Beware of Phishing Scheme Targeting Job Seekers

January 5, 2024


 
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Dear Neighbor,

Happy New Year! Here's to a happy and healthy 2024!
Kwanza is celebrated from December 26- January 1. The holiday is an annual remembering of the past and a celebration of African American Culture. 

As part of the celebration, a candle representing seven principles is lit each day to highlight that day's principle - they are:

  • Umoja (oo-MOE-jah) - Unity - Joining together as a family, community and race
  • Kujichagulia (koo-jee-cha-goo-LEE-ah) - Self-determination - Responsibility for one's own future
  • Ujima (oo-JEE-mah) - Collective Work and Responsibility - Building the community together and solving any problems as a group
  • Ujamaa (oo-JAH-mah) - Cooperative Economics - The community building and profiting from its own businesses
  • Nia (nee-AH) - Purpose - The goal of working together to build community and further the African culture
  • Kuumba (koo-OOM-bah) - Creativity - Using new ideas to create a more beautiful and successful community
  • Imani (ee-MAH-nee) - Faith - Honoring African ancestors, traditions and leaders and celebrating past triumphs over adversity
On December 29, I attended the City of Norwalk's Community Kwanzaa Celebration featuring Kojo Bey of Sounds of Afrika. I was proud to issue a citation to the city for this celebration. 
 

If you’re looking for a new job, beware of scammers trying to get your personal information! The Connecticut Department of Labor (CTDOL) says criminals are asking victims for banking, credit card, and social security information while pretending to work at the state’s job bank, CTHires.

If you are in any of the following scenarios while applying for a job, hang up immediately:

  • You’re asked to pay a fee to apply or to be considered
  • You’re asked for your social security number, bank account number, or credit card details to complete your application
  • You’re told to give up valuable information or you’ll lose a job opportunity

You can visit the CTDOL fraud watch page here if you think you may be a victim of this or other scams.
 
State officials announced the formation of a new Registered Apprenticeship Program to encourage jobseekers to enter careers in home-based child care and fill high-demand jobs in this field.
 
Registered apprentices earn while they learn. The program is a federally backed workforce training program that requires a minimum of 2,000 hours working on the job and hundreds of hours of classroom learning. Currently, there are around 6,500 registered apprentices working with 1,700 employers across nearly every sector of Connecticut’s economy. Upon completion of the Family Child Care Registered Apprenticeship Program, family childcare providers will have the Child Development Associate and National Association for Family Child Care credentials. These credentials raise the wages for providers, improve future earning power, and lift the quality of the home-based early childhood education programs.
 
Last month, CTDOL reported that center-based childcare payrolls reached employment highs of 15,700 workers employed in the state – higher than pre-pandemic levels. Data from the Office of Early Childhood identifies 1,822 home-based family care centers in Connecticut. There is a high demand for workers in both center-based and home-based childcare facilities.
 
Due to the success of the registered apprenticeship model, OEC is also piloting workforce approaches that will lead to registered apprenticeships for childcare centers.
 
It’s not too late to get your flu shot. Flu shots save lives! 
 
Did you know that getting the flu shot can reduce your chances of severe illness and can potentially help you prevent a cardiac incident related to the flu? Get yours today.
 
As we ring in the new year, there are some laws that became effective on January 1 that were passed during the 2023 legislative session addressing key issue areas including early voting, health and mental health, and online privacy and data protection.

There will also be an increase in the minimum wage effective January 1 from $15.00 to $15.69 made possible through legislation passed in 2019, which implemented five incremental increases in the minimum wage followed by future adjustments that are tied to the percentage change in the federal employment cost index.

Although extensive, below I share some highlights, and a link to the complete list. Please feel free to share and reach out to my office if you would like more detail on any of the new laws.
 

EARLY VOTING (PA 23-5)
 

Establishes a framework for early, in-person voting requiring a 14-day early voting period for general elections, a seven-day period for most primaries, and a four-day early voting period for special elections and presidential preference primaries.
 

HOSPICE AND PALLIATIVE CARE (PA 23-174)

Includes the creation of a Hospice Hospital at Home pilot program to provide in-home hospice care to patients through in-person visits and telehealth.
 

PROTECTING MATERNAL HEALTH (PA 23-147)

Establishes a new license category for freestanding birth centers, an Infant Mortality Relief Program to review medical records and other data on infant deaths and a midwifery working group to study and make recommendations on advancing choices for community birth care.
 

ONLINE PRIVACY, DATA AND SAFETY PROTECTIONS (PA 23-56)

Makes various changes to laws on data privacy and related issues, including provisions on consumer health data, minors’ social media accounts and online services, online dating operators, and a task force on internet crimes against children.

RESOURCES FOR PERSONS WITH AN INTELLECTUAL
OR DEVELOPMENTAL DISABILITY (PA 23-137)

Among many supportive measures, creates a plan to establish a Transitional Life Skills College program to support certain people with IDD who are transitioning out of high school or to independent living.
 

WORKERS' COMPENSATION FOR POST-TRAUMATIC
STRESS INJURIES (PA 23-35)

Expands eligibility for workers’ compensation benefits for post-traumatic stress injuries to all employees covered by the workers’ compensation law.

Click here to see the complete list of new laws. 
 
The Black and Puerto Rican Caucus will hold a forum next Tuesday, January 9 via Zoom. The caucus is seeking input from you - we want to hear your concerns and suggestions about issues concerning Black and Latino communities in the state. if you are interested in testifying, you must sign up by January 8th at 11:59 PM. You can click here or use the QR code below to sign up. Testimony will be limited to 3 minutes. 
 
If you have questions, or ever need any help please don't hesitate to call me at (800) 842-8267 or email me directly.

Sincerely,

Kadeem Roberts
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