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State News

GOVERNOR LAMONT ANNOUNCES STATE FUNDING TO ADDRESS FLOODING AT JOBS POND IN PORTLAND

Jun 5, 2024 Alex

State Funds Expected To Unlock a Federal Matching Grant That Will Be Used To Install Pumps and Divert Groundwater to the Connecticut River (HARTFORD, CT) – Governor Ned Lamont, who serves as chairman of the State Bond Commission, today announced that he has scheduled the commission to vote at an upcoming meeting on the approval of an allocation of $187,500 in state funding that will be used to install pumps at Jobs Pond in Portland to address an ongoing situation in which rising groundwater has been causing flooding in nearby neighborhoods. The pumps will be used to divert groundwater from the pond to the Connecticut River. The governor explained that the approval of these state funds is expected to unlock…

State News

MURPHY, BLUMENTHAL, COLLEAGUES CALL ON DOJ TO IMMEDIATELY LAUNCH FULL COURT PRESS AGAINST BIG OIL TO PREVENT AND PROSECUTE COLLUSION & PRICE FIXING

Jun 1, 2024 Alex

WASHINGTON—U.S. Senators Chris Murphy (D-Conn.) and Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.) joined 22 Senate Democrats in a letter to Attorney General Merrick Garland and Assistant Attorney General for Antitrust Jonathan Kanter calling on the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) to use every tool at its disposal to prevent and prosecute collusion and price fixing in the oil industry. The senators called for the DOJ to launch an industry-wide investigation into possible violations of the Sherman Act to hold any bad actors accountable and to redress any harms to competition and consumers. The letter also outlined how Big Oil’s alleged collusion with the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) is a national security concern that aids countries looking to undermine the U.S. The…

State News

MURPHY, BLUMENTHAL, HAYES, COLLEAGUES REINTRODUCE BICAMERAL LEGISLATION TO EXPAND ACCESS TO MENTAL HEALTH SERVICES IN SCHOOLS

Jun 1, 2024 Alex

WASHINGTON—U.S. Senator Chris Murphy (D-Conn.), a member of the U.S. Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee, along with U.S. Senator Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.) and U.S. Representative Jahana Hayes (D-Conn.) joined U.S. Senator Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.), U.S. Representative Katherin Clark (D-Mass.), and 22 other members of Congress to reintroduce the Elementary and Secondary School Counseling Act, legislation that would greatly boost the availability of mental health providers in America’s public schools. Mental illness affects 20% of American youth. This bicameral legislation will put additional mental health providers in elementary and secondary schools across America. “Kids spend most of their time in the classroom, so teachers and counselors are often the first people to notice when something is wrong. This funding will help…

Bridgeport State News

New Law To Protect Students On School Buses

May 30, 2024 Stephen Krauchick

State Senator Gaston discussed the alarming disregard for school bus safety, highlighting near-miss incidents where students were almost struck by cars ignoring bus stop signs. They worked with Bus Patrol to address this issue and successfully advocated for legislation. This bill, supported unanimously by the Public Safety Committee, ensures all ticket proceeds from bus-related violations stay within local communities to enhance public safety. Gaston emphasizes that protecting student safety transcends political affiliations, aiming to ensure safer environments for children across Connecticut. https://youtu.be/UyPUHtk6HhE

State News

GOVERNOR LAMONT SIGNS LEGISLATION EXPANDING CONNECTICUT’S PAID SICK DAYS LAWS TO INCLUDE MORE WORKERS

May 29, 2024 Alex

(HARTFORD, CT) – Governor Ned Lamont today announced that he has signed legislation approved by the Connecticut General Assembly this session strengthening the state’s laws regarding paid sick days protections by expanding them to ensure that more workers are covered and have access to them. Connecticut’s existing paid sick days laws require employers with more than 50 employees that are mostly in specific retail and service occupations (such as food service workers, health care workers, and others) to provide their employees with up to 40 hours of paid sick leave annually. This legislation signed by Governor Lamont expands this coverage to include more workers in two ways: Beginning January 1, 2025, these laws will apply to workers of nearly every…

State News

Memorial Day Weekend Traffic Statistics-05/26/2024

May 27, 2024 Stephen Krauchick

The following are preliminary Memorial Day Weekend traffic statistics. These are reflective of the time period beginning Friday May 24th at midnight, and ending at 11:59 pm, on Sunday, May 26th, 2024. The Connecticut State Police had a total of 3,919 calls for service. Speeding Violations – 374 Seatbelt Violations – 37 Hazardous Moving Violations (Following too Closely, Failure to Move Over, etc.) - 220 DUI Arrests – 21 Motor Vehicle Accidents – 244 With Injury – 32 Fatalities – 0 Serious Injury - 1 Motorist Assists (Disabled Vehicles, Debris in Roadway, etc.) – 347

State News

GOVERNOR LAMONT SIGNS LAW ESTABLISHING PROPERTY TAX EXEMPTION FOR VETERANS WITH SERVICE-CONNECTED DISABILITIES

May 25, 2024 Alex

(HARTFORD, CT) – Governor Ned Lamont today announced that he has signed legislation creating a state law that exempts from property taxes the primary residence or motor vehicle of former members of the United States Armed Forces who have a permanent and total disability rating resulting from their active-duty service. The exemption applies to a home that is owned by an eligible service member and is their primary residence. If an eligible service member does not own a home, the exemption will apply to one motor vehicle owned by the service member. To qualify, the former service member must have served in the U.S. Army, Navy, Marine Corps, Coast Guard, Air Force, or Space Force; have a service-connected permanent and…

State News

BLUMENTHAL DELIVERS OPENING STATEMENT AT HEARING ON FAILURE OF ZELLE AND BIG BANKS TO ADDRESS SCAMS AND FRAUD

May 24, 2024 Alex

“Zelle and the big banks said they couldn’t help. What they really meant is they wouldn’t help.” [WASHINGTON, DC] – Today, U.S. Senator Richard Blumenthal, Chair of the Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations (PSI), delivered opening remarks at a hearing titled “Fraud Alert!: Shedding Light on Zelle.” The hearing—featuring testimony from two individuals who were victimized by scammers on the peer-to-peer payment (P2P) platform—examined the human toll of schemes on P2P money transfer services, the availability of and processes for consumer reimbursement of money lost to scams and fraud, and the extent of current regulatory and legal protections for consumers. “Zelle markets itself as, ‘a fast and easy way to send and receive money.’ But as this Subcommittee has found, ‘a…

State News

ATTORNEY GENERAL TONG JOINS MULTISTATE COALITION URGING DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION TO PROVIDE DEBT RELIEF TO FEDERAL STUDENT LOAN BORROWERS

May 24, 2024 Alex

(Hartford, CT) – Attorney General William Tong this week joined a coalition of 19 attorneys general calling on the U.S. Department of Education to swiftly implement recently proposed regulations, which would provide needed relief for some of the nation’s most burdened student loan borrowers and help address the student debt crisis. The proposed regulations would waive or reduce student loan repayment for certain groups of federal student loan borrowers. “For far too many Connecticut families, student loan debt is a crushing, unaffordable burden. This is an economic crisis exacerbated by bad actors in both the for-profit college and loan servicing industries, as well as long-term mismanagement over the course of many, many years and multiple federal administrations. I join attorneys…

State News

GOVERNOR LAMONT ANNOUNCES LAUNCH OF CONNECTICUT STUDENT LOAN REPAYMENT PROGRAM FOR HEALTHCARE PROVIDERS IN UNDERSERVED AREAS AND FACILITIES

May 21, 2024 Alex

(HARTFORD, CT) – Governor Ned Lamont today announced that his administration is launching a new state program to address the healthcare workforce shortage in Connecticut’s health professional shortage areas. Known as the Connecticut Student Loan Repayment Program, the initiative will offer up to $50,000 in student loan repayments to eligible healthcare providers who commit to practicing full-time in underserved communities in the state for at least two years. Part-time options are also available for $12,500 per year over two years, totaling $25,000. The program is being overseen by the Connecticut Department of Public Health and administered by the Connecticut Area Health Education Center, a program that works throughout Connecticut to improve access to basic healthcare by linking local community groups…

GOVERNOR LAMONT ANNOUNCES STATE FUNDING TO ADDRESS FLOODING AT JOBS POND IN PORTLAND

MURPHY, BLUMENTHAL, COLLEAGUES CALL ON DOJ TO IMMEDIATELY LAUNCH FULL COURT PRESS AGAINST BIG OIL TO PREVENT AND PROSECUTE COLLUSION & PRICE FIXING

MURPHY, BLUMENTHAL, HAYES, COLLEAGUES REINTRODUCE BICAMERAL LEGISLATION TO EXPAND ACCESS TO MENTAL HEALTH SERVICES IN SCHOOLS

New Law To Protect Students On School Buses

GOVERNOR LAMONT SIGNS LEGISLATION EXPANDING CONNECTICUT’S PAID SICK DAYS LAWS TO INCLUDE MORE WORKERS

Memorial Day Weekend Traffic Statistics-05/26/2024

GOVERNOR LAMONT SIGNS LAW ESTABLISHING PROPERTY TAX EXEMPTION FOR VETERANS WITH SERVICE-CONNECTED DISABILITIES

BLUMENTHAL DELIVERS OPENING STATEMENT AT HEARING ON FAILURE OF ZELLE AND BIG BANKS TO ADDRESS SCAMS AND FRAUD

ATTORNEY GENERAL TONG JOINS MULTISTATE COALITION URGING DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION TO PROVIDE DEBT RELIEF TO FEDERAL STUDENT LOAN BORROWERS

GOVERNOR LAMONT ANNOUNCES LAUNCH OF CONNECTICUT STUDENT LOAN REPAYMENT PROGRAM FOR HEALTHCARE PROVIDERS IN UNDERSERVED AREAS AND FACILITIES

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