Kara Rochelle

From my family to yours, I wanted to take a moment to wish you and your loved ones a Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays. I hope you all have a season filled with peace, joy, and meaningful time spent with friends and family.

I will hold my monthly in-person “Coffee with Kara” Event tomorrow, Friday, December 19th, from 8 a.m. to 9 a.m. at Valley Diner, 636 New Haven Ave, Derby.

During November's Special Session, the legislature approved a $500 million Emergency Fund for the state to use to respond to any cuts from the federal government. In the past week, the state's plans to use $70 million to cover healthcare subsidies, and the plans to use $5.2 million to combat homelessness. In this email, you can read more about how this funding will be used, learn about medical debt relief on the way for 40,000 residents, and more. 

Last week, the House of Representatives met for a Special Session on Wednesday, November 12th. The legislature used the Special Session to address the potential funding shortfalls of the federal government during the shutdown, a new housing bill, and more. We passed $500 million to cover reductions in funding from the federal level. Further down in this email, you can read additional details about what the legislature passed during the special session this week.

I hope this message finds you and yours well! This week, the state announced $12 million in funding through the CTDOT's Community Connectivity Grant Program, awarded to 17 towns and cities, including $789,000 for Ansonia. Later this week, on Friday, November 21st, I will hold my monthly coffee hour event. Read about this new funding for Ansonia and additional details on my November coffee hour below.

All Connecticut SNAP recipients have access to their FULL November benefits on their EBT cards.

Election Day is tomorrow, Tuesday, November 4th, and I encourage you all to be a part of the process. Local elections impact your tax rate, school funding, and so much more. These local elections tend to be close races, and your vote matters to make a difference in the community.

This week, I am hosting two events around the Valley where you can learn more and ask questions about what the General Assembly did during this year's session. Tonight, I will hold an education forum at Derby Town Hall, and tomorrow morning, I will have my monthly coffee hour. Read more about both these events below.