Cristin McCarthy Vahey

Keep in mind that individual, private businesses can still require masks to be worn by patrons and customers, but the State will no longer be requiring businesses to do so. As discussed below, the new CDC and State guidance does not change the requirement for masks on airplanes, buses, trains and other specific areas.

Effective Now:

• All remaining business restrictions are lifted.
• The Department of Public Health will issue recommendations for indoor and other large outdoor events, such as concerts, as well as clarify where masking will continue after May 19.
• Alcohol can be served without food, meaning bars can reopen.
• There will be no limit to the number of people who may sit at a table indoors.

In Connecticut, 2.15 million people have received at least the first dose of the COVID vaccine, and 1.75 million, or about 48.8% of residents, have been fully vaccinated. You can find this vaccine data updated daily by clicking here.

I want to encourage any of you who have not yet been vaccinated to schedule an appointment, by clicking the button below, or going to any of the walk-up vaccine clinics in our community. Please also remember, the FDA recently approved the use of the Pfizer vaccine for teens and kids between the ages of 12 and 15.

• Schools
• Airplanes
• Buses
• Trains
• Hospitals
• Nursing homes and other high-risk environments

• Thursday, May 20, from 5:30pm to 7:30pm; Register Here
• Friday, May 21, from 8:30am to 10:30am; Register Here
• Residents can also review CSDE’s Public and Stakeholder Input Form and submit written comment to the Department’s dedicated email address: SDE.ARPESSER@ct.gov

The state previously received more than $492 million through ESSER II, which CSDE used as an opportunity to highlight its State-Level Priorities for education funding deemed critical to meeting student need. Given the new funding available and the evolving educational needs at the district and school level, Connecticut's ARP ESSER Guidance expands upon those priorities to reflect the collective call to think boldly and create transformative programs to accomplish the common goals of education renewal, learning acceleration, and enrichment for every student:

• Learning Acceleration, Academic Renewal, and Student Enrichment;
• Family and Community Connections;
• Social, Emotional, and Mental Health of the Students and of our School Staff;
• Strategic Use of Technology, Staff Development, and the Digital Divide; and
• Building Safe and Healthy Schools

• This Resolution is a proposed constitutional amendment that will allow voters to decide if the state should consider "no-excuse" Absentee voting in the future.
• This piece of legislation would increase voter accessibility and voter equity.
• HJ 58 passed with a simple majority, which means the Connecticut General Assembly will take this issue up again in 2023. If successful, voters will have the opportunity in 2024 to decide if they'd like to see "no-excuse" absentee voting in Connecticut's future.
• 34 states plus the District of Columbia offer some form of early voting.

When we moved to CT from WA state almost 20 years ago, we lost the option of a no-excuse absentee ballot. Last week I voted to take a step to let the voters decide if they would like to keep this option moving forward. As a member of the Government Administration and Elections Committee, I would have hoped the Resolution would have received the 75% super-majority needed to be seen on the 2022 ballot, but this passage, as I previously mentioned, is still one step closer to voter expansion.

HB 6355, AN ACT CONCERNING RISK PROTECTION ORDERS OR WARRANTS AND THE EFFECT OF THE ISSUANCE OF A PHYSICIAN'S EMERGENCY CERTIFICATE ON A PERSON'S ABILITY TO POSSESS FIREARMS

• This bill bolsters our current statute also known as the "Red Flag Law," which allows the temporary removal of firearms from a person deemed by a court to be a danger.
• This is a life-saving bill that will only help our state mitigate gun violence.
• After Connecticut became the first state to enact a Red Flag Law, 19 other states and the District of Columbia enacted some form of the law.

As many of you know, I have worked extensively on suicide prevention. This bill is a critical and necessary step in keeping people safe, and what a better time to pass it during Mental Health Awareness Month.

HB 6645, AN ACT CONCERNING THE STATE PLAN OF CONSERVATION AND DEVELOPMENT - and - HJ 371 RESOLUTION ADOPTING THE STATE PLAN OF CONSERVATION AND DEVELOPMENT, "CONSERVATION AND DEVELOPMENT POLICIES: THE PLAN FOR CONNECTICUT, 2018-2023"

• This bill and resolution adopt the state's POCD, while amending and extending the timeline of coverage.

HB 6485, AN ACT CONCERNING THE CONNECTICUT HYDROGEN AND ELECTRIC AUTOMOBILE PURCHASE REBATE

• This bill will require the Connecticut Hydrogen and Electric Automobile Purchase Rebate Program (CHEAPR) Board to conduct a study to understand how to best ensure equitable distribution of grants for residents hoping to purchase these vehicles.
• These hydrogen and electric cars are the way of the future, but work still needs to be done to ensure our population can access these vehicle.

HB 6110, AN ACT CONCERNING ELECTRONIC NICOTINE DELIVERY SYSTEMS AND VAPOR PRODUCTS AND ONLINE SALES AND SHIPMENT

• This bill is common sense legislation that would require online sellers of electronic nicotine delivery systems and vapor products to require ID and to ensure that the name on ID matches the name on the method of payment.
• Obtaining e-cigarettes and vaping products online is often way too easy for our younger residents – exposing our youth to a harmful and addictive practice.

HB 6633, AN ACT RESTRUCTURING UNEMPLOYMENT INSURANCE BENEFITS AND IMPROVING FUND SOLVENCY

• This bill creates a more resilient unemployment insurance trust fund that can endure future recessions.
• The pandemic, and its subsequent economic crisis, has only further demonstrated that Connecticut must create pathways that not only kick-start our recovery but facilitate an economy in which our businesses and families can thrive.

HB 5592, AN ACT REDEFINING “VETERAN” AND ESTABLISHING A QUALIFYING REVIEW BOARD

• This bill ensures LGBTQ+ veterans with less-than-honorable discharge status solely due to their sexual orientation, gender identity, or gender expression receive the benefits they are completely entitled to.
• No member of our military should face these unnecessary and discriminatory barriers to obtaining the benefits they've earned serving our country.