Jennifer Leeper

Happy Friday!

I wanted to take a moment to address the horrifying situation we were presented with over the weekend. While details are still emerging, we nearly lost a former president and current presidential candidate to what seems to be an act of political violence. Political violence weakens our democracy and can never be tolerated, period. No exceptions.

That is not what our country is and is not how we resolve our issues. While we may disagree, and often passionately, political violence must always be vigorously denounced. My heart aches for the innocent man who was killed - it is a shameful tragedy that someone lost their life to such hate. Despite our differences, we are all Americans first, and we need to remember that now more than ever.

This great bill - which passed the House and Senate unanimously and was signed into law by Gov. Lamont - provides rapid genetic testing to families on Medicaid for certain critically ill newborns.

The tests provide rapid and accurate diagnoses for patients with rare diseases and unknown genetic disorders, providing parents more information when making decisions for their newborn children.

All too often, doctors go through test after test trying to diagnose the conditions of a newborn, but to no effect. But with rapid genetic testing, doctors can diagnose much earlier and provide proper treatment, saving parents unnecessary medical bills and stress about the health and safety of their new child.

Thank you to my fellow legislators for all of their hard work getting this bill over the finish line, and to advocates such as Ben King, co-founder of Olivia's Light, a nonprofit seeking to expand free access to genetic testing for all pediatric patients. I truly believe this bill will be transformative for families on Medicaid, and I look forward to continue advocating for the expansion of access to rapid genetic testing for all families.

From 11am-2pm, the Fairfield Museum will host a family-friendly event with hands-on activities including a Green Song Singalong with the Fairfield Pollinator Pathway & Fairfield Forestry Committee, a touch tank from The Maritime Aquarium at Norwalk, arts and crafts, and more. In case of bad weather the program will take place inside the museum. You can click here for more information on this fun event!