For the last 10 days, I have travelled the 4th District talking with constituents about one big thing: the economy. Time and again, I heard stories of anxiety and loss. I also heard loud and clear my constituents’ demand that we never find ourselves in this situation again. Sometimes it starts to feel like a bad movie that we’ve seen one too many ...times: high gas prices, bad traffic, eroding schools, worries about health insurance.

All four of my grandparents were part of a generation that Tom Brokaw called “the greatest generation,” because they pulled together to work and sacrifice for the imperiled country they loved. They stormed the beaches of Normandy to defeat fascism. They funded the GI bill, which did so much to build our middle class. They built the interstates that bound our nation together with arteries of commerce.

Now it’s our turn.

While we work so hard to put out the economic fire now raging, we must not neglect the fundamental erosion in the foundations of our economy and prosperity.

Based on the many discussions I have had all over the district, there are four areas that require urgent attention: education, transportation, energy, and health care. To try to make and gauge our progress on these issues, I have put together an initiative called Smart Progress for Connecticut. The initiative boils down to a simple, core idea: Let’s develop a strategy that makes smart investments now to create jobs and prepare Southwest Connecticut for long-term economic prosperity.

Education: I began last week in Bridgeport where ABCD, Inc. has developed a remarkably successful early education program called Total Learning. This program is hailed by Yale researchers, parents, and teachers alike for its effective preparation of children for success in elementary school and beyond. I have introduced legislation that would create a competitive grant program based on Total Learning so that this same program can be available to children throughout the country. The most valuable years of anyone’s learning are the first few—this time and money spent to prepare young children to learn is critical to our future economic success.

My commitment to investing in our people does not stop with children. From giving consumers the tools to make smart financial decisions to improving access to higher education and worker retraining, I firmly believe that investing in the education and capability of our people is one of the smartest ways to ensure future prosperity.

Transportation: Last Thursday, I took the train from Stamford to Southport where I held a town hall meeting. Along the way, I talked with commuters. Over and over again, I heard that one of the most serious impediments to their ability to use the train is a lack of parking at train stations. I’m happy to say that a number of the requests I have made for appropriations projects include improving the parking situation at our transit facilities. I also discussed with commuters the idea of a tax cut for telecommuters. Both of these ideas get at the heart of what Smart Progress is all about—making a little investment now to eliminate wasted time and resources and set ourselves up to move forward into an efficient, prosperous future.

Clean Energy: Last Friday, I held a roundtable discussion with developers, business leaders, and smart growth proponents at the Georgetown Development in the Ridgefield-Redding area. I had the chance to ask experts in the area of green development and smart growth what could be done with federal legislation to make sure we promote the right kind of economic development—the growth that brings in businesses while maintaining the character of our New England towns and cities, all while building energy-efficient, affordable buildings. The answer is simple: use legislation to align shorter-term business interests with longer-term community interests.

The more I listened, the more I heard about the need to cut red tape and provide access to the permits and tax incentives that defray the cost building “green” or cleaning up environmentally damaged areas.

While there is much work to be done in this respect, we’ve certainly moved the process forward. I am a founding member of the Sustainable Energy and Environmental Caucus, a group of Members dedicated to finding new and innovative ways to use less and cleaner energy.

Today, legislation I co-authored to make energy efficient housing more affordable and accessible will get its first hearing. This afternoon, the House Financial Services Committee will discuss the Green Resources for Energy-Efficient Neighborhoods (GREEN) Act. The GREEN Act provides a government-backed “green guarantee” to provide the additional capital necessary to facilitate up-front investments in sustainable design elements that reduce energy usage and costs in the long run. The bill also requires that new and renovated public housing projects meet more stringent energy-efficiency requirements.


Health Care: Perhaps the most important topic we will address in Congress this year is health care.
We can do little more to improve the quality of life for citizens and lower long-term operating costs for businesses than to bring real reform to the American health care system. I have met with doctors, nurses, hospital executives, insurance companies, and most importantly patients throughout the district, and the consensus is clear: we must have reform.

Some of the most significant health care legislation in a generation will take shape in the coming months, but we have already done more to reform health care in the last five months than has been done in the last decade. With the expansion of the State Children’s Health Insurance Program (HUSKY in Connecticut), over 24,000 additional Connecticut children now have health insurance.

Science is again leading the way in determining how we spend federal resources. Scientists who had their hands tied by Bush-era restrictions can now explore the life-saving promises of stem cell research. And, we have introduced legislation that increases access to quality research on effective medical practices. This bill will help provide doctors and nurses with the best information available when helping patients make the challenging personal decisions associated with health care.

These are some of my thoughts about how to bring Smart Progress for Connecticut, but in order to make this type of progress a reality, I need to hear from you. You live here, work here, and are raising your families here. You understand best what works.

Please be in regular contact with my office. I look forward to hearing your ideas and concerns.