Excited to Get to Work for You!

khan
March 18, 2022
I wanted to take this time to not only introduce myself, and say thank you for trusting me with your vote in the 5th District, but I also wanted to give you an update on my successful first two weeks in office.
 
Get to Know Me
On March 7th, I was sworn in to represent you, the 5th House District in the towns of Hartford and Windsor for the remainder of Connecticut's 2022 Legislative Session. While it was an exciting day for my family and me, it also marked a historic day for the state as I am the first Muslim member of Connecticut House.
 
As an educator and community activist, I plan on utilizing my unique experiences to address a number of community- and state-wide disparities I have witnessed, and hope to offer plans for quality education, funding for community infrastructure, and more inclusionary processes for local decision-making.
While at this point, session is underway and most committees are wrapping-up their final week of hearings and meeting ahead of deadlines, I still invite you to reach out to me with your opinions on pending legislation, ideas for enhancing State Government, or if you need assistance navigating issues with state agencies.

The best way to get ahold of me is to send an mail to Maryam.Khan@cga.ct.gov, or call me at the Capitol (860) 240-8500. I also want to urge you to follow my State Representative Facebook Page to stay up-to-date on happenings throughout the State and our community. Please make sure to periodically visit my webpage to see if you missed any email updates like this one. I look forward to hearing from- and working with you.
 
First Two Weeks in Office
On Wednesday, the House convened for session and voted on a number of significant pieces of legislation including the expansion of voter access through absentee ballots and an extension to the outdoor dining provisions. I broke down both of those pieces of legislation below.
As a member of the Aging, Children's, and Judiciary Committees, I had the opportunity to participate in my first public hearings and meetings. This is an integral part of the legislative process in order to get great bills heard on the floor of both the House and Senate.

Please also find next week's public hearing schedule below, in case any of you would like to participate.
 
Expanding Voter Access
Voting is a fundamental right that ought to be fair and accessible, but Connecticut's voting laws are needlessly restrictive when it comes to voting by absentee ballot.

Wednesday, the House passed HB 5262, An Act Revising Certain Absentee Voting Eligibility Statutes, to make it easier for voters to vote absentee if they're feeling unwell, worried about their health, or out of town on Election Day.
To be eligible to cast an absentee ballot, current law requires voters to have a physical disability or illness that prevents them from voting in person or be out of town for at least 14 hours on Election Day.

No voter should ever have to choose between protecting their health and exercising their right to vote. This proposal eases some of the eligibility restrictions for absentee ballots so that more residents can choose this method to cast their ballot.

I encourage you to track this legislation as it moves forward for a vote in the Senate. I will keep you informed with further updates.
 
Extending Outdoor Dining
During session Wednesday, House Democrats also raised and passed HB 5271, An Act Concerning The Provision Of Outdoor Food And Beverage Services And Outdoor Displays Of Goods, which extends outdoor dining provisions by an additional 13 months.

When this provision was first implemented in 2020, it was a lifeline for restaurants to safely keep their doors open and stay in business. This year, our local restaurants reached out again for assistance, requesting this provision be extended just over a year to allow them to recover as we continue to see a positive trend in returning to normalcy. My colleagues and I listened!
Despite this request and need from our community's restaurants, Republicans in the State Senate blocked the bill from being heard, delaying the final approval.

Failing to approve this bill - before the March 31st sunset date - will only create more uncertainty for restaurants still trying to recover from the pandemic. Connecticut restaurants supported healthcare workers and first responders by staying open at the height of the pandemic. Now they deserve our support!
 
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