Legislative Updates & Local Events

May 29, 2025


 


The 2025 Legislative Session has one week left to go, and we are working hard to pass legislation for the good of Connecticut residents. You can read more about some of the bills we've passed recently in this e-newsletter.

I also wanted to share some upcoming community events with you, including CapFest and the Hartford Taste Street Festival. There is also a gun buyback program taking place at the House of Restoration Church on Saturday.
 

Amid one of the most constrained housing markets in the nation, families across our communities are finding it harder than ever to secure homes. Rents are rising, available housing is scarce, and outdated policies are standing in the way of new construction. This housing crisis impacts every facet of life - limiting economic opportunity, straining our education and healthcare systems, and affecting public safety.
 
House Democrats led passage of legislation on Tuesday that aims to tackle these challenges head-on by increasing housing supply, streamlining regulations, protecting vulnerable residents, and empowering local communities with the tools they need to create lasting solutions.
 
Provisions in this measure provide funding to regional bodies to support towns in proactively planning for affordable housing. This is coupled with a robust $50 million annual grant program to assist public housing authorities in directly increasing housing supply for our lowest-income residents.
 
Finally, for those who find themselves in the unfortunate situation of homelessness, this bill offers meaningful support by funding mobile shower and laundry services - meeting urgent hygiene needs while promoting public health and restoring a sense of dignity. Additionally, we affirm the humanity and vulnerability of unhoused individuals by banning hostile architecture designed to exclude or punish them.

Addressing the issue of housing is a complex challenge with no simple solutions, but this bill represents a meaningful step forward in supporting those in need.

HB 7259 - Amid unprecedented federal immigration crackdowns - even targeting properly documented immigrants - and the denial of due process and habeas corpus, we are standing by our Connecticut values and protecting our friends and neighbors.
Connecticut has one of the strongest TRUST Acts in the country - it was approved unanimously in 2013 - and we added to it.

  • Make sure that officials like juvenile probation officers and employees of the Division of Criminal Justice and the Board of Pardons and Paroles are included in existing TRUST Act protections.
  • The TRUST Act allows cooperation with federal immigration authorities when someone has been convicted of serious crimes.
  • Added a slew of Class C and Class D felonies, including those related to domestic violence, sexual assault, and possession of child sexual abuse material, to the list of post-conviction offenses where law enforcement can cooperate with federal immigration authorities.

We passed legislation that will foster a more inclusive and responsive system that better meets the needs of individuals with autism and intellectual disabilities. This legislation:

  • Tracks delays & gaps in critical services
  • Requires public reporting on abuse & neglect cases
  • Reviews DDS investigation policies every 5 years
  • Launches statewide autism needs assessment
  • Studies the future of Southbury Training School
  • Proposes urgent help for complex autism cases

The House overwhelmingly approved a bill to overhaul the state’s towing law, making it harder to tow vehicles from private property and easier for drivers to retrieve their vehicles after a tow.

HB 7162 overhauls the state’s 100-year-old towing statutes, creating massive reforms to towing procedures from private property and rate increases for highway tows that typically follow car accidents.

Tow companies are now required to accept credit cards, and they are not allowed to tow vehicles quickly just because of an expired parking permit or registration. Vehicles can’t be towed from private property without notice unless they’re blocking traffic, fire hydrants, or parked in an accessible space.

The bill takes several steps to make it easier for people to get their towed vehicles back and requires towing companies to take more time and increase documentation during the sale process.

Some of the additional bills we passed recently:

  • HB 5008- AN ACT ESTABLISHING THE CONNECTICUT-PUERTO RICO TRADE COMMISSION.
  • HB 6908- AN ACT REQUIRING A STUDY OF COMMUNICATION SYSTEMS USED BY PUBLIC SAFETY PERSONNEL AND ESTABLISHING A WORKING GROUP TO STUDY THE CONSOLIDATION OF PUBLIC SAFETY ANSWERING POINTS.
  • HB 6771- AN ACT REQUIRING HEALTH INSURANCE COVERAGE FOR BIOMARKER TESTING.
  • HB 6995- AN ACT CONCERNING THE CHARTER OF THE METROPOLITAN DISTRICT OF HARTFORD COUNTY
  • HB 6957- AN ACT ALLOWING A TOWN TO DESIGNATE ITSELF A CITY.
  • HB 7132- AN ACT CONCERNING NON-SAFETY-RELATED TRAFFIC STOPS AND DRIVING WHILE CONSUMING CANNABIS.
  • HB 5605- AN ACT CONCERNING MINOR REVISIONS TO THE WORKERS' COMPENSATION ACT.
  • HB 6990- AN ACT CONCERNING THE SEIZURE AND FORFEITURE OF DIGITAL WALLETS AND VIRTUAL CURRENCY.
  • HB 5013– AN ACT ADDING CERTAIN PLANTS TO THE INVASIVE PLANTS LIST.
  • HB 5730– AN ACT CONCERNING STAGGERED TERMS FOR MEMBERS OF THE TWO-GENERATIONAL ADVISORY BOARD.
  • HB 6852– AN ACT CONCERNING THE WAIVER OF CERTAIN CRIMINAL HISTORY RECORDS CHECK FEES FOR AN INDIGENT PERSON SEEKING A PARDON.
  • HB 6883– AN ACT PROTECTING THE LOCATION OF HOUSING FOR DOMESTIC VIOLENCE AND SEXUAL ASSAULT VICTIMS.
  • HB 6894– AN ACT ESTABLISHING AN INTERAGENCY COUNCIL ON HOMELESSNESS.
  • HB 6981– AN ACT CONCERNING ELECTRONIC POSTING OF CERTAIN DOCUMENTS BY INSURERS, NONRENEWAL OR CANCELLATION OF PROPERTY AND CASUALTY INSURANCE POLICIES, FEDERAL HOME LOAN BANKS AND THE INSURERS REHABILITATION AND LIQUIDATION ACT, HYPOTHECATION OF ASSETS AND SURPLUS LINES INSURANCE.
  • HB 7009– AN ACT CONCERNING THE ESTABLISHMENT OF THE CONNECTICUT STATE SEAL OF CIVICS EDUCATION AND ENGAGEMENT.
 

Yoga in the City is back! The program runs in a number of cities, including Hartford. Every Tuesday until October 12, the Hartford yoga sessions will take place in either Bushnell Park or Elizabeth Park at 5:30 p.m. 

These sessions are no-cost, accessible yoga classes led by compassionate and welcoming local teachers.

Classes are open to everyone — all ages, all abilities, and all experience levels.

No registration. No pressure. Just space to move, breathe, and connect in our beautiful local parks.
 

This year's CapFest Celebration will be bigger and better than last year's! There will be live music, a LOT of kids' activities, touch-a-truck, great local products to purchase, and more! 

Mark your calendars for Saturday, May 31, noon- 4 p.m. (Sunday, June 1 is the rain date). 
 

The City of Hartford and Hartford Police Department are hosting a neighborhood gun buyback event on May 31, from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., at the House of Restoration Church, 1665 Main Street in Hartford. Stop and Shop gift cards will be given for turning in various types of firearms. Guns should be in working condition, unloaded, and placed in a plastic bag or box. 
 

June is Dog License Month, and the Hartford Town and City Clerk's Office is reminding all Hartford residents to ensure their dogs are properly licensed.

State law mandates that all dogs over six (6) months old must be licensed annually. Each licensed dog will receive a numbered tag to help identify them if they wander from home. The annual license fee is $19 for unaltered dogs and $8 for neutered or spayed dogs.

All dogs must be vaccinated against rabies before licensing. If your dog's rabies certificate has expired, please include an updated certificate from your veterinarian when renewing the license.

A rabies vaccination clinic will be held on May 31 from 9 a.m. to noon at East Hartford Fire Station #1 – 726 Main Street (Park at Town Hall, 740 Main Street). $20 cash per animal. Dogs must be on leash and cats must be in carriers. For more information, please call 860-291-7230.

For first-time licenses of neutered or spayed dogs, a certificate from the veterinarian must be presented. All submitted documentation will be returned after processing.

Applications for dog licenses can be mailed to:

Hartford Town & City Clerk’s Office

550 Main Street, Room 104

Hartford, CT 06103

Please include a self-addressed stamped envelope to receive your license, tag, and the return of your documents. Licenses can also be obtained in person by visiting the Hartford Town & City Clerk’s Office at 550 Main Street, Room 104, in Hartford.  Please note that incomplete applications will be returned.
 

The Hartford Taste Street Festival, presented by The Hartford, is back!

The two-day, free-to-attend event will take place Friday, June 6, and Saturday, June 7, in downtown Hartford, returning to Pratt and Trumbull streets, where culture, cuisine, and connection come together in a celebration of all things Hartford.
 

The 2025 Metropolitan District Commission (MDC) Hazardous Waste Collection schedule is out, and Hartford residents can attend any of the upcoming dates in the MDC towns listed below. 

For more information, including what is not allowed at the Haz Waste Collections, click HERE.