|
|
|
|
Author: Devin James
SENATORS ANWAR, MARX THANKFUL HOME CARE WORKERS BETTER PROTECTED AS NEW LAW TAKES EFFECT TODAY
|
|
Sen. Cohen Welcomes Four Additional Shore Line East Trains, Resumed Stamford Service
Sen. Cohen Welcomes Four Additional Shore Line East Trains, Resumed Stamford Service
State Senator Christine Cohen, Chair of the Transportation Committee welcomed the Connecticut Department of Transportation (CTDOT)’s announcement of four additional Shore Line East trains, and the resumption of direct service between Stamford and New London. These services will go into effect beginning Monday, October 7.
“Securing this funding was one of the accomplishments I was most proud of this legislative session, and I am thrilled that, by bringing constituent concerns to Hartford, we have been able to leverage even more from the $5 million than originally anticipated,” said State Senator Christine Cohen, Chair of the Transportation Committee. “I worked directly with residents across the district to determine their specific needs and to identify where the current Shore Line East schedule was falling short. As we all know, it’s not often that we find ourselves able to do more with limited funding, but thanks to the Department of Transportation’s diligent collaboration with Metro North and Amtrak, this new peak through-service will become a reality. I am heartened by this development, grateful for all the advocacy surrounding this rail line, and hopeful for continued progress and investment in accessible and convenient public transportation.”
The additional services include:
Weekday Westbound Service
-New CTrail 1633 departing New London Station at 5:46 a.m. and arriving at Stamford Station at 7:53 a.m.
-New CTrail 1695 departing New London Station at 9:05 p.m. and arriving at New Haven Union Station at 10:11 p.m.
Weekday Eastbound Service
-New CTrail 1600 departing New Haven Union Station at 4:25 a.m. and arriving at New London Station at 5:29 a.m.
-Existing CTrail 1638 will depart Stamford Station at 4:13 p.m. and arrive at New London Station at 6:25 p.m.
-New CTrail 1640 departing New Haven Union Station at 7:45 p.m. and arriving at New London Station at 8:50 p.m.
The scheduled connection times with Metro-North and Amtrak trains may have changed.
Passengers are encouraged to visit ShoreLineEast.com for the latest service information. Riders can sign up for alerts sent directly to their phone or email at shorelineeast.com/service-alerts.
Fully funding Shore Line East back to pre-pandemic levels is expected to carry a $35 million price tag. This $5 million portion of restoration will bring additional peak service and a through train to the line, but more work and increased ridership is necessary to realize 2019-era train schedules.
In addition to negotiating and securing this funding, this session Senator Cohen wrote and passed HB 5330 which requires that the Department of Transportation come back to the Transportation Committee with at least five alternatives for restoring service to the line and the cost of each possibility..
Looney, Duff Celebrate One Year of a Safer Connecticut Despite GOP Obstruction
Looney, Duff Celebrate One Year of a Safer Connecticut Despite GOP Obstruction
Senate President Martin Looney and Majority Leader Bob Duff marked this week’s one year anniversary of key Connecticut gun safety policies, passed by legislative Democrats despite an overnight filibuster by Senate Republicans.
As of Oct. 1, it will have been one year since the effective date of two critical provisions contained in 2023’s An Act Concerning Gun Violence, which prohibited the open carry of firearms in public and put restrictions on bulk gun purchases, effectively reducing gun trafficking.
These common sense laws have been protecting Connecticut families for one year, despite prolonged efforts by Senate Republicans, who launched an extreme, multi-hour filibuster in an attempt to kill the bill.
Throughout their overnight obstruction tactics, Republicans made 14 separate attempts to water down the gun safety bill. Every single Senate Republican voted in favor of each of these attempts to weaken Connecticut’s public safety laws.
“In an effort to curb gun trafficking and reduce the proliferation of illegal weapons, Connecticut Democrats put modest limits on bulk gun purchases,” Senator Looney said. “Those reasonable restrictions — which still allow residents to purchase as many as 36 handguns in a single year — were apparently too much to ask of Republicans, who unanimously voted 14 times to undermine this legislation.”
“Every two years around this time, Connecticut Republicans characterize themselves as moderates, willing to work on a bipartisan basis, but here’s the reality: last year, they filibustered critical public safety reforms until 4 o’clock in the morning,” Senator Duff said. “Connecticut has the strongest gun laws in the country — and some of the lowest violent crime rates — thanks to Democrats who persevere in spite of extreme Republican obstruction.”
Senate Democrats passed An Act Concerning Gun Violence, HB 6667, at 4:19 a.m. on June 3, 2023, over widespread Republican opposition. Its provisions involving openly displaying a firearm in public and limiting handgun purchases to three per month for most residents took effect several months later on Oct. 1, 2023.
Reasonable limits on bulk purchases have helped to curtail gun trafficking in states where they have been enacted and have helped law enforcement hold offenders accountable.
For instance, on Sept. 3, attorneys general in Maryland and Washington, D.C., filed a lawsuit against three gun dealers for selling 34 pistols to a straw purchaser over a seven-month period despite a Maryland law limiting handgun purchases to one per month.
At least nine of those weapons were later recovered at crime scenes in the Washington D.C. or Maryland area, according to the Office of the Attorney General for the District of Columbia. This is not uncommon. Handguns sold in bulk are as much as 64% more likely to be used in a crime than a gun purchased on its own, according to the Giffords Law Center, which estimated that between 20% and 25% of handguns found at crime scenes were originally part of multi-gun sales.
Meanwhile, Connecticut’s prohibition on the open carry of firearms in public addressed tense situations that have resulted from the state’s previous policies on the matter, which allowed open carry but did not allow law enforcement to compel a person openly carrying a gun to produce a permit.
In 2017, the Connecticut Police Chiefs Association submitted testimony to the legislature’s Judiciary Committee, arguing that a “small number of pistol permit holders have purposely engaged in open-carry behavior and used the current statute language to create situations in which an officer cannot request a permit. These situations are unnerving to the public and have the potential to escalate into confrontations.”
Prosecutors have also lauded Connecticut’s new open carry policy, which legislative Republicans sought to undermine. Last year, Connecticut’s Office of the Chief State’s Attorney submitted testimony supporting the provision to prohibit the knowing open carry of guns in public.
Among Senate Republicans’ 14 attempts to undermine the public safety bill, were amendments to weaken Connecticut’s safe storage laws, assault weapon ban, and the state’s background check requirements. Specifically, Amendment K would have weakened Connecticut’s safe storage laws. It would have permitted gun owners to lock their homes as a means to satisfy the safe storage requirement, regardless if they have children or live with someone ineligible to possess a gun. Previously the law required gun owners to keep their guns in a locked box if a minor was likely to gain access to it, a resident was ineligible to possess guns, a resident was subject to a Risk Protection Order, or a resident posed a risk to himself or others. The bill requires all gun owners to keep the guns in a locked box, regardless if kids might be in the home or an ineligible person lives in the home. So by allowing any gun owner to simply lock the home, instead of requiring a locked box, the amendment would have allowed gun owners, who live with minors or those ineligible to possess guns, to simply lock their doors—with the minors and ineligible people in the house having access to the guns.
Additionally, Amendment M would have weakened background checks and the ban on assault weapons. Whereas the underlying bill expanded Connecticut’s ban on assault weapons, this amendment would have allowed people to transfer such guns to their “family who is not prohibited from owning a firearm.” The bill allowed the transfer of soon-to-be illegal assault weapons to gun dealers and other licensed establishments that adhere to strict background checks and could sell out-of-state, but the bill did not permit the transfer to family members out-of-state. The amendment would eliminate the background check—people do not know, nor should they try, to determine whether their family members are eligible to obtain a firearm under other state laws or any law. State agencies coordinating with federal authorities conduct comprehensive checks, and it is one of the most effective ways to keep guns out of the hands of people likely to harm others with firearms.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Kevin Coughlin | 203-710-0193 | kevin.coughlin@cga.ct.gov
Looney, Duff Celebrate One Year of a Safer Connecticut Despite GOP Obstruction
Looney, Duff Celebrate One Year of a Safer Connecticut Despite GOP Obstruction
Senate President Martin Looney and Majority Leader Bob Duff marked this week’s one year anniversary of key Connecticut gun safety policies, passed by legislative Democrats despite an overnight filibuster by Senate Republicans.
As of Oct. 1, it will have been one year since the effective date of two critical provisions contained in 2023’s An Act Concerning Gun Violence, which prohibited the open carry of firearms in public and put restrictions on bulk gun purchases, effectively reducing gun trafficking.
These common sense laws have been protecting Connecticut families for one year, despite prolonged efforts by Senate Republicans, who launched an extreme, multi-hour filibuster in an attempt to kill the bill.
Throughout their overnight obstruction tactics, Republicans made 14 separate attempts to water down the gun safety bill. Every single Senate Republican voted in favor of each of these attempts to weaken Connecticut’s public safety laws.
“In an effort to curb gun trafficking and reduce the proliferation of illegal weapons, Connecticut Democrats put modest limits on bulk gun purchases,” Senator Looney said. “Those reasonable restrictions — which still allow residents to purchase as many as 36 handguns in a single year — were apparently too much to ask of Republicans, who unanimously voted 14 times to undermine this legislation.”
“Every two years around this time, Connecticut Republicans characterize themselves as moderates, willing to work on a bipartisan basis, but here’s the reality: last year, they filibustered critical public safety reforms until 4 o’clock in the morning,” Senator Duff said. “Connecticut has the strongest gun laws in the country — and some of the lowest violent crime rates — thanks to Democrats who persevere in spite of extreme Republican obstruction.”
Senate Democrats passed An Act Concerning Gun Violence, HB 6667, at 4:19 a.m. on June 3, 2023, over widespread Republican opposition. Its provisions involving openly displaying a firearm in public and limiting handgun purchases to three per month for most residents took effect several months later on Oct. 1, 2023.
Reasonable limits on bulk purchases have helped to curtail gun trafficking in states where they have been enacted and have helped law enforcement hold offenders accountable.
For instance, on Sept. 3, attorneys general in Maryland and Washington, D.C., filed a lawsuit against three gun dealers for selling 34 pistols to a straw purchaser over a seven-month period despite a Maryland law limiting handgun purchases to one per month.
At least nine of those weapons were later recovered at crime scenes in the Washington D.C. or Maryland area, according to the Office of the Attorney General for the District of Columbia. This is not uncommon. Handguns sold in bulk are as much as 64% more likely to be used in a crime than a gun purchased on its own, according to the Giffords Law Center, which estimated that between 20% and 25% of handguns found at crime scenes were originally part of multi-gun sales.
Meanwhile, Connecticut’s prohibition on the open carry of firearms in public addressed tense situations that have resulted from the state’s previous policies on the matter, which allowed open carry but did not allow law enforcement to compel a person openly carrying a gun to produce a permit.
In 2017, the Connecticut Police Chiefs Association submitted testimony to the legislature’s Judiciary Committee, arguing that a “small number of pistol permit holders have purposely engaged in open-carry behavior and used the current statute language to create situations in which an officer cannot request a permit. These situations are unnerving to the public and have the potential to escalate into confrontations.”
Prosecutors have also lauded Connecticut’s new open carry policy, which legislative Republicans sought to undermine. Last year, Connecticut’s Office of the Chief State’s Attorney submitted testimony supporting the provision to prohibit the knowing open carry of guns in public.
Among Senate Republicans’ 14 attempts to undermine the public safety bill, were amendments to weaken Connecticut’s safe storage laws, assault weapon ban, and the state’s background check requirements. Specifically, Amendment K would have weakened Connecticut’s safe storage laws. It would have permitted gun owners to lock their homes as a means to satisfy the safe storage requirement, regardless if they have children or live with someone ineligible to possess a gun. Previously the law required gun owners to keep their guns in a locked box if a minor was likely to gain access to it, a resident was ineligible to possess guns, a resident was subject to a Risk Protection Order, or a resident posed a risk to himself or others. The bill requires all gun owners to keep the guns in a locked box, regardless if kids might be in the home or an ineligible person lives in the home. So by allowing any gun owner to simply lock the home, instead of requiring a locked box, the amendment would have allowed gun owners, who live with minors or those ineligible to possess guns, to simply lock their doors—with the minors and ineligible people in the house having access to the guns.
Additionally, Amendment M would have weakened background checks and the ban on assault weapons. Whereas the underlying bill expanded Connecticut’s ban on assault weapons, this amendment would have allowed people to transfer such guns to their “family who is not prohibited from owning a firearm.” The bill allowed the transfer of soon-to-be illegal assault weapons to gun dealers and other licensed establishments that adhere to strict background checks and could sell out-of-state, but the bill did not permit the transfer to family members out-of-state. The amendment would eliminate the background check—people do not know, nor should they try, to determine whether their family members are eligible to obtain a firearm under other state laws or any law. State agencies coordinating with federal authorities conduct comprehensive checks, and it is one of the most effective ways to keep guns out of the hands of people likely to harm others with firearms.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Kevin Coughlin | 203-710-0193 | kevin.coughlin@cga.ct.gov
Connecticut Enacts Protections to Shield Minors from Online Risks
Connecticut Enacts Protections to Shield Minors from Online Risks
A new online privacy and data protection law will take effect on Oct. 1, safeguarding the privacy of Connecticut minors and prohibiting the exploitation of their personal data in harmful ways.
Passage of the new law was led by state Sen. James Maroney, a Milford Democrat who co-chairs the legislature’s General Law Committee.
“Protecting children’s data privacy online is essential because it safeguards their innocence, ensures their safety, and preserves their right to grow and learn without being exploited or manipulated,” Maroney said. “In an increasingly digital world, their personal information should be secure for their future.”
The new law will require sites that offer online service to minors to use reasonable care to avoid a “heightened risk” of harm to young people. Such risks include unfair or deceptive treatment; financial, physical or reputational injury; and invasion of privacy. It will also ban targeted advertisements and the sale of data generated by users under the age of 18 without opt-in consent.
The new online privacy law will also prohibit features designed to significantly increase a minor’s use of the online service, i.e., endless scrolling habits, prohibit collection of geo location data without opt-in consent, and ban unsolicited direct messaging from an adult to an unknown minor.
The law follows, and is modeled in part on, the Age-Appropriate Design Code adopted in the United Kingdom. The UK law helped to spur reforms by leading tech companies. For instance, Google made SafeSearch the default for minors, YouTube turned off Autoplay and set bedtime reminders for young users, and TikTok disabled messaging between minors and unknown adults.
Researchers have found the wellbeing of America’s youth in an alarming state. According to a 2024 report by the CDC, 53% of high school girls in 2023 reported feeling “persistently sad or hopeless” over the previous year, up from 36% in 2011. Meanwhile, 27 percent of high school girls seriously considered attempting suicide in 2021, up from 19% in 2011.
Social media use by teens took off in that time frame, in a trend that began before the COVID-19 pandemic. Studies suggest there is a strong negative correlation between mental health and social media use.
As youth mental health metrics have declined, tech companies have employed the personal data of minors to target them with advertisements, to lure them into scrolling longer, or encourage them to continue watching videos.
From 2019 to 2021, youth increased their screen time 17%, which encompassed an average of 5 hours and 33 minutes daily for those 8 to 12 years old, and 8 hours and 39 minutes for those 13 to 18 years old.
Maroney introduced the bill in 2023, when it passed unanimously in the House and the Senate. Similar to the 2022 Data Protection Act, the bill only applies to certain companies of a significant size or otherwise control a significant amount of personal data.
Posted By Michelle Rappaport
Sen. Looney Releases Statement on End of Strike at Omni
|
|||||
|
When Will Peak Fall Foliage Hit Connecticut?
When Will Peak Fall Foliage Hit Connecticut?
It’s an annual tradition, one that brings tourism to our region and has even inspired humorous episodes of television programs like “Family Guy” – every year, Connecticut is filled with beautiful natural sights as trees’ leaves turn color and change.
It can be hard to know exactly when the leaves will turn before they fall, but the Department of Energy and Environmental Protection has changed that this year. DEEP created a Fall Foliage Report, utilizing its data as well as this year’s weather trends to determine when fall foliage should reach peak colors and beauty.
This tool will provide residents with the best information about when their communities can expect bursts of color; it’s also a valuable tool to help draw tourism to the state, supporting the local economy.
As of the end of September, the Fall Foliage Report indicates that most of Connecticut was not yet seeing strong foliage activity, but the northeast and northwest corners of the state, primarily Litchfield and Windham counties, were starting to see activity. DEEP expects there to be a band-like effect moving south through the state, similar to a weather system, that will lead to increases in color.
In the beginning of October, leaves should be turning to vivid colors in north-central Connecticut, with the band appearing like a wave, its lower limits including Waterbury and Hartford, with peak activity in the northern corners of the state.
Peak conditions should be visible everywhere north of Hartford and Waterbury by the middle of October, with the northern corners passing peak activity and seeing leaves falling. A relatively early leaf season should end everywhere but the southern coast by Halloween, with the state passing peak activity and heading toward winter conditions by Veterans’ Day.
DEEP’s website also includes several overlays including driving routes that will show the best sights, including loops that run from Storrs to Woodstock and back, Hartford into the northwest corner of the state, and loops starting in New Haven and Middletown. The map also displays several areas including the eastern border and north of I-84 that are known for having scenic, beautiful views.
Embracing fall foliage is part of DEEP’s latest efforts to promote tourism and travel in Connecticut, following reports last year by CT By The Numbers highlighting CTParks.com, a website created to draw more attention to the parks that are drawing twice as many visitors annually as they did prior to the pandemic in 2020 and 2021.
It also points to the importance of Connecticut’s forests for the state economy. According to the North East State Foresters Association, as of 2014, forest recreation in Connecticut drives hundreds of millions of dollars in economic value; fall foliage viewing was the biggest, representing just over $300 million of $1.2 billion overall.
Posted By Joe O’Leary
STATE SENATOR SAUD ANWAR NAMED EMS ADVISORY BOARD LEGISLATOR OF THE YEAR
|
|
Three Connecticut Schools Receive National Honor
Three Connecticut Schools Receive National Honor
Three Connecticut schools made this year’s National Blue Ribbon Schools list from the U.S. Department of Education, which honors schools that have excelled in academic performance or progress in closing achievement gaps.
Among the institutions to receive this year’s Blue Ribbon awards were Meriden’s Israel Putnam Elementary School, Madison’s Daniel Hand High School, and Shelton’s Sunnyside Elementary School.
In a press release announcing the results, Gov. Ned Lamont said the recognition reinforced why Connecticut public schools were considered among the best in the nation.
“Every child deserves access to a quality education that prepares them for achievement,” Lamont said. “There’s no doubt that we must continue working to close persistent achievement gaps, but I firmly believe that the strong work of so many of our educators is having an impact. I congratulate these three public schools in Madison, Meriden, and Shelton on earning this national distinction and I wish them continued success.”
All three schools were nominated for the award by the State Department of Education, which based its choices off 2022-2023 data from the Next Generation Accountability System.
Israel Putnam Elementary’s accomplishments included progress in closing achievement gaps. The school serves 482 students, of which about 80% are eligible for free or reduced price meals while 19% are multi-language learners. Israel Putnam students ranked in the top 10% of growth in mathematics, both for high needs students and for all students, and achieved about 88% of their growth targets in 2022-2023.
State Sen. Jan Hochadel, D-Meriden, praised the school’s staff and student population for their efforts.
“As a former teacher, I’m overjoyed to see the students, educators, and support staff of Israel Putnam Elementary recognized for their hard work and dedication,” Hochadel said. “This honor puts a Meriden school among a select group across the nation and everyone in our city should be proud of what these students and the school community has accomplished.”
Meanwhile, Daniel Hand High School made the list due to its exemplary high performance. The school exceeded its performance accountability targets in every year since the 2014-2015 academic year. Last year, its students achieved an 88.4%, earning the “School of Distinction” status for the second consecutive year, according to the governor’s office.
Sunnyside Elementary School also has a history of distinction. During the 2022-2023 school year, Sunnyside students’ academic growth was among the top 10% of schools in math and reading for both high need students and the overall student population, the governor’s office said.
State Education Commissioner Charlene Russell-Tucker congratulated all three schools for their achievements.
“These schools exemplify Connecticut’s dedication to fostering educational environments where all students can thrive and reach their full potential, preparing them for academic success as well as life and work beyond school,” she said. “Congratulations to the students, educators, and school leaders on this prestigious honor and for their continued pursuit of excellence.”
Posted By Hugh McQuaid