Special Session Recap

November 14, 2025



 

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Dear Neighbor,

The House held a special session on Wednesday. We passed legislation investing in children’s behavioral health, allocating funds to offset reductions in federal programs, and strengthening courthouse and data privacy protections.  

Please keep reading for information about the legislation that was passed! 

Session Recap

Below is a summary of some of the legislation we passed during Wednesday's marathon session:

Emergency Response Fund 

The House passed a bill that will allocate funds to offset reductions in federal programs that directly impact Connecticut residents.

The funding will cover gaps in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), Women, Infants, and Children (WIC), and the Low-Income Heating Energy Assistance Program, also known as LIHEAP. Connecticut will not sit by idly as the federal government attacks middle and low-income families.

Children’s Behavioral Health

We also passed legislation that continues to build on House Democrats’ commitment to children’s behavioral health care.
 
Highlights include:

  • Statewide study to assess the demand for children’s behavioral health services and improve data collection
  • New grant program to support care coordination and resource navigation for kids and families
  • Insurance companies must now cover autism treatments — including applied behavior analysis and cognitive behavioral therapy — up to age 26
  • Adding substance abuse treatment providers for children to Transforming Children’s Behavioral Health Policy and Planning Committee (TCB)  

 
Together, these measures represent a stronger, more coordinated system of care for Connecticut’s children.

UConn Health Acquisitions
 
Finally, we approved legislation preserving access to health care at Waterbury, Bristol and Day Kimball Hospitals. We voted in favor of a deal for the University of Connecticut Health Center to buy the hospitals, preventing a potentially devastating closure for our communities.
 
This not only ensures that these hospitals remain open, but it also protects existing positions and strengthens the future of health care across the state. By partnering with UConn Health, we are securing long-term stability and expanding access to high-quality care for families who deserve it close to home.
 

Early Start CT Program Expanded

Thanks to the Early Childhood Education Endowment, an initiative that was passed by the General Assembly in the 2025 legislative session, the expansion of the Early Start CT program in 2026 marks an important step forward in meeting the growing demand for high-quality early childhood care and education across Connecticut.

Beginning in January 2026, up to 1,000 new spaces will be added to the state’s Early Start CT program, expanding access to affordable early learning opportunities for more families. In addition, the state will increase provider payments by up to 8% to help offset operational costs and support higher staff compensation. The endowment supports the governor’s initiative to implement the largest expansion of early childhood education services in Connecticut’s history. We are thrilled about this program and the tremendous benefits it will bring to children, families, and communities across the state.

Early Start CT is a state-funded early care and education program serving income-eligible families with infants, toddlers, preschoolers, and school-age children. The program is administered by the Connecticut Office of Early Childhood (OEC).

To support this expansion, OEC will soon launch a Request for Applications (RFA) for child care providers interested in offering Early Start CT spaces. The RFA will be open to child care centers, group child care homes, family child care homes, and public school preschool classrooms throughout the state.

Click here for more information on Early Start CT.
 

Veterans Day in the 117th District 

Tuesday was Veterans Day. I spent the day at celebrations in Milford, West Haven, and Orange. Thank you to everyone who has served our country!
 

Pizza and Policy 

Thank you to all who joined State Senator James Maroney and I for our Pizza and Policy event on Monday. We had a great conversation about local issues and our legislative goals for the 2026 session. 
 

Sincerely,

MJ Shannon
State Representative

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