Local News

Broadband Access Funding

#Washington, DC – The House of Representatives passed a spending package designed to fund large portions of the government for the next fiscal year. Included in the package was the Financial Services and General Government (FSGG) Appropriations Act, which contained $61 billion in emergency spending to expand access to broadband for underserved communities. In addition, Governor Ned Lamont announced this week that his administration is launching the Everybody Learns initiative: a $43.5 million investment in remote learning solutions to close the digital divide in Connecticut and empower students across the state to learn from home, especially as the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic continues impacting the country. The governor said that the funding – which comes from the state’s portion of the federal CARES Act, the…

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EXECUTIVE ORDER STRENGTHENING WORKERS’ COMPENSATION CLAIMS FOR ESSENTIAL WORKERS IMPACTED BY COVID-19

HARTFORD, CT – Governor Ned Lamont announced that he has signed an executive order creating a rebuttable presumption that workers who contracted COVID-19 in the early days of the pandemic contracted it on the job and are eligible for workers’ compensation benefits.   “As I promised last week, I have signed an executive order providing workers who contracted COVID-19 during the early stages of the pandemic the straightforward opportunity to claim any benefits they are due through Connecticut’s workers’ compensation system. Our state owes a debt to all of the health care professionals, grocery store clerks, and other essential workers who served vital roles during the earliest and darkest stages of this public health crisis. I am thankful for the employers…

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NEW STATE PORTAL TO HELP PREVENT GOVERNMENT IMPOSTER SCAMS

Hartford, CT) – In conjunction with the launch of business.ct.gov, Attorney General William Tong and Secretary of the State Denise Merrill are reminding businesses of the dangers posed by so-called “government imposter” scams, and the steps businesses can take to protect themselves. The State of Connecticut today launched the new business.ct.gov online portal to serve as a primary point of contact between businesses and key state agencies, giving businesses greater confidence that they are communicating with legitimate, appropriate government personnel. The portal is a joint initiative of the Department of Administrative Services, Department of Revenue Services, Department of Consumer Protection, Department of Labor, Department of Economic and Community Development and the Secretary of the State. “Government imposter scams are a serious threat to…

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Deport Students Whose University Moves Classes Online?

Hartford, CT - Attorney General William Tong issued the following statement on ICE's proposed rule change that would force international students to leave the country if their universities move classes online. "This is yet another cruel, unnecessary and harmful policy decision from the Trump administration," Tong said. "I have already heard from Connecticut students who are in danger of being kicked out of the country because of this rule change. The University of Connecticut, our flagship state school, hosts around 3,700 international students from dozens of countries. That's roughly 13 percent of the student body. These students often become immigrants who allow our nation's economy to grow and thrive. That's particularly the case in Connecticut, where thousands of immigrants have come to…

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