Join Us for a Legislative Update Sunday

coffee
April 28, 2023
With just under 6 weeks remaining in the legislative session, the work continues to prepare bills for debate on the floor. Between meetings with stakeholders, fellow legislators, and constituents, we attend a number of community and educational events in order to hear from all of you and learn more about the issues before us. Yesterday was a full session day, including votes on nominees and on bills. It was the first time since before the pandemic that the building was full of hundreds of people advocating for their causes, everything from pesticides, community college funding, housing, prevention dollars, and support for teachers and paraprofessionals. Below you will see some photos with captions to give you a flavor of the week.
 
As usual, I want to let you know about a number of wonderful programs and a events you can access by clicking here. First up is a coffee and conversation this Sunday at Crown Café with Representative Marcus Brown and Saturday’s Fairfield Earth Day celebration which will feature a legislative panel with the entire Fairfield delegation. Below you will find more information on these events, as well as highlights from recent visits and local resources. Next week, I will share information about visits to McKinley and Stratfield Schools as well as progress on some of our Public Health and other bills.

You can click on any of the links above to jump to that section of the email. I hope that you find these resources helpful.
 
Coffee and Conversation
Join Representative Marcus Brown and me on Sunday, April 30 at 11:30AM at Crown Cafe in Bridgeport for a Coffee and a Conversation. This is our opportunity to meet some of you for the first time and chat about all the work we have done so far in the Capitol. Please come with any questions and interests you want to talk more about. We hope to see you there.
 
Earth Day Celebration
I hope you can join Fairfield's Earth Day Celebration on Saturday!
 
Flavor of the Week Recap
I was proud to join Representative Sarah Keitt for Multiple Sclerosis Advocacy Day. Sarah has been an advocate since she was diagnosed with MS 23 years ago. You can watch her interview on NBC CT.
This week, the Women's Business Development Council (WBDC) and Connecticut Business & Industry Association (CBIA) visited the Capitol to highlight women-owned businesses.
Judy Woodruff graced the stage at Fairfield University's Quick Center for the arts. I was grateful to hear about her work to learn more about why we are so divided in our country.
This week students from Housatonic Community College came to the Capitol to talk about the importance of funding, not only for tuition, but also for important supports including food and other essential resources.
It was a pleasure to have constituent, Brian McManus, join me along with Fairfield Ludlowe High School Grad and Trinity College intern, Catherine Wallace, and my coordinator Allie for part of the session day at the Capitol.
During yesterday's session it was a pleasure to see the Governor talking with folks on the rope line. The Capitol is alive again!
We had eagles and bees at the Capitol, along with Fairfield Advocate, Tara Cook-Littman to talk with legislators about SB 962 and SB 963, which address neonicotinoids and rodenticides.
It was a joy to congratulate the UCONN Men's Basketball Team and their coaches on their national championship. There was a lot of cheering going on!
Throughout the session day, we talk with fellow legislators about bills ready to be heard on the floor. General Law Committee Chair, Mike D'Agostino, has been working on bills with me on reproductive rights.
Besides celebrating Representative Jenn Leeper's birthday during yesterday's session, Vice-Chair of Public Health Committee, John-Michael Parker, and I talked to her about the lactation consultant bill, which will allow more nursing parents to have access to support.
Earlier today, Chair of the Environment Committee, Representative Joe Gresko, and fellow Public Health Committee member, Representative Sarah Keitt, and I had the opportunity to tour Aquarion's Hemlocks Water Treatment Plant. It was an educational and fascinating tour of how our drinking water is made safe and potable. We all take water for granted, and this was a great reminder that smart engineers, security professionals and policy makers work together to make sure that we have water to use everyday.
 
National Library Week
This week is National Library Week. Earlier this week my family and I joined fellow Fairfield families for the annual mini-golf fundraiser for the Friends of the Fairfield Public Library. Libraries are community centers, the keepers of our histories, and in so many ways our tickets to the world. If you don’t have a library card, or have not taken advantage of all of the resources the Bridgeport and Fairfield Libraries, including Pequot Library have to offer, now is the time to act.

Over the past few sessions, I have worked with Sen. Hwang and members of the Planning and Development and Government Administration Committee to support - HB 6800 & HB 6829 - that will help address library costs for e-books. This will help our libraries continue to provide access to resources at affordable rates.
 
Follow the Budget Process
On February 8, Governor Lamont presented his two-year state budget to my colleagues and I in the legislature. From here, on an individual and committee level, we reviewed the proposals and made recommendations.

After weeks of holding public hearings, the

 Finance, Revenue, and Bonding and Appropriations Committees met last week to pass their revised budget proposals in committee meetings. Both committees focus on a different side of the budget, so each proposal will differ until negotiations begin.

Next comes a round of meetings that consist of the two committees negotiating with each other and the governor to craft the final budget. The budget bill then goes before the House and Senate, where each chamber must pass the same version of the budget in order for the bill to move to the governor's desk. After being passed by both chambers, the legislature’s final budget must then be signed into law by the governor before the end of the fiscal year, June 30.

Please reference the graphic below to see where we are in the process:
 
Annual Student Art Show
The annual show will kick off on May 20 at the Pequot Library with a reception on May 31. Please join this celebration of Fairfield's talented young artists!
 
Men's Health
The Office of the Healthcare Advocate recently shared some helpful health information for men.

April is Testicular Cancer Awareness Month and Healthcare Advocate, Ted Doolittle says testicular cancer is not discussed nearly enough, especially when one in 250 males will be diagnosed with the disease in their lifetimes. In fact, 9,560 in the U.S. will be diagnosed this year.

One of the biggest risks of the disease is that it mostly strikes adolescent boys and young men, who unfortunately are the least likely to report the relatively minor early symptoms of testicular cancer to a parent or healthcare provider, as they should.


 
Early detection is key. According to The Testicular Cancer Foundation, the best way for boys and men to be proactive is to do a monthly self-exam of their testicles to check for lumps, hardness, or swelling. If you have a boy or young man in your life, advise them to learn what normal feels like, check themselves in the shower from time to time, and immediately ask a parent or caregiver for advice if something changes.