Newsletter
September 15, 2021The update this week is full of information—you can tell things are back in full swing after Labor Day!
In the last week, I attended the Lion's Club 70th Anniversary in Avon, spoke to the Avon-Canton Rotary to provide a legislative update, and yesterday, bagged groceries at Shop Rite in Canton for National Hunger Awareness Month as they "Help Bag Hunger."
Please pay special attention to the information on credits to your Eversource Bill. If you or someone you know is struggling to pay their utility bills, please visit Operation Fuel here. We are celebrating Small Business Week and if you are a small business owner, you’ll find resources below. Additionally, as I always say, Shop Small and that includes not just your businesses and your restaurants, but your farms, too.
For those observing Yom Kippur, we wish you a meaningful fast and reflection.
| CREDITS FROM EVERSOURCE ON YOUR BILL |
Beginning this month, there will be bill credits applied to your Eversource bills as a result of the performance penalty assessed by the Public Utilities Regulatory Authority (PURA), which was put into place after August 2020’s Tropical Storm Isaias.
You do not need to take any action to receive this credit, it will be automatically added to your account if you qualify.
The credit is based on usage and varies by customer rate, but typical residential customers are expected to receive a few dollars per month in credit over the next 12 months. Most bills will feature a “TS Isaias Performance Penalty” on page 2 that will further explain the credit.
Additional Utility Assistance
After roughly 18 months, the pandemic moratorium on utility service disconnections is expected to end on September 15 for residential non-hardship customers, but there are still protections, assistance programs and payment plans available.
According to Eversource, the protection moratorium from shutoff for hardship customers will prevent service turnoffs between November 1 and May 1.
Apply for Aid
- If you or a member of your household has a serious or life-threatening medical condition, please call (800) 286-2628 to learn more about protection from disconnection.
- See if you are eligible for the Matching Payment Program for electric heating and gas heating, call (800) 286-2628 or click here.
- Contact Eversource under the New Start program to have your outstanding balance eliminated in as little as 12 months.
For additional assistance with your utility bill, click here or call (877) 947-3873.
| NATIONAL SMALL BUSINESS WEEK |
It's National Small Business Week, the perfect opportunity for us to recognize the hard work and accomplishments of our state’s and nation's small business owners and leaders. More than half of Americans either own or work for a small business, and they create roughly 66% of jobs in our country each year.
At a time when small businesses matter more than ever for the local economies, and remembering the hard challenges faced by business owners during the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic, please take time this week to shop at local small businesses and restaurants and support those in your community. Find a list – by category – of local businesses in our district by clicking the button below and searching the Connecticut Magazine database.
SMALL BUSINESS REOPENING RESOURCE GUIDE
If you are a local business owner, please also remember that Connecticut offers a number of programs to ensure your success. Please click the button below to access resources available to you.
CT SMALL BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT CENTER
| VETERANS STAND DOWN 2021 |
The Connecticut Department of Veterans Affairs (DVA) has announced it will hold its Veterans STAND DOWN 2021 on September 22nd, 23rd, & 24th.
STAND DOWN 2021 begins September 22, at 9:00 a.m. and it will be broadcast live on social media from the DVA Auditorium on the Rocky Hill Campus. This will be followed by informational webinars on Sept. 22nd and 23rd on a variety of topics, conducted by the DVA, Federal VA, State & Federal agencies, and community providers. To register, please click here. To view informational sessions, please click here. Click here to view the transportation schedule. For more details click on the image below.
| SEPTEMBER IS NATIONAL PREPAREDNESS MONTH |
Are you and your family properly prepared for an emergency? Don't wait until it's too late. Please click on the image below for resources that will keep you safe when disaster strikes.
| HUNGER AWARENESS MONTH |
September is also Hunger Awareness Month.
I want to say thanks to the fantastic Chuck Joseph and his entire team at ShopRite for hosting us for a great cause Tuesday morning. Their event “Help Bag Hunger” builds on their already generous support of our hungry neighbors by raising awareness and funds that will stay in our community. Thank you for having me!
| WATCH FOR ME: NEW PEDESTRIAN SAFETY LAWS GO INTO EFFECT OCTOBER 1ST |
I've heard from many of you recently about feeling unsafe in the crosswalk. We have a responsibility as pedestrians to pay attention (and not be looking down at our phones), but when we are the driver and we are near a crosswalk, we have a responsibility, too. To that end, new laws are going into effect on October 1st.
At crosswalks, drivers must yield to pedestrians who show intent to cross by extending an arm or moving into the crosswalk.
A driver or passenger cannot open a car door in a way that hits or gets in the way of a pedestrian or bicyclist. For more information, please click on the image below:
| REDUCING THE RISK OF BEING BITTEN BY MOSQUITOES |
Last week, the CT Department of Public Health announced that a third resident had tested positive for West Nile virus (WNV) infection. This patient is between 50-59 years of age, became ill during the fourth week of August with encephalitis, and is recovering. Laboratory tests confirmed the presence of antibodies to WNV. The patient is a resident of Hartford. The previous two patients are residents of Bridgeport and West Haven and became ill during the third week of August.
Both of these patients are recovering.
The Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station (CAES) also announced last week that WNV had been detected in mosquitoes from 34 towns in the state this season. Since June 21, CAES identified WNV-positive mosquitoes at trap sites in Branford, Bridgeport, Darien, Easton, Fairfield, Glastonbury, Greenwich, Hamden, Litchfield, Manchester, Middlefield, Milford, Meriden, New Britain, New Canaan, New Haven, Newington, Newtown, North Branford, North Haven, Norwalk, Orange, Ridgefield, Somers, South Windsor, Southington, Sprague, Stamford, Stratford, Waterford, West Haven, Westport, Wethersfield, Wilton.
Let's be vigilant and reduce our risk of being bitten by mosquitoes. I'm including some tips below:
| YOUTH CABINET A SUCCESS |
Saturday afternoon, we held the first meeting of my new Youth Cabinet. Spending time with these high school students was honestly the most inspiring hour of my week. We discussed issues that matter most to them and at the top of their list so far are voting, the environment, and mental health.
I am really looking forward to teaching them about the legislative process and learning from them. There is still time to apply. You can do so here.
| YOM KIPPUR |
Wishing you Tsom kal (easy fast)
