Maria Horn

Around 3:00 am this morning, after 16 hours of debate, the CT House voted (by a bipartisan 90-53) to eliminate the religious exemption from mandatory vaccinations for public and private schools, while grandfathering in any children currently enrolled in kindergarten through 12th grade, and expanding the medical exemption. Along the way, before the final vote, we considered seven different amendments, two of which (both concerning grandfathering) passed.
 
It was an emotionally charged debate, including two 24-hour long public hearings (one in person pre-pandemic, and one on zoom this year), and numerous committee meetings, zoom calls, and emails. I have heard from many of you, with a range of perspectives, some deeply held and coming from a place of anxiety about the health of your children and other family members, but coming to diametrically opposed positions.

The amendment I co-sponsored to “grandfather” in current students beginning in kindergarten was a hard-fought compromise, which neither side was entirely happy with, helped limit the disruption to current students whose education has already been severely disrupted this year, while committing the state to improving the public health and safety of our schools for all students and teachers, particularly those who are medically vulnerable.
 
Next it will go to the Senate, and then the Governor, who has said he will support the legislation.

And just a few minutes ago, a Minneapolis jury returned guilty verdicts on all three charges in the trial of Officer Derek Chauvin for the death of George Floyd, after a relatively quick deliberation.  It remains a powerfully resonant moment for me when a defendant, who walked into court a free man, is taken into custody after a guilty verdict is read.

 It is a moment of accountability, which comes as a result of the good work of many, from the young woman who got out her camera and recorded George Floyd’s death, to the prosecutors who put on an excellent case, the jury who took up this challenge, and many, many others in the community who took responsibility onto their own shoulders in order to make our communities safer, and better.  
 
Here’s a list of today’s topics:

• Governor Lamont announces Plans to Further ease some COVID-related Restrictions. Click here. 
• Emergency Broadband Benefit Program. Click here.
• Virtual Event with American Mural Project. Click here.
• SBA Announces Official Restaurant Revitalization Fund Application and Guidelines. Click here. 
• Green Jobs Resources from Housatonic Valley Regional High School. Click here. 
• Earth Day Reminder. 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.”
 

Specific Updates for Our Community

 

Town	Total Cases	Total Deaths	Number of Tests	Number of Positive Tests
Canaan	11	0	792	16
Cornwall	46	0	2,150	54
Goshen	147	1	5,075	179
Kent	160	0	11,455	193
Norfolk	64	0	2,265	74
North Canaan	201	8	10,047	227
Salisbury	140	0	11,525	169
Sharon	107	1	5,276	145
Torrington	3,385	138	88,203	4,142

Governor Lamont announces plans to further ease some COVID-related restrictions
 
Governor Lamont announced that over the coming weeks he plans to further ease some of the restrictions on certain sectors that were put into effect at the outset of the COVID-19 pandemic. These include:
 
Effective May 1, 2021:
 

• Bars that do not serve food can open for service on an outdoor-only basis. These establishments will still be prohibited from serving only alcohol indoors.
• The 8-person per table limit will be lifted for outdoors only. This limit will remain in effect for indoor service.
• The curfew for restaurants, entertainment venues, recreation venues, and theaters will be moved back an hour to midnight.

Effective May 19, 2021:
 

• Contingent upon sufficiently low rates of infections and increasing vaccination rates, all remaining business restrictions will be lifted. The Department of Public Health will issue recommendations for indoor and other large outdoor events, such as concerts, as well as clarify where masking will continue after May 19.

Emergency Broadband Benefit program

The Emergency Broadband Benefit is an FCC program to help households struggling to pay for internet service during the pandemic. This new benefit will connect eligible households to jobs, critical healthcare services, and virtual classrooms.

The Emergency Broadband Benefit will provide a discount of up to $50 per month towards broadband service for eligible households and up to $75 per month for households on Tribal lands. Eligible households can also receive a one-time discount of up to $100 to purchase a laptop, desktop computer, or tablet from participating providers if they contribute more than $10 and less than $50 toward the purchase price.

The Emergency Broadband Benefit is limited to one monthly service discount and one device discount per household.
 

Who Is Eligible for the Emergency Broadband Benefit Program?

A household is eligible if one member of the household meets at least one of the criteria below:

• Qualifies for the Lifeline program;
• Receives benefits under the free and reduced-price school lunch program or the school breakfast program, including through the USDA Community Eligibility Provision, or did so in the 2019-2020 school year;
• Received a Federal Pell Grant during the current award year;
• Experienced a substantial loss of income since February 29, 2020 and the household had a total income in 2020 below $99,000 for single filers and $198,000 for joint filers; or
• Meets the eligibility criteria for a participating providers' existing low-income or COVID-19 program.

When Can I Sign Up for the Benefit? 

The program has been authorized by the FCC, but the start date has not yet been established. The FCC is working to make the benefit available as quickly as possible.
Check out the Broadband Benefit Consumer FAQ for more information about the benefit and please continue to check this page for program updates.

A Tribute to American Workers: The American Mural Project’s first virtual event on April 28
 
The American Mural Project will host its first virtual event, A Tribute to American Workers, featuring journalist John Dankosky and actor Geoffrey Owens, on Wednesday, April 28 from 8-9pm. 

The power and beauty of this art installation in Winsted is extraordinary, and I’m certain their first virtual event (which is free of charge) will be equally compelling.  For more information, visit their website.

SBA Announces Official Restaurant Revitalization Fund Application and Guidelines

The restaurant industry has been among the hardest-hit sectors during the economic downturn caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. To help bring jobs back and revive the industry, the American Rescue Plan, signed into law by President Joe Biden, established the $28.6 billion Restaurant Revitalization Fund at the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA). The SBA will administer the funds to the hardest-hit small restaurants.

Under this announcement, details on application requirements, eligibility, and a program guide are now available in English at www.sba.gov/restaurants or in Spanish at www.sba.gov/restaurantes.
 
Green jobs resources from Housatonic Valley Regional High School
 
Housatonic Valley Regional High School Career Experience Program presents Earth Day 2021: Getting Started in a Green Career, providing resources to help students find green jobs and other resources that can help “heat up your career, not the planet!”

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.