Patricia Dillon

The Women’s Business Development Council (WBDC) announced the next round of the Equity Match Grant Program. The deadline to apply is February 28, 2023.

Today we woke to tragic news. Connecticut lost State Representative Quentin Williams (or "Q" as we called him) last night. He was a champion for Middletown and Connecticut and had just yesterday been sworn in and appointed House Chair of the Labor and Public Employees Committee. We are overcome with disbelief and heartbreak and are sending love and prayers to his family.

These laws mark the tireless work put in by my colleagues and me throughout the 2021 and 2022 Legislative Sessions to address your concerns and make necessary changes in Hartford.

With many families in Connecticut facing added financial strain due to rising prices, the legislature went into special session earlier this week to provide some relief. A bipartisan bill passed by the General Assembly and signed into law by Governor Lamont extends the current suspension of the gasoline tax, provides additional funding for energy assistance programs, and continues premium pay for frontline workers.

The state has announced a five-year, $46.6 million investment to expand small business assistance programs across Connecticut, specifically supporting small business owners who may have previously experienced barriers to accessing financial support.This initiative will also support startup businesses, which is great news for our economy.

An additional $1 Billion boost in federal funding to the Low Income Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP), allowing for more households to receive the benefit in the state, has been allocated as part of an emergency supplemental aid package recently approved by Congress.

The Connecticut Department of Social Services (DSS) will implement new eligibility benefit levels in the state’s Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) beginning October 1, 2022, which will result in an estimated 44,000 additional Connecticut residents in 17,600 households becoming eligible for the food assistance program.

State Comptroller Natalie Braswell announced that her office will transfer $3.1 billion into the rainy-day fund. This move triggers a statutory mandate that requires a one-time, special payment of $2.8 billion to be made toward the state’s unfunded pension liabilities.