Dear Neighbors, I hope you and your loved ones have had a fantastic summer so far! There are a couple of important pieces of info that have come up since session ended. Here’s what you should know: New Laws New laws went into effect on July 1st and August 1st as a result of our work from the legislative session. These laws will have a lot of positive benefits for our state and I can't wait to see them work! The nonpartisan office of House Public Information has a summary of the new laws here: Included in the August 1st batch of laws is the legalization of cannabis. This exciting new law creates a safe framework for the consumption of cannabis and sets us on a path of restorative justice with minor cannabis offenses expunged immediately and felonies are now able to be considered for expungement. You can learn everything you need to know about how this new law affects you, here. Funding for Local Nursing Homes On August 1st nursing homes received $173 million of new state funding as part of a bipartisan agreement to stabilize a sector of the economy that is facing financial hardship. Local nursing homes will receive another significant one-time payment on Aug. 1, 2024. This includes $682,882 for Ebenezer Ridges Geriatric CC. Back to School Updates Education was a top priority of mine heading into the 2023 session and I’m proud of everything we accomplished this year. With the start of the school year we’ll begin to see many of the positive impacts of our efforts. Here is some of what our schools and students will benefit from this year:  |