February 9th Newsletter

February 9, 2024
Dear Friends,
 
The 2024 Legislative Session opened this week! 

The House of Representatives met to start doing the people's work on Wednesday and hosted a joint session of the Connecticut General Assembly to hear Governor Lamont's State of the State address.
As co-chair of the Banking Committee, we got right to work on Thursday with the concepts we are going to raise this session. Please click the video below to watch our meeting to learn about what's on our agenda for 2024.
 
I am also a member of the Finance, Revenue and Bonding Committee, which got its budget briefing from the Office of Policy Management on Friday, and the Judiciary Committee, which holds a public hearing and meeting on Tuesday next week. 

The resources below will help you stay updated on crucial developments, events, proposed policies, and key discussions as they happen in Hartford.

  • The nonpartisan Office of Legislative Research (OLR) recently released the 2024 Major Issues Report. This comprehensive document highlights and summarizes key issues the legislature could take up during the upcoming session. 
  • You can view the Connecticut General Assembly's upcoming events by checking out its schedule on the CGA official website. 
  • Follow CT-N for live coverage of committee meetings, as well as House and Senate floor debates. 
  • You can register to monitor any bill's journey as it goes through the legislative process. By signing up, you can enter the bill number and receive real-time updates. Stay informed with email notifications whenever there's a change in the bill's progress. 
  • Visit this website for information on how to testify on a bill at a public hearing.

I urge you to please follow along and get involved.
Also, with the session underway, I want to hear your voice so that I know what matters most to you. Understanding your concerns is the best way for me to continually fight for our community's needs. Please take a few minutes to complete the 2024 Constituent Survey by clicking on the button below.
Thanks for taking the time to read this and the news and notes below! 
 
Manchester and Glastonbury Legislative Town Halls Events
Before the 2024 Legislative Session got underway, it was great to hold Legislative Town Hall events in Manchester on January 29 and Glastonbury on February 5, so we could hear directly from constituents about the issues that matter most to them. 

Thanks to everyone who came down to Lincoln Center in Manchester and Glastonbury's Welles Turner Memorial Library.
 
CT Grown for CT Kids Grant Awards for Manchester
The Connecticut Department of Agriculture (CT DoAg) is awarding 53 grants totaling more than $2.8 million through its Connecticut Grown for Connecticut Kids Grant (CTG4CTK Grant) to increase the availability of local foods in child nutrition programs, allow educators to use hands-on educational techniques to teach students about nutrition and farm-to-school connections, sustain relationships with local farmers and producers, enrich the educational experience of students, improve the health of children in the state and enhance the state's economy.

The awardees include from Manchester:

  • Community Child Guidance Clinic has been awarded $38,114 to expand and enhance their existing Grow Ahead Gardening and Whole Child Wellness Program at the Community Child Guidance Clinic. This program provides therapeutic and educational activities to children receiving services at their organization. 
  • Manchester Early Childhood Collaborative has been awarded $22,194 to expand their first year farm grant to serve 180 preschool children with the opportunity to learn where food comes from, participate in on-site and field trips with local farmers and beekeepers, sample fresh produce of the month, harvest their own produce, and receive fresh produce from local farmers’ markets. 
To learn more about the CTG4CTK Grant, including success stories from previous recipients, please visit portal.ct.gov/DOAG/ADaRC/ADaRC/Grants/CT-Grown-for-CT-Kids-Grant/Success-Stories.
 
 
February is Black History Month
February is Black History Month, a time when we celebrate the many achievements and contributions of individuals from the Black diaspora as well as reckon with the systemic racism from our past that is still prevalent today. The theme for this year's month-long celebration is “African Americans and the Arts,” which spotlights Black Americans who excelled in various fields of creative expression and the influence they have on our country's culture.

Connecticut was home to several notable moments in Black history. The Canterbury Female Boarding School, the first boarding school for young Black girls in the country, was in Canterbury. Abolitionist John Brown was born in Torrington. The 29th Colored Regiment, an all-Black regiment based out of Fair Haven during the Civil War, was one of the first units to enter Richmond, Virginia after it was abandoned by the Confederate Army. Click here to read more about Black history in our state.
Thanks to the tireless work of the Black and Puerto Rican Caucus and other colleagues in the General Assembly in 2019, Connecticut became the first state to require public schools to include Black and Latino history in their curriculums. Black history is American history, and this law ensures that the stories and triumphs of Black Americans will be taught throughout the school year. 

I encourage you to take some time to celebrate and learn more about Black history, locally and throughout America. Connecticut is home to several organizations that honor and celebrate the Black experience, such as the Amistad Center for Art & Culture in Hartford and the Ruby and Calvin Fletcher African American Museum in Stratford.
 
Click here to find more places that honor and support Black history and culture in our state.