Travis Simms

One of my top priorities going into the legislative session this year was to help lower the cost of housing for both homeowners and renters. This priority grew out of hearing loud and clear after knocking on thousands of doors campaigning last year.

Sessions can be like raising children. The days are long but the years -- or in this case months -- are short. There are just a couple of weeks left in this session, and the House continues to take up important legislation addressing housing, protecting immigrants, funding Medicaid and amending workers' compensation laws.

One of my favorite annual events of the session took place at the state Capitol on Tuesday: Norwalk Day. 

Join me by registering for the State of Black Community: Brunch N’ Learn on Saturday, May 10, at 11 a.m., at the Norwalk Public Library.

Last Wednesday I attended a press conference on the third-annual Food Insecurity Awareness Day at the Capitol. That there is a third annual day shows we have more work to do. No child in Connecticut, or anywhere for that matter, should be hungry. Yet one in six kids in Connecticut are food insecure. More than 450,000 residents have faced hunger in the state. Nearly 90 MILLION meals are needed to close the gap annually in Connecticut.

I had the honor and privilege of taking up the gavel as assistant deputy speaker during a full session on Wednesday.

I first want to take a moment to say how shocked and saddened I was to hear of the passing of former U.S. Rep Mia Love. 

I recently attended the CT State College Legislative Breakfast at Norwalk Community College, where campus CEO Cheryl De Vonish, CSCC State President John Maduko, and CSCC Chancellor Terrence Cheng shared the campus’s positive academic metrics and discussed the importance of building partnerships with legislators and the business community.