Kadeem Roberts

Thursday was Black Women's Equal Pay Day. This day marks the point at which Black women, on average, have earned as much as white men did in the previous year. July 10th is an additional 214 days—nearly 7 months—just to catch up.

The wage gap for Black women is a multifaceted issue influenced by various systemic factors:

• Occupational Segregation: Black women are disproportionately represented in lower-paying occupations and are underrepresented in leadership positions.
• Lack of Pay Transparency: The absence of salary disclosure policies makes it challenging for Black women to negotiate equitable wages.
• Unpaid Care Work: Black women often bear significant caregiving responsibilities, impacting their career progression and earnings.
• Discrimination in Hiring and Promotions: Biases in recruitment and advancement processes hinder Black women's access to higher-paying roles.

Despite their invaluable contributions across all sectors, Black women still face systemic wage gaps. Today, we stand in solidarity, pushing for equal pay and a more just future.

I wanted highlight a few bills that Governor Lamont recently signed into law. 

Public Act No. 25-9 puts patients first and holds insurance companies accountable.

Here’s what it does:

• Caps excessive premium hikes. Allows the Connecticut Insurance Department to limit rate increases for insurers that have a track record of hiking costs.
• Enforces mental health parity—with real consequences. Insurers must treat mental health like physical health, and those who don’t comply can face fines up to $625,000 and must publicly report how they’re doing.
• Ends harmful “step therapy” delays. Patients with MS, rheumatoid arthritis, schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, and depression will no longer be forced to try cheaper meds first while their condition worsens, and trial periods are also cut from 60 to 30 days.

Governor Lamont also signed a pair of bills that pertain to agriculture. 

Among the provisions:

• 20% tax credit for “farm investment property”
• Crop loss reimbursement
• Drone regulations to boost innovation
• Support for shellfish, agritourism & more
• Expanding land access grant