Sales Tax Free Week is Underway

April 12, 2022


 
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Friends and Neighbors,

I hope this message finds you and yours wells. 

The 2022 session is picking up and legislative committees have approved numerous bill proposals, sending them to the House or Senate for consideration. For me to successfully advocate for the 104th District in Hartford, I need to hear from residents like you and your family. Next week, I will hold two office hours events with Senator Jorge Cabrera and State Rep. Mary Welander. During these events, you'll have the chance to share with us the issues that matter to you the most, and you'll learn about resources available to support the residents of Ansonia and Derby. 

For more information about either event, please email me at Kara.Rochelle@cga.ct.gov

Additionally, if you have not done so already, please fill out my 2022 legislative survey, here.

 
SALES TAX FREE WEEK
To put money back into Connecticut residents' pockets, we recently passed legislation to suspend our state's gas tax and offer free bus service through June 30. The bill also created an additional Sales Tax Free Week, which will end on Saturday, April 16. If your kids are home on spring vacation, this is a great opportunity to save on their spring and summer wardrobe. 
 
During this one-week sales tax holiday, retail purchases of most clothing and footwear items under $100 will be exempt from Connecticut's sales tax.

You can learn more about Connecticut’s Sales Tax Free Week, including a list of tax exempt items, here.

We hope this law alleviates some of the financial pressure on consumers' wallets, and we hope to deliver more relief this session. The legislature's Appropriations and Finance Committees are expected to announce their state budget proposals this week. Keep an eye out for updates about what these proposals could mean for consumers like you and the tax relief they may offer.

 
SPOTLIGHTING LOCAL EXCELLENCE
A huge congratulations to Emmett O'Brien Technical High School and Derby High School, which will receive funding through Connecticut's innovative Voice4Change campaign, which gave high schoolers the chance to decide how to spend $1.5 million of the American Rescue Plan Elementary and Secondary Schools Emergency Relief (ARP ESSER) funds. Students from 80 high schools across the state submitted proposals to the State Department of Education on how their school should spend $20,000. High school students then voted on the projects that SDE deemed eligible for funding. Projects must align with one of SDE's five priorities including learning acceleration; family and community connections; social-emotional and mental health; strategic use of technology; and building safe and healthy schools. 

The winning proposals for Emmett O'Brien Technical High School and Derby High School are:

  • Emmett O'Brien Technical High School's proposal will improve its courtyard area to serve as a space for school and community events as well as for studying or lunch.
  • Derby High School's proposal creates a covered outdoor space for class use during school hours, and for student and staff use after school. 

These projects will help build family and community connections and support social-emotional and mental health. These projects will have a positive, lasting impact for generations of students and our community. 

You can read more about the Voice4Change campaign and find a list of winning projects here.

 
Over the weekend, I was happy to celebrate individuals in our community who were honored during the St. Mary-St. Michael School's Alumni Recognition Dinner! While attending, I presented the honorees with state citations commending them for their community service. Congratulations to the honorees, which included: 
  • John Saccu
  • Andrea Hyde
  • Rev. Christopher Tiano
  • Art & Patsy Gerckens
  • Rebecca Keane
  • Paugassett Hook & Ladder Company No. 4
  • Mary Ellen Kelly
  • Christine Warren

These individuals are caring and dedicated community members who've touched countless lives doing right by others. Congratulations!

 
CT RENTERS' REBATE PROGRAM
If you or someone you know is elderly or disabled and currently renting housing, the Connecticut’s Renters’ Rebate Program is now open.

Applications are being accepted through October 1 and eligible renters may be able to get a rebate up to $900 for married couples and $700 for single persons.

The renters' rebate amount is based on a graduated income scale and the amount of rent and utility payments (excluding telephone) made in the calendar year prior to the year in which the renter applies. 

Here are some of the guidelines to qualify for the rebate:

  • 65 years old or above
  • 50 years old or above and the surviving spouse of a renter who at the time of the renter's death had qualified and was entitled to tax relief provided such spouse was domiciled with such renter at the time of the renters’ death
  • 18 years old or above and eligible to receive Social Security Disability benefits
  • One-year state resident

Please click here to download the application, which can be made to your town social service agency or the assessor’s office. For additional questions about the program please call their hotline at 860-418-6377 or visit the Connecticut’s Renters’ Rebate Program website for more information.

 
THE LEGISLATIVE PROCESS
Legislative committees have mostly reached their deadline to move bill proposals forward in the legislative process. What's the next step after the committee process? Above is a breakdown of the process during the legislative session. After a committee approves a bill, it will be put on the House or Senate calendar to be voted on. Once it passes in the House, it will go to the Senate, and vice versa. You can learn more about the legislative process here

You can keep track of bills, public hearings, session days, and more at cga.ct.gov.

 
COMMITTEE APPROVES JUVENILE JUSTICE BILL
Over the last 15 years, every juvenile justice bill has gone to the Governor’s desk with strong support from members on both sides of the aisle. As we work to respond to the pandemic-driven uptick in car thefts and other criminal activity that all states have experienced, House Democrats have led bipartisan discussions since last summer to develop juvenile justice reforms without undoing our recent progress.

A product of these discussions is House Bill 5417, which the Connecticut General Assembly's Judiciary Committee recently approved with bipartisan support. The proposal would make reasonable adjustments to Connecticut's existing juvenile justice laws without reverting to the failed strategies enacted decades ago. This bill would:

  • Increase funding to the Department of Emergency Services and Public Protection (DESPP) to expand Regional Police Task Forces devoted to motor vehicle crimes. (Appropriates money for regional crime reduction strategies.)
  • Work with the Judicial Branch to speed up juvenile arraignments.
  • Provide additional funding to the Judicial Branch for juvenile probation flex funding accounts to get youth on probation into afterschool, sports, or job training programs.
  • Require GPS monitoring for repeat juvenile offenders.
  • Grow Connecticut's REGIONS Programs by allocating funding to Juvenile Justice Outreach Services.
  • Provide flexibility with the 6-hour hold at a community correctional center or lock-up if an arresting officer is in the process of seeking a detention order.

H.B. 5417 is smart on crime, includes provisions to address some of the challenges law enforcement face when attempting to solve a crime, and invests in community-based programs to reduce recidivism. This bill would also establish a training program for police officers on when to apply for and issue a detention order, to require judges who decline a detention order to articulate in writing why the order was declined, and redefine car theft in Connecticut.
 
As we work to address juvenile crime in our state, we cannot fall back on the reactionary measures of our past. The House and Senate must vote on the proposal before it goes to the governor's desk for consideration. You can count on my support for this proposal.

 
COMMUNITY EVENTS
 
 
 
 
 
 

Please feel free to contact me with any thoughts and concerns you may have on Kara.Rochelle@cga.ct.gov or 1-800-842-8267. Follow my Facebook page for regular legislative updates.

All my Best,

Kara Rochelle
State Representative

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