Aimee Berger-Girvalo

I wanted to provide a brief update on the special session the Connecticut General Assembly held this week. While the formal legislative session ended last month, there were certain provisions that could not wait until next year to pass, so the House and Senate met for one day to put a new bill into law.

Last week, we went into special session to take an important step in the municipal car tax cut we passed in 2022. This next step was not new legislation, rather, it was a bill that the Planning and Development Committee worked on for two years, as a required step in the process of implementing the motor vehicle tax cut.

Several new laws that address many issues aimed at improving our great state will become effective on July 1st.

There's some amazing news that was just announced for Ridgefield. Our school district is getting funding worth $191,454 that will go towards several projects for eight different schools. The funding comes through the indoor air quality program, or HVAC, to make sure our students can learn in the most healthy environments we can give them.

Read about some updates from our busy week as we approach the final days of the 2024 short session.

These days we are in the Capitol more than we are away from it. With less than two weeks remaining in the 2024 legislative session, we are deep into the process of amending and negotiating our bills, all while voting on legislation that is ready to roll. Currently I’m working with a number of agencies, advocates, the Governor’s office, and fellow legislators from both sides of the aisle to finalize some comprehensive transportation-related legislation.

Lots still happening at the Capitol every day. We continue to attend public hearings and pass bills out of our committees. The days we aren’t in Hartford we are back in our districts, balancing legislative work with local events. This week I was happy to show my friend, State Comptroller Sean Scanlon, around our beautiful Main Street and, along with First Selectman Rudy Marconi, introduce him to many of our small business owners.

Last week was a busy one, and this week is shaping up to be the same. I’m writing this to you as I take a break from reading bill language for a Public Health Committee public hearing, taking place 30 minutes from now. With just shy of 100 people signed up to testify, this one is likely to be an all-nighter.