One Week To Go, The Legislative Process, Roundtable Discussion On Women's Pain

January 31, 2024


 
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Dear Neighbor,

It’s hard to believe that tomorrow is February 1st (especially since it felt like January did drag a bit), and it’s a great time to remind you how the legislative process works. I’ve included information below on how a bill becomes a law (not as much fun as School House Rock) in a series of graphics. As this is a short session, the process is a bit like listening to a record at the wrong speed (I’m dating myself but I bet more than a few of you got the reference).
 
This week we had a really good information hearing on Women’s Pain especially as it relates to gynecological procedures and I highly recommend a watch as we seek to see how we, as a legislature, may be able to assist our healthcare providers.
 
Last week, I stood with my colleagues and Attorney General William Tong as he announced that the state of Connecticut will be suing the major manufacturers of PFAS. As we know this “forever chemical” is in many a water supply in our state (including in Avon and some areas of Canton) and we know that clean-up is extraordinarily expensive, I’m grateful we are going after the producers so they can bear responsibility for these cancer-causing chemicals.
 
I was interviewed recently for an I-team report on WFSB around the challenges some of our residents have faced regarding the construction of their homes by a local builder. I’m in the process of filing legislation that will help consumers and expand the dollars they can receive when they are able to prove a builder has acted inappropriately in completing a project.
 
Phew! That’s a lot for one e-news and there is certainly more below, but I hope if you’ve read this far, you know how excited I am to start session next week. I look forward to seeing many of you during the session at the Capitol as I hope you will engage and find bills that you want to testify on or about.
 
Have a great week,

Eleni
 
One Week to Go!
With the legislative session just around the corner on Wednesday, February 7th, I am committed to keeping you informed and engaged in the democratic process. 
The resources below will help you stay updated on crucial developments, events, proposed policies, and key discussions as they happen in Hartford. I urge you to please follow along and get involved.

Here's how you can stay connected and actively participate:  
  • The non-partisan Office of Legislative Research (OLR) recently released the 2024 Major Issues Report. This comprehensive document highlights and summarizes key issues the legislature could take up during the upcoming session. 
  • You can view the Connecticut General Assembly's upcoming events by checking out its schedule on the CGA official website. 
  • Follow CT-N for live coverage of committee meetings, as well as House and Senate floor debates. 
  • You can register to monitor any bill's journey as it goes through the legislative process. By signing up, you can enter the bill number and receive real-time updates. Stay informed with email notifications whenever there's a change in the bill's progress. 
  • Visit this website for information on how to testify on a bill at a public hearing.

Together, we can make a positive impact and ensure that our community's needs are represented. 
 
Refresh or Primer: The Legislative Process
Here's how it works!
 
Legislative Roundtable Discussion on Women's Reproductive and Gynecological Pain

Monday we had a long overdue and valuable discussion on women’s pain as it relates to gynecological issues and procedures. 

As legislators shared their own stories (because nearly every woman seems to have one), the experts on the panel shared their thoughts on challenges and solutions. 

One big challenge is education, and as we heard from a younger physician, women’s pain is still not a topic covered in medical school. You may be surprised to learn that pain medication wasn’t even tested on women until 1986, rather treating women as merely smaller men. 

The entire discussion was fascinating, and you can watch it here. Below, you'll see my closing comments from the event. 
 
 
The Dangers of per- and polyfluoroalkyl (PFAS) Pollution

From Attorney General William Tong’s press release last week: Joining a coalition of 22 attorneys general, Attorney General William Tong today announced his opposition to a proposed class action settlement that fails to adequately hold accountable the 3M Company (3M) for contaminating Americans’ drinking water supply. Under the proposed settlement, drinking water providers would withdraw the hundreds of lawsuits they have filed against 3M over its use of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances — commonly referred to as “PFAS” or toxic “forever chemicals” — in a wide range of consumer products and firefighting foams. PFAS are stable in the environment, resistant to degradation, persistent in soil, and known to leach into groundwater. The U.S. Geological Survey recently estimated that at least 45% of the nation’s tap water is contaminated by one or more toxic PFAS. PFAS is known to accumulate in the body and exposure to certain levels is increasingly associated with reproductive and developmental impacts, impaired immune systems, and an increased risk of some cancers. The proposed settlement is subject to court approval.

“PFAS forever chemicals are a toxic threat to public health. This proposed settlement does not come close to addressing the massive burden on our public water systems. Connecticut is acting on multiple levels of government to test, remediate, and evaluate all possible enforcement avenues to hold accountable those who created and contributed to this contamination. This settlement raises serious concerns about our sovereign rights to pursue recovery on behalf of our state, and unfairly pushes significant future liability onto our water systems. Potential class members, including Connecticut public water systems, have been given an unreasonably compressed timeframe to evaluate this proposed settlement, and I urge severe caution to all considering this option,” said Attorney General Tong.

I’m grateful that our state is taking this seriously and that though we have already begun clean up of these dangerous forever chemicals, we know we will need many more dollars to ultimately clean up our water supply, soils, and products that are made with PFAS.

Please read "CT Targets 3M, Dupont and others over PFAS pollution in water in the CT Mirror by clicking on the picture below.
 
Do You Have Money Waiting To Be Claimed?

Thursday is National Unclaimed Property Day, a great time to take a moment to see if YOU have money to claim. 

Visit CTBigList.com, Connecticut’s official unclaimed property website, to easily search for your property for free. If you find something, you can instantly file a claim. There is no time limit to claim your funds. 

Lost or forgotten money and other property is handed over to the Connecticut Office of the Treasurer for safekeeping until it can be claimed by its rightful owners. This unclaimed property can include unpaid life insurance benefits, forgotten bank accounts, utility deposits and refunds, annuities, and more. Most unclaimed property owners are individuals, but corporations, municipalities, schools, nonprofits, hospitals, and small businesses are also among those who’ve found they have money owed to them.  

Connecticut has returned more than $1 billion to rightful owners through the unclaimed property program. It’s estimated that one in seven Americans has unclaimed property waiting for them. Visit CTBigList.com today and find out if you have money coming to you, too.
 
Avon Police: Beware of Phone Scam
Please be vigilant! Avon Police say a phone scam pretending police and making demands is moving about the community.

If you are unsure about the call, you can always call the police routine line at 860-409-4200.

Click on the Patch article below to read more.
Avon Police Department
 
In the News: WFSB
As you may have heard, unfortunately, multiple towns in the Farmington Valley and therefore, many families, have been impacted by the alleged fraudulent development and construction by William Ferrigno of Sunlight Construction.
 
As the Chair of Planning and Development, I have been in discussion with municipal leaders, residents, the home builders association, and colleagues to craft a bill to ensure that this doesn’t happen again. One of the ideas we are looking at is to create benchmarks where if 50% of the homes are completed, and people are moving into, then 50% of the sidewalks, landscaping, lighting, etc. should be completed as well. As we continue to work on this, I’m grateful that WFSB’s I-Team has repeatedly covered this story and brought attention to the plight of the homeowners.

You can watch their most recent reporting, here:
 
 
Reminder: Take Your Child to the Library Day is February 3rd
Both the Avon Free Public Library, 281 Country Club Road in Avon, and Canton Public Library, 40 Dyer Avenue, Canton, are participating in the Take Your Child to the Library Day event, which was founded by the Waterford Public Library in 2011, and now includes participation from libraries across the country. For more information about TYCLD CT, please click on the image below.
The Avon Public Library will be celebrating National Eat Ice Cream for Breakfast Day as part of its event, from 10:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m., in the Storytime room.

In Canton, John McDonough & his Pumpernickel Puppets are returning to the library with another delightful puppet show beginning at 2 p.m. You can register for the event by clicking on the image below.
 
Congratulations, John Michael Chan
I was moved by a terrific story that appeared in a recent edition of Patch that focused on celebrating 11 men, including Avon's John Michael Chan, inducted into the Connecticut Veteran's Hall of Fame as part of its 2023 class!

Congratulations are certainly in order for John, an Air Force pilot and aviation instructor during the Vietnam War, and his classmates.

To read the story by Michael Lemanski, please click on the image below.
 
February is Cancer Prevention Month
Sincerely,

Eleni Kavros DeGraw
State Representative
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