Street Takeover Crackdown & Support For State Worker Contract
April 24, 2024
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The House unanimously passed a proposal cracking down on street takeovers. I'll break down how this bill will protect our community and hopefully deter this illegal activity.
I spoke with two experts about what we can do to support state, municipal, and unionized workers on my weekly radio show. Please keep scrolling to learn what is being done to give some of those employees a raise.
A couple of nonprofits in our district are receiving more than $660,000 in state funds to improve their facilities. Look below to see which amazing organizations are getting a major financial boost for our community.
Here are the sections in today's email:
Let's Talk About It: Supporting State Workers
Funding for Windham Nonprofits
Cracking Down on Street Takeovers
Let's Talk About It: Supporting State Workers
I hosted “Let’s Talk About It” and spoke with two guests who work to ensure that state employees, municipal workers, and unionized employees are getting the benefits and rights they deserve. Brian Anderson, the Legislative Political Director from AFSCME, represents 30,000 public employees including Windham Town Hall employees. Jennifer Berigan, the Legislative Director of CT AFL-CIO, represents hundreds of local unions and approximately 250,000 active and retired workers and their family members in the public and private sectors in Connecticut.
Both applauded the General Assembly’s Appropriations Committee decision to move a resolution forward to the entire House and Senate to preserve an annual 2.5% wage increase for state workers over the next fiscal year. Both chambers passed the measure on Wednesday, and it now heads to Governor Lamont, who is in favor of the deal. This move keeps pace with the private sector and ensures public employees can make a good living while encouraging them to have a long career in public service.
We also talked about how our cities are largely unfunded and struggling on several levels including education, housing, and poverty. Many cities, including Windham, are financially strapped because they provide services to the region, such as a homeless shelter, and to the state. These services help individuals and families that need the most help. Cities do not have the same amount of taxable property compared to wealthy suburbs. We need to work together at the Capitol to pass more legislation that will allow our cities and its residents to not only survive but thrive.
In addition, we went over the push to adjust the fiscal guardrails to support our schools and childcare facilities. Please click on the video below to listen to the entire show!
A pair of legislative directors are breaking down how they are supporting state, municipal, and unionized workers.
Funding for Windham Nonprofits
Two nonprofits in the 49th district are getting major financial support to better serve the people of our community. Generations Family Health Center will receive nearly $275,000 for IT and safety upgrades, and Horizons in South Windham will receive more than $387,000 to replace vehicles.
Generations Family Health Center provides affordable, accessible primary health care, oral health care, behavioral health care, care coordination and support services to primarily medically underserved populations including children, at-risk families, HIV, homeless, and migrants.
Horizons continues to be a place families trust for special needs assistance in Windham. The organization's mission is to create and sustain in-person opportunities for people with developmental disabilities where they live, learn, work and play. Horizons focuses on what individuals can accomplish and help them live their best lives.
The state is providing a total of $35.5 million in state grants to nonprofit providers around the state. The grants are coming from Connecticut’s Nonprofit Grant Program. The funds will support capital projects not typically reimbursed through other funding mechanisms. CLICK HERE to learn more.
Cracking Down on Street Takeovers
The House of Representatives took bipartisan and unanimous action to help cities and towns improve safety as we voted 148-0 to pass House Bill 5413 to control street takeovers, which have proven to be a concern for many of our residents.
Street takeovers have become a local and national issue since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic. This cannot become the new normal. These takeovers by the illegal use of all-terrain and other type of vehicles, pose a significant threat to public safety, endangering participants, innocent bystanders, and law enforcement officials.
HB 5413 seeks to provide more tools to municipalities to combat street takeovers, including:
Allowing cities and towns to destroy ATVs, dirt bikes, and motorcycles seized and forfeited for violating a municipal ordinance
Authorizing municipalities to adopt ordinances that penalize street takeovers and impose fines as well as the seizure of vehicles
Changing and tightening penalties for violating state law on street takeovers, including permanent driver's license revocation for a third violation of the statute
I am glad my bipartisan vote provides additional tools and increased penalties to cities and towns to help deter street takeovers, which create public safety hazards for drivers, pedestrians, and others.
