The 2022 Legislative Session has officially begun! I am so glad to be back in the chamber alongside my legislative colleagues and excited to get to work finding solutions to the many challenges we face - both related to COVID recovery and beyond, to move our state forward.
Yesterday, the House of Representatives took on two votes. The first was to legislate a limited state of emergency and civil preparedness so as to continue our federally enhanced Medicaid reimbursement rates and also over $30 million a month in additional Supplemental Nutritional Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits. As the new Vice Chair of the Human Services Committee, I have a new appreciation for the acute need for these programs for so many of our most vulnerable residents. These funds are not a handout from the Federal government, but rather our tax dollars being refunded from Washington to ease the hardships faced by our residents most in need. Right here in Fairfield, 7,749 children and seniors rely on this Medicaid benefit and 1,750 families depend on SNAP to access enough food. I am grateful that these resources are available to our neighbors who have been most dramatically impacted by COVID as we continue to recover from this unimaginably disruptive pandemic.
The second vote was on codifying Governor Lamont's 11 remaining executive orders. While there were several warranted components of this legislation, such as requiring testing for nursing home visitors to protect our seniors and allowing hospitals to quickly increase their number of beds, it also included a provision that allowed the Commissioner of the Dept. of Public Heath and the Commissioner of the Dept. of Education to reinstate a mask requirement should there be a catastrophic outbreak. As I shared on Tuesday, I preferred to let this executive order expire, and should there be a catastrophic variant, to have the Governor announce a new state of emergency. For this reason, I voted no on the codification of the executive orders yesterday.
The Superintendent of Fairfield Public Schools issued updated guidance today for the transition to mask optional in our schools as of February 28th. You can read that here.
| On opening day of the legislative session, House Speaker Ritter recognized the many individuals in our state who have gone above and beyond to help us navigate through the pandemic. Sands Cleary, Director of the Fairfield Health Department, is among those individuals.
Sands, along with our entire Health Department staff, all our healthcare workers, frontline workers, and emergency management team, has demonstrated an unwavering commitment to serving the Town of Fairfield and working collaboratively with other communities. We are lucky to have him and were thrilled to honor him in the chamber. |
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| How to Navigate the Legislative Session |
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| While opening day almost resembled pre-COVID sessions, throughout the month of February, the legislative process will operate like it did last year with virtual committee meetings and public hearings.
Public hearings are an impactful way for you to share your experiences directly with lawmakers and influence change. To learn more about submitting testimony and participating in public hearings, click here.
In addition to public hearings, there are numerous ways for you to stay engaged in our state's democracy. Below are just some of the resources available to you:
- The non-partisan Office of Legislative Research recently published the 2022 Major Issues report, which summarizes key issues the legislature could take up during the upcoming session.
- Read the Bulletin to find out when committees are meeting, how to provide public hearing testimony, and more.
- Register for the CGA's Bill Tracking system, here, to follow any bill as it moves through the legislative process.
- Follow CTN for live coverage of committee meetings and House and Senate floor debates.
- Are you curious about how your tax dollars are spent? The State Comptroller's OpenConnecticut web portal allows residents to track state government spending in real time.
Your voice is fundamental to the legislative process, and I hope you will continue to reach out to me to share your thoughts, ideas, and questions. |
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| Fairfield Native in the Olympics |
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| The Olympics are always exciting but especially so when two athletes are from Fairfield and Southport! Kristen Santos and Mac Forehand, both competed in the Winter Olympics in Beijing. Kristen finished #4 this morning in the 1000m speed skating event. Mac finished #11 in the Men's Big Air skiing freestyle event. What strong performances, Kristen and Mac! Fairfield is so proud of you! |
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