Stephen Meskers

With more than 600,000 lives lost across America (including over 8,000 here in Connecticut) since the start of the pandemic, we've known for some time how terrible a disease COVID-19 has become.

The long hurricane season began June 1st and is expected to be an active one. Connecticut has largely been spared from major hurricanes in recent years – for that we are thankful – but residents should always be prepared.

Over the next few days Connecticut is expected to experience extreme temperatures that have prompted heat advisories from the National Weather Service through Wednesday.

The 2021 Regular Legislative Session has come to an end, and I couldn’t be prouder of the work we have been able to accomplish as we all learned new and unprecedented ways to stay connected with each of you. This session, we passed a $46.4 billion biennium budget with a $2.3 billion surplus that is strong on taxes, offers relief from the ravages of COVID-19, helps jumpstart our economy, and invests in our cities and towns, nonprofits and working families.

The House sent a powerful piece of legislation to the Governor’s desk. S.B. 1 declares that racism is a public health crisis in our state.

This legislation will add clarity, transparency and consistency to the state zoning statutes, so towns and cities have more certainty and guidance in developing and enforcing local zoning regulations. I am happy to report that we have negotiated from a position of strength and a clear and rational approach to deal with zoning. I have carefully advocated in favor of local control and I’m confident that the bill we passed in the House will maintain that local control.