Dear Neighbor,
I am pleased to share with you this update on the recently concluded legislative session. We worked to pass bipartisan legislation that improves the lives of working families, encourages economic growth, and makes critical investments in the future of our children, as well as our state.
This year, I had the honor of being appointed Chair of the Education Committee. In this newsletter, you’ll read about some of the legislation I championed in this role. You’ll also see policies that support our small businesses, spur workforce development and ensure that we are making Connecticut more affordable for our young people and our seniors.
Please don’t hesitate to reach out to my office if I can ever be of help to you or your family, or if you have questions about anything mentioned in this newsletter. It is my pleasure and honor to serve as your state representative.
Sincerely,
The Value of Our Budget
- New Britain will receive an additional $12 million for education over the next two years.
- We expanded Husky A to include people up to 160% of the Federal Poverty Level.
- We fully funded juvenile justice programs, developmental services, the Manufacturing Pipeline Initiative, Meals on Wheels, and the Center for Medicare Advocacy.
- We expanded the Angel Investor tax credit to small businesses, minority and women-owned businesses, and more industries.
- We rejected the Governor’s proposal to shift teacher pension costs to the towns, protecting New Britain taxpayers from potential local tax increases.
- The phase-in of the income tax exemption for Social Security and pension income continues as planned, helping our seniors retire here comfortably.
Education
As Chair of the Education Committee, I led the way on many important new laws.
We are expanding social studies to include an important part of our shared culture: African-American, Black, and Puerto Rican and Latino history. It helps all students to have a fuller picture of the challenges and resilience of our African American and Latino populations. This also gives students of color the opportunity to learn more about their own history and the significant contributions their cultures have made in Connecticut and the rest of the country.
Early childhood educators are significantly underpaid, but provide our kids with the foundations to their education. We passed a law that requires the Office of Early Childhood to create a compensation schedule of minimum salaries considering a variety of factors, to ensure these educators are paid their worth.
Workforce Development
We will help our residents succeed in today’s industries and fill CT’s jobs. We:
- Increased funding for the Manufacturing Pipeline Initiative
- Allocated funding for a new Green Jobs Pipeline
- Passed a law which requires schools to teach computer science
Minimum Wage
More than 300,000 Connecticut workers will receive a pay raise. The minimum wage will increase in stages to $15 an hour:
- $11 an hour on October 1, 2019
- $12 an hour on September 1, 2020
- $13 an hour on August 1, 2021
- $14 an hour on July 1, 2022
- $15 an hour on June 1, 2023