State Capitol Update for the Week of October 3rd

October 7, 2022
Dear Friend,

This is my State Capitol update for the week of October 3rd.

If you prefer to watch rather than read, click on the play button to hear about the issues contained in this newsletter.
 
 
Earlier this week I participated in a forum on gun trafficking and violence in Connecticut organized by Senator Chris Murphy.  It took place in Bridgeport, and around the table were police detectives, the Bridgeport Chief of Police, organizations combatting community gun violence, local elected officials, and the chairs of legislative committees most directly involved in these issues.  The first thing that struck me was how important it was that we were all sitting down together, united in our aim to save our communities, and in particular young people, from becoming involved in gun crime or becoming victims to it.  We talked about gun trafficking, how easily available guns have become over the last decade, that 58% of the guns used in crime were coming in from a group of states with lax gun laws, and that those guns were often procured through bulk purchases of 20 or more guns.  Senator Murphy emphasized that the federal legislation he led imposes significant criminal penalties on gun trafficking, essentially for the first time, and how this tool might help us in Connecticut. 
 
It felt like the beginning of a conversation, and when it ended I had the opportunity to continue it with Lt. John Andrews and Lt. Jason Amato, who were seated next to me.  Both of them had made the choice to involve themselves in the lives of several young people who had been caught up in gun culture, and get to know the specifics of their lives and worlds.  They emphasized how easy it was for these kids to get ahold of guns, how carrying one made them feel invulnerable, when it actually placed them at greater risk, and how the culture was contagious, allowing a few hardened young people to affect a far greater group. 
 
The problem of gun violence, in our state and in our country, is complex, particularly when guns are so easily available.  Fighting it requires both state and federal legislation, which in Connecticut has made us all safer, but also community work that can address the trauma of gun violence, and start to chip away at a culture that has made guns desirable accessories to young people finding their way in difficult circumstances.  There are a lot of good people trying to do this work, and I look forward to continuing to work with them.
It’s a long weekend for many, and includes the Black Bear Americana Music Festival (more details below) - I hope you get to enjoy this beautiful time of year.
Here is a list of today's topics:
  • COVID-19 Weekly Update. Click here.
  • Regional Vaccination sites . Click Here
  • National Disability Employment Awareness Month. Click here
  • Breast Cancer Awareness Month. Click Here
  • Domestic Violence Awareness Month Click Here
  • Connecticut receives grant for development of program to strengthen investigations of firearms in crime. Click here
  • Farmers in all eight Connecticut counties now eligible for federal drought relief. Click here
  • National Disability Employment Awareness Month. Click here
  • October 7 is Manufacturing Day. Click here
  • Black Bear Americana Music Festival at Goshen Fairgrounds October 7-9. Click here
  • Amuse-Bouche: an Appetite for Art exhibition at David M. Hunt Library in Falls Village on October 15. Click here
  • Winsted Job Fair Postponed to Oct. 20th Click Here
COVID-19 weekly update
For several additional graphs and tables containing more data, including a list of cases in every municipality, visit ct.gov/coronavirus and click the link that is labeled, “Data Tracker.”
 
Regional Vaccination sites
 

Reminder that you do not need to live in Cornwall

There will be three upcoming 12+ COVID Vaccination Clinics at Housatonic Valley Regional High School:
  • Friday, October 7, 3:00 - 7:00 p.m.
  • Friday, October 28, 3:00 - 7:00 p.m.
  • Friday, November 18, 3:00 - 7:00 p.m.

These are each hosted by the Connecticut Department of Health with Griffin Health.  Further information can be found here:  https://portal.ct.gov/vaccine-portal/DPH-van-clinics?language=en_US
Here is some information on the new bivalent boosters that will be available: 
Pfizer Bivalent Covid Vaccine Dosing/Eligibility

  • 12 years of age and older
  • MUST have received Covid vaccine primary series
  • Eligible for bivalent booster: two months after last dose of vaccine
  • Regardless if last dose was primary series, or boosters
  • DOSE: 0.3ml DO NOT DILUTE One dose only
  • Dosing and Schedule: A single booster dose (0.3 mL) of Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 Vaccine, Bivalent may be administered at least 2 months after completion of primary vaccination or receipt of the most recent booster dose with any authorized or approved monovalent COVID-19 vaccine

Moderna Bivalent Covid Vaccine Dosing/Eligibility

  • 18 years of age and older
  • MUST have received Covid vaccine primary series
  • Eligible for bivalent booster: two months after last dose of vaccine
  • Regardless if last dose was primary series, or boosters
  • DOSE: 0.5ml DO NOT DILUTE One dose only
  • Individuals 18 years of age and older are eligible for a single booster dose of the Moderna COVID-19 Vaccine, Bivalent if it has been at least two months since they have completed primary vaccination or have received the most recent booster dose with any authorized or approved monovalent COVID-19 vaccine

Here is the CDC guidelines for these boosters <https://www.cdc.gov/media/releases/2022/s0901-covid-19-booster.html
Highlighting job opportunities during National Disability Employment Awareness Month

October is National Disability Employment Awareness Month and the state is highlighting the many resources offered in Connecticut to ensure that people with disabilities have full access to employment and involvement in their communities.

 

These resources will be on full display during Connecticut’s 10th Annual Disability Employment Resource Fair, which will be held on Friday, October 14, 2022, from 9:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. at the New Britain Senior Center (55 Pearl Street, New Britain). Co-hosted by the Connecticut Department of Labor and the Connecticut Department of Aging and Disability Services, the fair will include employers from across Connecticut who will provide information on job opportunities, as well as other partners who will provide information on programs and services for individuals with disabilities.

 

In addition to the Disability Employment Resource Fair, assistance for jobseekers is available through several other resources – both in-person and virtually – at:

  • The Connecticut Department of Labor’s American Job Centers. Appointments are recommended. More information is available at portal.ct.gov/ajc.
  • The state’s CTHires portal, which serves as a one-stop resource to search for jobs, create a resume, and find training. More information is available at cthires.com.
  • Additional job fairs are scheduled frequently across  Connecticut. For a full schedule, visit portal.ct.gov/ajc/recruitmentevents.

 

Other services that may be useful include:

  • The Kennedy Center offers travel training to residents with disabilities and seniors who wish to become more independent. This program is free for all participants.
  • The Connecticut Department of Transportation and the Connecticut Department of Aging and Disability Services are piloting an initiative to improve independence and accessibility for public transit users who have low or no vision. The Aira app provides no-cost instant access to a live Aira agent who can assist transit users who are blind or have low vision with navigation, reading signs and menus, and managing other essential travel components. More information is available at ctrides.com/aira-en.
  • The Connecticut Department of Aging and Disability Services provides assistance to help navigate federal benefits and paid employment. (For more information, click here.)
  • The Recovery Friendly Workplace initiative – a collaborative program of several state agencies – provides assistance to help workplaces support employees. More information is available at recoveryworksct.org.
Breast Cancer Awareness Month

3,550. That's the average number of new breast cancers diagnoses in Connecticut each year according to the American Cancer Society.

Learn more about the Connecticut Early Detection and Prevention Program here: https://bit.ly/3CqeGC4
Domestic Violence Awareness Month
Sadly, statistics show that 1 in 4 women & 1 in 7 men are affected by domestic violence every day. That is why I am proud that Connecticut is at the forefront in addressing this issue, passing laws that offer more support and protection to victims and survivors of domestic violence.

I am pleased Governor Ned Lamont recently announced the Connecticut Forensic Science Laboratory has been awarded a $1.2 million grant from the U.S. Department of Justice that will be used to support the timely processing of sexual assault evidence kits.

This boost will aid the laboratory in more efficient processing of forensic evidence samples, giving investigators and survivors of sexual assault timelier results. The grant will also support statewide training on sexually motivated crimes for the Connecticut Police Academy, as well as training for hospital personnel on sexual assault evidence tracking. This will help to investigate, track down, and keep perpetrators behind bars where they belong.

Our state has enacted several reforms that have helped improve processing times. The Governor's communication included in 2019, the Joyful Heart Foundation, a national nonprofit organization working in states across the country to end the nationwide backlog of untested sexual assault evidence kits, certified Connecticut as having implemented “full reform” in regards to enacting policies and procedures that improve the timely processing of these kits. This includes the adopting of all

 six pillars of reforms that the organization recommends.

Additionally in a previous legislative session, we passed a law that offers more support and protection to victims and survivors of domestic violence. We  expanded the definition of domestic violence to include coercive control. Coercive control is a pattern or behavior that can use threatening, intimidation, or exploitation to trap individuals in abusive relationships.

This expanded definition recognizes intimate partner violence can be more than physical abuse – it can take shape as emotional, psychological, and sexual abuse. This measure will help make the process of filing for restraining orders, divorce, child custody, and other family court matters easier for victims and survivors. It would also create a new legal aid program to provide legal representation for victims and survivors of domestic violence.
 
To support and help victims and survivors of domestic violence visit CTSafeConnect.org

 or call or text (888) 774-2900. Help is available 24/7. 
Connecticut receives grant for development of program to strengthen investigations of firearms in crime
 
The Connecticut Forensic Science Laboratory, a division within the Connecticut Department of Emergency Services and Public Protection, has been awarded a $700,000 grant from the U.S. Department of Justice to aid in the development of the Connecticut Crime Gun Intelligence Center. Connecticut is the first state in the nation to receive a federal grant for this purpose.
 
The center will be a unified, statewide, interagency collaboration focused on the immediate collection, management, and analysis of crime gun evidence, such as shell casings, in real time, in an effort to identify shooters, disrupt criminal activity, and to prevent future violence.
 
Its primary function will involve the creation of an interface between the Connecticut Forensic Science Laboratory’s information management system and law enforcement record management systems to share forensic data on firearms used in crimes. It will function as a collaboration between the Connecticut Forensic Science Laboratory, the Connecticut State Police, the Connecticut Gun Tracing Task Force, the FBI, the ATF, and local law enforcement agencies.
 
In particular, this interface will permit the participating law enforcement agencies with immediate access to pertinent information associated with leads that have been stored in the nationwide firearm casing database known as NIBIN (the National Integrated Ballistic Information Network). Currently, NIBIN leads are disseminated to all the agencies that are known to have been involved in a gun crime. The interface will communicate forensic results, incorporating information from CODIS (the national DNA database), AFIS (the national fingerprint database), drug, electronic evidence analysis, and other forensic evidence related to all cases that were established by the original NIBIN lead.
 
In addition to the federal grant announced today, the state budget signed into law earlier this year for the 2023 fiscal year provides $4.1 million in state and federal funding to the Connecticut Forensic Science Laboratory to help complete criminal investigations and clear accumulated court cases. These investments will provide swifter processing of crime lab cases involving DNA, computer crime, and firearms; deploy mobile lab services to crime scenes for rapid forensic analysis; and advance the state’s high-tech forensic technology to process cases with greater speed and precision.
 

Farmers in all eight Connecticut counties now eligible for federal drought relief

The U.S. Department of Agriculture has approved Governor Lamont's request to expand the natural disaster declaration for certain parts of our state due to the summer drought. Agricultural producers in all 8 Connecticut counties are eligible to apply for assistance through the Farm Service Agency to help offset production losses resulting from the drought.

With the declaration, Fairfield, Hartford, Litchfield, Middlesex, New London, and Windham counties have been designated as primary natural disaster areas due to the drought. New Haven and Tolland counties have been named contiguous disaster counties. 

While the recent rain has helped ease water concerns presently, many agricultural producers experienced crop losses and reduced yields during the summer months. 

Farm operators can apply for emergency loans and other forms of assistance through their local Farm Service Agency office. Framers have 8 months from the date of the declaration to apply for assistance. You can learn more about this here.
October 7 is Manufacturing Day
 

Connecticut Celebrates Manufacturing

               

The U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) celebrates manufacturing during month of October. A chance for manufacturers, educators, and parents to come together to raise awareness and inspire the next generation of makers, engineers, scientists, and entrepreneurs. 

We are extremely fortunate in the State of Connecticut as we celebrate a diverse manufacturing sector, making everything from high-tech aeronautics equipment and medical devices to semiconductor components and pharmaceuticals. Connecticut is currently home to 4,513 manufacturers employing 208,147 workers. We have a highly educated workforce with a strong focus on advanced manufacturing, allowing to remain a top destination for high-tech and innovative enterprises.

Tap into SBA resources to take your manufacturing small business to the next level.

Black Bear Americana Music Festival at Goshen Fairgrounds October 7-9

The Black Bear Americana Music Festival returns to the Goshen Fairgrounds (115 Old Middle Street) this weekend with a three day lineup of rock, blues, folk, bluegrass, and many other types of music that has contributed to our country’s rich and dynamic culture.

For a full schedule of events, https://www.blackbearmusicfest.com/schedule
Amuse-Bouche: an Appetite for Art exhibition at David M. Hunt Library in Falls Village on October 15
 
Amuse-bouche (pronounced *ahmooz-boosh*) is a French term that combines the words *amuser* (to amuse), and *bouche* (mouth) and refers to a single, bite-sized hors d’oeuvre that is not ordered, but served at the chef’s discretion.  

 

Featuring a cornucopia of painting, photography, and sculpture celebrating our relationship with all things culinary, organizer Garth Kobal said, “with two dozen local artists serving up small bites and generous sides, Amuse-bouche will provide flavors for every taste and comfort food for our times.”  
Winsted Job Fair Postponed To Oct 20th

 
On Thursday, October 20th from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m., Culture 4A Cause will be participating in a Job Fair in Winsted at the Northwest Community College Gym.
 
A variety of local businesses with job openings will be present. Please bring copies of your resume. Food trucks will be available. Music presented by Frank and Sam.
 
Sponsored by: Connecticut Department of Labor, Northwest Chamber of Commerce, Northwest Connecticut Community College, Northwest Regional Investment Work Force Board, Town of Winsted, and the Winchester Economic Development Board.
 
Brought to you by Culture 4A Cause, Building Community through music and the arts