Jennifer Leeper

I hope you'll join me in taking a moment to reflect on the true meaning of this important holiday. Independence Day is not just about fireworks and cookouts – it’s' about honoring the ideals of freedom, democracy, and the generations of Americans who have fought to protect them.

It's also a time to come together with our neighbors and celebrate what unites us. In a world that often feels divided, our shared values and sense of community matter more than ever.

Tomorrow, July 2, I will be joined by State Rep. Sarah Keitt and State Sen. Tony Hwang for a post-legislative session update. The event will be at the Dolan School of Business Event Hall at Fairfield University (1073 North Benson Road, Fairfield) at 6pm.

We will discuss the highlights of our 2025 legislative session - including our state budget and major investments in special education - and how our community will be impacted. In addition, we will cover our priorities and yours as we look ahead to the 2026 legislative session.

We had a productive session, and I can't wait to tell you about the work we did for our community. I hope to see you there!

Several new laws that were passed during the 2025 legislative session take effect on Tuesday, July 1. Please click here to read about some of them!

Thursday, June 19 is Juneteenth. Juneteenth celebrates the end of slavery in our country. For many years, this important holiday was primarily celebrated in the South, but was unknown to others from the rest of the country. However, thanks to great advocacy work, it is now rightfully observed throughout the country, including Connecticut. In 2022, the Connecticut General Assembly voted to make Juneteenth a state holiday.

We officially wrapped up the 2025 legislative session on Wednesday at midnight.

This session brought meaningful wins—particularly in early childhood education, special education, and climate action—but it also ended with some heartbreaking setbacks.

With the pace of bills being passed at this point in the session, I will be sending out eblasts more frequently this week to keep you updated on everything we're doing in Hartford. Today, I'll tell you about the state budget we passed late last night and three great bills we passed on Saturday.

This week we passed An Act Concerning the Quality and Delivery of Special Education Services in Connecticut, which takes major steps to reform our special education system.

This bill, which passed unanimously in the House, makes historic investments for students in special education, delivers better access to services, and provides cost controls and greater transparency.

There is no question that Connecticut is experiencing a complex housing shortage that impacts all residents, from young families to our seniors. Having heard from many of you about issues related to housing, development, and congestion, I know these issues are among the most pressing and sensitive for our community.

The housing proposal brought before the legislature today sought to address some of the challenges around our state's housing crisis, from zoning, to reducing homelessness, to additional funding to subsidize the construction of deeply affordable units.

While I support the mission of this legislation and several provisions held within this bill, there were other sections that were of great enough concern to me that I could not vote in support of the overall package.