Updates from State Rep. Gregg Haddad for Aug. 12, 2026

August 12, 2026

I am proud to share that for the 2026 legislative session, I received a 100% voting score from the Connecticut League of Conservation Voters in its 2026 Environmental Scorecard.

At a time when we are seeing more of the effects of climate change, as well as trying to reduce our reliance on nonrenewable fossil fuels and our carbon footprint, these votes are more important now than ever and something I take very seriously.

I will continue to support protecting the environment, preserving our natural resources and fighting for environmental justice in our communities.

Old Town Hall Ribbon Cutting

It was a pleasure to join the Mansfield community for the ribbon-cutting celebrating the reopening of the Old Town Hall and its new home for the Mansfield Historical Society.

This beautiful historic building is an important part of Mansfield’s story, and its reopening gives residents and visitors a wonderful opportunity to connect with our town’s rich history. The Mansfield Historical Society does tremendous work preserving and sharing the stories, artifacts, and traditions that help define our community.

I’m especially pleased to see the Old Town Hall once again serving as a gathering place for Mansfield residents. Preserving historic spaces while giving them a meaningful role in our community today is a great investment in our town’s future.

Congratulations to everyone who helped make this project possible, and thank you to the Mansfield Historical Society for its continued dedication to preserving our shared history. I encourage residents to visit the Old Town Hall and learn more about Mansfield’s past.

Sales-Tax-Free Week

Shh, don't tell the kids, but mid-August also means it's almost time to go back to school.

The good news -- at least for parents -- is that Connecticut Sales Tax Free Week will take place from Aug. 16 to 22. The week provides a chance for families to save money, whether it is taking children back-to-school shopping or treating yourself or your loved ones.

During this week, sales or purchases of certain clothing or footwear items costing less than $300 per item are exempt from sales tax. This exemption applies to purchases made from retailers located in Connecticut as well as from online retailers. There are, however, certain items that are excluded from the scope of the Sales Tax Free Week exemption. The following items are excluded from the scope of the Sales Tax Free Week exemption:

Any special clothing or footwear primarily designed for athletic activity or protective use that is not normally worn except when used for the athletic activity or protective use for which it was designed; and
Jewelry, handbags, luggage, umbrellas, wallets, watches, and similar items carried on or about the human body but not worn on the body in the manner characteristic of clothing.
Click here for a list of items that ARE EXEMPT from sales tax and a list of items STILL TAXABLE.

This legislative session, we passed a state budget to expand eligibility during Sales Tax Free Week, making this the first year Sales Tax Free Week includes items such as clothing, shoes, and backpacks priced under $300, up from $100 in previous years.

Click here for more information on Connecticut's Sales Tax Free Week and frequently asked questions.

To help make the back-to-school process easy and more affordable for Connecticut families, as part of the budget passed during this year's legislative session, we voted to eliminate sales tax on school supplies items. Effective as of July 1, the state’s 6.35% sales tax no longer applies to non-electronic school supplies, including binders, composition books, crayons, erasers, folders, glue, highlighters, lunch boxes, markers, notebooks, paper, pencils, pens, rulers, scissors, and more.

This change does not impact supplies purchased by or for businesses, meaning companies that purchase these items must pay in one of two ways - at the time of purchase or as part of a future tax return.

Click here to find more information about these changes.