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Sen. Cohen Statement on Death of DOT Worker Elvin Hernandez

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Sen. Cohen Statement on Death of DOT Worker Elvin Hernandez

State Senator Christine Cohen, Chair of the Transportation Committee, issued a statement in response to the untimely death of Bridgeport resident and Department of Transportation (DOT) employee Elvin Hernandez. Elvin was tragically hit and killed on the job while working alongside I-95 in Fairfield.

“I am deeply saddened to learn of the tragic and preventable death of Elvin Hernandez. It is all of our responsibility to protect one another on our roads, especially the men and women who work roadside. We all must slow down, pay attention and remember that one bad decision can create a lifetime of grief for someone’s loved ones. My heart goes out to Elvin’s family, friends and colleagues.”

Sen. Gadkar-Wilcox, Gaston Statement on the Death of DOT Worker Elvin Hernandez

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Sen. Gadkar-Wilcox, Gaston Statement on the Death of DOT Worker Elvin Hernandez

Today, State Senator Sujata Gadkar-Wilcox and State Senator Herron Keyon Gaston issued a statement in response to the untimely death of Bridgeport resident and Department of Transportation (DOT) employee Elvin Hernandez. Elvin was tragically hit and killed on the job while working alongside I-95 this morning.

“We are heartbroken to learn of the passing of Bridgeport resident and DOT employee Elvin Hernandez. Elvin and his colleagues in DOT work every day in dangerous conditions to keep Connecticut moving, and this tragedy was completely preventable. Every driver is responsible for ensuring that those working alongside our roads make it home safely and we urge drivers to slow down and pay attention. Our thoughts and prayers are with Elvin’s family, friends, colleagues and the Bridgeport community. We must do better.”

SEN. OSTEN, REP. PEMBERTON ANNOUNCE $2.66 MILLION FOR CAMP OAKDALE IN MONTVILLE

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SEN. OSTEN, REP. PEMBERTON ANNOUNCE $2.66 MILLION FOR CAMP OAKDALE IN MONTVILLE

MONTVILLE – State Senator Cathy Osten (D-Sprague) and state Representative Larry Pemberton (D-Montville) today announced that the Community Investment Fund 2030 Board has approved $2.66 million for improvements to the Camp Oakdale sports and recreation complex.

Funds will repair the popular but aged facilities, creating a full disc golf course, establishing a paved multi-use accessible trail, installing new security cameras, and more.

The funding must now be approved by the State Bond Commission in the next 60 days.

“This CIF funding, once it’s approved by the State Bond Commission, will complete the work at Camp Oakdale,” said Sen. Osten. “This is an extremely popular facility in town. The parents I’ve spoken to say they’re very happy to have this work done, and this work wouldn’t have been done without these state funds.”

“This investment will build upon previous funding for Camp Oakdale and will provide much-needed repairs and more fun and exciting experiences for those visiting the complex,” said Rep. Pemberton. “Due to a poor drainage system, there has been flooding at the facility that destroyed the fields and made them unable to be used. I’m confident this funding will fix that problem, and that Camp Oakdale will be better than ever before. Thank you to my legislative colleagues and the members of the Community Investment Fund 2030 for their support for Montville.”

Connecticut’s Community Investment Fund seeks to foster economic development in historically underserved communities, providing up to $676 million in grants for eligible municipalities, non-profit organizations, and community development corporations that operate within them.

 

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SENATOR CABRERA COMMENTS ON DERBY’S VASTLY IMPROVED FINANCIAL SITUATION

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SENATOR CABRERA COMMENTS ON DERBY’S VASTLY IMPROVED FINANCIAL SITUATION

State Senator Jorge Cabrera (D-Hamden) today praised the City of Derby for its financial turnaround over the past several years and noted that, according to news reports, Derby may soon see an end to six years of state financial oversight by the Connecticut Municipal Finance Advisory Commission.

“They’re calling balls and strikes now in Derby when it comes to town finances. Mayor Joe DiMartino is an old coach, and he’s put together a really good team, including hiring Brian Hall as finance director. That’s been a game-changer,” Sen. Cabrera said. “Derby is in much better financial shape today, and we’re seeing the effects of that, with lots of investment downtown.”

A news story on Derby’s vastly improved financial condition can be found here: https://valley.newhavenindependent.org/2026/09/24/after-six-years-derby-might-become-free-of-mfac-oversight/

 

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Sen. Cohen Welcomes Small Business Healthcare Tax Credits

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Sen. Cohen Welcomes Small Business Healthcare Tax Credits

State Senator Christine Cohen welcomes the announcement that a new state tax credit is now available in Connecticut to help small businesses offer health insurance to their employees.

Eligible businesses, which include those with 50 or fewer employees, can receive a tax credit of up to $1,000 per employee per year when they offer an Individual Coverage Health Reimbursement Arrangement (ICHRA) through Access Health CT, the state’s official health insurance marketplace, using the BusinessPlus platform. The credit is available for the first two consecutive years an employer offers an ICHRA.

“I have owned and operated a small business for nearly 25 years and I know well how expensive it is to provide health insurance for your employees,” said Sen. Cohen. “These tax credits will help ease the burden on small businesses and ensure more workers are properly insured. This is a step in the right direction, but we need to be focused on comprehensive reform and providing a Public Option so that small businesses can protect their employees’ health and also remain competitive in employee recruitment and retention.”

As a small business owner herself, Senator Cohen has worked to pass several tax credits for small businesses and eliminate duplicative regulations. In the 2026 Legislative Session, Senator Cohen:

  • Led passage of tax credits for employers that offer commuter-related benefits to their employees.
  • Eased the burden on small businesses in the manufacturing and technology industry by voting to establish a program that allows qualified small businesses to claim a tax credit equal to 6% of research and development expenses.
  • Created a Small Business Concierge Service under the Department of Economic and Community Development to help small business owners navigate grants, incentive programs and other resources offered by the state.
  • Established an Artificial Intelligence (AI) Small Business program, giving business owners the tools they need to successfully implement AI in their operations.
  • Limited barriers to business by removing obstacles in the broadband communications installation process, streamlined regulatory processes for financial institutions while preserving consumer protections, updated the Transfer Act to allow for easier transitions of property.

Senator Christine Cohen

Sen. Slap Statement on CCSU President Resignation

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Sen. Slap Statement on CCSU President Resignation

State Senator Derek Slap, Senate Chair of the Higher Education and Employment Advancement Committee, issued a statement regarding the resignation of Central Connecticut State University President Zulma Toro.

“I appreciate that the Board of Regents took this issue seriously and worked to find a reasonable conclusion to President Toro’s tenure at Central,” said Sen. Slap. “Now, we must stabilize leadership with an interim president and quickly implement a process for selecting a new leader that includes the voices of students, staff and faculty. It is clear that the vetting process has not worked as intended and campus stakeholders know what kind of leadership is required to ensure success. I implore the Board to make listening a key piece of their next steps.”

Senator Maroney Welcomes $7.5 Million in State Funding to West Haven

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Senator Maroney Welcomes $7.5 Million in State Funding to West Haven

Today, state Senator James Maroney (D-Milford) welcomed the approval of $7.5 million in state funding to West Haven. $2.5 million will go toward downtown neighborhood economic development to help revitalize the area, and $5 million will be allocated to the University of New Haven, Incorporated, to support renovation of a building complex that will house the Center for Innovation and Applied Technology.

“This funding is an investment in West Haven’s future,” said Senator Maroney. “Revitalizing our downtown and building a hub for innovation at the University of New Haven will create jobs, attract new investment, and give our residents and small businesses the tools they need to thrive.”

The City of West Haven will use the $2.5 million in funding for public space improvements to the West Haven Green, and 9 Curtiss Place Plaza and Alleyway. It will also help create a microgrant program for small businesses in the Village Improvement District (VID). Grants will support lease holder improvements, vacant storefront initiatives, and façade upgrades. Improvements will create public areas for entertainment and events and focus on attracting investment in West Haven.

$5 million will be given to the University of New Haven, Incorporated. The University of New Haven will use the funds for the renovation of a building complex at the former Railroad Salvage property in Allingtown which will house the Center for Innovation and Applied Technology (the Center). The building will include workforce training facilities and business partners in key industries. This project will signal a transformative bridging of industry and academia through technology transfer, accelerating high-growth industries, commercializing new technologies, and developing human capital.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Michelle Rappaport | Michelle.Rappaport@cga.ct.gov| 860-240-8671

Sen. Lesser Statement on Trump Administration Healthcare Cuts

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Sen. Lesser Statement on Trump Administration Healthcare Cuts

Today, State Senator Matt Lesser, Senate Chair of the Human Services Committee, issued a statement in response to Vice President J.D. Vance announcing that 760,000 Americans will be losing health insurance.

The Vice President claims that 760,000 people were fraudulently enrolled in Affordable Care Act coverage, and 419,000 more people would face “additional verification” measures. These cuts will affect those on the federal marketplace. Connecticut provides health insurance through Access Health CT, a state exchange which will not be affected.

“This is just one more example of J.D. Vance and Donald Trump making health care less affordable, and making unfounded accusations of fraud to distract from their administration’s own corruption.

“While it is a relief that not one person is losing coverage in Connecticut, I have grave concerns for what this move signals for healthcare reform. I will continue to work with Governor Lamont and legislative leaders to deliver affordable healthcare for Connecticut residents, like a Public Option, but the chaos and cruelty coming from this administration makes it harder than ever to get Americans affordable health insurance.”

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CIF Board approves $2.85 million for three Norwalk projects

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CIF Board Approves $2.85 Million for Three Norwalk Projects

NORWALK – The Community Investment Fund 2030 Board today approved $2,850,000 for three Norwalk projects in Round 9 of the program.

The board approved:

  • $1,500,000 for the Bouton Street Sewer Extension,
  • $1,100,000 for the Keeler Brook Pump Station Replacement,
  • $250,000 for Friends of the Norwalk River Valley Trail, Inc. to study Woodward Avenue and the Longshore Avenue culvert.

Senate Majority Leader Bob Duff (D-Norwalk) serves on the 21-member CIF Board, which the General Assembly created to direct state bond funding to municipalities and nonprofits for community development, housing, health services, and economic revitalization.

The Keeler Brook station carries wastewater for the Connecticut Avenue corridor, a stretch of Norwalk that supports roughly 5,000 jobs and feeds the regional oyster industry. The city will build a new 4.5 million gallon per day sanitary sewer pump station on a 0.60-acre city-owned property at 493 Connecticut Avenue, outside the floodplain, and demolish the damaged station. Norwalk’s application sets a goal of ending the temporary bypass pumping and unpermitted discharges now in place within a year of completion.

The Bouton Street Sewer Extension will connect homes between 188 Bouton Street and 174-176 Bouton Street that still run on aging septic systems. The work includes four new sewer access manholes and approximately eight new sanitary sewer laterals in an area the city describes as challenged by poor soil conditions, groundwater, and flooding vulnerability.

“Sewer infrastructure never gets a ribbon cutting, and nobody thinks about it until the day it stops working,” said Senate Majority Leader Bob Duff (D-Norwalk). “Keeler Brook went down in the 2024 storm, and Norwalk has been running that corridor on temporary pumping ever since. This funding replaces the station, moves it out of the floodplain and protects the businesses, the workers, and the shellfish beds downstream. The Bouton Street project does the same quiet work on a smaller street, getting Norwalk families off failing septic systems and onto the city sewer. I want to thank Mayor Barbara Smyth and Norwalk’s public works team for bringing the board a plan that was ready to build, and my colleagues on the CIF Board for backing it. Norwalk keeps showing up to this fund with serious projects, and the state keeps saying yes. That is how a city gets its infrastructure rebuilt.”

The $250,000 awarded to Friends of the Norwalk River Valley Trail, Inc. funds two coordinated feasibility studies, carried out in partnership with the Manresa Island Corporation. The Woodward Avenue Conceptual Design Study will develop safety and mobility concepts for the corridor, and the Longshore Avenue Culvert Study will assess whether an undersized culvert is restricting tidal flow into the adjacent salt marsh. Together they produce the buildable concepts and baseline data needed to pursue construction funding.

Round 9 is the latest in a run of Community Investment Fund awards to Norwalk. Earlier rounds delivered:

  • $5,139,240 for Lockwood and Heather Lane in Round 3,
  • $2,500,000 for South Norwalk Elementary in Round 5,
  • $1,000,000 for the Washington Street streetscape and $2,500,000 for Lexington Avenue mobility upgrades in Round 7.

Contact: Kevin Coughlin | kevin.coughlin@cga.ct.gov | 203-710-0193

$12.2 Million Approved for Four New Haven Projects at CIF Board Meeting

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$12.2 Million Approved for Four New Haven Projects at CIF Board Meeting

NEW HAVEN – Senate President Pro Tempore Martin M. Looney (D-New Haven) and Senator Gary Winfield (D-New Haven) today announced that four New Haven projects received a combined $12.2 million in state funding through Round 9 of the Community Investment Fund 2030. The CIF Board approved $66,409,000 for 27 projects statewide, and New Haven’s four account for 18 percent of all the funding.

Senator Looney serves as co-chair of the 21-member CIF Board, which the General Assembly created to direct state bond funding to municipalities and nonprofits for community development, housing, health services and economic revitalization projects.

The four awards are:

  • CitySeed: $6 million for the Greater New Haven Food Business Incubator and Food Resource Center, an 18,786-square-foot former manufacturing facility at 162 James Street in Fair Haven. The project creates shared commercial kitchens offered at below-market rates, a teaching kitchen, cold and dry storage, a home for Sanctuary Kitchen, and flexible workspace for CitySeed and mission-aligned partners.
  • Leadership, Education, and Athletics in Partnership (LEAP): $2.8 million to complete renovations at the Roslyn M. Meyer Community Center at 31 Jefferson Street, including a dance studio, black box theater, rooftop deck, kitchen and pool improvements, accessibility work and HVAC upgrades. LEAP projects the renovated building will let it serve an additional 500 children and 250 adults each year.
  • Christian Community Action: $2.5 million to renovate the ARISE Center at 156 Davenport Avenue in the Hill, co-locating other CCA programs and adding on-site childcare, legal aid, and career and workforce services.
  • Fair Haven Community Health Clinic: $900,000 to build out approximately 1,800 square feet at 374 Grand Avenue for developmental-behavioral pediatrics, co-located with behavioral health, primary care and dental services and delivered by bilingual providers, for children with neurodevelopmental conditions including autism and ADHD.

“These four awards represent the exact mission the Community Investment Fund was created to address,” said Sen. Looney. “CitySeed, LEAP, Christian Community Action, and the Fair Haven Community Health Clinic are institutions that anchor their neighborhoods, and each of them has been asked for years to do more than its building allows. Twelve million dollars in a single round is the kind of investment that strengthens the fabric of New Haven in ways residents will be able to see and use. I am proud to lead passage of these items as co-chair and grateful to my colleagues on the CIF Board for their partnership in delivering this funding.”

“The Fair Haven Community Health Clinic award is money to build the rooms that close the gap so a family in Fair Haven waiting eight to twelve months to get a child evaluated,” said Sen. Winfield. “And the LEAP award does the same thing for children in other New Haven neighborhoods. New Haven asked the state for buildings that match the work our institutions are already doing. The state said yes.”

The Community Investment Fund has invested in several of these organizations before. CitySeed acquired the James Street facility with a CIF Round 1 award and developed the project through a Round 5 planning grant. LEAP carries a $1.3 million Round 8 CIF award into this phase of its renovation, alongside $1,952,032 in federal HUD funding and $2,450,000 in philanthropic support. The Fair Haven Community Health Clinic received $3,000,000 in Round 1 for a project that has since been completed.

Contact: Lawrence Cook | lawrence.cook@cga.ct.gov | 860-604-9279