Robyn A. Porter

It’s that time again when we start winding down the summer and begin back-to-school preparations; I want to share news and events that will ease that transition for the upcoming school year.

The Connecticut Department of Social Services (DSS), in consultation with the Connecticut State Department of Education (CSDE), this week announced that $8.8 million in special food assistance benefits is scheduled to be distributed Sunday, August 13, 2023, to the families of 57,313 children under age 6 who are enrolled in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP).

I had a great time visiting with the ladies at Wesleyan to discuss The CROWN Act and Black maternal health problems and legislation that will help overcome challenges associated with the issue.

What an awesome time had by all! The screening and discussion that followed was an educational time and a place for fellowship. I left feeling so uplifted!

I had a great time last week at "The National Night Out", hosted by the Hamden Police Department. It was a great event celebrating community and focusing on building stronger bonds between neighbors and law enforcement.

For more than 10 years, Connecticut has been a model for criminal justice reform.
Connecticut has significantly reduced its number of incarnated people, closed more than 10 prisons and kept the crime rate at its lowest level in more than 40 years. Violent crime decreased 43% from 2012 to 2021, while property crime sank 29% during the same period.

The Judiciary and Public Safety Committee held a joint forum to discuss data from an audit detailing fake traffic tickets from several members of the Connecticut State Police.

Legislators questioned officers' actions and how this may impact other areas of policing. Overall my colleagues believe that the officers in question should be held accountable and that state police need to implement a policy that dismisses officers who deliberately falsify records.