Henry Genga

The House concluded a busy legislative week by passing numerous bills addressing a variety of policy areas. These measures now advance to the Senate, which has until May 6 to consider them. A detailed summary of the legislation follows below.

It was wonderful to welcome the Connecticut Brain Tumor Alliance to the Capitol this week. Founder Chris Cusano, along with board members, patients, and families impacted by brain tumors, joined us to raise awareness and share the support they provide.

To date, the organization has donated more than $2 million to help patients and their families. They’re also preparing for their Path of Hope 5K run/walk on May 9 at Bushnell Park.

Thursday was Recovery Day at the Capitol. I joined fellow legislators and recovery advocates, showcasing different organizations and their services that focus on recovery. Among the organizations attending was the Connecticut Community for Addiction Recovery (CCAR) and the Connecticut Alliance of Recovery Residences (CTARR).

CTARR’s mission is to support recovery residences in Connecticut to practice national quality standards for recovery residences. CTARR inspects and certifies Connecticut recovery homes, provides training and maintains a forum for exchanging ideas, solving problems, providing guidance and to act as an advocate for members as well as those they serve.

This week the House passed legislation to make sure our 2026 elections are free and fair with House Bill: 5001: An Act Concerning Absentee Voting For All And Various Other Reforms to the Administration of Elections.

We took steps to:

• Modernize our absentee ballot laws and vote counting procedures
• Create more safeguards to ensure your vote counts
• Protect our elections from corrupt outside forces

Additionally, we’ll empower the Attorney General to prevent people from interfering with our elections, among other provisions.

People’s right to vote is under constant attack around the country, but here in Connecticut, we’re making sure elections are free and fair.

This House also updated vaccine policies with the passage of passed House Bill 5044: An Act Establishing Connecticut Vaccine Standards.

In the past, Connecticut's vaccine policies and standards have been tied to the expert recommendations developed by the National Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (the CDC). Unfortunately, the CDC has recently abandoned its standing as the premier resource of medicine and science guidelines.

HB 5044 seeks to update Connecticut's vaccine policies so they are based on science, not political agendas. The bill will:

• Allow the Connecticut Department of Public Health to promote COVID and flu vaccines
• Require private insurance companies to cover the cost of your vaccinations
• Allow Connecticut to buy vaccines from suppliers other than the CDC
• Establish an adult vaccine program for uninsured and under-insured individuals
• Tighten loopholes around unvaccinated children and public schools

This bill makes vaccines more accessible, more affordable, and it will keep our communities healthier.

In an effort to ensure that children do not fall through the cracks when they are withdrawn from public school, House Bill 5460: An Act Concerning the Provision of Equivalent Instruction establishes a set of procedures that balance student safety with the rights and privacy of parents who are responsibly educating their children.

These measures are designed to maintain appropriate oversight and communication between families and schools, while respecting parental choice in education. Key provisions in the bill include: 

• Creating an annual notification form for all students to indicate whether a child will be attending a public school, private school, or being homeschooled. This helps ensure accurate enrollment tracking and supports continued engagement with families.
• Requiring schools to check Department of Children and Families (DCF) records for any active protective orders or open cases of abuse or neglect prior to a child being withdrawn from school. This step is intended to help ensure that any necessary safeguards are in place for vulnerable children during transitions.

Together, these procedures provide a balanced approach that prioritizes child safety, improves accountability, and respects the rights of parents and guardians.

Connecticut is advancing a gun violence prevention bill aimed at strengthening public safety and closing dangerous gaps in current law. House Bill 5043: An Act Concerning Convertible Pistols and Unfinished Frames or Unfinished Lower Receivers.

The proposal would ban convertible pistols, firearms that can be easily modified to function like automatic weapons, sometimes with minimal tools such as a screwdriver or knife. By addressing these modifications, the bill targets a growing concern among law enforcement and public safety officials.

It would also make it easier for individuals to safely surrender firearms to local police. Current law primarily applies to assault weapons, but this change would expand that option, helping to ensure that more firearms can be removed from potentially unsafe situations.

Together, these measures are designed to reduce the risk of gun violence while promoting responsible ownership and safer communities across the state.

Starting May 1, Connecticut residents can expect some welcome relief on their energy bills. Earlier this week, the Connecticut Public Utilities Regulatory Authority (PURA) approved an interim decision to lower residential electricity rates across the state.

Under this change, rates will decrease by approximately 4.3 cents per kilowatt-hour, about $30 per month for the average Eversource customer, and 4.9 cents per kilowatt-hour, or roughly $34 per month, for the average United Illuminating customer.

This reduction is largely driven by a drop in the public benefits charge, which will now appear as a credit on customers’ bills rather than an added cost, at least through September. Much of this shift is tied to long-term energy contracts negotiated by Millstone and Seabrook nuclear power plants. These agreements provide electricity at stable, fixed prices, helping shield ratepayers from the volatility of fossil fuel markets.

The state’s continued investment in a diversified energy portfolio has helped cushion the impact of rising natural gas prices this winter, underscoring the value of a balanced and forward-looking energy strategy.

Customers should begin seeing these lower rates reflected in their bills starting May 1, with the reductions expected to remain in place through at least September for most households.

Do you have unused and/or expired medications (pills, tablets, capsules) in your home? Prevent medication misuse and get rid of them safely East Hartford’s Drug Take Back Day on Saturday, April 25 from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. at the Public Safety Complex (1379 Main Street).

If you are unable to attend the event, MyOldMeds.com offers a Locator Tool to help you find the nearest disposal site year-round. There are more than 29,000 verified locations in all 50 states that have secure unwanted or expired medicine disposal kiosks, and/ or provide free in-home disposal kits upon request. Additionally, the Locator Tool provides disposal site hours of operation, hours of collection, what is collected, and other helpful information.