State Funding for Stratford, Access Health Deadline Extended, $500 M Emergency Funding, and more

December 19, 2025

Dear Neighbor,

I hope you and your family are having a happy and healthy holiday season. In this email, learn about state funding approved for Stratford by the State Bond Commission this week, find information on how you can still enroll for Access Health CT due to the website outage earlier this week, read about medical debt relief on the way for 40,000 residents, and more. If you have any questions, concerns, or if my office can be of assistance to you, please call my office at any time or email me at kaitlyn.shake@cga.ct.gov.

State Bond Commission Approves Funding for Stratford

This week, the State Bond Commission approved $5.5 million in state funding for the flood mitigation project at Ferry Creek and Broad Street here in Stratford's 120th district. This project includes raising the elevation of Ferry Boulevard (Route 130) at Broad Street, elevating Broad Street, and replacing the bridge on Broad Street over Ferry Creek. This region is frequently affected by flooding during coastal storms, and these infrastructure upgrades are critical to the residents and businesses in the Ferry Creek area.

Thank you to Governor Lamont, Speaker Matt Ritter, Majority Leader Jason Rojas, and the State Bond Commission for supporting the Stratford Delegation’s CIF request. The project is set to start by January 2026, with completion expected by October 2027.

$500 Million Emergency Fund Update

Here is the latest update on out state's Emergency Relief Funds to protect our Connecticut residents from devastating federal attacks. Creating the $500 million Emergency Fund during the legislative special session was the first step. Thank you to Governor Lamont for proposing this initial $167.9 million to meet the basic needs of residents across the state.

There is more to do and I welcome your feedback on how else we should respond to the chaos in Washington as a state to meet our communities needs.

Click here to read CTPublic: Lamont Shares Plan to Backfill Federal Cuts to Safety Net Services in CT

Stratford Hanukkah Celebration

On Tuesday, December 16th, I celebrated the 3rd night of Hanukkah alongside Stratford’s Jewish community at Town Hall for the annual menorah lighting. Thank you to Rabbi Stock and the Chabad Lubavitz of Southern Connecticut for your empowering message of strength and encouraging reminder for each of us to continue being a light in the dark.

As we celebrated, we also held in our hearts those impacted by the attacks over the weekend at Bondi Beach in Australia. In moments like these, the Jewish community across the globe is standing together, rejecting hate and promoting peace, compassion, and strength.

Legislative Visit to 2-1-1 Contact Center

On Wednesday, December 17th, I had the opportunity to join some of my legislative colleagues at the United Way of Connecticut 2-1-1 Contact Center in Rocky Hill. Connecticut residents utilize this service when they don’t know where else to go. We learned that 211 is carrying an enormous load for our state, responding to more than 1.7 million calls for help last year. That's a 70% increase from pre-pandemic levels.

As demand continues to surge, callers’ needs have become more complex. With federal aid now contracting, the pressure on 211, and on the families they serve, has created wait times as long as 4 hours. Connecticut needs to do more to support its 24/7/365 services that impact all of our constituents via strong state investments.

Thank you to United Way of Connecticut’s dedicated staff for providing compassionate support to our residents in need. If you need to connect with resources through 211, visit www.211ct.org.

Access Health CT Open Enrollment Extended

Due to a system outage that may have prevented many customers from enrolling in health and dental coverage by the December 15, 2025 deadline for coverage effective January 1, 2026, Access Health CT is extending the enrollment deadline. Customers now have until Saturday, December 20, 2025, at 3:00 p.m. to enroll in coverage beginning January 1, 2026.

To receive coverage effective January 1, 2026, enrollment must be completed by contacting the Access Health CT Call Center. Applications completed on the website will result in coverage beginning February 1, 2026.

Call: 1-855-805-4325 or TTY: 1-855-789-2428

Monday–Friday: 8:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m.
Saturday: 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.

Customers should expect longer-than-normal hold times and are encouraged to call before 3:00 p.m. on Saturday, December 20 to ensure enrollment is completed. Assistance is available in more than 100 languages.

If you work with a Certified Broker, please contact your broker for assistance enrolling by Saturday, December 20.

Open Enrollment ends January 15, 2026. You may continue to enroll online at AccessHealthCT.com, but coverage will begin February 1, 2026.

Emergency Funding for Homelessness

In last week's email, I provided details on the state's plan to use the $500 Million Emergency Response Fund passed by the legislature during November's Special Session to cover the healthcare subsidies cuts from the federal government. Now, the state plans to use $5.2 million from the same fund to combat homelessness.

According to the Connecticut Coalition to End Homelessness, one in every 1,000 state residents is experiencing homelessness. The federal government has suspended its primary homelessness prevention and support services grant program, exacerbating the issue.

In response, plans are under development to support providers, who typically receive funding through the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development’s Continuum of Care program, to continue homelessness prevention and support services. This funding will go to community providers to help families, veterans, and many Connecticut residents stay in their homes going into the New Year.

Click here to read CTMirror: Lamont using $5.2M from reserve to offset Trump housing cuts

Medical Debt Relief

Gov. Ned Lamont announced this week that an additional 40,000 Connecticut residents will have their medical debts erased, part of an initiative launched in partnership with the nonprofit Undue Medical Debt to give relief to those struggling to pay medical bills.

This is the third round of the initiative, which has now eliminated $198 million for 160,000 Connecticut residents since Dec. 2024. The program's arrangement allows the debt to be forgiven at a fraction of its face value - typically costing a few pennies on the dollar.

Those affected by this program should receive a letter in the mail this week informing them of their debt forgiveness. There is no application process for this relief, and it cannot be requested.

Relieving tens of thousands of Connecticut residents from the stress of paying down burdensome medical debt will make a profound difference in their lives - especially in the holiday season.

You can read more about the program here and here.

New Laws Effective January 1st, 2026

As we welcome a new year, several laws passed in the 2025 legislative session will take effect on January 1, 2026.

These new measures address key issues impacting our state and its residents, including expanded incentives for farmers, strengthened protections for workers in sensitive professions, and improved reporting requirements to better track higher education enrollment, post-secondary credits, and student opportunities.

We took a major step forward in advancing policies that support new, diverse housing options across Connecticut. With some of the highest housing costs in the region, too many individuals and families are being priced out of the communities where they work, where they grew up, and where they hope to retire.

Preventative health care continues to be a priority because early detection saves both lives and long-term costs. To support this, we now require health insurers to cover certain high-priority biomarker tests that aid in early detection, prevention, and treatment. Additionally, we have prohibited the substitution of lower-priced drugs for higher-priced medications for individuals living with multiple sclerosis and arthritis, and we have made this ban permanent for medications used to treat mental health disorders.

You can click the link below to see the full list of new laws taking effect on January 1, 2026. Feel free to reach out to my office if you have any questions.

New Laws Effective January 1st, 2026

Stratford Community Updates

View the calendar below for the weekly Stratford Eats schedule of community meals, food pantries, and other food resources in the Stratford community.

The PAL Barbershop is back for the holidays! Next Monday, December 22nd, from 2:30-6:30 p.m. Stratford PAL will be offering FREE haircuts to Stratford students at the Birdseye Complex on Birdseye Street. This is open to both boys and girls. All students are required to fill out the waiver form, click here to fill it out. No appointment is necessary.

The Stratford Recreation Holiday Teen Night will take place from 7 t 9 p.m. on Friday, December 19th. It is $10 per person and open to anyone ages 12 to 15.

Stratford Recreation is offering different programs throughout the winter season. Click here to register.

The Stratford Recreation Winter Clubhouse will take place from December 26th to January 6th from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. daily. The Winter Clubhouse is now open to all kids K-8. Click here to register.

Stratford Recreation has a Pickleball program for Stratford residents on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays. The next winter session will take start on January 5th. Click here to register.