Dear Neighbor,
This session, I worked to secure a two-year state budget that increased funding for Waterbury and provided tax credits for our working families. Waterbury will receive $191,471,637 in state aid for Fiscal Year 22, a $10.8 million increase from last year, and $198,614,651 in state aid for Fiscal Year 23, a $7.1 million increase from the previous year.
Below you will find a list of the state funding Waterbury will receive, and throughout this newsletter you will find legislative highlights from this session.
Best,
Investing In Stronger, Safer Communities
- Established a dedicated funding stream for the debt-free community college program (SB 1202)
- Voted for several laws addressing pedestrian and bicyclist safety and the safety of specific vulnerable road users such as expanding the circumstances under which drivers must yield to pedestrians at uncontrolled crosswalks (PA 21-28, PA 21-20, and SB 1202)
- Extended the eligibility for medical assistance for certain people regardless of immigration status
- (PA 21-176 and SB 1202)
- Declared racism a public health crisis and created a Commission on Racial Equity tasked with eliminating health disparities
- (PA 21-35)
- Raised bottle deposits to 10 cents (effective Jan. 1, 2024), applied deposits to more products (effective Jan. 1, 2023) and provided more money to towns and redemption centers to ensure these products don’t end up as litter or in a landfill (PA 21-58)
- Established task forces on mental health and support services and approved more resources to community providers (HB 6588 and SB 1202)
- Extended the Ezequiel Santiago Foreclosure Mediation Program for six years, until June 30, 2029 (PA 21-44)
- Secured $1,227,689 for the Waterbury Branch Rail Line to increase capacity for additional train service and improved service reliability (PA 21-111)
- Established a student loan forgiveness program for early childhood educators and expanded eligibility in the Care4Kids program for certain parents and caretakers (PA 21-171)
- Added a greater voice to an advisory council for persons with autism spectrum disorder as well as their families (PA 21-66)
- Established a working group to study and make recommendations for tax benefits for veterans (PA 21-2)
- Required a disparity study to identify inequalities in the workforce and the steps to address them (SA 21-8)
- Expanded the existing solicitation process for new fuel cell generation projects (PA 21-162)
Helping Our Seniors
- Expanded property tax relief for seniors (PA 21-84)
- Prohibited age discrimination in the workforce (PA 21-69)
- Expanded the nursing home patients’ bill of rights to include the right of residents to treat their living quarters as their own homes, including purchasing and using virtual visitation and virtual monitoring technology (PA 21-55)
- Made several changes to improve long-term care services provided by nursing homes and dementia special care units (PA 21-71)
Renovations For Wilby High
I am incredibly proud that my bond request to fund the installation of a synthetic football field at Wilby High School has been approved. It funds $3 million for a synthetic turf and an 8-lane track around the perimeter of the field. As a graduate of Wilby, and proud Wildcat, I am especially happy that my legislative colleagues were supportive and helped me secure these funds.
In addition to the football field, the Bond Commission approved funding for several other Waterbury projects such as ADA improvements to NVCC campuses, purchasing a pre-built restroom facility for Schofield Park, and replacing broken water fountains at East Mountain Park.
A Democracy That Works For All
- Voters will get to decide in 2022 if we should have early, in-person voting and in 2024 you’ll decide if every registered voter in CT should be able to vote by absentee ballot (RA 21-1 and RA 21-2)
- Restored voting rights for individuals in community facilities or on parole (SB 1202)
- Paved the way for permanent absentee ballot drop boxes (SB 1202)
- Protected voters’ personal information (SB 1202)
Aid To Waterbury
FY 22 | FY 23 | |
LoCIP (Local Capital Improvement Project) |
$1,352,857 | $1,352,857 |
Town Road Aid | $1,067,942 | $1,067,942 |
Grants For Municipal Projects | $4,435,498 | $4,435,498 |
Education Cost Sharing | $157,222,793 | $164,355,045 |
Non-Education Aid | $25,356,146 | $25,356,146 |
Total State Funds To City | $191,471,637 | $198,614,651 |