Jason Doucette

Summer is winding down and back-to-school preparations are well underway, so I want to share some helpful news and resources with you.

During this sales tax holiday, most clothing and footwear items priced under $100 are exempt from the Connecticut sales tax. The exemption applies to each eligible item costing under $100, regardless of how many of those items are sold to a customer in the same transaction. The tax holiday applies to purchases made in-store, online, mail-order, and over the phone.

More information about Connecticut’s Sales Tax Holiday, including a list of exempt and taxable items, is available on the Department of Revenue Services website.
 

The first day of school will be here before you know it! I wanted to remind parents of a simple safety tip when posting that back-to-school photo.

While I know this photo trend is fun to take and look back on, keeping your child's personal information at a minimum is important. By sharing your child's school, grade, teacher, interests, etc. you are giving predators unique information about your child and where they can find them.

Although inflation has hit our institutions of higher education hard this year, making budgets a bit tighter than we would like, we have still made significant strides in supporting higher education and ensuring a brighter future with opportunities, support, and financial relief for our students.

During the recent legislative session, we allocated more than $135 million for higher education in our biennial state budget than initially proposed. We did this in order to support initiatives that reflect our commitment to addressing the challenges faced by students and graduates. 

Some of this year's priorities include PA 23-204, which expanded our debt-free community college program to incorporate subsidies for returning students and established a student loan forgiveness program that offers up to $20,000 in debt forgiveness for individuals who meet certain criteria and volunteer at a local nonprofit.

Did you know residents in every city and town in the state have applied for CT Paid Leave? Approximately 66,000 workers in Connecticut have received over $375 million in benefits when they were unable to work due to a qualifying health or family reasons.

In 2019, the legislature passed, and the Governor signed PA 19-25 into law, creating CT Paid Leave. January 1, 2021, employee payroll contributions began. One year later, on January 1, 2022, benefit payments began for qualified applicants.

My colleagues and I worked hard to ensure its passage in 2019. Families in Connecticut shouldn't have to worry about whether they can balance taking care of family needs or paying the bills. With this program, both can happen, as it offers partial income replacement benefits.

• Parental bonding - the birth of an employee's child or placement of an adopted or foster child with the employee
• Serious health conditions - for the employee or a family member of the employee
• Donors - to serve as an organ or bone marrow donor
• Armed Forces - for family members in the armed forces undergoing treatment for an injury or illness incurred in the line of duty or being deployed to a foreign country
• Family violence - for family violence victims to seek medical care or counseling, obtain services from a victim services organization, relocate because of family violence, or participate in civil or criminal proceedings related to the family

Connecticut is one of 13 states in the nation to pass paid family and medical leave legislation, along with California, Colorado, Delaware, Maine, Massachusetts, Maryland, Minnesota, New Jersey, New York, Oregon, Rhode Island, and Washington, as well as Washington D.C. States including New Hampshire and Vermont have enacted voluntary programs for employers who want to opt in.

Connecticut should be proud of its paid leave program. It is held up as a national model for other states to emulate. 

My colleagues and I delivered on our promise to lower taxes for those who need the most help. According to a report from the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, Connecticut is a leader on tax relief for low- and middle-income earners. While other states cut taxes for the wealthy and corporations, Connecticut stands out for providing nearly $500 million in relief for individuals and families.
 
Below are some of the highlights of tax relief we passed this year:

• Lowering the income tax rates to save many middle-class households $300-$500 a year
• Raising the state income tax credit from 30.5% to 40% of the federal Earned Income Tax Credit - providing $210 on average for households earning less than $60,000 per year

Expanding an existing exemption for certain pension and annuity earnings, providing additional financial security for retirees and those close to retirement

The Town of Manchester has two grant programs for small business owners that I wanted to share with you: 

• The Business Investment Fund Grant Program offers reimbursable matching grants to eligible Manchester small business owners for projects that address code, access, energy efficiency, or sustainability improvements and promote enhanced use of underutilized space to add jobs, value, and economic vitality.
• The Business Façade and Signage Improvement Fund Grant Program offers reimbursement grants to eligible Manchester small business owners to improve the exterior appearance of commercial and mixed-use buildings and signage.

The application deadline for both grant programs is October 1, 2024. For more information, contact the Planning and Economic Development Department by email at planningdept@manchesterct.gov or call 860-647-3044.

Do you need help paying utility bills? Operation Fuel provides emergency energy and utility assistance to households in Connecticut that are facing financial crisis. Applications for energy assistance are now open through November 10.

You can learn more at operationfuel.org/gethelp