The end of another legislative session in Connecticut arrived Wednesday night.
Gov. Ned Lamont had signed 20 measures into law as of Tuesday.
Several bills languished on the House and Senate calendars, but many died from inaction when the General Assembly reached its constitutional deadline at midnight.
Senate lawmakers spent much of Tuesday debating the state’s two-year budget agreement before approving it late Tuesday evening. The measure already passed in the House mostly along party lines. The package now goes to Lamont, who is expected to sign it.
But budget talks won’t end during the regular session. House Democratic leaders say a special session will be needed later this year to better address the Trump administration’s deep cuts to public health, as well as anticipated Congressional cuts to federal aid, including Medicaid and food assistance.
Here’s a look at some highlights, including where some major bills stood on the last day of the legislative session.
Lawmakers pass a 2-year budget agreement
The $55.8 billion deal Democratic legislative leaders first released early Monday includes an increase to Medicaid reimbursements for providers. It also raises the earned state income tax credit for low-income families with children, but doesn’t include the child tax credit for the middle class many hoped would be included.
It also funds one of Lamont’s priorities this session — to inject hundreds of millions of surplus dollars to bolster the state’s struggling child care system long-term. Originally envisioned as a plan for free preschool, the final plan includes an expansion for infant and toddler care too.
The budget also includes an additional $60 million over the next two years to go toward boosting special education services within school districts. That was a positive for Republican House Minority Leader Vincent Candelora, but he voiced concerns about overspending in the budget, which he believes will set the state up for long-term tax increases.
In a Thursday post-session press conference, Lamont said he was happy with the session and the state budget.
“I think it's a budget that makes a big difference,” Lamont said, citing early childhood initiatives as the most important part of the package.
The governor pushed back on criticisms that the budget ignored or blew past the state’s fiscal constraints.
“What is the spending cap? I know, ‘It’s a fiscal straitjacket!’ No, it’s not,” Lamont said. “It simply works on the basic premise that your spending can’t go up faster than your income. And for the first time in a long time, our income is growing, and we have a growing economy, and growing compared to our peers. That allows us to spend more and still stay within honestly balanced budgeting.”
He added: “That’s what we’ve done in this budget, and I’m proud of where we are."
As for whether Lamont will run again for governor, he said Thursday he could not give a timeframe for when he might make an announcement. Lamont had previously said he'd make a decision sometime after the end of the legislative session. But Lamont did say he’s more likely to run for a third term than he had been a year ago.
“I’m thinking about it seriously. I love the job,” Lamont said. “I think we've had extraordinary progress compared to where we were, say, 10 years ago. I think [Lt. Gov.] Susan [Bysiewicz] and I are a pretty good team.”
“If you had asked me a year ago, I would have said, ‘No, I think the state's on a good trajectory. We've stabilized things. We're growing again. Time to pass the mantle,’” Lamont said. “But it's also an incredibly complicated time right now. You know, starting with all the uncertainty of Washington, the increased possibility of a recession. So maybe it's a time where experience makes a difference. That's not a yes or a no, though; that's a way of saying I'm thinking about it seriously.”
Bills address climate change causes – and solutions
A pair of priority bills addressing the climate crisis got full approval before session’s end this year. This comes after another year of record breaking heat and flooding – and after major proposed climate policies failed to pass both chambers of Connecticut’s General Assembly in both 2023 and 2024.
One measure got final passage in the Senate on Wednesday afternoon, passed mostly along party lines. It focuses on mitigating human-driven greenhouse gas emissions by updating the Global Warming Solutions Act to strive to reach net-zero by 2050, as well as developing local jobs and renewable energy.
The other bill is geared more toward climate resilience. It passed both chambers and now awaits the signature from the governor, who also declared resiliency a priority this year.
The measure includes requirements for information about flood risk to homes and “resiliency districts” to help towns finance mitigation projects. It also requires updates to the state’s hazard mitigation plans and nature-based solutions to tackle the impacts of climate change.
Bipartisan energy measure seeks to cut costs short- and long-term
The “Ratepayers First Act” got final passage in the House Tuesday, after the bill passed the Senate with near-unanimous support at the start of the week. The sweeping measure seeks to lower Connecticut residents’ electricity costs, and make investments to improve the state’s electric grid technology and the transmission network over time.
Under the bill, utility ratepayers could see at least $350 million a year in savings. Republicans hoped to cut back more of the public benefits section and pay for that out of the state budget. Portions of the public benefits bill are being put into state bonding, such as protection for residents facing hardship and the electric vehicle charging program.
The measure also invests in new power sources, such as a geothermal energy networks grant and loan program. There’s also $5 million set aside for nuclear power site readiness, a source that Lamont alluded to expanding in his state of the state address.
Housing reform passes in partisan bill
Lawmakers last week gave a final vote on the omnibus bill lawmakers crafted in response to the state’s housing shortage. The measure seeks to change zoning rules and outline ways to increase the number of housing units. It also strives to improve housing affordability.
The bill incentivizes municipalities to develop housing near public transportation. Towns with over 15,000 people will also be required to create a fair rent commission.
The measure also works to aid unhoused people, including prohibiting towns and cities from installing architecture in public spaces that prevents a person from laying down or sitting.
Lawmakers debate health care, codify fluoride levels, nix overdose prevention sites
Connecticut lawmakers also passed a variety of measures surrounding public health and access to care. Several measures are in response to health guidance changes at the federal level, such as the current amount of recommended fluoride in public water supplies. It also creates a safe harbor fund that could be filled with private grants — not state dollars — to fund nonprofits providing reproductive or gender-affirming health care.
One provision upholds a law ensuring emergency abortion care for pregnant patients in the state. The bill passed as part of the budget implementer Tuesday, the same day the Trump administration announced it would revoke Biden-era guidance to provide emergency abortions.
House Democrats had amended the Senate bill to remove overdose prevention sites. Such programs allow people with substance use disorder to safely take controlled drugs under medical supervision. House Speaker Matt Ritter told reporters late last week that Lamont would have vetoed the measure with that provision included.
Connecticut Public's Chris Polansky contributed to this report.
