills while ensuring greater accountability for public utilities. Both bills passed out of the Government Administration and Elections Committee and now move to the House and Senate floors for further consideration.

I want to start off by giving you an update on where things stand this legislative session.

Most committees have reached their "joint favorable" (JF) deadlines, meaning they have voted bills out of their specific committees to then be voted on by the entire House and Senate.

If both chambers vote in favor of a bill, the Governor will then have the opportunity to sign the bill into law.

Over the next few weeks, the entire General Assembly will start meeting to debate and vote on these bills. It has been a tremendous honor representing you so far, and I can't wait to keep you update on the great bills we pass.

This week, I spent over 12 hours in a Public Health Committee public hearing - but it brought progress for Connecticut.

We took a monumental step in addressing the maternal health crisis, working to improve safety and equity in healthcare.
Senate Bill 7 was passed, protecting our state’s rights and shielding residents from harmful federal overreach.
We upheld reproductive rights in Connecticut, ensuring these essential protections remain strong despite shifting national policies.