By James Maroney
State Sen., D-14
James Maroney.
I am forever grateful to have the opportunity to continue to represent the 14th District. We have a lot of work ahead of us to recover from the pandemic, and the only way we can move forward is if we do so together. Over the coming weeks I plan to hold many listening sessions so that I can incorporate your ideas into our recovery and so that together we can build Connecticut back better.
As I have in the past, I plan to continue hosting many listening sessions and opportunities to interact throughout our community. In the next session I plan on working to help strengthen Connecticut through workforce development. During the pandemic, the state allocated millions of dollars to fund innovative workforce programs by providing job training to displaced workers in the state to connect them to high-growth and in-demand jobs. Nineteen programs selected were prioritized for having strong career pathways – most notably health care, information technology and manufacturing.
Back in September, I met at a local manufacturing business with several other elected officials in the state to discuss ways to improve the school-to-work pipeline, the manufacturing job opportunities currently available, the ways companies have stepped up to help during the coronavirus pandemic and workforce development. I will continue over the course of the next session to focus on ensuring that all our citizens have the skills they need to succeed in the modern economy.
Education has never been more important. Education is the foundation of a successful future. I will continue to fight to make sure that our schools have the resources they need to provide our students with a world-class education.
The pandemic has also taken a toll on our mental health. Incidences of anxiety and depression are increasing among children, and indeed all of us. That is why this session I once again plan to work on suicide prevention legislation. Over the coming months I plan to work with Representative-elect Mary Welander to host a suicide prevention policy summit and then to jointly push legislation based on the recommendations from that session. We need to focus on both the mental and physical health of our students and citizens.
We have a lot of work to do to rebuild Connecticut following the coronavirus pandemic. The pandemic caused many burdens for our fellow residents: emotional, financial and physical. Our economy is not back to full capacity yet, and many of our neighbors are still without jobs.
I will make sure I work extremely hard to find a way to help those in need. I not only represent the community; I am also a part of the community. Government works best when all voices are heard, so please reach out to me with your ideas. I can be reached by email at James.Maroney@cga.ct.gov. I look forward to hearing from you.