Aimee Berger-Girvalo

Connecticut's annual Sales Tax-Free Week begins on Sunday, Aug. 17, and runs through Saturday, Aug. 23. It provides a chance to save money, whether it is taking the kids back-to-school shopping or treating yourself or your loved ones.

Highlights of Sales Tax-Free Week

• Sales or purchases of certain items of clothing or footwear costing less than $100 per item are exempt from Connecticut's 6.35% sales tax.
• Sales Tax-Free Week applies to purchases made in-store, online, mail-order, and over the phone.
• This special exemption applies to purchases made from retailers located in Connecticut as well as from online retailers.

This is Connecticut's 26th Sales Tax Free Week.

At a time when we are seeing countless policy actions being taken against the LGBTQ+ community, I am so far beyond disappointed in the decision made by Connecticut Children's and Yale Medical to eliminate gender-affirming care for minors.

This care is vital to the mental health and well-being transgender youth, providing them with support and medical guidance they need to live their authentic lives. Denying access to these services not only harms these young individuals, it also undermines our commitment to inclusivity, compassion and evidence-based health care in Connecticut. 

I want to be very clear. Erasing care, eliminating suicide prevention hotlines, and other attacks on the community are not going to make these kids disappear. But it will certainly and gravely impact some of the most vulnerable people among us. And let's just call it what it is: cruelty for the sake of being cruel.

Further exacerbating the shameful decisions by two of the state's leading hospitals, the federal government cut funding to the LGBTQ+ community's access to mental health services. I recently received a note from the United Way Connecticut concerning those cuts and how it is handling crisis services will be provided going forward
 
Here are the facts:

• The federal government cut off funding to the 988 LGBTQ+ mental health crisis network of providers (effective July 17).
• That means all of the calls previously routed to the national network will be routed to the 988 center for the caller's state.
• According to data, in FY25, the LGBTQ+ 988 national network received 326 calls and 143 text/chats per month from Connecticut.
• United Way of CT's 988 team will now provide support for these additional contacts. According to UWCT, the "988 team is well-positioned to provide support to these additional contacts."
• The Department of Mental Health and Addiction Resources secured additional funding in past legislative session – which I advocated for -- to expand 988 CT capacity to meet demand.
• Still, youth mental health crisis callers are directed to call 211 to engage with youth mobile crisis services. We are currently facing a significant current year resource deficit for that service: this means that for these crisis callers, hold times will likely be much longer than for 988.
• An additional $320k is needed to support minimal staffing for the youth 24/7 service. 

I have always believed that it is our obligation simply as humans to protect those amongst us who are most vulnerable, and I apply that most ardently to my role as a state representative. It is for that reason that I will continue to fight for this group of people currently being cruelly and unnecessarily targeted for the political gain of some.

The State Bond Commission approved the release of $155 million to slightly reduce the public benefit charges on your bill. This action is a result of bipartisan energy affordability legislation (Senate Bill 4).

The funding will reduce costs associated with:

• Hardship protection programs: $125 million will go towards assisting low-income customers who struggle to pay their electric bills
• Electric vehicle charging programs: $30 million will cover costs related to the state's EV charging infrastructure and integration.

The result will be about $10 to $20 off our monthly bills. I want to be very clear – this is not a real solution to the problem, and more clearly needs to be done to address the issue of affordable utility rates. As disappointed as I was that none of my proposals in this area moved forward last session, I will continue pushing for real change in how we address electricity rates and fees.

In addition to looking at ways to impact our rates here in Connecticut, it is also critical that there are federal approaches to reduce costs.

I support Sen. Richard Blumenthal's call today for the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission to provide oversight over local transmission projects that significantly increase energy costs for consumers. Read more about Sen. Blumenthal's proposal here.

From the Ridgefield town website:

The Ridgefield Fire Department -- through support from the Connecticut Department of Public Health -- is offering free opioid overdose rescue kits to the public.

These kits contain Naloxone (Narcan) — a medication that can rapidly reverse the effects of opioid overdose — along with a CPR barrier mask, instructions for responding to an overdose, and information about addiction treatment and crisis resources.

The rescue kits may be left behind at the scene of a suspected overdose, given to friends, family members, or bystanders who request them. Community members may also stop by Ridgefield Fire Headquarters at 6 Catoonah St. during regular hours to pick one up — no questions asked.

For more information or to request a free rescue kit, visit Ridgefield Fire Department HQ or contact the department at fire@ridgefieldct.gov or 203-431-2726.