In these final week of the legislative session, the Governor and legislators are negotiating their respective budgets. There is still time for language to be added or deleted and funding can be allocated or removed.

 

 

 

CT Grown For CT Kids and Local Food For Local Schools was voted on in the House last night with remarkable success! No red! 

We will follow up next week with further details and a template thank you letter to our Representatives, all of whom voted yes. Thank you to Representative Arzeno for sharing this photo late last night from Hartford.  

 

 

ACTION: A few weeks ago New York passed Universal Meals marking it as the 9th state to do so after MA, ME and VT and others. We need to put pressure on Connecticut to follow and build on the momentum. 

 

Please share your thoughts with the Greenwich delegation and let them know you are disappointed that the Appropriations Committee removed funding for Universal Breakfast from the Governor's budget and to please advocate that the funding be put back. We need school meals, bottom line! 

 

 

 

This bill is currently in the Environment Committee. 

 

ACTION: The Zero Waste Coalition urgently needs you to encourage legislators to co-sponsor and support H.B. 6917 and to vote it out of the House. Lobbying in person would be ideal, but if you are not able to, calling and emailing would be greatly appreciated! They plan to merge H.B. 6229 (single-use plastic and polystyrene waste) into H.B. 6917, as well as reinstate the food donation section that was previously removed by Appropriations.

 

This bill is important because it:

- Will include a food donation plan for large commercial organic generators.

- Implements a study on the need for and viability of establishing an extended producer responsibility program for consumer packaging.

- Includes financial incentives.

 

Connecticut is projected to spend 4.8 billion dollars annually on residential waste disposal by the year 2050; that is 51 times as much as we spent in 2022.  Allocating funds from waste assessment fees to the sustainable materials management account would be distributed back to municipalities to support the development of food scrap collection and unit-based pricing programs, as well as other recycling, reduction, and diversion programs.

 

 

Email addresses for the Greenwich delegation:

 

Senator Fazio - Education + Finance Committee - email here

Rep Tina Courpas - Education + Appropriations Committee - email here

Rep Steve Meskers Chair, Commerce Committee - email here

Rep Hector Arzeno Environment + Education Committee - email here

 

 

 

Photo credit: Food Action and Research Center

 

Federal changes to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) are looming, and we must act and support our neighbors who depend on this critical resources.

 

 

The U.S. House is advancing a proposal to cut $300 billion from SNAP , which supports more than 42 million people nationwide (400,000 people in CT). This includes shifting $128 billion in costs to states—many of which are already stretched thin and cannot absorb the impact.

 

SNAP is more than a nutrition program. It is a proven tool for public health and economic resilience. Every $1 in SNAP benefits generates up to $1.80 in local economic activity. Gutting it means more hunger, poorer health, and harm to local economies—especially in rural and low-income communities. 

 

These cuts would strip resources from farmers and food retailers, and push even greater strain onto food banks and nonprofits that cannot meet the rising need. This is not just about a budget. It’s about people, communities, and the food system we all rely on.

 

The CT delegation has been steadfast in their support of SNAP and nutrition programs. Let them know we support them as they support us.

 

Contacts for the federal delegation: 

 

Senator Richard Blumenthal - 860 258 6940

Senator Chris Murphy - 860 549 8463

Representative Jim Himes - 203 333 6600