Kate Farrar

Thank you to the West Hartford Police Department for hosting Coffee, Cops & Coin Drop at DORO Marketplace last weekend. It was a wonderful opportunity to meet members of the department, learn more about their work in the community, and support a great cause. All donations collected benefited Special Olympics Connecticut, helping provide opportunities and resources for athletes across the state.

I was also happy to attend National Night Out, hosted by the Newington Police Department. It was a wonderful event that gave officers and members of the Newington community the opportunity to connect in a positive, informal setting. These interactions help strengthen the bond between the men and women of the Newington Police Department and the residents they are honored to serve. Strong relationships between law enforcement and the community are essential to building a safe, connected, and thriving community.

And congrats to the kids of Newington for once again beating the Newington police in the tug of war!

A new one-time grocery benefit of $300 each is being distributed to low-income Connecticut residents who have been pushed out of the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) due to federal changes.

The grocery benefits, through a partnership the Connecticut Department of Social Services (DSS) arranged with Connecticut’s network of community action agencies, with support provided by the Connecticut Association for Community Action (CAFCA), will be distributed as prepaid virtual grocery cards—not loaded onto existing EBT cards.

Eligible residents are expected to be able to access the benefits starting Tuesday, August 4. For more details, please visit the Department of Social Services website here.

We understand this one-time benefit will hardly blunt the impact of the federal changes, but it will provide immediate relief for those who are really in need.

There is a lot of conversation, understandably, about how towns and states are permitted to use and share data collected by automated license plate readers (ALPRs), commonly referred to as Flock cameras, named for the private company, Flock Safety, who develops and maintains these systems.

It is important to distinguish these systems from speed and red-light cameras. ALPR/Flock cameras are primarily investigative tools used by law enforcement. They use Flock's real-time alert system to notify officers when a vehicle associated with a missing person, kidnapping, AMBER Alert, Silver Alert, wanted suspect, or active criminal investigation is detected by a license plate reader.

By contrast, speed and red-light cameras are traffic safety tools designed to deter dangerous driving behaviors and improve safety for motorists, cyclists, and pedestrians.

In Connecticut we have placed very strict limits on how speed and red-light cameras may be used. Municipalities can only use them in specific locations and under a detailed approval process, and violations generally must involve speeding at least 10 miles per hour over the limit or failing to stop for a steady red signal. The first 30 days after installation are warning-only, citations must be reviewed locally before being mailed, and fines are capped by law.

It is also important to note, speed and red-light cameras are not intended to be a revenue source. Ideally, they should generate no revenue at all, because the goal is not to collect fines — it is to create safer streets where drivers slow down, stop for red lights, and everyone is protected. In the best-case scenario, there is a significant and rapid decrease in crashes and violations, and a safer environment for both drivers and pedestrians. In fact, in the first towns who have implemented these, we have seen exactly that.

At the same time, there are legitimate and understandable concerns about privacy and civil liberties. Automated license plate reader technology has been used in ways that raise serious concerns, including tracking individuals seeking reproductive health care and supporting immigration enforcement activities, and we are now seeing that there have been out-of-state entities, including Florida Highway Patrol, who have accessed CT’s camera data.

To strike a balance between public safety and individual rights, the Connecticut General Assembly passed legislation this session, signed into law by Governor Ned Lamont in May, that establishes some safeguards governing the use of ALPR data.

Under this new law, ALPR data may only be shared with law enforcement agencies in neighboring states — Massachusetts, New York, and Rhode Island — and only if those states agree not to use the data for immigration enforcement or for investigations related to reproductive or gender-affirming health care.

The law also requires that any agency requesting ALPR data provide a specific, judge-approved probable cause warrant. Broad or vague justifications, such as “investigation,” are no longer permitted. In addition, the legislation reduces the amount of time municipalities may retain license plate data from 30 days to 21 days.

I absolutely recognize the privacy concerns surrounding this technology, as well as the very real potential for abuse if these tools are not used responsibly. Even as we have strengthened Connecticut’s laws, I will continue paying close attention to how these cameras are being used, and I will remain prepared to support additional protections as they are needed to further safeguard the rights and privacy of Connecticut residents.

I often hear from parents and teachers about technology use in classrooms. Join renowned neuroscientist and author of The Digital Delusion, Dr. Jared Cooney Horvath, with colleagues Rep. Jennifer Leeper, Rep. Aimee Berger-Girvalo, and Sen. James Maroney for a discussion on how classroom technology affects children's learning.

Click here to register for this unique event, taking place on August 12 at 7:00 p.m.

Thousands of Connecticut residents will face new requirements to qualify for or maintain Medicaid coverage under H.R. 1, the federal law known as the One Big Beautiful Bill Act.

Beginning October 1, individuals with certain immigration statuses, including refugees, asylees, trafficking survivors, and humanitarian parolees, will no longer be eligible for Medicaid.

Beginning January 1, 2027, individuals enrolled in HUSKY D (the Medicaid program for adults without dependent minor children) will be required to report work hours or other qualifying activities to maintain coverage.

For more information about these changes, click here to visit the Connecticut Department of Social Services' (DSS) new website explaining the updated Medicaid eligibility requirements.

The Women's Business Development Council (WBDC) Ignite Grant offers up to $10,000 to women-owned businesses in Connecticut for a clearly-defined project that will have a measurable impact on the business, its growth, and profitability.

Since its launch in 2020, the program has provided grants of more than $4.8 million to 519 women-owned businesses in Connecticut. In the latest grant round, 50 Ignite grants totaling $476,787 were awarded.

The application period is open through September 13.

Click here to learn more about the Ignite Grant including dates and times of upcoming information sessions.

The WBDC Child Care Business Support Program, in partnership with the Connecticut Office of Early Childhood (OEC), offers grants of up to $25,000 to qualified child care providers across the state. These grants help licensed and aspiring home- and center-based child care businesses cover critical start-up costs, expand operations, and increase capacity to serve more families.

Since its inception in 2020, the program has provided over $9.4 million to child care providers across Connecticut. During the latest round, more than $600,000 in grants was distributed to 50 early childhood businesses.

Start-up grants can be up to $5,000 for family homes, $10,000 for group homes, and $25,000 for centers, while expansion grants of up to $25,000 can support growth goals that create additional slots and strengthen business sustainability.

The application period is open through August 31.

Click here to learn more about Child Care Opportunity Fund.

Information sessions for both grant programs are scheduled throughout the application periods. These sessions will help applicants understand the grant requirements and provide an opportunity for those interested to ask questions about the grants. Interested applicants can click here to register for a live information session.

The West Hartford Community Fund at the Greater Hartford Gives Foundation has announced that it is now accepting grant applications for projects that strengthen the wellbeing, vibrancy, and resilience of the West Hartford community. The deadline for Grant Applications is September 4 at 5:00 p.m.

Full details of the Request for Proposals (RFP),  including funding priorities, eligibility guidelines, and how to apply are available at West Hartford Community Fund.

Interested applicants are invited to attend a virtual information session to learn more about the West Hartford Greater Together Community Fund and the grant making process.

• Info Session 1: Tuesday, August 18 12:30 p.m.
• Info Session 2: Tuesday, August 18  6:30 p.m.

Click here to join - Zoom Link

For more information on the Fund, the volunteer committee, the Foundation, and the grant application process, please visit:
https://greaterhartfordgives.org/about-the-community-funds.

General inquiries may also be sent to westhartford@greaterhartfordgives.org.