Budget Update: Hearings Begin on CT's Biennium Budget

The Appropriations Committee will hold state agency budget presentations and public hearings from Thursday, February 15 through Friday, February 23. Public speaker order for the public hearings will be determined by a lottery system. Numbers will be drawn from 9 a.m. to 10 a.m. in the LOB First Floor Atrium and from 10:15 until 1 p.m. in Room 2700. Speakers arriving after the completion of the lottery will have their names places at the end of the speaker list. The list of speakers registered through the lottery system will be posted outside the designated hearing room two hours prior to the start of the public hearing. Please submit 30 copies of written testimony at the time of sign-up, but no later than 2 p.m. Testimony received after the the designated time may not be distributed until after the hearing. Please email written testimony in Word or PDF format to[email protected]. A full list of hearings can be found on the CGA website under "Public Hearings," then "Appropriations Committee." Public hearings of interest include:

Wednesday, February 21 (Room 2C)

Human Services

10 a.m. to 11 a.m. - Department of Children and Families

11 a.m. to 12 p.m. - Department of Social Services

6 p.m. - Public Hearing

Thursday, February 22 (Room 2C)

Elementary and Secondary Education

1 p.m. to 2 p.m. - Department of Education

2 p.m. to 3 p.m. - Office of Early Childhood

5 p.m. Public Hearing

Care4Kids is Open for Business and Processing Applications

Care4Kids is now taking applications without a waitlist. Please spread the word to eligible families! Our friends at CAHS have created a blog post focused on Care4Kids. Please direct parents to call Care4Kids directly for now, at 1-888-214-KIDS (5437), rather than 211, or visit the "Contact Us" page for Care4Kids.

In addition, we're looking for families who are willing to talk to the press about how hopeful they are, now that they have access to Care4Kids (preferably someone who has just come off the waitlist - what does it mean to the family, now that they have Care4Kids subsidies?) Please contact Jessica at [email protected] with parents willing to share their story.

Early Childhood Legislative Caucus Set to Begin

The Early Childhood Legislative Caucus will start on Monday, February 5, from 9 a.m. to 10 a.m. The meeting will take place in the conference room at the top of the elevator of the LOB (where caucus meetings are usually held).

Eliminating Childhood Lead Exposure: A Facebook Livestreaming Event

On Thursday, February 8, from 10 a.m. to 11 a.m., Child Trends will host a livestreaming lecture and discussion on why childhood lead exposure is still a problem in the United States and the developing world, and what we can do to eliminate it. The keynote speaker is Mary Jean Brown, a nationally recognized expert on lead poisoning from the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health. A moderated discussion, with questions from the live audience and social media viewers will follow. To RSVP to the event on Facebook, click HERE (you will have to log into your Facebook account).