Maria Horn

Apparently, yesterday was National Connecticut Day – I’m not sure what the traditional means of celebrating the occasion is, but I honored it by making the rounds of the 64th district in the last week, including a 4-H fair, a sidewalk sale, a couple of library events, and a crafts fair, among others.

Having just returned from my annual family get together in New Hampshire, which involved a lot of kayaking, hiking, cooking, and talking, followed by a reunion dinner with 7 of my closest colleagues from my days as a federal prosecutor (there is certainly a lot of news to chew on among that group) I don’t have much other news to report, but the weekend ahead is packed full of local events at which I expect to catch up!

As I was getting ready to leave this morning for a family trip to New Hampshire, one of the items on my to-do list was to some harvesting from my vegetable garden: some to take with me, and some (including a LOT of green beans – I always plant too many) to find local homes for.

Given the past couple of weeks, today’s sunshine, mild temperatures, and clear air were especially glorious to experience. Climate change, with the weather volatility and rising temperatures that go with it, has been a mounting challenge for decades, and we are now experiencing it in a direct and visceral way. Though much of the water has receded, there are still flood conditions to be found throughout the region (including on my hike this morning in Skiff Mountain South Preserve in Kent).

This has been a week for us to feel the impact of global climate change, with previous drought conditions being supplanted by torrential rains which dumped historic levels of water in a short period of time on Sunday and Monday. The water caused significant flooding, damaging local roads and bridges, and causing significant destruction for local farms, not to mention the many flooded basements. I’ve spent a significant amount of time this week speaking with First Selectmen, road crews, the Governor’s office, and the Commissioner of Transportation as we figure out how to provide help to towns and residents and start to repair the damage.

Yesterday I made an impromptu trip to Hartford to attend the press conference of my colleague, Representative Maryam Khan, at which she gave a full account of the recent violent attack she suffered when emerging with her three children from an Eid prayer service at the XL Center in Hartford. Part of the reason she chose to give that press conference was that accounts of the attack in the media, based on the police report, had minimized the nature of the attack, and what she experienced in its aftermath, in ways that she felt it was necessary to correct.

As we digest what we accomplished in this year’s legislative session, we’re all translating those statewide laws into the impact they will have on each district. There are a number of laws that will take effect on July 1, for example.

Earlier this week, the budget was signed at an official ceremony in the Governor’s office. There was a significant feeling of accomplishment reflected in the smiles in the room, on the faces of a bipartisan set of elected officials, and staff who worked hard to craft this document.