Several new pieces of legislation that will help improve the quality of life in Connecticut went into effect Saturday, July 1.

Our state tops the nation in the rate of kids going to preschool and is lowest when it comes to child and teen death rates. In education, the state ranks fourth overall, but we still have more work to do to combat poverty and other issues affecting children. I will do everything I can to ensure that Connecticut remains a leader in education and to eliminate poverty despite our fiscal challenges.

I was happy to welcome hundreds of technical high school and college students to the Capitol to meet with local manufacturers.

Rep. Gregg Haddad, co-chair of the Higher Education and Employment Advancement Committee, led the House Tuesday in a bipartisan vote to approve legislation aimed at promoting awareness of a federal program for forgiving student loans for employees of government non-profit organizations.

The State Bond Commission has approved $242,788 in funding for improvements at Henry Abbott Technical High School in Danbury.

Representative Gregg Haddad, House chairman of the Higher Education and Employment Committee, praises his committee for approving HB 7000, An Act Equalizing Access to Student-Generated Financial Aid, and sending it to the House of Representatives for passage.

Here's a great opportunity to help pay for your college education. Two Hispanic high school students from Connecticut could get a one-time $3,000 scholarship.  The deadline to apply is March 24th.

A partnership of state agencies has launched CT Dollars & Sense, a new on-line portal that provides one website for Connecticut students and parents to find out how to plan, save and pay for college.