Jaime Foster

Operation Fuel's energy assistance program opened this week for the Winter/Spring season.

Remarks made during the January 9th Moving Beyond Implications Conference at the Legislative Office Building.

The half-day event on January 9 at the Legislative Office included 15 research presentations from academics and students from UConn, UConn School of Medicine, Trinity, and Yale, to eight standing committees of the Connecticut General Assembly, including Judiciary, Public Health, Education, and Environment. It also involved state agencies such as the Department of Public Health, Office of Policy and Management, Department of Energy and Environment, Department of Social Services, Department of Developmental Services, Department of Agriculture, and the Department of Labor.

Last week was a hard week for our little piece of Connecticut. The heart-wrenching news that came out of neighboring Somers, losing four precious children in a fast-moving fire, has been on all our minds since it happened. There are ways you can help the families impacted if you feel so inclined.

We also marked the first anniversary of the loss of a beloved friend and colleague, State Representative Quentin "Q" Williams. We grieve for his family and friends, and for the bright light that left us all too soon. 

As we ring in the new year, there are some laws that become effective on January 1 that were passed during the 2023 legislative session addressing key issue areas including early voting, health and mental health, and online privacy and data protection.

Connecticut is offering a wonderful new program that will make applying for higher education much easier - and less expensive - for graduating high school students.

Happy Holidays! I have a lot to share with you in this update, including a word on solar arrays, the groundbreaking ceremony at Windermere School in Ellington, the upcoming conference at the LOB that I'm excited about, bond funding for the Tankerhoosen in Vernon, a crumbling foundations update, new laws in effect as of January 1, 2024, and so much more!

As the only scientist in the Connecticut General Assembly, I'm proud to be partnering with the Connecticut Scholars Strategy Network (CT-SNN) and UConn's Institute for Collaboration on Health, Intervention, and Policy (InCHIP) to bring cutting-edge solutions to Connecticut’s biggest challenges and opportunities. "Moving Beyond Implications: Research into Policy" (Moving Beyond) is a first-of-its-kind conference, bringing together academics, legislators, and other policymakers ahead of the 2024 legislative session, which starts February 7.