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Dear Friend,
After another packed week in eastern Connecticut, I'm here with an update on a milestone for crumbling foundations repairs, new manufacturing programs for students, and lots more. As always, thanks for starting your weekend here with me.
1,000 Homes with Crumbling Foundations Repaired
This week, we reached a major milestone for Connecticut homeowners: 1,000 homes with crumbling foundations have been repaired through the Connecticut Foundation Solutions Indemnity Company (CFSIC).
The crumbling foundations crisis has been a nightmare for homeowners in eastern and north central Connecticut. In 2017, CFSIC was created by the Connecticut General Assembly, a bold move driven by a grassroots coalition of homeowners who had no other redress. In the following years, my office pressed the IRS to issue a rule that CFSIC grants for repairs were not taxable by the federal government to homeowners. We also secured the organization’s non-profit status so it could receive philanthropic gifts and expand its reach.
CFSIC Superintendent Mike Maglaras, CFSIC President Steve Werbner, and their team have been committed to helping residents plagued by pyrrhotite and crumbling foundations. We can’t stop at this milestone. There are still many homes at risk because of pyrrhotite, the chemical which causes concrete foundations to crack. In Congress, I secured funding for direct cash assistance for lower income homeowners to pay for uncovered costs, and UConn's pyrrhotite testing program. Eligible homeowners can apply for no-cost testing from UConn here.
Working with Homebuilders to Meet Our Region's Housing Needs
There are hundreds of new high-quality mixed-income housing units under construction in eastern Connecticut. I’m working in Congress and with local homebuilders to build more.
This week, I joined the non-profit Eastern Connecticut Housing Opportunities at its new 28-unit mixed-income Bayonet Street Apartment Building in New London. The project is made possible by combined federal and state funding – and federal tax credits that I voted to expand earlier this year. American Rescue Plan funding will finance a 2nd phase 36-unit development right next door that will open in December 2025. The units were spectacular.
After visiting Bayonet Street Apartments, I led a roundtable discussion on housing at the Waterford Town Hall with the Home Builders and Remodelers Association of Connecticut, the New London Homeless and Hospitality Center, housing advocates, and state and local partners. As southeastern CT’s workforce dramatically grows, consensus is building that we must build the housing people need for healthy growth.
The Next Generation of Skilled Manufacturers
Now and for decades to come, there will be thousands of good shipbuilding careers in eastern Connecticut, driven by a bold submarine construction plan we have launched in Congress. With Submarine Industrial Base funding I secured as Ranking Member of the Seapower Subcommittee, younger students across our region are getting hands-on experience with manufacturing.
Last Friday, I joined the ribbon cutting for EASTCONN's new mobile manufacturing lab, which will hit the road to schools and businesses, providing students with a 30-minute interactive experiences. The lab gives students an understanding of careers and opportunities in the manufacturing field.
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| Right: Rep. Courtney and Windham Tech Senior and BNL Industries Intern Ryan Cassano |
Then, yesterday, I visited Vernon submarine supplier BNL Industries to help announce a 5-year grant from the Department of Defense for Junior Achievement USA to create a new shipbuilding career-inspiration program, Junior Achievement Maritime. The program will reach Connecticut and Rhode Island K-12 students with a particular focus on submarine industry careers.
Connecticut is a nationwide leader in manufacturing workforce development, and the Junior Achievement Maritime program is designed to be replicated across the nation. Thank you to BNL Industries for hosting this exciting announcement and to Adele Ratcliff from the Department of Defense, who is quarterbacking the effort to reach younger students with potential careers in shipbuilding.
A Third & Fourth Navy Contract for Eastern CT Shipbuilders
More great news for our submarine industry. After two contract awards earlier this month, the Navy has now awarded two additional contracts to Electric Boat to ensure the health and security of the submarine supplier base. I helped secure this funding in the 2024 National Defense Authorization Act. It will help submarine suppliers and eastern Connecticut shipbuilders deliver on the submarine construction pipeline, which now includes 19 Virginia and Columbia class submarines.
New Technology to Help Keep Nurses & Social Workers Safe
Last Friday, I joined UCFS Healthcare & KATANA Safety in Norwich to see the new personal safety devices for UCFS’s mobile crisis intervention services team. These devices have panic buttons that bypass a phone’s lock screen to provide workers with instant 24/7 emergency response.
Nurses and social workers face more on-the-job violence than any workforce. Making sure they have the technology to get emergency help is the kind of violence prevention caregivers need. My workplace violence prevention bill would create an OSHA standard to put these protective measures in place nationwide.
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| Left: the new smartphone attached emergency device for UCFS’s mobile crisis intervention services team. |
Celebrating Eastern CT's Paralympian
Madison-native Ben Washburne made eastern Connecticut proud when he and his teammates won a silver medal in rowing at the 2024 Paralympics. On Tuesday, I joined Madison First Selectwoman Peggy Lyons to celebrate his achievement with his friends and family at the Madison Town Hall. Congratulations, Ben!
Thank you for taking some time to read my update. If we can be of any assistance, don't hesitate to give my Norwich office a call at (860) 886-0139. Have a great weekend!
Sincerely,
Joe Courtney
Member of Congress
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