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| Dear Neighbor,
On Sunday, June 5 at 10:30 a.m., please join State Rep. Gary Turco, me, and our legislative colleagues representing Newington and West Hartford for a free bus ride and discussion about our state's climate initiatives. We'll be meeting at the Cedar Street CTfastrak Station in Newington and riding to Elmwood. From there, we'll go to GastroPark for a community conversation. The bus ride will be free. |
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| Did you know that during the pandemic, women were 4 times more likely to leave the workforce than than men to take on caregiving responsibilities while childcare centers and schools closed? Maintaining Connecticut's recovery from COVID-19 will depend on bolstering our state's childcare industry and ensuring women have ample opportunity to upgrade their skills to access better-paying careers.
Last week, Governor Lamont signed legislation into law that will offer women more pathways back into the workforce if they lost or left their jobs voluntarily during COVID-19. I was proud to co-sponsor this bill and testify in support of it during its public hearing. The Connecticut Office of Workforce Strategy will work in conjunction with the state Department of Economic and Community Development to create new programs that help women improve their changes of securing a good-paying jobs.
Women have faced a disproportionate impact of COVID-19 and the pandemic exacerbated the lack of support for women in the workforce in regards to childcare and the work women are doing, which is primarily low-wage work. Connecticut cannot maintain its economic recovery from COVID-19 if women cannot access good-paying jobs, and this bill is a step in the right direction. You can read more about this here. |
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| On Wednesday, the governor signed into law historic legislation we passed to help address the immediate, intermediate, and long-term needs of the children's mental and behavioral health system in Connecticut, a priority during the 2022 legislative session.
I proudly cosponsored HB5001, SB 1 and SB 2, which are transformative pieces of legislation that respond directly to the ongoing youth mental health crisis, which has been worsened by the impacts of the pandemic, presenting itself in the form of increased rates of depression, suicide and self-harm among adolescents.
While other states have moved to dramatically cut funding for mental health initiatives, our state is choosing to invest nearly $300 million to address the impacts COVID-19 has had on mental health. These laws passed with near unanimous support in the Connecticut General Assembly.
These laws, along with the state budget adjustment bill the governor signed in May, will strengthen our state's mental and behavioral health care system and expand access to care in our schools and communities by:
this legislation addresses these issues immediately and long term by:
- Providing grants to local schools to hire more support staff, including in the areas of mental health: social workers, psychologists, and counselors
- Funding the expansions of school-based health centers and the services they provide
- Creating new walk-ins for mental health emergencies
- Initiating a new position at the Healthcare Advocate to help families navigate care for children and adolescents
- Expanding 24/7 emergency mental health response
- Establishing state oversight and coordination of state response to kids' mental health needs
- Expanding mentorship opportunities
- Helping school-based health centers develop new mental health programming
- Assisting local schools in expanded mental health staff and access to care
- Providing mental health training to parents, students, and pediatricians
You can read more here. |
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| Today is Gun Control Awareness Day. Last year, my legislative colleagues and I passed critical updates to our groundbreaking "Red Flag" law, otherwise known as its Risk Warrant or Risk Protection Order statute, in an effort to better protect residents, families, and communities from gun violence. Key provisions of this law went into effect on June 1, 2022 and is just one way Connecticut is taking action on gun violence.
Connecticut enacted the groundbreaking Risk Protection Order statute in 1999 in response to a mass shooting at the Connecticut Lottery. While once historic, 19 states and Washington D.C. have since implemented more comprehensive and proactive legislation.
Public Act 21-67 incorporates language from these laws and closes technical loopholes to strengthen Connecticut's Risk Protection Order statute. Relevant forms to petition state courts for a risk warrant are available on the CT Judicial Branch's website using the following links.
In the wake of the recent tragedies in New York and Texas, it is particularly poignant to highlight how our state continues to lead on gun reform legislation while our federal lawmakers consistently choose not to act.
Our "Red Flag" law is just one of the common sense, life-saving solutions our state has enacted to combat gun violence.
I will continue working alongside my legislative colleagues, advocates, and community leaders to build upon our efforts to make our towns and cities safer for everyone. |
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| Applications for the Child Tax Payments that was included as part of a historic $600 million in tax cuts in our 2022 state budget are now open through July 31, 2022 - recipients will receive funds beginning in late August. |
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| Any Connecticut resident who claimed at least one dependent child under the age of 18 on their 2021 federal income tax return may be eligible to receive a maximum payment of $250 per child (for up to three children) with the following income guidelines (higher incomes may be eligible for a reduced rebate): |
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| Celebrate! West Hartford (CWH) is back this year on June 11 and 12 on the grounds of the West Hartford Town Hall!
This is a great family-oriented two-day community fair that encourages civic engagement and community spirit through the arts, entertainment, food, road races, as well as a business & non-profit expo. TCWH upholds a long tradition of collaboration among service, recreational and charitable groups, businesses, schools, and volunteers. CWH is committed to serving neighbors in need by donating a portion of proceeds to The Town That Cares and the Leisure Services Scholarship Program.
Celebrate! West Hartford is free to attend and welcomes all members of the greater-Hartford region and beyond to enjoy West Hartford. The festival features an award-winning arts & crafts fair with over 160 vendors and a business and non-profit expo with 120+ exhibitors, and so much more. To learn more, please click here.
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| Join State Senator Derek Slap and State Representatives Jillian Gilchrest, Tammy Exum and me for a Facebook Live conversation about the 2022 Legislative Session on Monday, June 6 from 7:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. This is a great opportunity to learn more about some of the bills we passed during the 2022 session and to ask questions and share ideas you may have for future legislation. Tune-in here. I hope to hear from you! |
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| As always, if I can be of assistance to you and your family, please reach out to me at 860-240-8585 or email me at Kate.Farrar@cga.ct.gov. Follow @KateforCT on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram to stay up-to-date on everything I'm doing at the Capitol!
Sincerely,
Kate Farrar
State Representative
she/her/hers |
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