Maria Horn

I am honored and excited to announce the news that I have been asked to chair the Public Safety and Security Committee this term.  The committee has a wide range of responsibilities, but its mission to make all Connecticut residents feel safe in their homes and communities is at the core of what good government should do.  I look forward to the opportunity to bring both my own experience in law enforcement, along with the perspective of our rural community and its traditions of service, to this role, and to collaborate closely with those engaged in this work every day.
 
In addition to Public Safety & Security, I will continue to serve on the Environment Committee and I will join the Energy & Technology Committee.  There is a lot of work to do, the first part of which will be to help craft a set of new procedures that will allow us to conduct business while protecting public health.  Many Zoom conversations await, and I look forward to hearing from all of you about your priorities and concerns. 

Here’s a list of today’s topics:

• Governor Lamont signs Executive Order No. 9O. Click here.
•  Weekly update to Connecticut’s travel advisory: No changes made this week. Click here.
• Public Utilities Regulatory Authority (PURA) announces changes to rate-setting process. Click here.
• Eversource urges customers to take advantage of payment assistance programs. Click here.
• Christmas is A-Glow in Goshen. Click here.
• Connecticut first state in nation to provide access to learning devices for all PK-12 students in need. Click here.

For several additional graphs and tables containing more data, including a list of cases in every municipality, visit ct.gov/coronavirus and click the link that is labeled, “Data Tracker.”

Governor Lamont signs Executive Order No. 9O enacting the following provisions:

• Flexibility in hiring short-term substitute teachers: Allows the commissioner of the State Department of Education to suspend the statutory requirement that local school districts request and receive a waiver from the commissioner to hire short-term substitute teachers who do not have a bachelor’s degree.
• Sale of alcoholic liquor at virtual events by charitable organizations permitted: Modifies certain state laws to enable charitable organizations to sell alcoholic liquor for off-premise consumption as part of virtual fundraising events.
• Resumption of certain Judicial Branch requirements and deadlines: Amends previously enacted executive orders to resume statutory requirements and deadlines related to Supreme and Appellate Court operations and related to offers of compromise.

 
Weekly update to Connecticut’s travel advisory: No changes made this week
 
The State of Connecticut’s travel advisory – which directs incoming travelers from states and territories with a significant community spread of COVID-19 to self-quarantine for a 14-day period – is remaining the same this week as no locations are being added or removed. The list is updated once per week every Tuesday.
  
For the most up-to-date information on the regional travel advisory, including an extensive list of frequently asked questions, visit ct.gov/Coronavirus/travel.
 
Public Utilities Regulatory Authority (PURA) announces changes to rate-setting process
 
Back in the summer months, utility company customers across Connecticut saw exorbitant rate increases in their monthly bills (followed by poor storm response and communication).  Thanks to pressure from legislators and rate-payers, we successfully petitioned PURA to investigate rate increases, and passed significant legislation this summer that gave the regulatory body more tools in the rate-setting process.  This week PURA announced some decisions resulting from the investigation.  Among those results, they concluded that:

• The current approach to administrative rate adjustments is not in the public interest and inconsistent with the intent of the authorizing statutes. 
• Delivery charges will remain frozen through April 2021.
• Eversource delivery rates must remain at the June 2020 level until at least May 2021.
• If utilities over-collect from customers over the course of a year, the money will be returned in the next year (with interest).

 
Eversource urges customers to take advantage of payment assistance programs
 
Eversource is urging customers to sign up for a payment plan or assistance program to protect them from disconnection when the suspension on service disconnections ends. Income-eligible customers qualify for hardship payment plans and all customers, regardless of income, are eligible for the COVID-19 Payment Program. Any residential customers experiencing difficulty paying their utility bill should contact the call center to inquire about being coded hardship. Any customers ineligible for hardship status, including both residential and nonresidential customers, should ask about the COVID-19 Payment Program.

Eversource encourages all customers to contact the energy company at 800-286-2828 or to check their eligibility on the state income-eligibility matrix - and find out if one of the energy company’s programs below could be beneficial to them.

Hardship Programs (for income-eligible customers)

•  Winter Protection – Customer’s account is protected from service disconnection November 1st through May 1st regardless of bill payment status, with no late payment charges.
• New Start – Customers can reduce or eliminate their outstanding balance in as little as 12 months when they make on-time monthly payments and Eversource will make up the difference.  
• Matching Payment – Customers apply for the Connecticut Energy Assistance Program (CEAP) and set up an affordable monthly payment arrangement with Eversource. For every dollar a customer pays toward their bill by the agreed-upon time each month, a dollar will be credited to their past-due amount, down to a zero balance.

 
COVID-19 Payment Program (for all customers)

• Customers can pay past-due balances in flexible payment plans for up to 24 months with no down payment required. Once an active payment arrangement has been established, the account will be protected from service disconnection for the duration of the payment plan, as long as they don’t default on the arrangement. Enrollment has been extended to February 9, 2021.

  
Customers can learn more about payment programs and enroll online at Eversource.com/BillHelp. Information on the energy efficiency  programs is available at www.energizect.com.
 
Christmas is A-Glow in Goshen
 
Holiday events will continue to be different this year, with many public tree-lightings or carol singing events cancelled.  Here’s one that’s still on this year, at Action Wildlife in Goshen.  In addition to the dates on the graphic below, they have added Monday, December 7.  Also, all healthcare workers and first responders will be admitted free of charge.

Connecticut first state in nation to provide access to learning devices for all PK-12 students in need
 
Connecticut is the first state in the nation to provide a learning device to every PK-12 student in need, achieving a major milestone in the fight to close the K-12 digital divide in Connecticut, particularly as many schools move toward remote learning during the COVID-19 pandemic.
 
Since the outset of the pandemic earlier this year, every local school district has been sharing data with the State Department of Education on the number of students who indicated that they were without a learning device or internet connection in their homes. Using this data, the nonprofit organization Partnership for Connecticut spent $24 million in March to provide 60,000 laptops to high school students in need. In July, Governor Lamont launched the Everybody Learns initiative, which included a $43.5 million investment from the state’s portion of the federal CARES Act, to purchase 82,000 laptops and 44,000 at-home internet connections for Connecticut students. Combined, these two initiatives have invested more money per student in remote learning since March than all but two other states in the nation and makes Connecticut a leader among Northeast states.
 

**Download: Fact sheet on Connecticut’s efforts to close the PK-12 digital divide

 
Providing information to Connecticut residents
 
For the most up-to-date information from the State of Connecticut on COVID-19, residents are encouraged to visit ct.gov/coronavirus. Residents can also subscribe to text message alerts from the state by texting the keyword COVIDCT to 888-777.
 
Individuals who have general questions that are not answered on the website can call 2-1-1 for assistance. The hotline is available 24 hours a day and has multilingual assistance. Anyone who is out-of-state or requires a toll-free number can connect to Connecticut 2-1-1 by dialing 1-800-203-1234. This is intended to be used by individuals who are not experiencing symptoms but may have general questions related to COVID-19. Anyone who is experiencing symptoms are strongly urged to contact their medical provider.