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Dear Friend,
We have a lot going on in eastern Connecticut. I’m here with a few updates on one-year of the bipartisan Infrastructure Law, thriving registered apprenticeship programs, and more. Thanks for starting your weekend here with me.
One Year of the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act
One year ago this week, the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA) was signed into law. Many people doubted that Congress could get a 21st Century infrastructure bill done. We proved them wrong in bipartisan fashion, and now the IIJA is turbo-charging a rocking economy in eastern CT. From upgrades to our regional airports and mass transit systems, to the completion of dredging work in Westbrook, to all the cranes we’ve seen rise along the shoreline as repairs move along steadily for the Gold Star Bridge and for lots of other smaller projects, the IIJA is helping our towns prepare for growth and get more competitive. Currently, we have 93 infrastructure projects underway in the Second District – fueled by over $800 million in IIJA funding.
Lots of our region’s historic infrastructure is in serious need of upgrades, and these are the types of projects that have been on the CT DOT’s “to-do” list for a long time. Now, thanks to the IIJA, they’re finally getting underway – some have already been completed this year! Infrastructure projects set eastern Connecticut up for the future and spur the creation of good jobs. I’m ready to keep helping our towns make full use of IIJA funding as we move ahead.
In its first year the IIJA has already seen a wide range of projects getting completed and underway, with many more slated to begin. For example, IIJA funding is now supporting ongoing work on the Gold Star Bridge in New London-Groton, an upgraded Route 66 Bridge in Willimantic, repairs to the Leonard Road Bridge in Stafford and the Forge Hill Road Bridge in Voluntown, upcoming work on the Haddam Swing Bridge, repairs to the I-84/I-94 interchange, and lots more. These are some really important projects for eastern Connecticut.
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| In August, Rep. Courtney hosted U.S. Secretary of Labor Marty Walsh (left) for a visit to the Gold Star Bridge in New London, where the IIJA is funding repairs to the northbound span. |
Infrastructure isn’t just roads and bridges either. Thanks to the IIJA, our regional airports, waterways, ports, undeveloped “Brownfield” sites, and clean energy installations are seeing exciting upgrades and development. These projects are setting our region up for long-term economic growth, they're creating local jobs, and providing opportunities for local small businesses like Eathlight in Ellington, Control Module in Enfield, and more. Just a few weeks ago, I joined Mohawk Northeast in New London to announce federal funding now on its way to help them construct a new, state-of-the-art port along the Thames River – made possible by the IIJA’s investments in our nation’s ports in cities like New London.
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| From upgrades to our 3 regional airports, to the completion of dredging in the Patchogue River, to the construction of a new port in New London, repairs to the Leonard Road Bridge in Stafford, and lots of other smaller projects, the IIJA is fueling work throughout CT-02 |
As funding from the Infrastructure Law continues to roll out in eastern Connecticut in the coming years, I’ll stay on the ground to see projects through with local businesses, towns, and CT DOT. Check back here for regular updates on new and continuing projects.
Registered Apprenticeships are Thriving in Connecticut
Our shipbuilding and manufacturing sectors are booming right now, resulting in thousands of great new career opportunities for people throughout eastern CT—from adults who want to change career paths, to young people just coming out of school. As Chairman of the Seapower Subcommittee, I’ve worked in to help fuel the massive uptick in submarine construction that has ramped up hiring at EB’s Groton shipyard and at local manufacturing suppliers throughout our state. That work has really benefited our region, and another pillar of our success has been our federally funded skills-training and Registered Apprenticeship programs.
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| Click here to read about registered apprenticeships recent growth in Connecticut |
Registered Apprenticeships are 1- to 4-year on-the-job training programs that connect young people to good careers. We depend on them to bolster our manufacturing workforce, and as a member of the House Education & Labor Committee I’ve always worked to support and expand them. This week was National Apprenticeships Week, a celebration of the success and value of Registered Apprenticeships, and it came along with some exciting news about apprenticeships here in our state. On Sunday, the CT Mirror shared data from the CT DOL that shows how apprenticeship opportunities are growing rapidly in Connecticut, and how more and more students are pursuing them and starting great careers. For example, CT’s work-based learning programs—where students work part-time for school credit and for pay—saw a 43% increase to more than 1,000 students from 2020-2021. There are also nearly 300 more companies offering apprenticeships in CT today than in 2013, and there are over 6,650 active apprentices at work in our state who are earning skills that are in high demand—up from 4,618 in 2013.
At the end of the day, the success of our apprenticeship programs means that more people in our region are getting connected with great careers, and that we’re building the sort of skilled workforce that will keep attracting even more new opportunities. Eastern CT has a special connection with Registered Apprenticeship programs—my predecessor, Rep. William Fitzgerald from Norwich, is the person who originally introduced the National Apprenticeship Act over 80 years ago. Today, it’s great to see them thriving in eastern Connecticut. I’m still working to keep that success going on the Education and Labor Committee, and to expand apprenticeship opportunities to even more people in our state.
Affordable Care Act Open Enrollment has Begun
The open enrollment period for health care coverage under the Affordable Care Act has begun. In Connecticut, people can sign-up for coverage through January 15th by visiting AccessHealthCT.com.
In the health care and Medicare reform bill we got done in Congress this year, we extended Affordable Care Act (ACA) subsidies that will lower the cost of coverage substantially for individuals and families. These subsidies were put in place by the American Rescue Plan in 2021, and I heard from people in eastern Connecticut about how important the cost savings they provided were. They were set to expire at the end of this year. I helped push to have them extended, and now that we got it done, eastern Connecticut residents will save an average of $804/year on their health care premiums under the ACA. This comes alongside other cost-savers coming next year for seniors – namely the new $35/month cap on the price of Insulin for Medicare beneficiaries, and a 3% reduction in Medicare Part B monthly premiums The latter means more money from Social Security checks will remain in seniors’ wallets – those checks are also increasing by 8.7% next year. For a full rundown of cost-cutting reforms we passed this year, check-out my one-pager here.
Reminder: Home Heating Assistance in Available
With colder weather here, there is federal assistance available through the LIHEAP program to help people lower their home heating and energy costs this winter. In Connecticut, federal LIHEAP funds are dispersed through the CT Energy Assistance Program (CEAP). It’s open for applications now, and it’s available to thousands more households this year under some new rule changes. Click here to learn more.
My office heard from lots of families and seniors concerned about the cost of home heating oil, and that’s why I led the push earlier this fall to re-stock the LIHEAP program—so that it would be there for people when they needed it this year. We were successful in that effort, and this month we announced a new round of $86 million in federal LIHEAP funding for our state. I support an “all of the above” energy policy, but the most direct way to help people lower costs right now in the short-term was by re-fueling LIHEAP. I’m working in bipartisan fashion to find other ways to lower home energy costs, but I’m glad we got this done. My office is ready to help anyone interested in learning more about the assistance.
Thanks as always for reading 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 and enjoy gathering with friends and family on Thanksgiving!
Sincerely,
Joe Courtney
Member of Congress
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