The CT Department of Labor now has important information on unemployment benefits and frequently asked questions related to COVID-19 on their website at www.ctdol.state.ct.us/DOLCOVIDFAQ.PDF . More help available at filectui.com . This includes information for workers and information employers can share with their employees.
DISASTER LOANS
The U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) has approved CT’s request asking the federal agency to issue a declaration that will enable Connecticut’s small business owners to receive economic injury disaster loans. Small businesses and nonprofit organizations in Connecticut that have been negatively impacted by the global COVID-19 outbreak are now eligible for disaster relief loans of up to $2 million from the SBA.
Small businesses can learn more about the program and apply for financial assistance at www.sba.gov/disaster or call the SBA at 1-800-659-2955.
Small businesses with questions about this SBA loan program or other assistance provided at the state-level can call 860-500-2333 to speak directly with a Department of Economic and Community Development (DECD) representative.
(Hartford) – The Connecticut Department of Housing (DOH) announced today that it has waived its policy of waiting thirty (30) days to implement an income change for the rental assistance program and federal section 8 vouchers. For the next 90 days, families already participating in the programs will have immediate adjustments for rental payment.
DOH has also increased our rapid exit and rapid rehousing funding by $735,000 to assist individuals and families leave shelters and find permanent housing. For homeless individuals over the age of 60, DOH has provided funding for 100 hotel rooms to serve 200 elderly homeless. The goal of these hotel rooms are to separate those who are most at risk from communal living situations. There is a collaboration with other state agencies, the CAN system, hospitals, hotels, and municipalities to ensure that there is enough shelter, isolation, and quarantine space to help slow the spread of the virus.
“I’m aware that many individuals and families are going to be facing financial hardship due to the loss of jobs. By making the rental payment adjustments, I hope to ease that hardship. Our homeless population continues to be among those that are most vulnerable throughout the state, they remain a priority. We will continue to move as swiftly as possible to preserve the health and safety of those we serve in order to flatten the curve,” said Seila Mosquera-Bruno, Commissioner of Housing.
WASHINGTON, D.C.] – U.S. Senator Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) joined U.S. Senators Edward J. Markey (D-MA), Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI), and Tammy Baldwin (D-WI), in calling for basic consumer and worker protections in any coronavirus financial assistance for the airline and cruise industries.
In a letter, sent to Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY), Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY), Appropriations Committee Chairman Richard Shelby (R-AL), and Appropriations Committee Vice Chairman Patrick Leahy (D-VT) today, the Blumenthal and his Senate colleagues outlined a list of ten requirements that should be met before issuing federal aid to the airline and cruise industries.
“While we agree that financial assistance may be necessary for some of our industries most impacted by the ongoing pandemic, we strongly believe that any such legislation must include conditions that will protect both consumers and workers in the travel industry,” the Senators wrote.
The letter reiterated examples of anti-consumer behavior in the aviation industry, and urged against cutting a blank check that doesn’t protect workers and consumers.
“We cannot permit the airline industry to obtain federal assistance to weather the coronavirus and then return to these predatory business practices after the crisis. We must also avoid repeating the mistakes of the airline bailout that Congress enacted after the September 11th attacks, through which we provided cash, loans, and insurance to help the industry without offering sufficient protections to employees. As a result, the bailed out carriers paid shareholders but not front-line workers, and employees were forced to concede billions of dollars in wage and retirement concessions after many airlines ultimately declared bankruptcy.”
The Senators also demanded an assurance that the cruise line industry implement basic health and safety practices in its regular operations ahead of any federal assistance.
“A unique and complex set of international rules governs the operations of the ship and the health and safety of passengers. Unfortunately, these rules seem to be designed to protect the cruise ship industry from any kind of liability, rather than to protect the health and safety of passengers. Incident after incident has proven the existing framework is insufficient and there remains more work to be done to protect passengers. We cannot permit the cruise line industry to obtain federal assistance to overcome the coronavirus until – at the very least – the industry adopts necessary medical and safety standards.”
The full text of the letter is included below and available here.
This press release was made possible by:
Visit BMW of Bridgeport at: https://www.bmwofbridgeport.com/
If you received a notice that your post or share violates Facebook standards it appears to be a glitch going on within the last couple of hours. I’m also seeing simple videos of a baby laughing getting flagged. Come Facebook, social media is all we got besides Netflix!
Connecticut Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) Commissioner Sibongile Magubane announced effective as of the close of business on March 17, 2020, all DMV Branch Offices will be closed to the public for the transaction of business until further notice.
Employees will continue to report to their work locations, unless otherwise instructed, and will assist with transactions that are completed online, through the mail and by phone through Interactive Voice Recognition. DMV partners, including AAA and Nutmeg State Financial Credit Union, will make independent determinations of whether to conduct license transactions.
Please go to https://www.ctdmv.info/ for a list of services and daily status updates on DMV and partner locations.
As a reminder, DMV announced last week it is offering a 90-day extension to Connecticut residents with expiring driver’s licenses, identity cards and learner’s permits. This applies to credentials that expire between March 10, 2020 and June 8, 2020.
Last Sunday, as part of his ongoing efforts to mitigate the spread of COVID-19, Governor Ned Lamont signed an executive order that, among other things, authorizes Commissioner Magubane to close DMV branches to the public and extend certain deadlines.
HARTFORD, CT)- Lieutenant Governor Susan Bysiewicz is reminding Connecticut residents to check their mailboxes for an invitation to complete the 2020 Census. Beginning tomorrow, March 12, 2020, initial invitations to respond to the census online and by phone will be delivered by the U.S. Postal Service to households across the state. Areas that are less likely to respond online will receive a paper questionnaire along with the invitation to respond online or over the phone.
This is the beginning of the self-response operation. Residents should complete the census questionnaire as soon as they receive their letter invitations in the mail. Each invitation will include a unique 12-digit number used to access the questionnaire online or by phone to answer basic questions about the size and type of their residence along with the name, age, gender and ethnicity of everyone living in the home.
“Communities across Connecticut have been preparing for the 2020 Census through the work of over 156 local complete count committees and I am confident that we are ready for the count,” Lt. Governor Bysiewicz said. “Each household will receive an invitation to complete the census by March 20th and I highly encourage those who can complete the 2020 Census online to do so as soon as they recieve it. Nearly $11 billion in federal funding for Connecticut will be determined by the data collected by the census so it’s important that we get it right.
“I also want to emphasize that the census is protected by Title 13 and any personal information given to the U.S. Census Bureau cannot be shared with any federal, state, or local entity. Census employees take a life-long oath to protect your data and face strict penalties including a federal prison sentence of up to five years, a fine of up to $250,000, or both, if they break that oath.”
The U.S. Census Bureau released informational copies of the invitation letters that will be mailed this week in an effort to give people an idea of what to expect and to help them avoid scams. Bilingual invitations will be sent to neighborhoods where at least one-fifth of residents speak Spanish. The letters in English and Spanish can be viewed by clicking here.
The U.S. Census Bureau is also providing the Internet Self-Response Instrument and Census Questionnaire Assistance in 12 non-English languages; enumerator instrument, bilingual paper questionnaire, bilingual mailing, and field enumeration materials in Spanish; and language guides, language glossaries, and language identification card in 59 non-English languages.
A reminder letter and paper questionnaire will be mailed to households that do not immediately self-respond to the initial invitation letter. The U.S. Census Bureau will follow up in-person with all households that do not respond.
Lt. Governor Bysiewicz serves as chair of the Connecticut Complete Count Committee, an advisory panel of community leaders who represent diverse populations from across the state including elected officials, faith leaders, community health centers, chambers of commerce, community activists and heads of housing authorities. The members of the committee have been working closely with the U.S. Census Bureau over the last year to analyze previous census undercounts and create strategies to ensure a full count in Connecticut, including the formation of over 156 local complete count committees throughout the state.
The 2020 Census will be used as the foundation to determine nearly $11 billion of federal funding allocations to Connecticut for federal programs such as Medicaid, SNAP, WIC, federal school lunch program, community block grants, transportation and highway projects, and so many other programs that families across the state rely on every day.
In in coordination with governors from New York and New Jersey, in an effort to slow the spread of COVID-19 with guidance provided by US Centers for Disease Control, Governor Ned Lamont has issued the following:
Restrict gatherings of more than 50 people.
Order the closure of Connecticut restaurants, bars, gyms and movie theaters.
Restaurants and bars will be allowed to continue food delivery and takeout.
Supermarkets, pharmacies, gas stations and other essential businesses will remain open.
This State mandate will begin at 8 p.m. Monday, March 16th, and remain in effect until further notice. Governor Lamont stressed the importance of social distancing, particularly for older residents and those with weakened immune systems.
HARTFORD, CT – In response to the ongoing developments regarding the COVID-19 outbreak and the need to protect residents of nursing home facilities, residential care homes, and chronic disease hospitals, Governor Lamont today signed an executive order granting the commissioner of the Department of Public Health additional authority to restrict visitation at such facilities.
The order – Executive Order No. 7A – revises the nursing home visitation provisions in Executive Order No. 7, which the governor issued on Thursday. All of the other provisions of Executive Order No. 7 remain in effect. Both orders were issued to protect public health and safety pursuant to the civic preparedness and public health emergencies that Governor Lamont declared on March 10 in response to the outbreak.
Pursuant to Executive Order No. 7A, Department of Public Health Commissioner Renée D. Coleman-Mitchell has issued an order to nursing homes and long term care facilities that prohibits any visitation for the next 30 days effective immediately except for the following categories of individuals:
· First responders, including emergency medical services, law enforcement, firefighting and emergency management personnel;
· Family members, domestic partners or other persons designated by a patient only when the facility’s medical director, a licensed physician or advance practice registered nurse has determined such patient to be at the end stage of life with death being imminent;
· Any person authorized by law to oversee or investigate the provision of care and services; and
· Service providers who are required to do maintenance or repair necessary without delay for the facility’s continued operation.
Any individuals permitted access to the facility will need to undergo a risk screening for COVID-19 by facility staff using appropriate Personal Protection Equipment (PPE) in accordance with CDC guidance documents.
Commissioner Coleman-Mitchell and all officials recognize the difficulty this poses for residents who want to visit with their loved ones. These restrictions are not imposed lightly, but they are absolutely critical to protecting the most vulnerable residents from a disease that poses a severe risk to their health and safety.
This press release is made possible by:
Visit BMW of Bridgeport at: https://www.bmwofbridgeport.com/
HARTFORD, CT) – Governor Ned Lamont today announced that he has signed legislation adopted earlier this week by the Connecticut General Assembly that authorizes bonding for several items, including aid to municipalities.
“I thank the General Assembly for overwhelmingly approving a bipartisan bond package that keeps a promise I made to our state’s towns and cities,” Governor Lamont said. “From investments in local education to capital projects to long-overdue improvements in our state’s infrastructure, this bond package makes smart investments, all while holding the line on borrowing and maintaining our commitment to being fiscally responsible.”
The legislation is House Bill 5518. It is the first bill the governor has signed of the 2020 regular session of the state legislature.
HARTFORD, CT – Governor Ned Lamont and Lt. Governor Susan Bysiewicz announced they have launched an official State of Connecticut website for the 2020 U.S. Census. Accessible at ct.gov/census
, the website provides the state’s residents with trustworthy and reliable resources about this year’s census and its impact on Connecticut, including information for completing the census, ways to get involved, events that are being held around the state, and opportunities for job openings with the census.
Connecticut’s census activities are also active on social media by following @CTCounts2020 on both Twitter and Facebook
“An accurate census count is critically important to Connecticut because it is the foundation that helps determine the allocation of billions of dollars in federal resources,” Governor Lamont said. “The results obtained every ten years in the census has a major impact not only on government, but on private businesses, nonprofits, hospitals, schools, and many other entities that impact each of our lives. We are resolute in our efforts for Connecticut to be the best counted state in the nation.”
, the group that is working to ensure the state has the most accurate count possible. In this capacity, Lt. Governor Bysiewicz has been leading an advisory panel of community leaders who represent diverse populations from across the state, including elected officials, faith leaders, community health centers, chambers of commerce, community activists, and heads of housing authorities.
“With over 135 local complete count committees launched throughout the state over the last year, Connecticut is well ahead of other states in terms of grassroots organizing for the 2020 Census,” Lt. Governor Bysiewicz said. “This website will help enhance those efforts by providing families, local officials, nonprofits, businesses, and other community members with reliable information and other tools they need to achieve a complete and accurate count for our state.”
The state’s census website was created with the assistance of the Digital Government team at the Department of Administrative Services’ Bureau of Enterprise Systems and Technology. Under the leadership of Commissioner Josh Geballe, the team is charged with improving access to valuable state programs and services for Connecticut residents.
“We are delighted to be a partner in this project given its vital importance and its effect on Connecticut,” Commissioner Geballe said. “We hope the new website will boost outreach and participation. Critical public services are at stake with the 2020 Census, which will impact us all.”
