Maria Horn

With a special session now on the horizon for July, the Appropriations Committee is scheduling meetings again: I have two so far on my calendar for next week.  They’re still virtual meetings, but they are more formal than the phone and zoom calls with overlapping sets of legislators that have been taking place as we home in on what will be on the agenda.  There are still logistics to be worked out for the special session itself: legislators will be at the capitol, but we may be able to vote from offices rather than the chamber in the Capitol Building, for example. 

We’re also looking ahead to when we’re no longer governed solely by the Governor’s executive orders.  Some, like the cancellation of in person classes, or the prohibition on visiting a loved one in a nursing home, we will be glad to see go away with the ebbing of the public health emergency.  Others might turn out to be something we turn into legislation.  I’ve been tuning in to presentations from planning and zoning experts and listening to small business owners, for example, and learning that some of those executive orders have lifted onerous or highly variable regulations that have made it hard for our main street businesses to operate.  In fact, fully 70% of the executive orders enacted during this public health emergency have eased restrictions, rather than increasing them. 

This Sunday, June 14, is Flag Day, which commemorates the adoption of our country’s flag.  I’m looking forward to a Flag Day event this evening in Torrington, when the Elks will be holding their Flag Day Ceremony outside at Elks Pond this year. 

Finally, another pitch for the census: it is important to have a complete count of everyone living in our district and state, to ensure that both get the access to critical federal resources, including representation in Congress.  We have some catching up to do in the Northwest Corner (see the topic below for statistics), but I know we can catch up.  To complete the census, go to https://2020census.gov/

 

Here’s a list of today’s topics:

• Governor Lamont launches Initiative to provide career resources and workforce upskilling
• Pew Charitable Trusts ranks Connecticut among top states in evaluating business incentive programs
• Police Accountability Task Force issues draft recommendations
• Resources for high school graduates from school to career
• Census statistics in CT and the NW Corner so far

For several additional graphs and tables containing more data, including a list of cases in every municipality, visitct.gov/coronavirus and click the link that is labeled, “COVID-19 Data Tracker.”

Updated data on the impact of COVID-19 on nursing homes and assisted living facilities

The following documents contain updated data regarding each of the nursing homes and assisted living facilities in Connecticut that have reported positive cases of COVID-19 among their residents. The data is presented as it was reported to the state by each of the nursing homes and assisted living facilities. This data is updated on a weekly basis.

**Download: Data on nursing homes in Connecticut as of June 10, 2020 **Download: Data on assisted living facilities in Connecticut as of June 9, 2020

Governor Lamont launches Initiative to provide career resources and workforce upskilling

Governor Ned Lamont announced that as the state prepares to enter phase 2 of its reopening efforts resulting from the global COVID-19 pandemic, he is launching a new resource – the CT Back to Work Initiative – that will provide workers and businesses in Connecticut with high-quality, user-friendly career tools to assist those who have been impacted by the economic fallout from the public health emergency. To start, the state is partnering with several private-sector employment services, including the job search engine Indeed, and the workforce training providers Metrix Learning and 180 Skills.

All of the components of the initiative can be accessed online by visiting the State of Connecticut’s coronavirus website – ct.gov/coronavirus – and clicking the link labeled “CT Back to Work Initiative.”

It was developed by the Governor’s Workforce Council – the state’s workforce board, which Governor Lamont revamped late last year and tasked with recommending and overseeing improvements to Connecticut’s education and training ecosystem and pipeline so that all residents are able to access high-quality training and education that are aligned to the needs of businesses.

Custom Connecticut job portal from Indeed

The first component includes a custom jobs portal for Connecticut jobseekers and employers through Indeed. Connecticut is the first state in the nation to partner with Indeed to create a jobs portal that is customized for the state’s residents and companies. This new portal complements the state’s current CTHires jobs portal by providing additional resources and opportunities to businesses and job seekers.

The state is also partnering with Indeed to host a virtual hiring event from June 16 to 18, during which companies hiring in Connecticut will host virtual interviews and meet and greet events. Nearly 40 employers from across the state are participating. In addition, Indeed is offering a free webinar on June 15 to help prep job seekers for virtual interviews.

Free upskilling from Metrix Learning and 180 Skills

Another component includes online workforce training courses provided by Metrix Learning and 180 Skills.

In early May, Connecticut launched the SkillUp CT program, which provides Connecticut residents who have qualified for unemployment insurance with free access to more than 5,000 online courses offered by Metrix focused on information technology, business analysis, project management digital literacy, and other fields directly tied to the needs of Connecticut employers, as well as hundreds of skill tracks and a robust library of high-quality industry certification programs from featured employers such as Amazon, Google, and Microsoft. To date, more than 9,000 people in the state have signed up for SkillUp CT services.

To expand SkillUp CT further, 180 Skills is adding its services to the program, giving those seeking workforce development services access to even more tools. Customized learning paths have been built for individuals interested in joining Connecticut’s manufacturing sector or improving their general employability skills. Individuals who have filed for unemployment insurance are eligible for a 12-month 180 Skills license at no cost. While the program is initially only being offered to individuals who have filed for unemployment insurance, customized 180 Skills pathways will be available later in the summer to students at Connecticut State Colleges and Universities, as well as for upskilling current workers at manufacturing companies across the state.

 

• To access the CT Back to Work landing page, click here.

 

• To learn more about Indeed’s virtual hiring events in Connecticut, click here.

Police Accountability Task Force issues draft recommendations

The Police Accountability and Transparency Task Force, created by legislation passed in 2019, released its priorities and recommendations document Wednesday, two days after Gov. Ned Lamont asked the group to fast-track its work.

The 20 preliminary recommendations was based on comments from task force members who were asked during a two-and-a-half hour meeting Monday to provide what police accountability issues they felt were the most important to address.

The task force is expected to vote on the recommendations Tuesday, June 16, and then to discuss how to organize the work into subcommittees.

Resources for high school graduates from school to career

If you’re headed straight into the labor marker after high school, or going to school nearby and working part or full-time, there are many organizations and online resources to help you every step of the way.  Housatonic Valley Regional High School’s Career Experience Program has put a lot of resources together to help recent graduates, which you can find here:

https://www.hvrhs.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/Sticky-Note-Spring-2020.pdf 

Census statistics in CT and the NW Corner so far

Having a complete census count is critical to ensure the state, and our region, gets critical resources, and adequate representation in Congress.  The Northwest Corner has some catching up to do to make sure we are counted.  Here are a few current statistics:

• National response rate currently is 60.9%;
• CT's is 64.6%
• Torrington is 63.7%
• Sharon is 44.5%
• Salisbury is 36.6%
• Goshen is 56.5%
• Kent is 49.8%
• North Canaan is 46.4%
• Canaan/Falls Village is 47.2%
• Norfolk is 46.2%
• Cornwall is 42.2%.

To complete the census, go to https://2020census.gov/

Governor Lamont encourages residents to sign up for the state’s CTAlert notification system

Governor Lamont is encouraging Connecticut residents to sign up for CTAlert, the state’s emergency alert system, which provides text message notifications to users. To subscribe, text the keyword COVIDCT to 888-777.

Providing information to Connecticut residents

For the most up-to-date information from the State of Connecticut on COVID-19, including an FAQ and other guidance and resources, residents are encouraged to visit ct.gov/coronavirus.

Individuals who have general questions that are not answered on the website can also call 2-1-1 for assistance. The hotline is available 24 hours a day and has multilingual assistance. Relay services can be accessed by calling 7-1-1. Anyone who is out-of-state or using Relay can connect to Connecticut 2-1-1 toll free by dialing 1-800-203-1234. The hotline is intended to be used by individuals who are not experiencing symptoms but may have general questions related to COVID-19. Anyone who is experiencing symptoms is strongly urged to contact their medical provider.