Rebecca Martinez

This year, history was made in the fight for affordable and accessible childcare. The House passed House Bill 5003, a landmark bill that will transform early childhood education in Connecticut and make childcare more affordable for thousands of families.
 

Currently, childcare costs in our state are among the highest in the nation—$18,000 per year for center-based care and $12,000 for family childcare. This bill marks a historic investment in Connecticut’s youngest residents, ensuring families can access affordable, high-quality childcare while strengthening our economy and workforce.

Key provisions include:

• Establishing the Early Childhood Education Endowment to provide relief to families, retain educators, and improve childcare facilities.
• Making childcare and preschool free for families earning up to $100,000 per year in state-funded programs, with a max co-pay of 7% for families earning above that threshold.
• Creating universal pre-K by 2032 and expanding 16,000 new preschool and infant/toddler childcare spaces to increase affordability and accessibility.
• Funding state providers at the full cost of care and ensuring pay parity for childcare educators with public school teachers.
• Providing $10 million in healthcare funding through Access Health CT for early childhood care educators.
• Committing $80 million in state bonding to build and renovate early learning centers, increasing the number of available childcare slots.

House Bill 5003 is now on its way to Governor Lamont’s desk to be signed, marking a monumental step forward for Connecticut families.

The House and Senate took bold, bipartisan action to lower electric bills, passing a comprehensive energy reform bill that will deliver more than $780 million in savings for ratepayers.

This legislation:

• Pays down COVID-era electric debt
• Cuts charges for solar, EVs, and fuel cells
• Enables smarter energy purchasing to lock in savings
• Smooths $1.2B in storm costs to avoid rate spikes
• Requires cost-saving technology reviews before costly grid projects
• Improves planning to prevent wasteful upgrades
• Supports advanced nuclear and geothermal energy
• Expands DEEP’s clean energy planning authority

There’s more work to do, but this is a great start toward making energy more affordable, reliable, and accountable for Connecticut families.

The state has made a historic investment in special education, including $30 million for the Special Education Expansion and Development (SEED) grant program, which will provide direct funding to municipalities to expand services and resources locally.

Exciting news from the state budget:

• Increased municipal aid and special education funding for Plainville, Farmington, and Southington, stabilizing town budgets, supporting students and educators, and helping taxpayers.
• Refundable tax credit of $250 through the Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) framework
• $500 refundable tax credit for home daycare owners that recognizes and sustains the vital care workforce
• No new state taxes, ensuring financial relief for Connecticut families.
• Paying down long-term debt to improve economic stability.
• Filling the rainy day fund to safeguard against future financial uncertainty.
• Maintaining a built-in surplus to strengthen our state’s fiscal health.

I am thankful to have the opportunity to do this work and deliver for our residents, ensuring that our towns receive the support they need while reducing the burden on local taxpayers.

I wanted to remind you one more time about upcoming construction that will have a major road closure and detour in Plainville. Please read below for a message from the CT Department of Transportation:

Closure and Detour of Bridge Carrying Route 72 Over Route 372 in Plainville and New Britain

CTDOT is announcing that demolition work will begin on the bridge that carries Route 72 westbound over Route 372 in Plainville resulting in a closure of Route 372 in this location starting Friday, June 20 at 6:00 p.m. through Monday, June 23, 2025, at 6:00 a.m.

Route 372/New Britain Avenue between Burnham Street and Hooker Street will be closed to all traffic the full weekend of Friday, June 20 from 6:00 p.m. to Monday, June 23, 2025, at 6:00 a.m.

DETOUR

Eastbound
Traffic will be detoured down Pine Street to Woodford Avenue, then up Crooked Street arriving back on Route 372 eastbound.
Westbound

Traffic will be detoured down Crooked Street, onto Woodford Avenue then down Pine Street, arriving back on Route 372 westbound.

TRUCK DETOUR

Eastbound
Trucks headed eastbound will turn up Farmington Avenue, right onto Northwest Drive, then right to Cooke Street, then left onto Route 372 eastbound.
Westbound

Trucks headed westbound will turn up Cooke Street, left to Northwest Drive, then left onto Farmington Avenue, then right onto Route 372 westbound.
Traffic control signing patterns, as well as Plainville Police during peak hours Saturday-Sunday will guide motorists through the detour.

Motorists should be aware that modifications or extensions to this schedule may become necessary due to weather delays or other unforeseen conditions. Motorists are advised to maintain a safe speed when driving in this area