From Rep. Rebimbas: Reopening Connecticut: Phase Two

Details for Phase Two Reopening

The governor has announced that indoor dining is slated to reopen on June 17 (Phase Two). Movie theaters, gyms, hotels and motels, outdoor amusement parks, nail salons and tattoo shops, pools and social clubs, indoor museums and aquariums, and small events, such as weddings, will also be included in the Phase Two reopening.

Click here for the latest.

Mortgage Payment Relief Program Extended

Governor Lamont and Banking Commissioner Jorge Perez announced that over 45 banks and credit unions have agreed to extend their voluntary participation in the CT Mortgage Relief Program, which provides relief to consumers facing financial hardship due to COVID-19. The program, launched on March 31, 2020 and set to expire on May 31, 2020, will now run through July 30, 2020.


Federal Funding for Municipalities

Federal assistance is now available for municipalities through the Coronavirus Relief Fund. This money will be disbursed to Connecticut cities and towns by the state through the Connecticut Municipal Coronavirus Relief Fund Program. This money will be provided to local governments for non-budgeted expenses stemming from the COVID-19 pandemic. For Naugatuck, that amount is $239,072. Reimbursable expenses include personal protective equipment (PPE), food programs, related overtime and other staffing costs, law enforcement, emergency shelter, and sanitizing and cleaning.


Update from the CT Department of Labor

Pandemic Emergency Unemployment Compensation (PEUC) is now available. PEUC provides an additional 13 weeks of unemployment benefits to individuals who have exhausted their traditional unemployment benefits, as well as others who do not qualify for unemployment compensation under state or federal law. In order to receive this benefit, you must apply separately.

To learn more about PEUC and to apply, click here.


Guidance for Summer Schools

Summer schools are permitted to open beginning July 6. Capacity will be limited to one teacher and ten other individuals, including students and teacher assistants. This is assuming the classroom will allow 11 individuals to be spaced six feet apart. The superintendents will have the option to suspend summer school if public health conditions change.

Click here for the rules for summer school operations.


New Executive Order: Childcare Centers

Governor Lamont has signed Executive Order 7VV, which amends a previous executive order limiting the capacity of childcare centers to 30 children. The new order increases that number to 50. If a facility wishes to care for more than 50 children, they must obtain permission from the Office of Early Childhood.


Petition for Special Session

The governor, his staff, and administration have worked hard throughout this crisis, but they have left the legislature almost entirely out of the decision-making process since mid-March, and that needs to change. It is about time CT state legislators get called into Special Session to do the work that the residents of this state elected us to do. There is no reason that we cannot serve the people in the people’s House (the State Capitol Building) safely.

In order for a special session to occur, members of the House and Senate must sign a petition addressed to the Connecticut Secretary of the State. On Monday, I signed a petition requesting a special session to address the state budget, federal COVID-19 funding for Connecticut, and the various executive orders signed by the governor since the crisis began. It's time for the voice of the people to return to the state Capitol. Let’s do this together.

Resources & Current Data

For the full version of this update, which includes additional global, federal, state, and local resources, as well as the latest COVID-19 data for our community, please click here.

I will provide more updates periodically. Please reach out to me if you have questions or concerns about the state and local response to the COVID-19 pandemic, or any state government matter. I am more than happy to speak with you directly, provide more information if possible, and to serve as a resource for you and your families.

Email: Rosa.Rebimbas@housegop.ct.gov

Warm regards,

State Representative Rosa C. Rebimbas
70th General Assembly District
Naugatuck