Student Loan Reimbursement Update, Addressing Justice of the Peace Concerns

March 12, 2025



 

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Dear Neighbor,

Can you feel it in the air? We’ve all been a little happier this week as we exited the legislative office building to slightly warmer weather and sunshine.
 
Currently, most committees are concluding their public hearings and moving on to the next phase of the legislative process, the Committee Meetings, where we vote bills to the House and Senate floors for possible passage. The “money” committees of Finance, Revenue, and Bonding and Appropriations have a bit of a longer deadline and will continue to iron out pieces of the budget over the next few weeks and months.
 
In the meantime, I had the pleasure of being at Eastern Connecticut University to discuss the Student Loan Reimbursement Plan. It was great to have both students and parents, as well as college administrators in attendance. We will soon have another similar event at Central Connecticut State University.
 
I also wanted to share more details about a bill before the Planning and Development Committee regarding justices of the peace. You may recall that there was a Hartford Courant article about possible abuses happening in CT. Several members of the committee and I have been working on a bill with the Secretary of the State, Stephanie Thomas, to hopefully clean up the majority of concerns. There will be more on that below.
 
We also have a variety of events coming up that I’m sharing in this week’s edition. If you’d ever like to read previous editions of the e-news, you can find them on my website.
 
Have a great week, 

Eleni

 

An Enlightning Back and Forth With Secretary of State Stephanie Thomas

Months ago, around the time a Hartford Courant article was published, several colleagues of mine brought to my attention a growing problem in Connecticut with marriages performed by Justices of the Peace (JoPs)
 
In Connecticut, JoPs are appointed by Democrats and Republicans in their towns. The first issue is wanting to allow for unaffiliated JoPs. The second issue is that if you move from town to town, your ability to be a Justice of the Peace is not portable, and you’d have to be reappointed by the new town, but that’s only possible if there is a spot. JoPs don’t receive training (though we are handed a manual), and that has caused issues where, inadvertently, the JoP doesn’t send the paperwork to the right town, and then people find out belatedly that there is no record of their legal marriage.
 
There are other sorts of administrative issues we hope to clean up, but the much larger issue is that there seems to be fraud happening that could be related to immigration or, more nefariously, to human trafficking. During the public hearing on Monday, the committee heard how people from other states choose to get married here because we are less “regulated.” There have been reports of the same person getting married four times in one year. How could that happen? Connecticut doesn’t have a database that would show that someone is already married when they show up to be married. There have been reports of people meeting on the city or town hall steps and then walking in and getting married.
 
Last year, the legislature outlawed child marriage, and part of what this bill seeks to do is to further reduce the possibility of fraudulent marriage to protect both parties entering into marriage via a Justice of the Peace. I look forward to working on this bill to assist with all of the above.
 
Below, you’ll see an exchange I had during the public hearing with the Secretary of the State, Stephanie Thomas, on the necessity of this bill.
 
Connecticut Secretary of the State Stephanie Thomas at this week's Planning and Development Committee Public Hearing 
 

Student Loan Reimbursement Program Info Session @ Eastern

Representative Tammy Nuccio (R-Tolland) and I had a great time yesterday afternoon at Eastern Connecticut State University in Willimantic. We had the opportunity to go over the details of the program and share some of the updates to the program we hope to pass this session to make it a little more user-friendly. We shared that, to date, over $500,000 in reimbursement will be sent to Connecticut borrowers.

This bi-partisan bill has enjoyed great success so far, and we are doing our best to get the word out on it. Our next roadshow stop will be at Central Connecticut State University (details at the end of this e-news).
 

CTDOT Urges Safe and Sober Driving This St. Patrick’s Day

This St. Patrick's Day weekend, Connecticut's Department of Transportation reminds residents to celebrate responsibly and never drive impaired.


St. Patrick's Day is one of the deadliest days on our nation's roads, and the DOT has several safety tips to enjoy this holiday responsibly, including:

  • Designate a sober driver before going out, or plan to use a ride-sharing service, taxi, or public transportation to get home safely.
  • Prepare in advance by installing ride-sharing apps on your phone and saving local taxi numbers. Visit CTtransit.com for bus schedules or CTrail.com for train services across the state.
  • Be a responsible friend by taking the keys away from anyone who is impaired and helping them find a sober ride home.
  • See something, say something by calling 911 if you spot an impaired driver on the road.

Driving under the influence puts your life, along with passengers, other drivers, and pedestrians, in danger. Enjoy the holiday, and make the responsible decision this St. Patrick's Day.
 

Tree-Cutting Near Washburn Road Bridge on Thursday and Friday

The replacement of the Washburn Road Bridge is set to begin this week, but not before the pre-job tree work gets done, which will disrupt traffic on both sides.

For more details, please click on the image below for a story that appeared in Patch, 
(photo credit: Alexis Tarrazi/Patch)
 

 Reminder: March 31st: Public Information Meeting on Route 10 Bridge Replacement 

The CTDOT will host a virtual public information meeting on Monday, March 31st, at 7 p.m. to provide the public and local community the opportunity to offer comments or ask questions regarding the replacement of the bridge on Route 10 in Avon.

Construction is anticipated to begin in the spring of 2027. The estimated construction cost for this project is approximately $3.2 million, with 80% federal funds and 20% state funds. 

The meeting will take place on Zoom, and registration is required. A question and answer (Q&A) session will immediately follow the presentation, which will be recorded. For instructions on accessing the meeting and ways to provide comments and ask questions, please click HERE.

This meeting will also be live-streamed at CTDOT YouTube channel; no registration is required. Non-English language closed captioning will be available on Zoom and YouTube. The recording will also be posted immediately following the meeting in the list of CTDOT virtual public meetings HERE.

Members of the public can submit comments and questions during the two-week public comment period following the meeting. Please submit comments and questions by Monday, April 14, 2025, to DOTProject0004-0136@ct.gov. Please reference Project No. 0004-0136.
 

CT State Police Scam Alert 

The Central District Major Crime (CDMC) Headquarters has received multiple reports from Connecticut residents about phone calls from unknown male callers claiming to be members of the Connecticut State Police (CSP) or the U.S. Marshal Services.

The scammers, who speak with a thick accent, tell the victims they are under investigation for “money laundering” and request personal information over the phone. The calls appear to be coming from 860-706-5652, which is the CDMC main landline. However, these calls are NOT made by CDMC, and it's believed to be a scam attempt.

While these scam attempts are being investigated, we want to inform the public that these calls are NOT from the Connecticut State Police. Please note that Troopers and Law Enforcement Agencies will never ask for money or personal information over the phone.

If you receive a call that claims to be from the police or any other government agency, DO NOT provide any personal information. Hang up immediately and verify the call by contacting the organization directly using an official phone number.

If the call seems suspicious, report it immediately by calling 911.
 

Reminder: Small Business Lending Expo @ CCSU

For small businesses, entrepreneurs, start-ups, and existing small businesses, this one is for you! Thursday, March 27th, from 9 a.m. to noon at Central Connecticut State University's Alumni Hall.
 

Celebrating Women's History Month

Since last year, the number of women in the Connecticut State Legislature dropped more than 3%.
 
If women make up about half of the population, doesn’t it makes sense that they should have an equal voice in decisions that affect their lives? We cannot continue in the wrong direction.
 
Women bring different perspectives, priorities, and experiences to governance. Diverse leadership and representation leads to more well-rounded policies, which reflect the needs of the entire community and strengthens democracy.
 

Atta Boy: Thank You, Bocci

March 13, 1942, marks the official birthday of the U.S Army K9 Corps! To honor the service and sacrifice of U.S. Military Working Dogs, March 13th is now recognized as National K9 Veterans Day.  
 
Special shout-out to K9-Bocci of the Connecticut State Capitol Police Department K-9 Unit, who keeps us safe in the State Capitol and Legislative Office Building.
 

SLR Program Info Session @ Central on April 1st
I hope to see you there!

Sincerely,

Eleni Kavros DeGraw
State Representative

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