This week was a busy one in Washington as we head into the holiday weekend. Congress and the White House are focused on delivering infrastructure legislation that will bring clean water to drink, clean air to breathe, and safe roads to drive on to our communities.  

• I voted for the INVEST in America Act a $715 billion transportation reauthorization and water infrastructure bill that will create good-paying jobs to rebuild and reimagine America’s transportation infrastructure, with investments in roads, bridges, transit, rail, and drinking water and wastewater infrastructure. 
• I am proud that the bill included my funding request of $16 million for the Greater Hartford Mobility Study. This study will be the blueprint for upgrading the Hartford region’s infrastructure as we look to a new vision for the future. I remain dedicated to ensuring we reconnect Hartford and fix the I-84/I-91 interchange and fix it right. 
• This week it was announced that my funding request for the Connecticut Center for Advanced Technologies (CCAT) was included in the Financial Services and General Government Appropriations bill. CCAT will be receiving $900,000 for Connecticut Manufacturing & Technology CommUNITY eCommons, so they can help small businesses recover from the COVID-19 pandemic.  
• I introduced a bipartisan bill, the Essential Caregivers Act. This bill would allow essential caregivers to access long-term care facilities to provide care and support to residents during any public health emergency. Many Americans were isolated from loved ones during the pandemic and suffered as a result. This bill would ensure that never happens again. 

REMINDER:  Beginning July 15th, the expanded monthly payments for the Child Tax Credits will be delivered to families. 77% of children in Connecticut’s First District will benefit from these payments and they are expected to cut child poverty in half. I helped draft this provision as a member of the Ways and Means Committee and voted for it in the American Rescue Plan. To learn more information and find out if you need to take action, you can visit the IRS’ website.  

As we begin our celebrations for the Fourth of July, I think about just how grateful I am for the COVID-19 vaccines and frontline workers that have made celebrating as safe as possible. If you are in need of a COVID-19 vaccine appointment, you can click here for more information. To follow what I’m working on both in Washington and in Connecticut, visit my Facebook page, follow me on Twitter, or follow me on Instagram. 

Have a happy and safe Fourth of July!  

Regards,

John B. Larson
Member of Congress