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| Dear Neighbor,
My flowers and veggies are soaking up the rain we got this morning and while we remain in a drought, here's hoping we get some more of the wet stuff soon. In the meantime, be mindful of the water you use and if you're using fire outside anywhere, be very careful not to start an unexpected fire.
Below you'll find information on our second tax free week this year to get all of your back-to-school shopping done. I know my son has done a lot of growing this summer and new shoes are on the horizon!
CareerCT is a $70 million investment into our workforce will continue to assist our economic recovery from the pandemic with 19 different training programs, especially important for women who were so disproportionately impacted in the job market during the pandemic.
More information on lottery winners' protection, preventing lead poisoning, a program to address our healthcare worker shortage and finally, one of my favorite topics, information on expanded Farmer's Market programs that help seniors and families access fresh, healthy foods can be found below.
Wishing you a good week,
Eleni |
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| CT Sales Tax Free Week Starts Aug. 21 |
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Connecticut's 2022 Sales Tax Free Week runs from August 21 through August 27. This is a great opportunity to take the kids back-to-school shopping or to treat yourself or your loved ones while saving money.
Many retailers in Connecticut offer additional discounts on clothing and footwear during Sales Tax Free Week, providing consumers with even more savings.
During the one-week sales tax holiday, most clothing and footwear items priced under $100 are exempt from the Connecticut sales tax. The exemption during Sales Tax Free Week applies to each eligible item costing under $100, regardless of how many of those items are sold to a customer in the same transaction. The tax holiday applies to purchases made in-store, online, mail-order, and over the phone.
The sales tax holiday occurs once a year as a result of legislation passed in 2015. However, in 2022, we passed a special act to establish a one-time tax holiday that ran from April 10 to 16 to help ease some of the financial strain on residents. The law also established CT's gas tax holiday and free bus service, which have been extended through the end of November.
More information about Connecticut’s Sales Tax Holiday, including a list of exempt and taxable items, is available on the Department of Revenue Services website. |
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| CareerConneCT Program Starts |
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| I am excited to announce that CareerCT, a program I supported to help individuals whose employment was impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic, has started.
The initiative, which will benefit thousands of state residents, is funded with $70 million from the federal American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA).
Over 19 job training programs have been committed to help train targeted Connecticut workers mostly underrepresented in the workforce, including Black, Indigenous, and people of color (BIPOC), people with disabilities, the reentry population, opportunity youth, veterans, immigrants, and women. |
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| Potential job seekers will have access to several training options including opportunities in manufacturing, information technology, health care, infrastructure and clean energy, and other high-demand sectors.
Each program will include support services to promote successful completion of training and connection to employment including childcare, transportation, career advising, and other forms of case management. Training and supportive services will be available at no cost to eligible participants. |
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| CT Lottery Launches Wise Winnings Website |
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| The Connecticut Lottery is partnering with credit unions to offer lottery winners free financial advice to help make their winnings last and make a plan for a sudden windfall. The first-of-its-kind program, Wise Winnings, connects winners with a trained credit union financial counselor to develop a plan for their winnings. Lottery players who win $600 or more will receive information about Wise Winnings when they get their check. More information is available here. |
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| CT Health Horizons Program Helps Aspiring Nurses, Social Workers |
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| Connecticut has launched a new initiative to address the state's shortage of nurses and social workers. The new program, CT Health Horizons, will help support 1,200 students attain the training needed to land jobs in these high-demand fields. This program was included in the state budget we passed during the 2022 session. CT Health Horizons will offer tuition assistance for accelerated learning programs, recruit & retain faculty to expand education program capacity, and promote partnerships with employers to open more career pathways. You can read more about this program here. |
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| Protecting Children from Lead Poisoning |
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| Lead poisoning can be permanently damaging for young people. This session, I was proud to support legislation that will actively address lead poisoning among children. The governor has signed into law Public Act 22-49, which will align our state's standard on childhood lead poisoning with standards set by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and American Academy of Pediatrics. The law gradually reduces the blood lead level that triggers parental notifications and home inspections. It also empowers the state Department of Public Health to require more testing of children living in cities and towns where exposure to lead is most common. This bill takes active steps to protect our children's mental and physical health. You can read more about it here. |
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| CT Expands Food Assistance Programs |
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| Over the last two years, Connecticut House Democrats have expanded the state’s food assistance programs with the goal of ensuring that households of all income levels have access to nutritious, fresh, locally grown food, while at the same time supporting local farmers. Here are some Farmers' Market Programs that help Connecticut families.
Learn more about programs, services, and grant opportunities here. |
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Sincerely,
Eleni Kavros DeGraw
State Representative |
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