Dear John,

Welcome to your Weekly Wrap, a recap of the week in Congress and highlights of my work.

Last week, I joined Rep. Rosa DeLauro in New Haven for the annual St. Patrick’s Day parade. It was a pleasure to celebrate and honor the contributions of the Connecticut Irish-American community. Additionally, I toured Friendship Service Center in New Britain to hear how funding from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) is supporting their work to combat homelessness. 

More from the week: On Friday, I led the reintroduction of the Preparing and Resourcing Our Student Parents and Early Childhood Teachers (PROSPECT) Act, legislation to improve access to affordable, quality infant and toddler childcare for student parents. Also, I led my Democratic colleagues on the House Committee on Agriculture in sending a letter to the House Committee on the Budget reaffirming the importance of the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP). Lastly, I toured Sub Edge Farm in Farmington. Sub Edge was recently awarded a Value-Added Producer Grant (VAPG) through the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA). 

For the full recap, please read below. 

Celebrating St. Patrick’s Day!

N-eiri an t-adh leat!

Last week, to kick off the St. Patrick’ s Day festivities, I joined Congresswoman Rosa DeLauro in New Haven for the annual St. Patrick’s Day parade.

Irish-Americans have a rich and long history in Connecticut. From supporting movements for workers’ rights to supporting the public service workforce, the Irish experience spans all 169 cities and towns in our state.

It was a pleasure to honor and celebrate the contributions of this community.

Meeting with Friendship Service Center

Last week, I met with Caitlin Rose, Executive Director of Friendship Service Center, for a tour of their New Britain facility.

Since 1968, the Friendship Service Center has been a place where the hungry are fed, the homeless are sheltered, and everyone is welcome. Their services range from an emergency shelter to transitional living programs, and permanent housing options. The center also offers lunch to the community each day, serving 135 meals a day. Additionally, Friendship participates in an SSDI Outreach, Access, and Recovery (SOAR).

During the tour we discussed how both federal resources support the important services Friendship provides. Most recently, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) awarded the State of Connecticut an $18 million grant to address homelessness among people in unsheltered settings and in rural communities. This funding will be directed to both the Connecticut Department of Housing and the Connecticut Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services.

The Connecticut Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services will invest $6 million to conduct homeless outreach services and hire homeless outreach workers tasked with identifying individuals and families living outside and in places not meant for human habitation.

These funds will be critical for organizations like Friendship Service Center as they work to combat homelessness in our state.

PROSPECT Act

Decades of research has shown that children under the age of three who receive quality childcare are more likely to have the behavioral, cognitive, and language skills necessary for success in school, college, and later life. However, due to excessive cost and a lack of adequate childcare supply, reliable childcare remains unaffordable and unavailable for many families - especially in Black, Brown, and rural communities.

On Friday, I joined Rep. Donald Norcross (D-NJ) in leading the reintroduction of the Preparing and Resourcing Our Student Parents and Early Childhood Teachers (PROSPECT) Act, legislation to improve access to affordable, quality infant and toddler childcare for student parents.  Companion legislation has been introduced by Senator Cory Booker (D-NJ) in the Senate.

Specifically, the PROSPECT Act would establish a competitive grant program for community colleges and Minority Serving Institutions (MSIs). This investment will allow these institutions to become incubators for talent and training, while expanding childcare access on college-campuses.

Additionally, the legislation would help build the capacity and quality of the infant and toddler educator workforce. Community colleges and MSIs lead the higher education sector in educating infant and toddler childcare providers, especially childcare providers of color, making them the optimal actors for driving quality infant and toddler childcare education in their regions. The Fifth District is home to a host of MSIs including Naugatuck Valley Community College (NVCC) and the University of Connecticut (UConn)– Waterbury Campus.

To learn more about the PROSPECT Act, please click here. 

Protecting SNAP benefits

The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) provides nutrition benefits to needy families so they can purchase healthy food and move towards self-sufficiency.  In fiscal year 2022, SNAP reached 375,400 Connecticut residents, and more than 50% of SNAP participants in Connecticut are families with children.

SNAP is identified as the most important and effective anti-hunger program and one of our most powerful anti-poverty tools. However, funding for this crucial program is in danger.

Last week, I led House Agriculture Committee Democrats in a letter addressed to the House Committee on the Budget. In the letter, my colleagues and I emphasized the importance of the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) and urged Committee leadership to avoid making any cuts to the program in the Fiscal Year 2024 budget.

Democratic Members of the House Agriculture Committee remain unified in opposition to any cuts to SNAP and agree that additional resources are necessary to further improve our anti-hunger safety net.

The full letter is available here. 

Visiting Sub Edge Farm

Small farms account for 89% of farms across the United States, and 93% of farms in Connecticut’s Fifth District. As a senior member of the House Committee on Agriculture, and Ranking Member of the Subcommittee on Nutrition, Foreign Agriculture, and Horticulture, I am committed to being a voice for small farms in Connecticut.

On Friday, I visited Sub Edge Farm in Farmington. Sub Edge grows 10 acres of vegetables, fruits, flowers and culinary herbs. Additionally, the farm offers a 100 share Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) program, a seasonal farm shop, and participates in wholesale to local restaurants and schools. 

Sub Edge Farm was recently awarded a Value-Added Producer Grant (VAPG) through the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA). The VAPG grant program helps agricultural producers enter value-added activities to generate new products, create and expand marketing opportunities, and increase producer income. This program was made possible by the 2018 Farm Bill. 

Sub Edge will be using this investment to improve inventory tracking, update their web page, and create store displays to help market their products to the local community. 

And that’s a wrap!

Thank you for taking the time to read this update. As always, please continue to share your thoughts and priorities with me. 

Jahana Hayes
Member of Congress