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| Dear Friend,
This is my State Capitol update for the week of March 6th.
If you prefer to watch rather than read, click on the video below to hear about the issues contained in this newsletter. |
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The past week was packed with lots of meetings and hearings in Hartford, a few local events, and several in between.
A group of Salisbury residents came to Hartford for a tour of the Capitol and lunch. The League of Women Voters conducts these excellent tours, so if you or a group you are affiliated with are interested, please reach out – this week’s group from Salisbury was impressed, and I’m looking forward to a visit from Salisbury Central School later this month.
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| The Northwest Corner visited Hartford virtually this week as well, on a zoom call I arranged with Town Clerks and Registrars from across the district, to discuss the various early voting bills with the Chair of the Government Administration and Elections Committee, State Representative Matt Blumenthal. The public hearing on these bills took place the previous week, but the details are still being worked out, so it was an excellent opportunity for Rep. Blumenthal to explain the proposals in more detail, and for those gathered to provide first-hand experience of what this means in our small towns, with limited staff and space. In November 2022, CT voters expressed overwhelming support for early voting (with almost 60% of voters voting in favor). We hope to have pass a resolution this year allowing the state to provide for no-excuse absentee ballots: if we do, this resolution will appear on your ballot in November 2024. Because of the second resolution, any early voting system we create, which we hope to have in place for the municipal elections in November this year, will, in effect, be a transition period. Ultimately, if we do allow for no-excuse absentee ballots in Connecticut, the system for early voting will look very much like absentee ballots, which will make the process much more manageable for towns. But those details are all still ahead of us, so stay tuned.
And on Friday we celebrated the groundbreaking at the site of the future Federally Qualified Health Center, run by Community Health and Wellness, in North Canaan. The site is across the street from the Stop & Shop, and now has signage describing the project, which will provide both primary care and behavioral health services to all, regardless of ability to pay. It was a great turnout, and despite the fact that my obligations in Hartford made me late, the crowd was still buzzing when I arrived. This project has been a priority for many in the region for a long time, including Nancy Heaton of the Foundation for Community Health, which provided the initial seed funding of $1.4 million. The state provided an additional $3 million of bond funding to ensure the project would become a reality, and local elected officials in North Canaan have been invaluable in supporting the project and ensuring it continues to move forward. |
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| Next week features more public hearings, and International Women’s Day on March 8. I include the complete hearing schedule below, but I wanted to especially note that Monday’s public hearing in the Judiciary Committee will feature a number of gun-related bills, including the Governor’s proposals this year. Monday also features a public hearing in the Government Administration and Elections Committee, which will include a ranked choice voting proposal, and whether pizza should be the state food (yes, this is something we seem to debate every year – it gives us a light-hearted break if we need one). And there are several events related to International Women’s Day, including a breakfast with the Bipartisan Women’s Caucus on Wednesday and a press conference to discuss the year’s priorities. |
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Here’s a list of today’s topics:
- COVID-19 weekly update. Click here
- Public Hearing Schedule for this week. Click here
- Women’s History Month feature: Isabelle M. Kelley. Click here
- Tips on tax scams from the IRS. Click here
- Join the America 250 | CT Commission Community Listening Sessions. Click here
- Connecticut program on reducing student absenteeism featured as national best practice. Click here.
- Region One is hiring bus drivers. Click here
- Kent Singers 50th Anniversary celebration concert on March 19. Click here
- Judy Black Memorial Park & Gardens presents Madness @the Park on April 1. Click here
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| For graphs and tables containing data on COVID-19, including a list of cases in every municipality, visit ct.gov/coronavirus and click the link that is labeled, “Data Tracker.”
Note that the federal government is making at home test kits available free of charge. For more information, https://www.covid.gov/tests. |
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| Public Hearing schedule for March 6 – 10 |
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| Please remember that you only need to register if you wish to provide testimony. If you want to observe the hearings, you can tune in to watch the proceedings live on the committee’s YouTube channel.
You can register to testify and find more detail on this week’s public hearings, including the bills that will be heard, in this week’s CGA Bulletin. Access the Bulletin here: https://www.cga.ct.gov/asp/CGABulletin/Bulletin.asp |
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| Women’s History Month feature: Isabelle M. Kelley |
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| In honor of our recent passage of free school lunches for the rest of the academic year, Women’s History Month, and School Breakfast Week, I was interested to learn about the achievements of Isabelle M. Kelley.
Taking a job with the USDA in 1940, she took an immediate interest in helping feed needy children and families. At the time, there was no federal system in place for getting food to families in need, who instead had to rely on donation programs, handouts and bread lines.
Her first big program was the Penny Milk program, which gave children a half-pint of milk for just a penny. Later, When President John F. Kennedy wanted to establish the food stamp program, Kelley was one of four people appointed to the task force. |
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| Tips on tax scams from the IRS
This weekend featured a lot of tax preparation work in my household, so I thought I’d share the following, which was sent to us by the Chief Luiz Casanova of the Connecticut Capitol Police.
Each year, the IRS produces a list of its “Dirty Dozen” tax scams. These scams tend to spike from December through April, but they can—and do—happen year-round. It’s wise to stay on top of the latest list of common issues—and take some simple steps to stay safe from them.
Here’s a recap of a few of this year’s IRS Dirty Dozen, along with tips to protect yourself against the consequences of them:
Phishing
This includes fake emails or websites looking to steal personal information. The IRS will never send taxpayers an email about a bill or refund out of the blue.
Tip
- Don’t click on anything claiming to be from the IRS.
Phone Scams
Phone calls from criminals impersonating IRS agents remain an ongoing threat. The IRS has seen a surge of these phone scams in recent years as scam artists threaten taxpayers with police arrest, deportation, and license revocation, among other things.
Tips
- Never give out information—especially your Social Security Number—to someone claiming to represent the IRS.
- If you must, call the IRS directly; you can get the number from IRS.gov or a phone directory at your local library.
Fake Charities
Be on guard against groups masquerading as charitable organizations to attract donations from unsuspecting contributors. Be wary of charities with names similar to familiar or nationally-known organizations.
Tip
- Use tools on IRS.gov to check out the status of charitable organizations
Return Preparer Fraud
Be on the lookout for unscrupulous return preparers. Legitimate tax professionals are a vital part of the U.S. tax system. The vast majority provide honest, high-quality service. There are some dishonest preparers who operate each filing season to scam clients, perpetuate refund fraud, identity theft and other scams that hurt taxpayers. Be wary of a preparer who won’t sign the tax returns they prepare, sometimes known as ghost preparers.
By law, anyone who is paid to prepare, or assists in preparing federal tax returns, must have a valid Preparer Tax Identification Number (PTIN).
Unscrupulous tax return preparers may also: require payment in cash only and will not provide a receipt, invent income to qualify their clients for tax credits, claim fake deductions to boost the size of the refund, or direct refunds into their bank account, not the taxpayer’s account.
Tips
Unemployment Insurance Fraud
Unemployment fraud scams can pose problems that may adversely affect taxpayers in the long run, so it’s important for states, employers, and institutions to be aware of scams related to unemployment insurance:
Look out for these red flags:
- Unemployment payments are coming from a state other than the state in which the taxpayer reportedly resides or has previously worked.
- Multiple state unemployment payments are made within the same disbursement timeframe.
Offer In Compromise “Mills”
Misleading tax debt resolution companies exaggerate chances to settle tax debts for “pennies on the dollar” through an Offer in Compromise (OIC). Unscrupulous companies oversell the program to unqualified candidates so they can collect a hefty fee from taxpayers already struggling with debt. Although the OIC program helps thousands of taxpayers each year reduce their tax debt, not everyone qualifies for an OIC.
Tips
- Use the free online Offer in Compromise Pre-Qualifier tool to see if you qualify.
- Taxpayers can apply for an OIC without third-party representation; but if you do solicit help, be cautious about whom you hire.
Ransomware
Ransomware is malware—an invasive software often inadvertently downloaded by the user—targeting human and technical weaknesses to infect a potential victim’s computer, network, or server. Once downloaded, it tracks activity and once infected, ransomware looks for and locks critical or sensitive data with its own encryption.
Tips
- Cybercriminals might use a phishing email to trick a potential victim into opening a link or attachment containing the ransomware, such as solicitations to support a fake COVID-19 charity.
- Use the free, multi-factor authentication feature being offered on tax preparation software products.
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Join the America 250 | CT Commission Community Listening Sessions
| Last year, the America 250 | CT Commission was created to commemorate the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence, which will take place in 2026. The Commission is tasked with creating an inclusive and engaging commemoration where Connecticut’s residents can appreciate history's relevance and understand the diverse people of the past that all contributed to the American story.
You can play a significant role in the commemoration as the America 250 | CT Commission wants to hear from you! If you have ideas on what you would like to see from the event, please consider providing your input. |
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| Provide feedback by registering to participate via Zoom during an upcoming community listening session. |
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Provide feedback by registering to participate via Zoom during an upcoming community listening session.
- SESSION 1: Friday, March 3, 2023 from 8:30 AM - 10:00 AM
- SESSION 2: Monday, March 6, 2023 from 4:30 PM - 6:00 PM
- SESSION 3: Thursday, March 9, 2023 from 9:30 AM - 11:00 AM
- SESSION 4: Wednesday, March 15, 2023 from 3:00 PM - 4:30 PM
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| Connecticut program on reducing student absenteeism featured as national best practice |
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Connecticut’s Learner Engagement and Attendance Program (LEAP), which was created in 2021 following the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic to combat student absenteeism, is featured as a national best practice in a newly released promotional video produced by the Collaborative for Student Success, a national nonprofit organization dedicated to advocating for practices and policies that improve outcomes for all students.
Administered by the Connecticut State Department of Education (CSDE), LEAP is a home-visiting program that identifies and partners with families to improve student attendance and family engagement. Through this program, home visitors working on behalf of the state and local school districts connect directly with families and students to establish trusting relationships, help return them to a more regular form of school attendance, and assist with placement in summer, after school, and learning programs.
For more information on LEAP, visit portal.ct.gov/SDE/Chronic-Absence/Learner-Engagement-and-Attendance-Program-LEAP |
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| Region One is hiring bus drivers
All-Star Transportation is hiring school bus drivers in all towns of Region 1 - Canaan, Cornwall, Kent, North Canaan, Salisbury, and Sharon. Please see their flyer, attached below for more information.
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Kent Singers 50th Anniversary celebration concert on March 19
The Kent Singers continue to celebrate their 50th anniversary with A Jubilant Song, a concert of music about the power of song in our lives. The concert will be performed on Sunday March 19th at 3:00 pm at St. John's Episcopal Church in New Milford, CT, and will be conducted by James Knox Sutterfield.
Tickets are $20 in advance at Tickets – The Kent Singers or at the door, with children under 12 admitted free; further information available at 860-619-8110 or at The Kent Singers.
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| Judy Black Memorial Park & Gardens presents Madness @the Park on April 1
Saturday, April 1
Mark your calendar for our Madness @the Park event on Saturday, April 1!
As the NCAA Basketball Tournament, better known as “March Madness”, whittles from a field of 64 hopefuls to The Final Four teams, the Judy Black Memorial Park and Gardens invites the community to join the fun and festivities at a family-friendly event on Saturday, April 1.
In addition to a watch party for the double-header that evening, there will be basketball contests for all ages, a food truck with Game Day favorites and a Chili cook-off competition!
Join your family, friends and neighbors for an afternoon of fun as you cheer on your favorite team to victory!
Stay tuned for more details to come soon...
This event is free and open to the public. |
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| It is my honor to represent our district. I look forward to hearing from you about the issues raised in this newsletter, or any other topics you think I should know about. You can email me at maria.horn@cga.ct.gov or call me at (860)-240-8585. Thanks for reading, and I wish you a safe weekend.
Click here to forward to forward this email to a friend. |
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| Sincerely,
Maria Horn
State Representative |
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