Rep. Liz Linehan, the House chair of the legislature’s Committee on Children, is looking for young artists from towns in her district – Cheshire, Southington, and Wallingford – to display their artwork in the Children’s Committee offices at the State Capitol.

The University of Connecticut announced that the Downtown Waterbury branch will now be a Center for Excellence in Allies Health Sciences.

I am grateful for all the work the Danbury Police Activities League does in keeping our youth safe and am pleased to have played a role in securing a 104K grant, so they can continue to offer youth programs for the next two years.

We can celebrate the passage of legislation in the recently concluded session, some after years of effort while I am disappointed that certain bills would have to start over next year.

On the last day of session, the House passed a bill that would allow juveniles charged with car theft to seek services rather than face adult prosecution. “It’s to make sure those juveniles who are wrapped up in the system as a result of a car theft can get the services they need and an opportunity to right themselves,” Judiciary Committee House Chair Steve Stafstrom said.

The state budget approved on Monday night provides an increase in ECS funding for Ansonia and Derby’s education systems.

A small percentage of the state budget goes to programs serving inner-city youths to keep them from getting involved in activities that may put them on the road to failure or worse. However, even though they have minimal impact on the budget, these programs are often the target for budget cuts. Here are my House Floor Comments related to the budget and these programs.

Programs that provide services to kids and youths to give them options and keep them off the streets and out of trouble are indispensable for Bridgeport and other cities. I am living proof of the importance of these programs. During the budget debate there were conversations minimizing the importance of these programs and calling it “wasted money.” Here are my comments in response to that sentiment.