Jaime Foster

As the summer winds down and our children prepare to head back to school, we have some good news for all three districts receiving funds to hire and retain mental health specialists. Having a mental health specialist in the schools gives children another trusted adult to talk to. I'm happy that all three towns in the 57th District will benefit from this opportunity. I've noted the amounts each town will receive in this e-newsletter.

Did you know this week is National Farmers Market Week? Make your way to your favorite farmers market and support your local farmers! In addition, August 11-13 is the 4-H Fair in Vernon, where you can check out animal shows, tractor pulls, bands, food, activities for the kids, and more. 

There's a pavement marking project happening in East Windsor, slated to last until the end of November, which impacts Route 5 and Route 191. 

I'm also offering up a few warnings in this newsletter - there's been an abundance of poison ivy sprouting out all over the place, so make sure you're aware of what it looks like so you can protect yourself and your family. Also, the Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station has discovered four new exotic ticks in Connecticut, which likely came back with people traveling outside of the United States. This is in addition to our "regular" ticks. 

I hope you're enjoying what's left of the summer and I hope you have a great week!

Jaime

Two special photos to share with you! (Above) We had a recent visit from Senator Saud Anwar. He met the baby! (Below) Our entrepreneurial daughter brought some of our plentiful, locally-grown mint to the August 5 farmers market and had the chance to sell some of it to former Lt. Governor Nancy Wyman.

Last month's article talked about the challenges that farmers across the state with the spring weather - including right here in the 57th District. Then they faced MORE challenges - the record rainfall in July, which flooded farmland and destroyed crops. This month's article focuses on resources available following the floods. The governor has put in a request for a second disaster declaration with the U. S. Department of Agriculture and we wait for that response. To read the NCN article, click the photo below or click HERE. 

I'm happy to share with you that all three towns in the 57th District will be among the 72 school districts in the state to receive funds through the federal American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA).

Governor Lamont and Education Commissioner Charlene Russell-Tucker made the announcement last week. The purpose of the funding is to support the hiring and retention of school mental health specialists for the 2024, 2025, and 2026 school years.

Here's the total amount of funding each town will receive over the three-year span:

East Windsor: $126,546.30
Ellington: $324,000
Vernon: $323,003.70

Awarded under the Connecticut State Department of Education’s School Mental Health Specialists Grant program, the grants for each district range from $25,150 to $120,000 in each of the first two years and 70% of that amount in the third year. The competitive grant program is utilizing funding the state received from the federal ARPA. This is the second of three rounds of grants aimed at increasing the number of mental health workers in schools that are being administered by the state using ARPA funding.

Grant awardees will be required to attend training this month and complete the compliance documents for the use of ARPA funding. A notification for the training will be sent to the grant awardees.

To read more about it, click HERE or on the CT Newsjunkie graphic below. You can also read the press release issued by Governor Lamont HERE. 

The Connecticut Insurance Department will hold a public hearing this month to receive input on proposed rate hikes for health plans in 2024.

Insurance companies have asked for average rate hikes of 12.4% on individual health plans and 14.8% on small group plans, which have been criticized as unaffordable for many families by state leaders including Attorney General William Tong.

The public hearing will take place on Monday, August 21, at 9 a.m. Testimony can be shared in person at the Legislative Office Building, 300 Capitol Avenue in Hartford, or over Zoom virtually. Connecticut Insurance Department officials and representatives from insurance companies are expected to attend.

Anyone wishing to testify virtually can sign up by sending their name and written remarks in an email to cid.RateFilings@ct.gov no later than 5 p.m. on August 18. Anyone wanting to testify in person can sign up at the Legislative Office Building on the day of the hearing beginning at 8:30 a.m. Oral remarks will be limited to three minutes per person. Members of the public can also submit written comments at this link.

We made historic investments in education with millions of additional dollars allocated in the budget and a number of legislative measures that enhance Connecticut’s educational system. Click below for more information:

Did you know residents in every town in the state have applied for CT Paid Leave? Approximately 66,000 workers in Connecticut have received over $375 million in benefits when they were unable to work due to qualifying health or family reasons.

In 2019, the legislature passed and Governor Lamont signed P.A. 19-25 into law, creating CT Paid Leave, and employee payroll contributions began in 2021. One year later, on January 1, 2022, benefit payments began for qualified applicants.

Families in Connecticut shouldn't have to worry about whether they can balance taking care of family needs or paying the bills. With this program, both can happen, as it offers partial income replacement benefits.

What qualifies for eligible leave?

• Parental bonding - the birth of an employee's child or placement of an adopted or foster child with the employee
• Serious health conditions - for the employee or a family member of the employee
• Donors - to serve as an organ or bone marrow donor
• Armed Forces - for family members in the armed forces undergoing treatment for an injury or illness incurred in the line of duty or being deployed to a foreign country
• Family violence - for family violence victims to seek medical care or counseling, obtain services from a victim services organization, relocate because of family violence, or participate in civil or criminal proceedings related to the family

Connecticut should be proud of its paid leave program. It is held up as a national model for other states to emulate. 
 

During the session, we successfully passed legislation that protects and supports individuals in the state who are in the twilight years of their life. Unfortunately, as the elderly population steadily rises, scam attempts against that community also increase. To help shield our older residents from being victimized, we passed P.A. 23-161 AN ACT CONCERNING FINANCIAL EXPLOITATION OF SENIOR CITIZENS.

Starting July 1, 2024, banks and credit unions will have the power to temporarily suspend or hold transactions involving an account of an adult over the age of 60 if there is a reasonable suspicion of financial exploitation for up to 45 days. 

Below are some of the highlights of Aging bills we passed this year: 

• Established a new coordinator of state services for people with dementia
• Strengthened patient's involvement in their homemaker care plans and streamlined the process for filing complaints
• Expanded eligibility for seniors to participate in adult day services (serving those with early onset dementia)
• Increased funding for senior nutrition and Meals on Wheels
• Required homemaker companion companies to provide notice to their clients before they abruptly close and prohibited any increases in rates without at least 60-day notice

Seniors deserve to live comfortably and unburdened. The legislation that we passed will help make this possible. 

These centers function as walk-in clinics, providing youths and their families with immediate access to resources while they are experiencing a behavioral health crisis, such as thoughts of suicide or self-injury; feelings of depression, anxiety, or hopelessness; out-of-control behaviors; substance misuse; and other mental health concerns. They are aimed at diverting youths and their families from making visits to emergency rooms to address behavioral health crises.

They are strategically located across Connecticut and are operated by:

• The Village for Families and Children in Hartford
• Yale New Haven Hospital in New Haven
• The Child and Family Agency of - Southeastern Connecticut in New London
• Wellmore Behavioral Health in Waterbury.

If you or someone you know need mental health crisis support, please call or text 988.

It's National Farmers Market Week! Will you be heading to a local farmers market? To find one near you, click HERE. 

Here are some local farmers markets:

Ellington - Saturdays, 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. Arbor Park
South Windsor - Saturdays, 9 a.m. to 12 p.m., 220 Nevers Road
Tolland - Saturdays, 10 a.m. to 12 p.m., The Country Butcher, 1032 Tolland Stage Road
Stafford - Sundays, 9 a.m. to 12 p.m., 153 West Stafford Road (West Stafford School) 
East Hartford - Tuesdays, 9 a.m to 1 p.m., 840 Main Street (Raymond Library)
Manchester - Wednesdays, 4:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m., 163 Spruce Street

I'm glad we increased funding for the Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station in the budget and I'm committed to making sure they continue to have the resources they need to do this important work.

In the last few weeks, the tick testing lab has received at least four exotic tick species from residents returning to Connecticut after traveling in Europe, Africa, South America, and Central America.

To read the NBC CT article, click the graphic below or click HERE. 

In the resources section below, you'll find more information about keeping yourself, your family, and your pets safe. 

No work will be performed the day before or the day after all State recognized holidays.
 

LANE CLOSURE INFO

Traffic control personnel, sign patterns, cones, and truck-mounted attenuators will guide motorists through the work zone. The regular work schedule for this project is 8 p.m. to 6 a.m., Sunday – Friday on secondary routes and 8 p.m. to 5 a.m., Sunday – Friday on expressways.

The following are included in this project:
Route 5 & Route 191: EAST WINDSOR

Motorists should be aware that modifications or extensions to this schedule may become necessary due to weather delays or other unforeseen conditions. Motorists are advised to maintain a safe speed when driving in these areas.

The Tolland County 4-H Fair is this weekend! The 81st annual event takes place August 11-13 at the Tolland County Agricultural Center, 24 Hyde Ave, in Vernon.

NEW DATE FOR STAKEHOLDER ENGAGEMENT SESSION
AUGUST 16, 2023, AT 10:30 AM

Exciting things are happening with the Department of Energy and Environmental Protection’s (DEEP) Sustainable, Transparent, and Efficient Practices for Solar Siting (STEPS) initiative and the Shared Clean Energy Facility (SCEF) Program!

DEEP will host a stakeholder engagement session on the NEW date of August 16, at 10:30 a.m., to present and get your feedback on the revised STEPS Draft Guidance for Siting Solar on Agricultural Lands and the possibility of a bid preference for Agrivoltaics in the next SCEF procurement.

Click HERE to register for this virtual public meeting.

DEEP is also accepting written comments on the STEPS Draft Guidance and the potential SCEF Agrivoltaics bid preference until August 30, 2023, at 5:00 PM. DEEP welcomes all comments and poses specific questions for consideration in the Notice and Draft Guidance available HERE. Please send comments to Deep.EnergyBureau@ct.gov with the subject line “Agrivoltaics Comments.”

More information about STEPS, SCEF, and Agrivoltaics is available in the Notice and Draft Guidance. For further questions, please reach out to Deep.EnergyBureau@ct.gov.

Photo courtesy of Mystica Lee Flint

The Connecticut Department of Social Services (DSS), in consultation with the Connecticut State Department of Education (CSDE), has announced that $8.8 million in special food assistance benefits is scheduled to be distributed Sunday, August 13, 2023, to the families of 57,313 children under age 6 who are enrolled in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP).
 
Specific information about the August 13 distribution: 

• Benefits will be deposited onto existing SNAP EBT cards on August 13, 2023, to over 42,635 households (57,313 eligible children) who were under age 6 and receiving SNAP benefits from DSS between September 1, 2022, and May 11, 2023.
• The one-time additional benefit is $172.72 per child who received SNAP benefits for the entire covered period.
• Children who did not receive SNAP benefits for the entire covered period will receive a lower, pro-rated amount of P-EBT benefits.
• Families do not need to apply for P-EBT benefits, all eligible families will automatically receive additional benefits. 

Benefits can be used at any location that accepts SNAP/EBT cards, including farmers markets and direct market farms. P-EBT participants also have access to eligible food purchases online through delivery or curbside pickup at participating retailers. Additional information is available here.

DSS received information from CSDE to implement the P-EBT Child Care plan, which was approved by the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food and Nutrition Service. The P-EBT Child Care SNAP funding was authorized by the federal Families First Coronavirus Response Act, with additional amendments made in the Continuing Appropriations Act and Other Extensions Act of 2021, as well as the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2021.
 
Additional Resources:

• The Special Supplemental Nutrition program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) can help you stretch your food budget further. Click here to learn more and apply.
• All children up to 5 years old receiving SNAP benefits are also eligible for FREE Head Start/Early Head Start programming that develops early learning skills, healthy lifestyles, language skills, and literacy skills. Click here to learn more and apply.

Connecticut's 2023 Sales Tax Free Week begins on Sunday, August 20, and runs through Saturday, August 26. This is a great opportunity to take the kids back-to-school shopping or to treat yourself or your loved ones while saving money.

Many retailers in Connecticut offer additional discounts on clothing and footwear during Sales Tax Free Week, providing consumers with even more savings.

During this sales tax holiday, most clothing and footwear items priced under $100 are exempt from the Connecticut sales tax. The exemption during Sales Tax Free Week applies to each eligible item costing under $100, regardless of how many of those items are sold to a customer in the same transaction. The tax holiday applies to purchases made in-store, online, mail-order, and over the phone.

More information about Connecticut’s Sales Tax Holiday, including a list of exempt and taxable items, is available on the Department of Revenue Services website.

Cornerstone's Community Kitchen is in need of volunteers!  Duties are simple yet impactful: cleaning and washing dishes. By lending just a few hours of your time, you'll be making a big difference in the lives of those Cornerstone serves.

Fill out the volunteer form HERE or click the graphic below if you're interested in helping out.

A message from the CT Department of Public Health: Poison ivy rash can transfer to your skin from clothing, pet fur, or even another part of your body. Learn how to identify and treat poison ivy HERE or click the graphic below.

On a personal note, my family has been noticing poison ivy everywhere this year. 

As Connecticut scientists warn of new tick species, it is more important than ever to take preventative measures. Here are some tips to share with your friends and family.