Vaccine Update, Budget Update and Money for Newington Schools

February 12, 2021
Below you will find information on the following:
  • COVID-19 update
  • Vaccine update 
  • Budget Update
  • Increased access to vaccine assistance line 
  • Money for Newington Schools
  • Legislative priority survey survey
  • Turco Talk Time
  • Facebook Live Fridays 9:00AM
  • Veterans Advisory Committee 
COVID-19 UPDATE
Click Here for COVID Data Updates
Click Here for Governor Lamont's Updates
Specific Updates for Our Community
 
Town Total Cases Total Deaths Number of Tests Total Confirmed Cases
Newington 2,213 98 53,769 2,715
VACCINE UPDATE
If you are 65 to 74 years old, you can now book your appointment to receive the COVID-19 vaccine through the state’s Vaccine Appointment Assist Line (877-918-2224) as well as with some independent vaccine providers. You may also be able to book an appointment through the state’s online central system or VAMS.
BUDGET UPDATE
Governor Lamont has presented a two-year state budget to the legislature. Today’s proposal marks the first step in the budget process. From here, the legislature and its committees will review the proposed budget and make changes. There will also be a public hearing on the “budget bill”. The process will take several months to develop the 2021-2023 state budget.
In the coming weeks, the legislature's Appropriations and Finance, Revenue and Bonding Committees review the proposal and schedule public hearings on spending and revenues. You can keep track of when these public hearings take place by visiting the committee pages on the Connecticut General Assembly website. 

 

Appropriations Committee

 

Finance, Revenue and Bonding Committee

 

After the public hearings, Appropriations develops a revised budget which is then passed out of the committee. This usually happens in April. At the same time, the Finance Committee will determine if there should be any changes to the bill's revenue package.
 
Legislative leaders, typically in consultation with the Office of the Governor and the Office of Policy and Management, work to develop a final budget bill. During this time, any number of changes may be made to the budget through bipartisan negotiations.
 
The budget bill then goes before the House and Senate. Each chamber must pass the same exact version of the budget in order for the bill to move on to the next step in the process.
 
After being passed by both chambers, the legislature’s final budget must then be signed into law by the governor before the end of the fiscal year, June 30.
 
I hope you follow along as my legislative colleagues and I work, along with the public, to develop a budget that will continue to move Connecticut forward.
VACCINE HOTLINE UPDATE
125 trained contact specialists are now available to take phone calls to schedule vaccine appointments from 8a.m. to 8p.m., seven days per week. Contact specialists have the capability of booking up to 10,000 appointments at twelve locations across the state. This added capacity is very important as Connecticut begins to receive larger supplies of vaccination doses on a weekly basis and prepares to expand Phase 1b eligibility to individuals between the ages of 65-74 in the coming weeks. 
 
Here are the key points on the expansion of the Vaccine Appointment Assist Line:
  • Scheduling available seven days per week 
  • Scheduling occurs between 8a.m. - 8p.m. each day 
  • Minimal wait times 
  • Appointments being booked at 12 locations across the state 
  • Up to 10,000 appointments per week 
  • 125 contact specialists trained and answering appointment calls 
The phone number to call for vaccination scheduling is: 877-918-2224.
MONEY FOR NEWINGTON SCHOOLS
I am pleased to report that Newington will receive $1,396,747 in Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief Funds (ESSER II) as part of the second CARES act that passed in December 2020.
These funds will be used:  
  • To assist local school districts, along with state and local health departments, improve the coordinate response to prevent, prepare for and respond to the coronavirus. 
  • To address learning loss among students, including among at low-income students, minority students and those with disabilities. 
  • To develop and implement procedures and systems to improve the preparedness and response efforts of our local schools. 
  • To purchase supplies to sanitize and clean the facilities of our local schools. 
  • To plan for, coordinate and implement activities during long-term closures, including providing meals to eligible students, providing technology for online learning to all students, ensuring other educational services can continue to be provided 
  • To purchase educational technology (including hardware, software, and connectivity) 
  • To provide mental health services and support 
  • For school facility repairs and improvements to enable operation of schools to reduce risk of virus transmission and exposure to environmental health hazards, and to support student health needs.  

For more details follow this link.

The COVID-19 pandemic has had a major impact on the educational system and on the well-being of all students and educators across Connecticut and the entire country.

I look forward to this round of funding helping with the continuing effort to ease the burden on our local school districts and towns.
TURCO TALK TIME
Turco Talk Time: Criminalizing Assaulting Sports Officials 
LEGISLATIVE PRIORITY SURVEY 

The 2021 Legislative Session began on January 6th. During this time, I will face many tough choices which is why it is so important for me to get feedback from you about the most pressing issues facing Newington. I hope you will take a few minutes to complete this survey and help me better represent our district at the state capitol.

As always, please do not hesitate to contact me if you or your family is in need of assistance or if you would like to share an opinion with me. It’s an honor to serve as your state representative and I look forward to hearing from you about ways we can improve Connecticut for all of us.
FACEBOOK LIVE FRIDAYS
Join me today at 9:00AM for my weekly Facebook Live update. Please email me via gary.turco@cga.ct.gov with any questions you would like me to address as we begin the 2021 legislative session.
VETERANS ADVISORY COMMITTEE:
If you are a Newington veteran, the family member of a Newington veteran, or anyone interested in helping veterans in Newington, and across CT, then please join me on the Veteran's Affairs Advisory Committee meeting. This is an opportunity to ensure the voices of veterans and active service members are heard throughout the legislative process. Members of this committee will help inform decisions made at the state capitol and will also learn about the legislative process, bill tracking and more.

If you are interested in joining the committee, please sign-up through the link below, or email me at Gary.Turco@cga.ct.gov
Click Here to Sign up
As always, if I can be of assistance to you and your family, please don't hesitate to reach out to me at 860-240-8585 or email me at Gary.Turco@cga.ct.gov. Don't forget to "LIKE" my Facebook page for news and legislative updates!