Legislative & Local Updates for the Week Ending January 27, 2023

January 30, 2023

Dear Neighbor,

In the past week in California, there were three unrelated mass shootings in the span of 44 hours resulting in 19 people killed. Connecticut is not immune to the rise in gun violence throughout the country.

On Monday, Governor Lamont announced that he would be taking action to eliminate gun violence (read more here). The bills the governor introduced will focus on investing in community intervention programs, enacting carry laws that meet the expectations of Connecticut residents, preventing the bulk purchases of handguns, and stopping the illegal flow of "ghost guns." I look forward to supporting the legislation the governor puts forward to make our communities safer from gun violence. 
 
Talking MyCTSavings with Lorca Coffee & Comptroller Sean Scanlon
On Monday, I joined Comptroller Sean Scanlon, Rep. Hubert Delany, and the Women's Business Development Council (WBDC) at Lorca Coffee Bar in Stamford. Lorca Coffee Bar was one of the first companies to sign up for MyCTSavings, which enables small businesses to offer retirement plans to their employees. As Comptroller Sean Scanlon noted, the program gives people access to a safe and secure retirement.
 
CT League of Conservation Voters Environmental Summit
On Tuesday, January 24, I attended the CT League of Conservation Voters 2023 Environmental Summit. I learned about the important work that needs to be done to meet our greenhouse gas emission targets, and to protect our vulnerable natural resources and biodiversity, and I look forward to supporting these initiatives as bills evolve.

Prior to the start of the summit, Governor Lamont announced that he would take measures to address the future of materials and waste management (read more here). Since the closure of the Materials Innovation and Recycling Authority (MIRA) in July 2022, Connecticut has been trucking a greater share of our waste to states as far away as Pennsylvania and Ohio. This practice is unsustainable. It is imperative that we're able to manage our waste on our own, so we can save residents money and reduce our carbon emissions. I look forward to seeing the governor's proposals when they come to the General Assembly.
 
Reproductive Rights Caucus Puts Forth 2023 Priorities
Wednesday, the Reproductive Rights Caucus (RRC) set forth its priorities for this session. The caucus was formed in 2022 in response to continued national attacks on Roe V. Wade and reproductive rights and is currently 40 members strong.
 

2023 RRC Priorities:

  • Increase funding 
  • Increase the parity and reimbursement rates for providers of family planning services
  • Increase training for providers
  • Expand care coverage for out-of-state residents
  • Support the establishment of a Safe Harbor Fund
  • Increase data privacy
  • Expand maternity, labor & delivery access 
  • Protect patient access to reproductive healthcare
  • Increase provider protections  
  • Expand reproductive services for college students

I am proud to be a part of the Reproductive Rights Caucus and to support their legislative priorities for the session.
 
I'm interested in getting to know what's important to you as a constituent. Click the banner above to take my survey, or click HERE.
 

In Remembrance...
With each passing year, as fewer and fewer survivors remain to share their stories of lives lost and lives rebuilt, we must teach accurately about the Holocaust and push back against attempts to ignore, deny, distort, and revise history.

Today, and every day, we have a moral obligation to honor the victims, learn from the survivors, pay tribute to the rescuers, and carry forth the lessons of last century’s most heinous crime. From the streets of Charlottesville, Virginia, to a synagogue in Colleyville, Texas, we are continually and painfully reminded that hate doesn’t go away; it only hides. And it falls to each of us to speak out against the resurgence of antisemitism and ensure that bigotry and hate receive no safe harbor, at home and around the world.
 

Wilton Go Green and Waste Free Greenwich Host Climate Action Webinar

On Wednesday, February 1, from 7-8 p.m., Wilton Go Green and Waste Free Greenwich will host a "K-12 Climate Action in Connecticut" webinar with Aspen Institute and Mansfield Public Schools. The webinar will highlight how the education sector can lead on climate solutions in the Nutmeg State. Panelists include:

  • Laura Schifter, Senior Fellow, This Is Planet Ed at Aspen Institure
  • Peter Dart, Superintendent, Mansfield Public Schools
  • Randy Walikonis, Chair, Mansfield School Building Committee

Register for the webinar at https://bit.ly/K12climateaction 
 

Access Health CT Broker Academy Prepares to Open Application Process

To diversify the insurance broker community in our state, Access Health CT has established the Broker Academy Program to create a pathway for newly licensed insurance brokers by recruiting from and building the skillset of those who live and work in underserved communities throughout Connecticut. 
The Broker Academy provides free training for selected students to become licensed brokers and covers the cost of their licensing exam. You can learn more by visiting the Broker Academy's website or by attending an upcoming virtual informational session. The next session is on Tuesday, February 7 from 6-7 p.m. Registration is required.
REGISTER HERE
Applications for the program will be open on Monday, February 27, 2023. The deadline to apply is Friday, March 31, 2023. Should you have questions or require additional information, email AHCT.BrokerAcademy@ct.gov
 

It's Tax Time Again!

It's time to pay federal and state taxes and the AARP Foundation will be providing free tax assistance to people who need it.
 
This “tax-aide” program is suited for residents over the age of 60 and both low-income and middle-income residents in town. But it is open to anyone who needs it, with no age or income limitations. You do not need to be an AARP member for it.
 
The program is free, but it is by appointment only. Anyone interested in utilizing this excellent program should call 203-548-7710 or email greenwichtaxaid@gmail.com.
 
The program is being offered from Feb. 1 until April 14 and appointments are available Tuesday through Friday, between 9 a.m. and 2 p.m. The work will be done at Town Hall in the Hayton Conference Room on the third floor.
 
Pre-appointment forms can be obtained at Town Hall at both the front desk in the lobby and in the Human Services Department. They are also available at the Senior Center at 299 Greenwich Avenue.
 

Volunteers Sought for Vine-Cutting at Greenwich Point Park
The Friends of Greenwich Point is in the middle of an effort to do vine cutting, which is an important part of maintaining of the area, and they are looking for volunteers to come help.
 
Vine cutting is taking place over the course of the next few months, and the next date is Saturday, Jan. 28, from 10 a.m. to noon. Anyone interested in volunteering can email FOGPvolunteer@gmail.com and they will let you know the location for the work.
 
If you are not available that day but still want to help, there will also be upcoming dates on Feb. 23 and 25 and March 23 and 25. Anyone who wants to volunteer can bring their own clippers or loppers, but the organization will have some that can be used. Volunteers should wear long sleeve shirts and pants and bring work gloves.
 

Events in the District
The Ferguson Library in Stamford welcomes broadcaster and author Alvin Hall as he takes his audience on a journey through America's haunted racial past, discussing his new memoir, Driving the Green Book: A Road Trip Through the Living History of Black Resistance. Hall will describe his travels using The Negro Motorist Green Book, the definitive guide to businesses where Black travelers could safely rest, eat and sleep from 1936 to 1967.
 
The conversation will be moderated by Hall's fellow traveler, Janée Woods Weber, a social justice activist and trainer.
 
In 2019, Hall set out to revisit the world of the Green Book during a 12-day 2,000-mile trip from Detroit to New Orleans accompanied by Woods Weber, visiting motels, restaurants, shops, and stores where Black Americans once found a friendly welcome in the Jim Crow era South.
 
This program is one of several Black History Month events being held at the library throughout February.

Hall is an award-winning television and radio broadcaster, author, political activist and financial educator. His numerous BBC radio programs include The Tulsa Tragedy that Shamed America, The Green Book, and Jay-Z: From Brooklyn to the Board Room. For five years he hosted the highly rated and award-winning BBC series Your Money or Your Life. He lives in New York City.
 
This event is free and open to the public, but registration is required.

Monday, February 27
6:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m.
Main Library, DiMattia Building
Dudley N. Williams, Jr. Auditorium
REGISTER HERE
 

Tuesday, January 31, 2023, 12:30 pm to 1:30 p.m - The Greenwich Sustainability Committee, in partnership with Coffee for Good, invites you to ‘A Farmer’s Perspective on Food & Climate Change’ with Steve Munno, Farm Manager at Massaro Community Farm. This informative discussion will be held on Tuesday, January 31st from 12:30 - 1:30 at Coffee for Good. For more information and to RSVP, click here.

Wednesday, February 1, 7pm - YWCA Talk on Climate Justice, YWCA Greenwich - Climate change is dramatically impacting the resources that we all depend on and value, such as water, energy, air, agriculture, and ecosystems. Communities of color and other marginalized groups often have the highest exposure and the fewest resources to respond to the impacts of climate change. The panel will explore these climate challenges in Connecticut today, the disparate impacts of climate change on vulnerable communities, and offer solutions for a more equitable and just response to climate change in Connecticut. Sign up here.

Wednesday, February 1 - Greenwich Magnet Schools Deadline View more information here