What can be done to improve the business climate in Connecticut while COVID-19 continues to be a risk?

Provide business support in a vitual world. Provide Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) equipment and safeguards. Encourage businesses to install environmentally friendly upgrades while their facilities are vacant so that cleaner air filtration systems and state of the art technology can be in place once re-occupied. This should additionally provide improved digital services necessary to survive in a vitual business environment.

What specific legislation would you support to reduce racism in Connecticut?

Bias training,anti-racism training, greater opportunities for People Of Color to receive fair housing, good accessible healthcare, employment opportunities, good education and equality in services as well as wages across the board. Incentives to communities that provide affordable housing, transportation, and quality day care.

With so much uncertainty ahead about COVID-19, how would you ensure that the people's business – both at the legislature and in all of our elections – will be conducted effectively, and with full participation, in the safest possible manner for the foreseeable future?

Opportunities for constituents to voice their opinions remotely (in whichever manner serves them best.) installation of plexiglass "sneeze guards", appropriate sanitation protocols, social distancing markings, increase air handling systems preferrably with HEPA (high-efficiency particulate air filtration) masks, hand sanitizer and all of the standard recommendations by the Center for Disease Control.

With higher education facing major changes because of the pandemic, what steps will you take to make sure that Connecticut’s residents have access to college and/or other job training that won’t leave them tens of thousands of dollars in debt?

Provide training through on-line formats when possible. Continue to give students and faculty the opportunity to teach and for students to learn and receive degrees and training in their desired course of study. Provide work study programs and internships that could service those at risk or at need in the community fultilling some of the basic requirements that students need to accomplish within their programs. Voucher programs for servicing the needs of those in the community for tuition credit. Institute trimester programs that allow for flexible in-class and remote learning. Pair supplemental smaller sectional units for more indepth learning experiences. Voucher programs to bring parity for tuition for students who attend University online rather than physically present. Extending the timeframe for students complete programs to enable smaller classess for social distancing. Basic curriculum should be recorded and utilized repeatedly for the core academic classes.

What is one specific policy you support to help protect African Americans as an at-risk group during the pandemic?

Give People Of Color (POC) better access to health care, improved community health centers, provide PPE for all households when/if opportunities to begin businesses and provide support so that their businesses can be successful, increased home health care services to monitor, control and intervene when necessary for underlying health risks which can increase mortality of Covid-19,

How can Connecticut lower healthcare costs while also improving quality and access to care?

Allow telehealth practices through audio when necessary, encourage healthy habits that promote good nutrition, regular exercise, social and emotional connections and opportunities that support quality living. Provide transportation when necessary to support early diagnosis and intervention. Increase the number of ancillary healthcare workers. Increae home visits which monitor and intervene to achieve better health status.

What should Connecticut do to re-tool our public health for COVID-19 and the possibility of future pandemics, while also addressing other chronic illnesses that put people at risk every day?

Follow the science and the recommendations from the Center for Disease Control. Establish an interactive data base to help people remain current on the status of their health conditions and avatars that offer suggested remediation, and future care.

Connecticut’s revenues will sharply decline as a result of the coronavirus pandemic and, unlike Congress, Connecticut has a balanced budget requirement. What changes would you make to balance the budget? (If you want cuts, be specific what will be cut. If you want to raise taxes, be specific about which taxes.)

Implement changes in tax laws to generate revenues from institutions which are tax-exempt. Legalize marijuana and tax it appropriately. Encourage consolidation and regionalization of services to lower costs, increase effeciency, and relieve the state of the burden of subsidizing inefficient systems.