COVID Update 9.22

September 22, 2020

On Friday night we lost a legend in Ruth Bader Ginsburg. It’s hard to put into words what her life and legacy meant to me, personally and professionally, and to working women everywhere. Her career as an advocate and a judge changed the workplace for all of us: she was on the frontlines dismantling barriers and burdens that kept women, and disfavored minorities, out of the economy and deprived of proper healthcare. Her personal example was just as impactful: her integrity, her intellect, her generosity, her marriage, her sense of humor, her fearlessness - they all showed us what was possible, with a keen mind, a set of principles, a strong work ethic, and the willingness to see and understand the lives of others.

 

She was appointed to the Supreme Court the year I graduated from law school, so her tenure on that court defined my own legal career, and that of my colleagues. We could always rely on her to ask the questions that needed asking, say the things that needed saying, and write the future for all of us, often, in the latter stages of her judicial career, in her powerful dissents. It is remarkable both what she herself changed, and how much of that legacy is in peril.

Update on the upcoming special session: There’s a reason why I’ve learned to say “we expect” when it comes to describing the timing with which legislation is taken up by the Connecticut General Assembly: it changes.  We now “expect” that the House will be the first to convene in the September/October Special Session, on September 29 or 30, with the Senate following.  I hope to have a clearer update on the agenda later this week.
 
Here’s a list of today’s topics:

  • National Voter Registration Day
  • Non-IRS tax filers have until September 30 to apply for stimulus funds
  • Governor Lamont creates working group to prepare Connecticut for a COVID-19 vaccine
  • Connecticut Department of Education announces new data collections to better evaluate support student participation and engagement during the 2020-21 academic year
  • Resources for school staff to manage stress anxiety
  • New online state tax filing system launched
  • Northwest Connecticut Chamber of Commerce Annual Meeting
  • CT’s Paid Family Leave Program launches new explanatory website

For several additional graphs and tables containing more data, including a list of cases in every municipality, visit ct.gov/coronavirus and click the link that is labeled, “COVID-19 Data Tracker.”
 
National Voter Registration Day
 
Today is National Voter Registration Day, dedicated to raising awareness of voter registration opportunities with the goal of encouraging as many eligible voters as possible to register. Every year, millions of eligible voters are unable to cast a ballot because of a missed registration deadline.
 
In Connecticut, registering to vote is easy and can be done online in just minutes. 
 
Visit https://voterregistration.ct.gov to:

  • Register to vote in Connecticut
  • Change your name and/or address on your current registration record
  • Enroll in a political party or change party enrollment

 
Already registered to vote?
 
Click HERE to learn about how you can vote by absentee ballot. Due to the COVID-19 all voters are eligible to vote by absentee ballot in the general election held on November 3, 2020. Just check the COVID-19 box on the application.

Non-IRS tax filers have until September 30 to apply for stimulus funds
 
If you do not file taxes with the IRS, you may still be entitled to a stimulus payment for your children. But you must apply before September 30.

For more info, or to apply, click here for more information.

Governor Lamont creates working group to prepare Connecticut for a COVID-19 vaccine
 
Governor Lamont announced that he is creating a working group to prepare Connecticut for the potential development of a COVID-19 vaccine. The Governor’s COVID-19 Vaccine Advisory Group will be responsible for optimizing a statewide vaccine distribution strategy and communicating critical medical information about the vaccine with the state’s residents.
 
It will be co-chaired by Dr. Deidre Gifford, acting commissioner of the Connecticut Department of Public Health; and Dr. Reginald J. Eadie, president and CEO of Trinity Health of New England.
The group’s rank-and-file members are in the process of being appointed, however the governor said that he expects them to include vaccination experts, vaccine providers, state agency representatives, state legislators, labor representatives, emergency management officials, and representatives of highly impacted communities.
 
Public meetings are anticipated to be held monthly beginning around October. An announcement will be made by the Office of the Governor when the remaining members of the group are appointed.
 
Connecticut Department of Education announces new data collections to better evaluate support student participation and engagement during the 2020-21 academic year
 
The Connecticut State Department of Education (CSDE) is rolling out two new data collections to promote transparency and make data-driven decisions that support stronger student engagement and participation during the 2020-21 school year. The weekly collection of Learning Models and Enrollment, as well as the monthly collection of Student Membership and Attendance, will allow CSDE and districts to evaluate and monitor attendance and participation trends that are essential to student achievement. Whether students are learning in-person or in a hybrid or remote model, the information will be used to establish systems that reach and engage all students in a way that keeps them connected with their teachers and their schools.
 
Results from the initial collection of Learning Model and Enrollment Data during the week of September 8 to 11 found that hybrid learning models were offered in a majority of public school districts and grades. In the high school grades, around 14 percent of district grades offered a fully in-person learning model while nearly 78 percent offered instruction in a hybrid format. Fully remote learning was offered in around six to eight percent of public school district grades during the week of September 8 to 11. In the 284 districts and Approved Private Special Education Providers (APSEP) who reported enrolled students during the week of September 8 to 11, approximately 32 percent of all students (around 162,000 of the nearly 510,000 students) were fully remote. The reason being that either the district was operating in a remote learning model or the parent had opted their child into full time remote learning for that week. The CSDE will continue to update the results weekly from this collection for the next few weeks and provide summary reports and district-level data.
 
In early October, the CSDE will also begin collecting student-level attendance data for the month of September.
 
 
Resources for school staff to manage stress anxiety
 
The Commission on Women, Children, Seniors, Equity & Opportunity (CWCSEO) has teamed up with education stakeholders across the state to help promote a course developed by the Yale Center for Emotional Intelligence (YCEI) on Social and Emotional Learning in Times of Uncertainty and Stress: Research-Based Strategies.
 
The course, geared toward educators, school leaders, staff, and education policy leaders, will become available to all who register, at no cost, during the last week of September and then may be taken when your time allows. It will cover strategies to manage your own stress and anxiety better this school year, while providing the best learning environment for students.  More information is available here on Yale’s website.
 
 
New online state tax filing system launched
 
Governor Ned Lamont announced the launch of a new, online tax filing and payment portal called DRS myconneCT. Certain taxes filed by businesses are included in the initial phase, and the program will include all state tax filings made with DRS in future phases.
 
Information about the portal will be included in business.ct.gov, the one-stop-shop for businesses launched in July, and is part of the broader efforts of the Lamont administration to streamline and modernize government services.
 
More information about myconneCT can be found on the DRS website.
 
Northwest Connecticut Chamber of Commerce Annual Meeting
 
Northwest Connecticut Chamber of Commerce will hold its Annual Meeting on September 25 beginning at 11:45 am.  Governor Lamont will give the keynote address and answer questions
The meeting will the 2020 Hall of Fame Inductees, John Seagrave and the late Tim Pusch. To register, http://nwctchamberofcommerce.org/events/chambers-annual-meeting/
 
 
CT’s Paid Family Leave Program launches new explanatory website
 
Governor Ned Lamont and Connecticut Paid Leave Authority have launched a new website – CTPaidLeave.org – with the goal of supporting all Connecticut residents to understand their roles, rights, and responsibilities based on Connecticut’s Paid Family and Medical Leave Act (PFMLA), which offers Connecticut workers the opportunity to take time to attend to personal and family health needs without worrying about lost income.  The Connecticut Paid Leave program is set to begin on January 1, 2021. 
 
 
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.