The following is shared for everyone's convenience. Without Revision of Any Kind, A Copy of a Letter Sent Out From CT Senator Chris Murphy (No association with the blog livfully.org) Friend- Below please find the Murphy office update on COVID-19. As always, if you need assistance, please don't hesitate to contact our Hartford or Washington, D.C. offices.
Here's what you need to know today, May 13th: - Today, Senator Murphy, Senator Baldwin of Wisconsin, and Representatives Jason Crow of Colorado, Elissa Slotkin of Michigan, Tim Ryan of Ohio and Katie Porter of California welcomed the news that language offered in their Medical Supply Transparency and Delivery Act was included in the House's latest COVID-19 relief package, the HEROES Act . The legislation requires the president to utilize all available authorities under the Defense Production Act to mobilize a federal response to the pandemic through an equitable and transparent process. You can read their press release here .
- Today, Senator Murphy joined former USAID Administrator Gayle Smith and CARE in a video press conference focused on the importance of global health funding as a way to strengthen the anti-pandemic response.
- Today, Senator Murphy and Senator Blumenthal held a virtual roundtable with Connecticut Nonprofit Alliance to discuss the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on their work.
- Today, Senator Murphy and Senator Blumenthal teamed up with Senator Markey in calling on airlines to issue full cash refunds for travel impacted by COVID-19.
- Governor Ned Lamont announced that members of the Reopen Connecticut Advisory Group’s business committee will hold a roundtable discussion tomorrow, May 14th at 10:00 a.m. regarding the impact of COVID-19 on the state’s business community. Members of the public who have questions for the panel can email their inquiries to reopen@ct.gov . The discussion will be broadcast live by the Connecticut Network (CT-N) and available to watch on its cable television channel and through a live stream on CT-N.com .
- Today, Senator Murphy along with Senators Debbie Stabenow of Michigan, Tina Smith of Minnesota, and Catherine Cortez Masto of Nevada held a conference call with reporters to discuss the new Democratic Caucus report “COVID-19 and Its Impact on our Mental Health. The Senators discussed how social isolation, fear of contracting the virus and job loss are directly affecting people across the United States and increasing rates of suicide, mental illness, substance use, and domestic violence. Additionally, doctors, nurses and other frontline workers are at an increased risk for developing mental illness, including post-traumatic stress syndrome. The report also outlines how Congress must invest in behavioral health services and not leave behind those with mental illness and addiction.
- Tomorrow, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) will host a webinar at 1 pm to announce further details on how they will be providing direct aid to farmers and producers. For more information on the webinar and how to tune in visit: https://www.ams.usda.gov/content/usda-host-webinar-producers-interested-applying-direct-payments-through-coronavirus-food .
- Yesterday, Governor Lamont announced that the State of Connecticut received its single largest shipment of personal protective equipment (PPE) in the fight to combat COVID-19. The equipment, which came from suppliers in China, has been delivered over the last couple of days to the state’s commodities warehouse in New Britain. It includes: 6 million surgical masks; 500,000 protective masks; 100,000 surgical gowns; and 100,000 temporal thermometers.
- FYI: The Internal Revenue Service (IRS), the Connecticut Department of Revenue Services & the IRS Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) program invite Connecticut residents to a COVID-19 Relief Town Hall Discussion on Tuesday, May 19 at 1pm ET. Call in Telephone Number is (888) 331-8226; Access Code is 2240201. Free VITA tax assistance for qualified Connecticut residents can be found at: https://www.darienlibrary.org/tax-help .
For information on federal coronavirus relief, including help for small businesses, direct cash payments and more, visit murphy.senate.gov/coronavirus . This page provides answers to frequently asked questions and gives a summary of available programs and funding. For the latest information about keeping you or your family safe go to cdc.gov/coronavirus . For resources and information about Connecticut’s response visit ct.gov/coronavirus . I hope you found this letter helpful. You can get the latest updates on Senator Murphy's work in the Senate by following him on Facebook and Instagram . If you have questions, please don’t hesitate to reach out to our offices in Hartford or in Washington, DC.
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