Friends and neighbors,

Early voting was approved by Connecticut voters in 2022. During the 2023 legislative session, the General Assembly authorized in-person early voting for elections held after April 1, 2024. Under this schedule, the first election utilizing early voting will be the Presidential Preference Primary on April 2, 2024.

The early voting dates for this election have been modified to reflect the Good Friday holiday and Easter Sunday. Early Voting will be held Tuesday, March 26 through…

State Rep. Kathleen McCarty, Ranking Member of the legislature’s Education Committee, took a few minutes out of her morning schedule to address the annual legislative meeting of the Connecticut Association of Boards of Education held at the Bushnell Center for the Performing Arts in Hartford.

Rep. McCarty provided a brief overview of the issues currently in front of the Education Committee, and how she perceived support or opposition within the committee and the broader legislature for each measure.…

There is a real need for bereavement and counseling services in Connecticut, especially for younger populations who may not have the skills or maturity to process the death of a friend or loved one.  Creating a Task Force is the logical next step to last year’s successful creation of a working group to study this issue.  I encourage my colleagues to consider and support the creation of this important and much-needed Task Force.

State Reps. Holly Cheeseman (R-37), Kathleen McCarty (R-38) and Irene Haines (R-34) along with Salem First Selectman Ed Chmielewski came together to support a legislative proposal which develops a safety capacity for Gardner Lake State Park in order to protect public safety in the area.

The legislation, 5216, An Act Concerning The Safety Capacity At Gardner Lake State Park received a public hearing in the legislature’s Environment Committee on Wednesday February 28^th.

According to the state and local…

Today, House and Senate Republicans unveiled a set of policy goals to provide Connecticut residents with long-term rate reduction, long-term stability, and short-term relief from ever-increasing energy costs.

Unfortunately, past decisions are coming back to harm ratepayers today, and the policy proposals presented today have the power to right the proverbial ship and provide immediate help to struggling ratepayers. Our plan proposes using federal ARPA funds to eliminate a substantial shortfall caused…

The CT DEEP Marine Fisheries Program (MFP) announced they will be holding two Public Informational Meetings to provide information on the status of important recreational fisheries and planned recreational regulations for the 2024 fishing season, as well as to gather public input on 2024 regulation options for scup and summer flounder. The same information will be presented at both meetings.

The first meeting will be held in person on Monday, February 26th from 6:30-8:00 PM at:

UCONN Avery Point…

New name. Same great opportunity.

The Women’s Business Development Council (WBDC) announced that applications for the Ignite grant, formerly known as the Equity Match Grant, are now being accepted!

The deadline to apply is March 14, 2024. The application is also offered in Spanish.

According to the WBDC, the “ignite grant provides a groundbreaking opportunity for Connecticut women-owned businesses. Since 2020, WBDC has provided grants totaling more than $2.5M to 276 women-owned businesses in every…

I wanted you to know about a program that may help lower the cost of your prescription drugs. The ArrayRx discount card program launched in recent months and is FREE for residents.

The program works with a partnership of states to leverage their buying power to lower prescription drug costs.

The card is provided to consumers digitally via e-mail and can be downloaded to smartphone wallets. Using the card, you can save up to 80% on generic medications and 20% on brand name prescriptions.

To learn…

The 2024 legislative session begins on Wednesday, Feb. 7th, and with the truncated timeline of the “short session” there will surely be a lot to keep track of.

If you want to follow along with legislative business, many meetings, hearings, and news conferences will be livestreamed through the Connecticut Public Affairs Network.

You can track legislation and find out information about the legislature’s committees by visiting the Connecticut General Assembly’s website.

And you can review reports, major…