Eleni Kavros DeGraw

It finally happened this morning . . . the crocuses bloomed in our yard. While it continues to be chilly, I am grateful for these signs of spring as we move toward more sunlight and hopefully away from the cold temperatures.

You may have heard about federal cuts to funding that are beginning to affect our state. We don’t yet know all of the cuts and what that will mean to our overall budget but some examples I want to make you aware of relate to Connecticut Foodshare.

It may already be March Madness, but that means we also need to talk about problem gambling made worse by online sports betting (something I voted against when I first entered the legislature just for this reason). Help is available if you or someone you know struggles with gambling addiction and I’ve included it in this issue.

Can you feel it in the air? We’ve all been a little happier this week as we exited the legislative office building to slightly warmer weather and sunshine.

As you most likely heard, we were in session yesterday. While I received many messages to override the Governor’s vetoes on the two e-certifications we had passed the week before, we decided to go a different route.

To give you a sense of where we are in session, we are in the public hearing process for all committees. Some committees are beginning to vote bills out of committee for their possible passage on the House and/or Senate floors.

A snapshot of today: Co-chairing the public hearing for Planning and Development, popping into the Public Health Committee to vote, and as I sit in the Legislative Office Building this evening, participating in the Public Hearing for the Higher Education Subcommittee for the Appropriations Committee where I am a member.

Happy Valentine’s Day! Working for you and representing our district daily is a privilege. Wishing you all a day full of love and kindness.