Hilda E. Santiago

In almost half a year, more than 200 mass shootings have occurred in the United States. It is unthinkable that our country and communities continue to mourn the loss of innocent lives - children, elderly, worshippers, shoppers at supermarkets and malls - to senseless mass shootings.

Applications for the Child Tax Payments that was included as part of a historic $600 million in tax cuts in our 2022 state budget will open June 1, 2022.

The Connecticut Department of Public Health (DPH) is utilizing numerous options to assist families across the state access baby formula during the nationwide shortage.

I supported HB 5001 - An Act Concerning Children's Mental Health, a transformative legislation that responds directly to the youth mental health crisis, which has been exacerbated by the impacts of the pandemic, presenting itself in the form of increased rates of depression, suicide and self-harm among adolescents.

After months of negotiation and hearing input from residents across our state, I am happy to pass along great news. I am poised to vote early next week on a state budget that provides historic tax relief for parents, retirees, workers, and property owners.

The budget proposal we unveiled Wednesday offers Connecticut tax payers like you and your neighbors $600 million in tax cuts. $600 MILLION!

Our budget plan CUTS YOUR TAXES by:

To put money back into Connecticut residents' pockets, we recently passed legislation to suspend our state's gas tax and offer free bus service through June 30. The bill also created an additional Sales Tax Free Week happening this Sunday, April 10 through Saturday, April 16. If your kids are home on spring vacation, this is a great opportunity to save on their spring and summer wardrobe!

We passed an emergency-certification that will ease some of the financial burden on Connecticut residents and working families whose wallets and budgets have taken a hit due to rising gas prices and high inflation levels.