Rachel Khanna

I am so happy to be back in session to continue to fight for what’s important to you. Last week the Governor gave his State of the State address, in which he highlighted his priorities including:

• Housing – Investing in affordable housing for the workforce, seniors, supportive housing and downtown apartments;
• Workforce - Continuing to develop our workforce;
• Climate change - Keeping our energy system reliable, affordable, and healthy;
• Childcare - Expanding and upgrading early childhood services so parents can go to work knowing their young kids are well cared for;
• Medical debt elimination - Helping people eliminate their medical debt.

One thing that will affect the decisions we make in this session and the legislation we pass are the state’s fiscal guardrails. To learn more about these, watch my video below.

On Wednesday we were in session again and voted to approve $17 million in additional cold weather heating assistance funds – many residents and families who receive assistance through the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) or Operation Fuel will have access to funds to ensure they can heat their homes through the cold weather season.

This funding ensures that none of our neighbors must choose between paying their bills or staying warm.

I am committed to enhancing the safety and quality of life for all residents and will continue to do so throughout this legislative session.

On Sunday, I participated in the IRIS Run for Refugees. IRIS’s mission is to enable refugees and other displaced people to establish new lives, regain hope, and contribute to the vitality of Connecticut’s communities. Refugees are men, women and children who fled their countries of origin due to persecution. IRIS served more than 2,000 immigrants last year and welcomed over 280 newly arrived refugees!

I was pleased to join State Comptroller Sean Scanlon and Katherine Holt, Associate Director of the Center for Medicare Advocacy, and fellow legislators at Senior Healthcare forums in Greenwich and Stamford. We had an important conversation about the new prescription drug card program ArrayRx as well as the intricacies of Medicare programs.

Connecticut’s population is aging. 16% of the state’s population is 65 or older. We need to ensure that older adults have access to quality care so they can live full and productive lives.

The next Saint Catherine’s Support Circle Zoom meeting that will be at 7:00 p.m. on February 22.  The title is Key Learnings to a Successful Job Search.  As a “job seeker,” navigating the search process can take significant time and resources – and often requires flexibility of approach.  Join us in our upcoming session to learn from someone who recently lived this process and will share his experience and key findings!

The session will cover a wide range of topics from Defining your Value Proposition to Building, Maintaining, and Leveraging Your Network to Maintaining Your Self-esteem and Sanity.  Presenter Jamie Viceconte is Sr. Vice President and Head of Investment Product at Citizens Wealth Management and has worked in a broad array of roles in his career in finance and markets. 

For further meeting details and how to RSVP by Tuesday, February 20, visit the parish web site at www.stc-sta.org, go to Community Life and from there link to the St. Catherine’s Support Circle page.

Register HERE.

There will be a one-hour information session to learn about the Women's Business Development Council (WBDC) Ignite Grant on Wednesday, February 21, from 5:00 pm to 6:00 pm via Zoom, are free.

This program offers grants of up to $10,000 to women-owned businesses in the state of Connecticut that have been in business for 2 or more years.

To register for the February 21 session, click HERE.

The grant application period will be open between February 1, and March 14.

The information sessions will cover eligibility requirements, what the grant can be used for, the application process, and the timeline.

WBDC will share the application questions and the required supporting documentation.

There will also be time for questions at the end of the sessions.