January 14, 2021

Capitol Update – Thursday, January 14

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Last Wednesday, I had the pleasure of being sworn in for my first-term as your state representative.

I am extremely honored to have the opportunity to represent the residents of Berlin and Southington over the next two years and I’m hoping to bring a fresh perspective and new voice to issues important to our state and local communities. One of my priorities this session will be to address the drastic increase in car burglaries and thefts happening not only in our towns but throughout the state.

For this legislative term, I will be serving on the Judiciary, Education, and Planning and Development Committees.

The 2021 regular legislative session is scheduled to run from January 6^th to June 9^th.

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Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Legislative Office Building and Capitol are closed until further notice. In the meantime, we will be conducting business virtually.

This reference site includes:

Zoom Public Hearing Instructions
Tips for Virtual Meeting Participation
Finding a Legislator
Public Hearing And Committee Meeting Live Streams on YouTube
Follow the Legislative Process Online
Calendar of Events (find public hearings and committee meetings)
CT-N (news and live streams)
Signing Up for Bill Tracking (here you can Sign up for email notifications)
Access to Committee Pages for Schedules, Agendas & More

To view these resources, click here.

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Vaccine Roll-out and Other Information

In the two short weeks I’ve been your state representative, my office has received countless calls from people with questions regarding Connecticut’s vaccine schedule, who is eligible, and when/where can I find more information, I wanted to share with you an informational resource I think you’ll find helpful.

Connecticut is currently in Phase 1a of our statewide vaccine roll-out.

Eligible citizens, based on recommendations from the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) are:

Healthcare Personnel: All paid and unpaid persons serving in healthcare settings who have the potential for direct or indirect exposure to patients of infectious materials.

Long-Term Care Facility Residents: Adults who reside in facilities that provide a range of services, including medical and personal care, to persons who are unable to live independently.

Medical First Responders: High risk of exposure to COVID-19 through their response to medical emergencies such as Emergency Medical Technicians, Police, and Fire.

NOTE: Phase 1a does not include healthcare personnel that do not have the potential for direct or indirect exposure to patients or infectious materials. For example, telehealth services.

Phase 1b (Scheduled to Begin on Jan. 18th)

Three primary groups will be eligible for the vaccine in Phase 1b:

Individuals 75 years of and older (eligible NOW)
Front line essential workers
Individuals and staff in congregate settings

Based on this initial overview of eligible groups, the State will look to enter Phase 1b during the month of January, 2021.

Phase 1c

Details on Phase 1c is not yet available.

Future Phases (Summer and Fall, 2021)

COVID-19 vaccinations will be available to eligible members of the general public starting this summer. At that time you should expect to have access to the vaccine at the same locations where you would normally get vaccinated: pharmacies, doctors offices, community health clinics, local health clinics, as well as through other providers.

To read more on these phases, click here.

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Food Distribution Resources

The COVID-19 pandemic has been hard on a lot of families in our area and across our state. Organizations like Foodshare are helping to increase access to food through their mobile program which serves approximately 13,000 visitors each month.

Foodshare will be holding weekly “Free Food Distribution” at Rentschler Field, 615 Silver Lane, East Hartford, for residents of Hartford and Tolland Counties every Tuesday from 9:30 a.m. until 1:00 p.m. Please use the Silver Lane entrance. Gates will close at 1:00 p.m.

One allocation of food per car to ensure that they have enough food for everyone.