Kate Farrar

Summer is going superfast! It was wonderful connecting with so many friends, neighbors, and families who came out to enjoy the festivities and celebrate our community at the Newington Extravaganza. 

And, of course, our dog Lizzie had the best day of all, she soaked up plenty of love and attention and happily accepted countless pets from everyone she met! Thank you to everyone who stopped by to say hello. Community events like this are a great reminder of what makes the 20th District such a special place.

A few days ago, the Trump Administration announced a cruel reversal of a long-time policy for many refugees and immigrants in our state - especially Haitians and Syrians - to have Temporary Protected Status (TPS) as lawful contributing residents. 

Because of revoking their work status, now our Haitian and Syrian neighbors are fearful, face financial instability, and are unable to contribute to our economy. They have rebuilt their lives here, work in critical jobs in our communities, and their countries remain unstable and unsafe. 

To support our neighbors during this time, I worked with several legislative colleagues, and Governor Lamont has announced a fifth request to utilize Connecticut's recently established Federal Cuts Response Fund, directing $5 million to support Connecticut residents affected by changes to Temporary Protected Status (TPS).

The funding, which will be administered by the Connecticut Department of Social Services, will help eligible residents access critical services and maintain stability as they navigate the effects of these federal immigration policy changes. If you or someone you know is affected by these latest changes, please reach out to our refugee and immigrant serving organizations including CIRI, Jewish Family Services or IRIS. 

Connecticut was recently featured as a leader for supporting families by the nationally recognized Bipartisan Policy Center. A couple months ago, I joined Governor Lamont, Treasurer Russell, Senator Maher, and Office of Early Childhood Commissioner Trueworthy to share our Connecticut story with Bipartisan Policy Center about establishing our paid family medical leave program and our latest Early Childhood Education Endowment. Now they released the Bipartisan Policy Center issue brief and video to showcase this work across the country. 

Watch this video to see more about our state story: 

If you are a CTFastrak rider a series of upgrades and improvements that will strengthen safety and security across the CTfastrak system are underway. Effective July 15, CTtransit launched a new private security contract that expands security coverage across CTfastrak and the CTtransit system. The contract provides two security officers on every shift, along with a rotating supervisor to strengthen oversight and improve reliability across the system.

Plans are underway to replace the enclosed waiting shelters at the Downtown New Britain, Sigourney, Parkville, and Flatbush stations with open glass windbreaks designed to improve visibility and enhance safety within the waiting areas. Construction is expected to begin later this year.

Additionally, CTtransit recently completed new lighting along the pedestrian walkway between the Downtown New Britain station and Columbus Boulevard to improve visibility and enhance safety for riders.

Since launching in 2015, CTfastrak has provided more than 40 million rides, including nearly 2.8 million rides in 2025, connecting communities across central Connecticut with reliable bus rapid transit service. In 2024, the Institute for Transportation and Development Policy ranked CTfastrak as the best bus rapid transit system in the United States .

Click here for more information about CTfastrak routes, stations, and services.

Primary elections will take place on Tuesday, August 11, in municipalities where more than one candidate from the same political party has qualified for a particular office.

The primary will be preceded by seven days of early voting, August 3 through August 9. Early voting hours are 10:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. on August 3, 5, 7, 8, and 9, and 8:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. on August 4 and 6.

In Connecticut, only registered members of a political party may vote in that party's primary. 

Connecticut has a semi-closed primary system. Unaffiliated voters who wish to vote in a primary must enroll in a political party by 12:00 p.m. on the day before the primary (August 10), provided they have been unaffiliated for at least three months.

Updating your party affiliation is one of the many changes voters can conveniently do online at https://ow.ly/Vmcn50Z38Qr.

For additional election information and resources, click here to visit the Secretary of the State's election webpage.

If you plan to vote by absentee ballot, you no longer need to provide a specific reason to request one for any primary or election.

Click here for more information and to request an absentee ballot in West Hartford.

Click here for more information and to request an absentee ballot in Newington.

The West Hartford Public Library is hosting a DMV Community Event on Thursday, August 6 from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. at the Faxon Branch Library (1073 New Britain Avenue).

This special event will offer the following services:

• REAL ID Upgrades
• Driver’s License: Renewals/Duplicates
• Non-driver IDs: New/Renewals/Duplicates
• Accessibility Parking Permits
• Vehicle Registration: Renewals only
• Fines, Tickets, and Suspensions: Resolution and Payments only
• Learner’s Permit: Duplicates only
• Driver History Reports

All fees are applicable. This is a no-cash event (the DMV does not accept cash as it poses a potential safety risk for their staff). They accept all major credit/debit cards. The DMV reserves the right to adjust its schedule on the day of the event due to capacity and resource constraints.

No registration or appointments are required. Walk-ins only. 

The 4th Annual AAPI Education Symposium will take place on Friday, August 14, from 5:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. at the Legislative Office Building (Room 2C and the Second Floor Atrium).

This year's symposium will bring together students, educators, and community members for an important conversation about what truly inclusive education looks like and what it takes to achieve it.

Through panel discussions, presentations, and open dialogue, attendees will hear firsthand from those most directly involved in shaping the future of education in Connecticut.

Click here to register by August 10.

You will soon be able to shop, compare plans, and enroll in health and dental coverage through the state’s official health insurance marketplace.

Access Health CT’s open enrollment period runs from October 23 through December 23, giving residents an early start this year to explore their options and choose the coverage that best fits their needs.

Think of the enrollment period as having two important deadlines: