Newsletter
April 7, 2021In today's newsletter I wanted to touch on the following topics:
- Small Business Volunteers Needed
- Vaccine for the Homebound
- An Update on HB 6673, An Act Concerning the Retention of a Portion of the Sales Tax on Meals
- April is Sexual Assault Awareness Month
- Connecticut First Responder 9/11 Webinar Today at 5 p.m.
- Child Tax Credit Discussion Reminder
| SMALL BUSINESS VOLUNTEERS NEEDED |
If you're looking for ways to give back to the community and have small business experience why not give SCORE Connecticut a try?
SCORE volunteers help thousands of entrepreneurs start small businesses every year and achieve new levels of success in their existing businesses.
SCORE offers many types of volunteering opportunities from mentor, subject matter expert to workshop presenter and more. You can choose which areas suits you.
April is National Volunteer Month! What a great way to lend a hand to those in the community who could use the assistance in emerging from a global pandemic.
Please click on the image below for an application and more details on becoming a SCORE volunteer.
| VACCINE FOR THE HOMEBOUND |
The Connecticut Department of Public Health has created a program to bring the vaccine to those who can’t get out of their home.
Many of us have challenges in getting to clinics, hospitals or facilities to receive the vaccine. This is a great service for these folks. In fact, it's great for all of us because the one way we know we can defeat the coronavirus is to get everyone vaccinated.
If you are physically or medically unable to leave your home to get the COVID-19 shots, please fill out and submit the form here. If you fill out this form, a person in Danbury will contact you and that person will help you get a COVID-19 shot.
| AN UPDATE ON HB 6673 AN ACT CONCERNING THE RETENTION OF A PORTION OF THE SALES TAX ON MEALS |
As legislators, our life experiences and the perspective they provide often come into play when we are hearing testimony.
I know my time working in restaurants as a teenager and young adult is part of what led me to create the TakeOut Avon/Canton/Simsbury Facebook group and is frequently on my mind as we help restaurants and other small businesses recover from the pandemic.
As Vice Chair of the Finance, Revenue and Bonding Committee it was important to hear from restaurant owners and understand their struggles and how the State of Connecticut can help them move forward. I was happy Dan Meiser, Chairman of the Connecticut Restaurant Association's Board of Directors, could join us to discuss HB 6673, An Act Concerning the Retention of a Portion of the Sales Tax on Meals.
As I mentioned before I have heard from many restaurant owners that this legislation is critical to their recovery because it would allow the restaurants to retain 1 % of the sales tax they collect. While this measure is temporary, it's a "get back on your feet" way to offset the expenditure losses restaurants across the state felt. Mr. Meiser testified that we've lost 800 restaurants statewide, and hopefully, if this bill passes, we can stem that tide.
Dan and I share our thoughts on why this is not just good for restaurants, but good for our community in the video below.
| APRIL IS SEXUAL ASSAULT AWARENESS MONTH |
Warning: The following content about sexual assault may be triggering to some. Reader discretion advised.
April 1st marked the beginning of Sexual Assault Awareness Month. Sexual assault includes any type of sexual behavior that occurs without the consent of the recipient.
Every 73 seconds in the United States an individual is sexually assaulted, and every 9 minutes, this victim is a child. It is the responsibility of everyone in our community to take action towards preventing sexual assault and supporting victims.
This session, the legislature is working to pass several bills aimed at preventing sexual assault and providing additional support to victims. Two of the bills I co-sponsored to address these issues are:
- HB 6374, which expands the state’s affirmative consent laws. This bill prohibits students and employees who report an assault at a state college or university from being subject to disciplinary action for violation of an institution’s drug or alcohol policy.
- SB 1060, otherwise known as “Jennifers’ Law”, modifies several restraining order statutes. This bill incorporates the idea of “coercive control” into those statutes, which encompasses behaviors such as:
- A history or threat of physical or sexual assault
- Stalking or cyberstalking
- Intentional isolation
- Depriving the victim of money, food, housing, transportation or health care
- Compelling the victim by force or threat to engage in conduct they would not otherwise engage in
- Preventing the victim by force or threat from ending the relationship, reporting abuse or pursing legal action
SB 1060 also allows evidence of coercive control to be brought in child custody proceedings.
If you or someone you know is the victim of sexual assault, contact the 24-hour Connecticut Sexual Assault Hotline at 1-888-999-5545 (English) or 1-888-568-8332 (Spanish). Please visit endsexualviolencect.org for additional resources.
| CONNECTICUT 9/11 WEBINAR TODAY AT 5 P.M. |
This is just a reminder about today's event. If you were there on or after 9/11 you may qualify for free health care and compensation.
Want to learn more? Click on the flyer below to attend the event via zoom.
| CHILD TAX CREDIT DISCUSSION REMINDER |
I hope you can join me and the panelists next week for a discussion the Child Tax Credit: Why it's Important and How it Works.
You can register by clicking on the flyer below:
