Updates from State Rep. Nick Menapace for Feb. 17, 2026

February 17, 2026

The Rev. Jesse Jackson, one of the most prominent civil rights leaders to emerge after Martin Luther King Jr., died today after a lifetime fighting for racial justice, voting rights, and the poor.

A gifted organizer and orator, he helped carry the unfinished work of the civil rights movement from the streets into national politics, including landmark presidential campaigns.

Rest in peace.

Extending Emergency Fund

We hit the ground running at the beginning of the session by extending the Emergency Response Fund that shields Connecticut from federal funding cuts and protects vital health and human services for our communities.

Amid chaos and uncertainty, this fund will be available through the end of the next fiscal year to quickly respond to additional reductions.

Push for State Funding

Last year, we were this close to getting funding approved for a new high-powered boat washer at Gardner Lake — a $100,000 pilot program aimed at stopping invasive species before they enter the lake. The bill was moving well, ready for a General Assembly vote… and then got tangled up in the process and stalled at the finish line. Frustrating, to say the least.

I’m renewing that effort in this shortened legislative session. It’s a relatively small investment with a big payoff for protecting our local waterways. If the legislature won’t fund it directly, we’ll also be exploring support through DEEP to make sure this gets done.

I’m also working on an important school funding issue affecting Salem. Due to a technical loophole in the state’s Educational Cost Sharing (ECS) formula, Salem’s K-8 school — which serves about 400 students — is excluded from certain funding because the town doesn’t have its own high school. That loophole causes Salem to lose “regional bonus” funding for the tuition it pays to send students to East Lyme High School.

This is a fix the Salem Board of Education and superintendent have made clear is critical. It’s a small policy change, but it could bring nearly $200,000 back to the district over the next eight years — money that should be supporting students. Other small towns are impacted by this same issue, too.

As a teacher myself, I know ECS funding isn’t where it needs to be, especially in smaller, lower-density regions like southeastern Connecticut that often get overshadowed by higher-population areas. I’ll keep pushing to make sure our communities get a fair shake.

More to come — and as always, thanks for staying engaged.

Read more here (Paywall).

Letter to the Editor in The Day

If we are serious about property tax relief in Connecticut, we should start with the best way to lower it, having the State Fund in obligation to Public Education.

Please read my most recent letter to the editor that appeared in the Day here.

Cellphones in Schools

From The Courant story on a proposed bell-to-bell cellphone ban in schools:

Rep. Nick Menapace, an East Lyme Democrat, member of the Education Committee and a teacher, said he believes a bell-to-bell cellphone ban is needed.

“My biggest frustration is these schools have a policy and the issue is that it is not being enforced,” he said. “I feel the policy essentially becomes the teacher’s job to enforce it.”

Read more here (Paywall).

Special Access Health Enrollment

Access Health CT is offering a Special Enrollment Period for eligible customers to enroll in health coverage with the new state subsidy, which started Feb. 1. The Special Enrollment Period end date will be determined.

People who qualify for this Special Enrollment Period include:

Households with an annual income between 100% and 200% of the Federal Poverty Level (FPL), who are not already enrolled in the Covered CT Program. These people will receive a state subsidy to replace 100% of the expired federal enhanced premium tax credit amounts.
Households with an annual income over 400% and up to 500% FPL. These people will receive a state subsidy to replace 50% of the expired federal enhanced premium tax credit amounts.

Eligible people who have already enrolled or plan to enroll in a 2026 health plan will see a credit applied to their carrier bill.

It’s important to note that while customers will not see the state subsidy amount in AHCT’s online system until all updates have been made in the coming weeks, all eligible customers will soon receive a notice in the mail from AHCT with the amount of their state subsidy.

Insurance companies will send consumers updated premium bills with the credit for the state subsidy amount. This manual process will begin soon in advance of the system updates to be implemented in the coming weeks.

Congrats, Track Athletes!

Congratulations to Montville and East Lyme indoor track athletes! Proud of you all!

Around the 37th

Selectman Jason Deeble and I stopped by to cheer on the East Lyme Vikings girls basketball team as they took on Windham.

Great energy in the gym and always proud to support our student-athletes. Vikings win!