From the Capitol: Public Hearings and Vaccine Update

Posted on March 2, 2021

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Dear Friends and Neighbors,

I wanted to take the opportunity to provide you with the following Capitol Update on a number of important public hearings taking place this week that you may want to know about. These bills making their way through the committee process include proposals to address sexual misconduct on college campuses, to mandate background checks for youth sports coaches, and to introduce online sports wagering and online gaming in our state.


Public Hearings the Week of March 1st

Interested in Testifying?

Click the links to access the agenda for the public hearings and if you’d like to know how to testify at a hearing, please reach out to me at Tim.Ackert@housegop.ct.gov.


Virtual Net Metering

Solar energy credits bill receives public hearing…

The Energy and Technology Committee, which I serve on, will be holding a public hearing on Thursday on a number of bills, including a concept which I’ve introduced to give more residents the opportunity to offset their monthly utility costs with solar energy.

Senate Bill No. 952, ‘An Act Concerning Certain Solar Energy Projects’, includes a provision to increase something known as the ‘virtual net metering cap’. Virtual net metering allows an owner of a solar panel installation to collect credits on their monthly bill for any excess energy that they produce that flows into the power grid. I’ve advocated for raising the cap on these credits and I’m pleased to share this bill includes language which I had introduced earlier on during this session.

With so many homeowners installing solar panels in an effort to control their household energy costs and help reduce carbon emissions, raising the cap on virtual net metering could incentivize more localized solar projects and encourage more residents to take back control over their energy costs. Click here for more information…


COVID Vaccine Update

Following the changes he made to the vaccine rollout on February 22nd, Governor Lamont has announced that individuals aged 55-64 and certain educators and childcare providers will be eligible to start scheduling appointments today to receive the COVID vaccine.

According to the state’s website, eligible educators and childcare providers include:

  • Pre-K-12 Teachers,
  • Paraprofessionals,
  • Custodial staff,
  • Food service providers,
  • School bus drivers,
  • Childcare providers, and
  • In-school administrative staff.
  • Does not include individuals who are not required to work on-site in a school.

To find out how to schedule an appointment or if you’re eligible, visit the state’s COVID vaccine portal at: ct.gov/covidvaccine

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