Legislative Session Update, 2026 Puerto Rican Parades and Festivals, and more

April 24, 2026

Dear Neighbor,

I hope this message finds you and your family well! This week, the House was in Session Monday through Thursday, and we passed numerous bills, which you can read more about further down in this email. It has been a busy and productive week, from debating on the House Floor to meeting with community members and advocates in the final weeks of the session.

Next week, we will be back up at the Capitol for Session every day. Be sure to follow along all day on CT-N or YouTube and stay updated with the weekly CGA calendar here: www.cga.ct.gov.

If you have any questions, concerns, or if my office can be of assistance to you, please contact me at 860-240-8585 or Iris.Sanchez@cga.ct.gov.

This Week at the Capitol

Tuesday was Sigma Gamma Rho Day at the Capitol, and I was thrilled to welcome members to the House Floor with Representatives Hilda Santiago and Kai Belton.

On Wednesday, we celebrated Earth Day with various events happening around the Capitol about our local environment and nature and what steps we can take to protect it.

We even had a visit from Mystic Aquarium and two of their penguins!

Wednesday afternoon, I stopped in at the AARP of Connecticut Legislative Reception at the State Capitol and met with AARP volunteers from across the state.

Thursday afternoon I visited Recovery Day at the Capitol with local organizations focused on addiction and recovery right here in our communities with many of my fellow legislators from the House and Senate.

During Thursday's Session, I was thrilled to welcome the New Britain Girls' Basketball Team with Representative Manny Sanchez to recognize their accomplishments and hard work this season.

Puerto Ricans Parades & Festivals Coalition Announced 2026 Summer Calendar

The Connecticut Puerto Rican Parades & Festivals Coalition announced the 2026 Summer calendar of Puerto Rican Parades & Festivals events this week at an event at the State Capitol. I was thrilled to join some of my Latino legislative colleagues to announce these celebrations on Wednesday. We are looking forward to celebrating across the state this summer!

View a list of parades and festivals happening around the state, including here in New Britain, this summer below.

Puerto Rican Society of New Britain

Date To Be Announced
152 High Street

Boriken United of Eastern Connecticut

Saturday, June 27, 2026
Ocean Beach Park

Puerto Rican Parade of Fairfield County Inc. – PRPFC

Sunday, July 12, 2026
Seaside Park Beach

Meriden Puerto Rican Festival

Sunday, August 2, 2026
Meriden Hubbard Park

PRU – Puerto Rican Festival of New Haven

Friday & Saturday, August 7-8, 2026
New Haven Green

CICD Puerto Rican Parade, Inc. Hartford Chapter

Sunday, September 13, 2026
Park Street & Bushnell Park

Greater Waterbury Puerto Rican Parade and Festival

Friday, September 18 & Saturday, September 19, 2026
Library Park & Downtown

Click here to read CT Public: Here’s where CT’s Puerto Rican parades and festivals will be this summer

Closing Homeschooling Loopholes

In recent years, a handful of child abusers have exploited loopholes in CT’s homeschooling laws – resulting in horrific crimes of child abuse, kidnapping, and homicide.

In an effort to keep our kids from falling through the cracks when they’re withdrawn from public school, we’ve set up some commonsense procedures while balancing the rights and privacy of the parents who are responsibly educating their children at home. Connecticut currently has no homeschooling regulations, allowing bad actors to take advantage of the lack of oversight to hide abuse or neglect by withdrawing their children from school.

To help close that gap, HB 5468:

Creates an annual form for all students to indicate whether a child will be attending a private school, public school or be homeschooled.
Requires homeschooling families to retain educational records for 3 years to protect parents during an accusation of educational neglect.
Prevents a child from being pulled out of public school while an adult in their home is being investigated by DCF or is on the child abuse and neglect registry.

Free and Fair Elections

Connecticut House Democrats passed legislation to make sure our 2026 elections are free and fair.

In 2024, voters overwhelmingly approved the expanded use of absentee ballots, this legislation will modernize our absentee ballot system by:

Replacing the second envelope with a more reliable barcode system
Setting up a system to check the status of your absentee ballot online
Allowing more people who request a ballot to be automatically sent one for each election
Expanding where town-supervised voting by absentee ballot takes place (currently it is only in nursing homes and hospice)
Letting anyone who will be 18 by Election Day vote early or by absentee ballot

Additionally, we’ll keep ICE and people with weapons away from our polls, increase penalties for tampering with vote counts and intimidating poll workers, and 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.

Connecticut Establishes Vaccine Standards

This week, the House passed HB 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 and more affordable, and it will keep our communities healthier.

Modernizing Connecticut's Cannabis Laws

Connecticut House Democrats are modernizing our cannabis laws—cutting unnecessary costs, expanding access, and strengthening a growing industry.

Expanding access to medical cannabis, including for out-of-state patients
Lowering costs for businesses through reduced testing and streamlined regulations
Aligning potency rules with neighboring states to stay competitive
Increasing the range of products made and sold in Connecticut, including coffee and tea
Strengthening consumer protections, including data privacy

Modernizing our laws, leveling the playing field, and supporting a growing industry—this is how Connecticut keeps jobs, investment, and innovation here at home.

House Democrats Take Action to Prevent Gun Violence

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.

Financial Relief on Electric Bills

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, on average, 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.

Visit EnergizeCT.com for more ways to save.

National Drug Takeback Day

As you begin spring cleaning, clearing out old medications is an essential step toward a refreshed and safe home. National Drug Takeback Day, administered by the DEA, will take place on Saturday, April 25. This event provides residents with a free, convenient way to safely dispose of unwanted, unused, or expired medications at local collection sites. The DEA partners with local law enforcement agencies across the United States to host this event in local communities like ours.

The New Britain Police Department will host a Drug Takeback Site at 10 Chestnut St in New Britain from 10 a.m. to 2p.m. on Saturday, April 25th.

Host sites will collect pills and capsules, as well as prescription and over-the-counter medicines. The DEA cannot accept liquid, sharps, or needles. Trained volunteers will be present to handle collected materials and ensure safe disposal. Any medication you wish to dispose of should be presented in a clear, sealed bag. Loose pills or capsules will not be accepted.

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.