Month: February 2014

WorkPlace Film Series on Disability

The WorkPlace is presenting the Add Us In, four-part film series focusing on disability topics. The documentary, Murderball the second film of the Add Us In Series.

Come join us on March 5 at 7pm at The Bijou Theatre, 275 Fairfield Ave., Bridgeport, CT. Admission is FREE. Please call (203) 610-8570 by Monday, March 3rd to RSVP and advise if you will need additional accommodations.

Murderball, an inspiring story which conveys the message of hope, courage, faith and determination, is based on the Paralympic sport known as Wheelchair Rugby in the United States. The plot of the movie centers on a rivalry between two of the strongest teams of the 2004 Paralympic Games and their quest to overcome hurdles.  Released in 2005, Murderball took the cinemagoers by storm and earned widespread critical acclaim for its amazing cinematography and engaging plot.

Following this riveting 90-minute film, John Esteves, Director of Bridgeport’s Disability Resource Network, disability advocate, and wheelchair rugby athlete, will lead an interactive discussion on the film and his experiences as a wheelchair rugby player.  Come and learn how wheelchair sports empower athletes as they perfect their game and aspire to greatness.  John will discuss the impact of wheelchair athletics on his life and that of other people with disabilities.  After the film and discussion you will have no doubt about how wheelchair sports, like all sports, promotes confidence, sportsmanship and discipline.  Bring your questions and come prepared to think about applicants,employees, and colleagues with disabilities in a dramatically different light.  This promises to be a lively, thought provoking experience that will be impactful for people with and without disabilities.

Sign language interpreters will be available. Refreshments will be available for purchase.  Free on-street parking is available after 4:00 p.m.  Paid parking is also available in the Joseph Steakhouse parking lot on Fairfield Avenue.

GOVERNOR MALLOY ATTENDS MEETING AT THE WHITE HOUSE TO DISCUSS EFFORTS TO RAISE THE MINIMUM WAGE

(WASHINGTON, DC) – Governor Dannel P. Malloy today attended a meeting at the White House with Vice President Joseph Biden, U.S. Labor Secretary Thomas Perez, International President of the Service Employees International Union (SEIU) Mary Kay Henry, Director of the National Economic Council Gene Sperling, Valerie Jarrett, a senior adviser to President Barack Obama, and others to discuss state-level efforts to raise the minimum wage. Earlier this month, Governor Malloy introduced legislation that will increase the state minimum wage to $10.10, mirroring recent national efforts by President Obama and other Congressional leaders to raise the federal minimum wage to that same amount.  The increase would give Connecticut the highest minimum wage in the nation.

 

“Governor Malloy is doing extraordinary work in Connecticut to lift their minimum wage and give more hardworking Americans a raise,” said President Obama.

 

“There is a debate happening across our country on how to tackle the growing income inequality that is detrimental to our middle class families and to our economy.  Part of tackling that critically important challenge is making sure that we recognize that a decent wage is good for workers and good for business,” said Governor Malloy.  “For too long, the minimum wage has not kept up with the cost of living.  As studies have shown, the workers who would benefit from a minimum wage increase brought home 46 percent of their household’s total wage and salary income in 2011.  When workers earn more money, businesses will have more customers.  This modest boost will help those earning the least to make ends meet.”

 

In the summer of 2013, Governor Malloy signed a bill into law

that increased the state minimum wage in two stages: from $8.25 to $8.70 on January 1, 2014, followed by a second increase to $9.00 that is currently scheduled to take effect on January 1, 2015.  The proposal the Governor announced today calls for a slight modification of next year’s increase, bringing the total to $9.15 on January 1, 2015.  The proposal would then add a 45-cent increase to $9.60 beginning January 1, 2016, followed by a 50-cent increase to $10.10 effective January 1, 2017.

 

Out of Connecticut’s workforce of 1.7 million people, it is estimated that there are currently 70,000 to 90,000 workers who earn the minimum wage.  According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, women made up about two-thirds of all workers who were paid minimum wage or less in 2012, and 61 percent of full-time minimum wage workers. Women of color are disproportionately represented among female minimum wage workers, as nearly four in ten female minimum wage workers are women of color. The Governor’s proposal means that an employee working 40-hours per week would earn $21,008 per year.  Currently, the federal poverty guideline for a family of four is $23,850.

 

Governor Malloy is in Washington, DC to participate in the National Governors Association’s 2014 Winter Meeting

. The meeting is an opportunity for a bipartisan group of governors to discuss issues affecting states, share innovative solutions, and look for ways to strengthen the state-federal partnership.

Bridgeport News: Pedestrian struck update

#Bridgeprort CT–In a story we brought to live as it was happening –Bridgeport Police are investigating a serious motor vehicle accident involving a pedestrian that occurred last night in the area of State Street and Iranistan Avenue.

The pedestrian, Andres Nunez, 38, of Lewis Street, suffered a severe head injury and was in critical condition.

The driver of the vehicle, a BMW sport utility vehicle, remained on the scene.

Police were called just before 8:30 p.m. The SUV was traveling east on State Street. The pedestrian was in right lane when he was struck.

The victim was taken to Bridgeport Hospital, and the accident remains under investigation

CT Government data to be placed on the internet

#HARTFORD, CT – Governor Dannel P. Malloy today announced he has signed an executive order that will result in widespread amounts of raw government data to be collected, placed on the internet, and shared with the public in a major effort to increase transparency and provide a useful database that can be utilized by residents for any number of purposes.  The Governor explained that the purpose of the order is to display data in its rawest form, before it has been aggregated and analyzed.

“Sharing data collected by state government will help to break down silos within government, make data more easily available for analysis by researchers and entrepreneurs, and in turn help spur economic growth and creative new policy,” said Governor Malloy.  “This data belongs to the people of Connecticut, and this initiative will help make that data more easily and conveniently accessible to them.”

Governor Malloy’s Executive Order No. 39 creates the Connecticut Open Data Portal, which will serve as an online portal where data collected across all state government agencies will be shared with the public.  Once launched, it will be located athttp://data.ct.gov.

The executive order instructs all executive branch agency heads appointed by the Governor to begin the process of collecting the data, which includes lists, tables, charts, graphs or other non-narrative forms and that is generally statistical or factual.

Analysts, academics, entrepreneurs and all members of the public will have the opportunity to use the posted data.  The online portal will also give users the opportunity to visualize data through graphs or charts and on maps when applicable.

“We are thrilled with the Governor’s initiative that will be an asset for economic development and policy analysis alike,” said Robert Santy, Chair of the Connecticut Data Collaborative, a nonprofit public-private effort to improve quality and access to policy-related data in the state.  “The collaborative looks forward to a robust partnership with the state that will support greater public access to state data and raise data standards and quality.”

To create the Connecticut Open Data Portal, the State of Connecticut has signed a contract with Socrata, Inc.  The portal will be managed and administered by Tyler Kleykamp of the Office of Policy and Management (OPM), who will serve as the portal’s Chief Data Officer (CDO).  Kleykamp previously served as the coordinator of state geospatial information systems (GIS) at OPM.

“OPM is excited not only to lead this important initiative, but also to move Connecticut forward into the age of data-driven governing,” said OPM Secretary Ben Barnes.  “This new portal will provide us with opportunities for a more collaborative, interactive, and transparent approach to measure the performance of government services and programs.”

The Governor stressed that this executive order instructs agency heads to make public data openly available while continuing to safeguard information that must be kept secure.  The order does not apply to any protected data that, if disclosed, would violate state or federal law, would endanger the public health, safety or welfare, hinder the operation of government or impose and undue financial, operational or administrative burden on a state agency.

The Chief Data Officer will be responsible for working with an Agency Data Officer (ADO) designated by the commissioner at each state agency covered by the order.  It establishes a 90-day window in which ADOs will work within their agencies to identify data suitable for the portal and share that list of data with the CDO.  The CDO will work with the ADOs to identify data and upload it to the portal.  The CDO will be advised by an advisory panel created by this executive order and appointed by the Governor.

Socrata is working with the state to have the portal up and running on an aggressive timeline within the next few months.

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