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Dear Friend,
This is my State Capitol update for the week of August 11.
If you prefer to watch rather than read, click on the play button to hear about the issues contained in this newsletter.
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Apparently, yesterday was National Connecticut Day – I’m not sure what the traditional means of celebrating the occasion is, but I honored it by making the rounds of the 64th district in the last week, including a 4-H fair, a sidewalk sale, a couple of library events, and a crafts fair, among others.
One of those events this week took place at High Watch in Kent, where Attorney General William Tong spoke with the Regional Behavioral Health Action Organization for Region 5. CT has been a leader in holding the tobacco, vaping, and opioid industries accountable for their roles in the addiction crisis, including producing significant resources from litigation. CT’s leadership helped get more than $50 billion nationally for treatment and prevention from the opioid industry; of which CT will receive over $600 million. The discussion in Kent focused on ensuring we follow through and ensure these funds are spent appropriately, which is where legislation kicks in. The process will be guided by legislation we passed that created the Opioid Settlement Advisory Committee (OSAC), whose work is to ensure proceeds are spent on substance use disorder, treatment, recovery, and harm reduction. We discussed the need for the programs to be evidence-based, what the metrics and criteria ought to be, and the importance of including the voices and perspectives of people in recovery in that process. (Note that yesterday we learned that the Supreme Court has put a hold on the part of the opioid settlement coming from the Sackler family, so those resources may be delayed, but the process remains in place.)
One of the voices at the meeting was Tim Walsh, the founder of Adventure Recovery (AR) and himself a person in recovery. I first met Tim on the shores of the Housatonic in Falls Village, where I had parked my car in preparation to go door knocking and where he had been conducting one of AR’s transformational adventure experiences that helps to teach those in recovery how to embody self-efficacy, empowerment, and confidence through outdoor activities. The natural world is of critical importance to all of us, but certainly is a key part of the Northwest corner, and Tim’s work is a reminder that the preservation of wild and green spaces in our corner of the world is also part of taking care of our mental health.
There are yet more upcoming events over the next few days, including: A Taste of Cornwall on Friday, the Grand Reopening of the Sharon Library on Saturday, and the Jam on Academy Street Fair hosted by the Lakeville Journal (all detailed below); and pancakes with the Sharon Ambulance squad on Sunday morning. I hope to see you there!
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Here’s a list of today’s topics:
- CT Sales Tax Free Week Approaches. Click here.
- Additional SNAP benefits this weekend . Click here.
- Connecticut's Free School Meals Program Extended for Upcoming School Year. Click here.
- Back To School Social Media Safety. Click here.
- PA 23-161 Signed into Law. Click here.
- Department of Energy & Environmental Protection (DEEP) is recruiting in Kent. Click here.
- Update on food scrap diversion program at Salisbury-Sharon Transfer Station. Click here.
- In District Events. Click here.
- Housatonic Heritage Walks in September and October. Click here.
- Jam on Academy community fair hosted by the Lakeville Journal. Click here.
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CT's 23rd Sales Tax Free Week will begin on Sunday, August 20 through Saturday, August 26, 2023 – Clothing, footwear, and accessories under $100 will be free from tax this week with some exceptions. For a thorough list of items included and exempt from the tax free week visit the state's website here.
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The Connecticut Department of Social Services (DSS), in consultation with the Connecticut State Department of Education (CSDE), this week announced that $8.8 million in special food assistance benefits is scheduled to be distributed Sunday, August 13, 2023, to the families of 57,313 children under age 6 who are enrolled in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP).
Specific information about the August 13 distribution:
- Benefits will be deposited onto existing SNAP EBT cards on August 13, 2023, to over 42,635 households (57,313 eligible children) who were under age 6 and receiving SNAP benefits from DSS between September 1, 2022, and May 11, 2023.
- The one-time additional benefit is $172.72 per child who received SNAP benefits for the entire covered period.
- Children who did not receive SNAP benefits for the entire covered period will receive a lower, pro-rated amount of P-EBT benefits.
Families do not need to apply for P-EBT benefits, all eligible families will automatically receive additional benefits.
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Connecticut's Free School Meals Program has been extended to the 2023-2024 school year. Under the plan, $16 million of funding the state received from the American Rescue Plan Act will be invested into the program. Funds will be utilized to support the provision of meals at no cost in the following ways:
- All students in non-Community Eligibility Provision (CEP) schools participating in the federal School Breakfast Program (SBP) will be able to receive breakfast meals at no cost, including day students within residential childcare institutions. Approximately 114 districts participating in the SBP are eligible to receive this funding serving an estimated 177,243 eligible students.
- Students who are eligible for reduced-price meals in non-CEP schools participating in the federal National School Lunch Program (NSLP) will be able to receive lunch at no cost, including day students within residential childcare institutions. Approximately 128 districts participating in the NSLP are eligible to receive this funding, serving an estimated 13,197 eligible students.
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The first day of school will be here before you know it! I wanted to remind parents of a simple safety tip when posting that back-to-school photo.
While I know this photo trend is fun to take and look back on, keeping your child's personal information at a minimum is important. By sharing your child's school, grade, teacher, interests, etc. you are giving predators unique information about your child and where they can find them.
Here are some reminders of what not to post:
Teacher's Name
School Name
Interests
Age
Weight
Height
Wishing you and your families a happy, healthy and safe school year!
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During session, we successfully passed legislation that protects and supports individuals in the state who are in the twilight years of their life. Unfortunately, as the elderly population steadily rises, scam attempts against that community also increases. To help shield our older residents from being victimized, we passed PA 23-161, AN ACT CONCERNING FINANCIAL EXPLOITATION OF SENIOR CITIZENS.
Starting July 1, 2024, banks and credit unions will have the power to temporarily suspend or hold transactions involving an account of an adult over the age of 60 if there is a reasonable suspicion of financial exploitation for up to 45 days.
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Department of Energy & Environmental Protection (DEEP) is recruiting in Kent
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DEEP is recruiting for a seasonal campground supervisor at Macedonia Brook State Park Campground - Job Opening: Campground Supervisor - Department of Administrative Services (jobapscloud.com). This particular role starts at $19/hr., which is the top of the range for seasonal staff. They are anticipating vacancies as college students start to head back to school and are working hard to recruit replacements to run campgrounds during the fall, which, as we know, is always a busy time for tourism in the NW corner.
DEEP also has other seasonal roles available at local state parks including Kent Falls and Housatonic Meadows. Here is the general posting: https://www.jobapscloud.com/CT/sup/bulpreview.asp?R1=221206&R2=3492VR&R3=002
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As of July, the food scrap diversion program at the Salisbury-Sharon Transfer Station diverted nearly 58,000 lbs of food scraps from the garbage over the last year.
Two restaurants have agreed to give food waste separation a try: The Black Rabbit in Lakeville, and Le Gamin in Sharon. The Transfer Station Recycling Advisory Committee (TRAC) and the Transfer Station manager, Brian Bartram, are working on a plan to expand the program to commercial and institutional food waste generators.
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The Upper Housatonic Valley National Heritage Area has announced their 21st annual “Housatonic Heritage Walks” spanning 5 weekends in September. These 80+ guided events are free and open to the public, and highlight the most amazing places – historical, cultural and natural resources – in the upper Housatonic River Valley.
For more detail, https://housatonicheritage.org/heritage-experiences/heritage-walks/
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For the second year in a row The Lakeville Journal will host a community fair — Jam on Academy — on Sunday, Aug. 13 with food, music and a lineup of nearly 30 organizations that will be on hand to show what they do for the Northwest Corner.
The event will run from noon to 6 p.m. on Academy Street.
Organizations that will participate include first responders, libraries, churches, social service organizations, friends of The Lakeville Journal and more.
Music will come from Wanda Houston, Trina Hamlin and Terra Coda. Food will be available at food trucks and the Lakeville Hose Ladies Auxiliary.
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It is my honor to represent our district. I look forward to hearing from you about the issues raised in this newsletter, or any other topics you think I should know about. You can email me at maria.horn@cga.ct.gov or call me at (860)-240-8585. Thanks for reading, and I wish you a safe weekend.
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Sincerely,
Maria Horn
State Representative
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