Rachel Khanna

I serve on the Transportation, Appropriations, and Government Administration and Elections Committees. On Monday, the Transportation Committee held a public hearing on SB904: An Act Concerning the Recommendations of the Office of the State Traffic Administration Within the Department of Transportation Regarding Highway Safety and HB5917: An Act Implementing the Recommendations of the Vision Zero Council. You can read more about HB5917 below. 

On Friday, the Appropriations and Education Committees held a joint public hearing on HB5003: An Act Concerning Education Funding in Connecticut. 

As the session continues to progress, there are opportunities for you to submit testimony on bills that may be of interest to you, your family, or your community. I encourage you to visit the CGA website, where you can track bills, check the public hearing calendar, and more. 

Please do not hesitate to contact my office with questions or if I can be of assistance.

In response to a dramatic rise in traffic-related casualties in recent years, a Vision Zero Council was created in 2021 to develop a statewide policy to eliminate transportation-related fatalities and injuries. This week, the Transportation Committee members discussed a bill implementing the recommendations of the Council. You can learn more about the work of the Vision Zero Council here and view the raised bill here. If you have suggestions on reducing transportation-related fatalities, please email me here.

We know all too well that pedestrian, bicycle, and automobile safety are important issues that impact our community. I look forward to working on solutions to reverse the unacceptably high number of transportation-related fatalities and injuries in the state.

Next week, Governor Lamont will be presenting his budget to the General Assembly. Of note are two proposals that the governor announced earlier in the week (you can read the announcement here).

The first proposal increases the earned income tax credit from 30.5% to 40%, which will provide an additional $44.6 million in state tax credits to approximately 211,675 low-income households.

The second proposal is a plan to restore the pass-through entity tax to its original level, which aims to provide financial relief for small business owners by increasing the credit they can claim on their returns.

I support these initiatives to put money back into the pockets of small businesses and struggling households.

The theme of this year's Black History Month, "Black Resistance," explores how African Americans have resisted historic and ongoing oppression, in all forms.

"This country was established upon the profound but simple idea that all people are created equal and should be treated equally throughout their lives. It is an idea America has never fully lived up to, but it is an idea we have never fully walked away from either," said President Biden in his 2023 Black History Month Proclamation.

• A screening of "Selma" at the Ridgefield Playhouse on February 8
• Martin Luther King, Jr convocation lecture on February 9 at Fairfield University
• Urban League of Greater Hartford's annual Black History Month Celebration on Feb. 9 from 6 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. at Mark Twain House & Museum in Hartford
• Celebrations of African music in Enfield on February 15
• African Diasporic Drumming at East Hartford Library on February 16
• The Hartford Yard Goats will be hosting a Black Business Expo on February 16, from 6 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. at the stadium in Hartford.

Find other great events across the state by clicking HERE.

Every day, not just this month, we should take time to learn more about Black history. Stand up against injustice. Offer support. Speak out.   

Greenwich Library has compiled a reading list, based on staff recommendations, of their picks for books you may want to read during Black History Month.  

I plan to attend and participate in the February 7 meeting, and I encourage the community to attend, make comments, and stay informed. You can find the Zoom link here. There is also a link to contact P&Z with comments.

Entities in Greenwich and Stamford were recently awarded CT Cultural Fund Operating Support Grants. These grants were funded by the legislature to support CT Humanities’ mission of connecting people to cultural and humanities organizations via grants, partnerships, and collaborative programs.

The grant recipients include: 

Greenwich

• Alliance Francaise of Greenwich - $10,200
• BackCountry Jazz - $9,800
• Bruce Museum - $73,700
• Chamber Players of the Greenwich Symphony - $6,300
• Greenwich Art Society - $8,500
• Greenwich Arts Council - $14,400
• Greenwich Choral Society - $9,600
• Greenwich Historical Society - $50,700
• Greenwich Symphony Orchestra - $18,300
• India Cultural Center - $12,500
• Open Arts Council - $7,700

Stamford

• Avon Theater Film Center - $32,100
• Ballet School Stamford - $7,900
• Bartlett Arboretum & Gardens - $33,000
• City of Stamford - $9,100
• Curtain Call - $29,300
• Highland Green Foundation - $9,100
• INTEMPO - $16,300
• Loft Artists Association - $5,900
• Mendelssohn Choir of Connecticut - $5,700
• My Architecture Workshops, Inc. - $6,600
• New Paradigm Theatre - $6,200
• Orchestra Lumos - $47,000
• Project Music - $12,100
• Stamford Art Association - $5,700
• Stamford Center for the Arts - $5,000
• Stamford Historical Society - $7,800
• Stamford JCC - $8,100
• Stamford Museum & Nature Center - $94,600
• The Jewish Historical Society of Fairfield County - $5,900

For a full list of organizations in Connecticut receiving grants and more information on the funding, click HERE.

It's time to pay federal and state taxes. The AARP Foundation will be providing free tax assistance to people who need it.
 
This “tax-aide” program is suited for residents over the age of 60 and both low-income and middle-income residents in town. However, it is open to anyone who needs it, with no age or income limitations. You do not need to be an AARP member to participate.
 
The program is free, but appointments are required. Anyone interested in utilizing this program should call 203-548-7710 or email greenwichtaxaid@gmail.com.
 
The program is being offered until April 14 and appointments are available Tuesday through Friday, between 9 a.m. and 2 p.m. The work will be done at Town Hall in the Hayton Conference Room on the third floor.
 
Pre-appointment forms can be obtained at Town Hall at both the front desk in the lobby and in the Human Services Department. The forms are also available at the Senior Center at 299 Greenwich Avenue.

Among the 140 libraries taking part are several local libraries:

• Greenwich Library - Musical Storytime with Julie Stepanek at 10 a.m.
• Perrot Memorial Library (Old Greenwich) - The library will be holding a scavenger hunt, as well as offering a raffle for a bundle of books for different ages.
• Ferguson Library (Stamford) - Family Storytime on Feb. 4, Black History Storytime with Orchestra Lumos on Feb. 11 (other dates to be announced)

To learn more about Take Your Child to the Library Day or to see what other local libraries are doing to celebrate, visit https://takeyourchildtothelibrary.org/ct 

Click the graphic below to connect to a YouTube video on the role children's librarians play in early literacy.  

Hall is an award-winning television and radio broadcaster, author, political activist and financial educator. His numerous BBC radio programs include The Tulsa Tragedy that Shamed America, The Green Book, and Jay-Z: From Brooklyn to the Board Room. For five years he hosted the highly rated and award-winning BBC series Your Money or Your Life. He lives in New York City.
 
This event is free and open to the public, but registration is required.

Monday, February 27
6:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m.
Main Library, DiMattia Building
Dudley N. Williams, Jr. Auditorium