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Dear Friend,
This is my State Capitol update for the week of July 3rd.
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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Yesterday I made an impromptu trip to Hartford to attend the press conference of my colleague, Representative Maryam Khan, at which she gave a full account of the recent violent attack she suffered when emerging with her three children from an Eid prayer service at the XL Center in Hartford. Part of the reason she chose to give that press conference was that accounts of the attack in the media, based on the police report, had minimized the nature of the attack, and what she experienced in its aftermath, in ways that she felt it was necessary to correct.
Her account, which was painful and emotional for her to share, can be found in many of the articles written in the wake of the press conference (for example, here), but one major takeaway for me was the importance of listening, with full attention, to people who are sharing a traumatic experience. We all make judgements about one another, in good, bad, and unavoidable ways, and we know that certain voices and narratives are amplified in some settings, while others are dismissed, belittled, or misunderstood. Certain voices simply do not get heard as loudly and clearly as others, and our long history reflects that, both in terms of events themselves and the recounting of them.
We are still very much in the middle of the inquiry into this event, and there is much we may never know about motivations and intentions, but I hope and expect there is a lot of listening going on right now. I commend officials for holding off on conclusions until facts can be understood more fully, and we can create something positive out of this traumatic and searing experience.
I wanted to reach back and highlight a local event I participated in recently, which was a panel discussion organized by IGNITE International as part of the SHAG, a multi-day event held at Spring Hill Vineyards in Washington, CT. IGNITE is an organization which trains young women to discover and flex their political power. The panel was moderated by Zunera Amhed, a, IGNITE board member, and I was joined on the panel by Senator Pat Miller of Stamford, and Jessica Weaver, who serves on the Newington School Board. It was a great conversation, and a reminder of the importance of getting young leaders elected to local boards and commissions as they start their careers. The venue was also spectacular, and I look forward to finding more reasons to return to the newest town the district I represent!
In terms of upcoming events, in addition to Canaan Railroad Days and Cornwall’s JulyFest (both described more fully below), this Sunday, Sharon Ambulance Service is holding their pancake breakfast. Not a bad place to stop by and get some tips on taking care in this heat!
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Table of contents:
- COVID-19 weekly update. Click here
- Extreme Heat Advisory in effect. Click here
- How to Stay Cool During Extreme Heat. Click here
- Time To Own Program . Click here.
- Connecticut receives federal agriculture disaster declation due to sub-freezing weather event this spring. Click here
- McCall Behavioral Health Network awarded $1.4 million for Family Wellness Center. Click here.
- Connecticut Firefighters deployed to fight Canadian wildfires. Click here
- CT’s Summer at the Museum is back. Click here
- Canaan Railroad Days - July 12 - 21, 2023. Click here
- Cornwall Park & Recreation presents 2023 July Fest Celebration on July 21. Click here
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For graphs and tables containing data on COVID-19, including a list of cases in every municipality click the button below.
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An extreme heat advisory is in effect, continuing through 8:00 p.m. on Friday, July 7th
Your body is working harder than usual to maintain a normal body temperature. Extreme heat is responsible for the highest number of annual deaths among all weather-related hazards - so stay safe and hydrated.
Visit ready.gov/heat to learn more about risks and safety measures. |
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CT is feeling the heat! Here are some safety tips to keep in mind during the extreme heat advisory.🌡️
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Great news for first-time homeowners! An additional $20 million has been added to the Connecticut Housing Finance Authority's (CHFA) Time To Own Program. Funding for the program - which offers down payment assistance to low- and moderate-income homebuyers in Connecticut - now stands at $80 million, with over $21.5 million currently available for loan reservations.
Eligibility requirements for the program include:
- Meeting financial need specifications
- Qualifying for and receiving a CHFA first mortgage
- Being a current resident of Connecticut and demonstrating residency for the most recent three years
The impact of this program will reverberate in the short- and long-term for Connecticut residents; not only will there be a new generation of homeowners, but these residents will begin the process of building inter-generational wealth to pass on to the next generation.
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Other benefits of the program include:
- A 0% interest rate with no monthly payment required
- 10% of the loan balance forgiven annually until it is fully forgiven on the tenth anniversary
Financing for up to 20% of a down payment and 5% of closing costs
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Connecticut has received notification from U.S. Department of Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack informing him that the request had been approved for Connecticut to receive a federal agricultural disaster declaration due to the impact of the abnormal, sub-freezing weather event that occurred in the early morning hours of May 18, 2023.
This declaration means that farmers in all eight of Connecticut’s counties can apply for disaster assistance from the Farm Service Agency, such as emergency loans, to cover production losses they experienced because of the unusually cold temperatures that spring morning, provided that certain eligibility requirements are met.
Farmers will have eight months from the date of this secretarial disaster declaration to apply for emergency loans. The Farm Service Agency considers each emergency loan application on its own merits, taking into account the extent of production losses on the farm and the security and repayment ability of the operator. Farmers interested in applying for assistance must contact their local Farm Service Agency office.
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| McCall Behavioral Health Network awarded $1.4 million for Family Wellness Center |
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Last week I was so glad to celebrate the fact that McCall Behavioral Health Center in Torrington had been awarded $1,421,250 in Community Investment Funds for the Family Wellness Center.
The award supports the restoration and renovation of a 7,000 square foot vacant historic property in the Torrington Historic District. The Wellness Center will allow for three current lines of service to be housed in a single location, reducing barriers of access for families. The Center’s programs will focus service provision on providing access to Spanish speaking families.
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The Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection (DEEP)’s Forestry Division coordinated a mobilization of four Connecticut Interstate Fire Crew (CIFC) firefighters to fight wildfires in Quebec, Canada.
The group is part of a 20-person crew under the mutual aid Northeastern Forest Fire Protection Compact, known as the Northeast Compact, that deployed from DEEP’s Eastern District Headquarters in Marlborough Wednesday morning.
The CIFC members who deployed include one full-time DEEP staff member, and three members who work in the private sector. The rest of the 20-person crew that deployed is composed of compact members from Massachusetts and Vermont.
More information about CIFC can be found here.
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Caption: Members of the Northeastern Forest Fire Protection Crew at DEEP’s Eastern District Headquarters in Marlborough on Wednesday, July 5, before departing to fight wildfires in Quebec, Canada. Photo courtesy of the Massachusetts Department of Conservation & Recreation.
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CT Summer at the Museum was established in 2021 in response to the pandemic as a way of providing children with engaging enrichment and learning experiences during the summer months. Now in its third year, it is funded through a $10 million investment in federal COVID-19 recovery funding Connecticut received from the American Rescue Plan Act.
This year, more than 120 museums statewide are participating. Children ages 18 and under – plus one accompanying adult – can receive free admission to any of the participating museums, including historic house museums, historic sites, historical societies, art museums, children’s museums, science centers, special-interest museums, natural history museums, university museums, arboretums/botanical gardens, and zoos. The program runs from Saturday, July 1, 2023 - September 4, 2023
Check out the full list of participating sites here: tinyurl.com/ykwvjfvh
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Canaan Railroad Days is proud to be celebrating its 59th year in bringing an amazing festival to the Northwest Corner of Canaan, CT. Enjoy fireworks, train history, carnival, live music and much more.
Please check out the Events Calendar for a growing list of upcoming events!
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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.
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Sincerely,
Maria Horn
State Representative
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