| Due to the efficient speed of Connecticut’s vaccine rollout, Governor Lamont announced that the state plans to accelerate its vaccine program even further.
All adults in Connecticut over the age of 16 will now be eligible to schedule a vaccination appointment beginning April 1, 2021! |
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| TESTIMONY TO PHASE-OUT INCOME TAX FOR SENIORS |
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| Please see my testimony below in opposition of a component of HB 6443. This proposal would pause the already agreed upon phase-out of personal income tax on certain retirement income such as pensions and annuities for our moderate-income seniors.
Along with the pandemic has come a boon to our housing market, driving up property values, and therefore, property taxes, for many communities. While this might be great for grand list growth, it can be devastating for seniors on a fixed income. I know that it is a common goal for us all to support our seniors and also to work to make our state more affordable. This retirement income tax phase-out was a significant move toward affordability for our seniors and must be protected.
I also advocated for IRAs to be included in exempt retirement income and that the thresholds for qualifying for the phase-out be approached marginally, as is done at the federal level. As of right now, there is a dollar threshold and if one meets it, they get the benefit, and if one doesn’t meet it, they miss out on the benefit entirely. Taking a marginal bracket approach could help many more seniors afford to remain in our communities. If you agree that the legislature should protect this phase-out as previously scheduled, please contact the Finance Committee at this email: fintestimony@cga.ct.gov |
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| REP. LEEPER JOINS FAIRFIELD SENIOR ADVOCATES IN AGING DISCUSSION |
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This Tuesday, March 30th, from 4:00 - 5:00 pm, join me and the Chair of the Aging Committee, Rep. Phipps, for an informative Zoom Session to discuss key aging-related legislation and to obtain community input on how these proposals impact seniors and their families.
In this discussion we will address:
• An act concerning an income tax deduction for the cost of home health care
• An act expanding eligibility for the Alzeimer's disease respite program
• An act permitting the spouse of an institutionalized Medicaid recipient to retain the maximum amount of allowable assets
• An act increasing funding for aging in place initiatives |
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| SAVE THE DATE FOR A CONVERSATION AROUND ZONING |
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| There has been significant debate around proposed changes to zoning laws this session. The bills before the Planning and Zoning Committee will be finalized by April 5th. I hope you will join me on April 7th as we discuss what has made it out of committee and how that could impact our community. I am still finalizing the details of this event and I will share a link as soon as it's available, but wanted you to be able to save the date. |
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| MAIN STREET WORKING GROUP EVENT |
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| I invite you to attend the Main Street Working Group's upcoming webinar, Advocating for Main Street, on April 7th at 10:00 am.
In this webinar, I and my co-chairs, Reps. Garibay and Phipps, will discuss our mission to revitalize and enhance downtowns, town villages, and neighborhood commercial corridors throughout the state.
Sign up here: http://events.constantcontact.com/register/event?llr=yk5qklbab&oeidk=a07eholz9hh1c170807 |
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| Please see the report below for a budget update from the Office of Fiscal Analysis. It appears that Connecticut is projected to have a $244.9 million surplus FY 21! |
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| To learn more, please click here. |
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| Have a question or concern you would like to discuss? Please sign up for my office hours on Saturday, April 3rd, 9:00 - 11:00AM or Tuesday, April 13th, 6:00 - 7:30PM, so we can have a conversation. |
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| Wednesday was Equal Pay Day—a day that marks the point at which it takes a woman, on average, to earn what her male counterpart did the year before. In 2020, a woman in Connecticut earned only $0.83 for every dollar that a white, non-Hispanic man made. |
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This wage gap exists regardless of where women live, what industry they work in, or their education level. The gap increases in severity for minority women. The high unemployment rate during the pandemic is expected to only exacerbate these disparities.
In Connecticut and nationwide, the wage gap still exists due to gender and racial discrimination, women’s overrepresentation in low-wage jobs and underrepresentation in high-paying jobs, and economic barriers with caregiving responsibilities.
Over the years, Connecticut has taken significant steps to address the wage inequality, most notability the recent passage and implementation of paid family medical leave was a significant step for women’s ability to stay in the workforce. But, if we don’t do our part for working women in this moment of the COVID-19 crisis, we will revert back decades in terms of women’s fair pay.
This session we are working to address income inequality through a number of legislative proposals, including H.B. 6380, which requires employers to provide job applicants and employees with salary ranges for vacant positions. With a high-end salary range, women are able to base their salary negotiations on an industry standard rather than their historical salaries which are often artificially lower from years of inequitable treatment in the workforce.
It’s time for us to close the gap and ensure that women receive equal pay for equal work. |
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| We are about halfway through the 2021 Legislative Session. This session, we are working on a variety of legislative items to help Connecticut during these unprecedented times. Many of the bills will affect your family and our district, which is why it is so important for me to hear directly from you what your top priorities are. I hope you will take a few minutes to complete this survey so that I can better represent our district at the state capitol. |
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Tuesday was National Puppy Day! Penelope, you might be getting older, but you’ll always be a puppy to us.  #nationalpuppyday |
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