Kate Farrar

The legislative session has wrapped up, I’m proud of the progress we made, specially in the final stretch. We passed a state budget that delivers more education funding and increased municipal aid to West Hartford and Newington, ensuring our communities have the resources they need and offset rising property taxes. 

None of the work on this budget or on any other legislation this session for the 20^th District would be possible without my Newington and West Hartford delegation teammates including Rep. Turco, Rep. Gilchrest, Rep. Exum, Rep. Gibson, and Rep. Sanchez. 


It was a bittersweet final day of session as we said goodbye to two outstanding members of the West Hartford delegation, Jillian Gilchrest and Tammy Exum. It has been a true honor to serve alongside them in the legislature. Their friendship, leadership, and tireless dedication to their constituents and the people of Connecticut will be deeply missed, and their impact on our communities will be felt for years to come.

As tri-chair of the state's Early Childhood Education Endowment, you've heard a lot from me all session about the critical need to keep investing in early childhood education not just for our kids, but to bring costs down for families, pay educators what they are worth and make sure we have a strong economy for the future.  

The budget invests approximately $300 million in the Early Childhood Education Endowment this year. Established and funded last year thanks to the leadership of the House, Senate, and Governor Ned Lamont, the Endowment is the largest expansion of early childhood education programs in Connecticut history. Already this year, the Endowment has funded 1000 new childcare spaces, increased Early Start provider rates by 8%, and provided more scholarships to support educators pursuing this important career path. This second year of funding was essential to sustain the Endowment both now and for the future.

By continuing to build the Endowment, we are laying a stronger foundation for our kids’, for our working families and for the economic strength of our state. The greatest return on investment we can have as a state is an investment in high-quality early learning opportunities for our kids.

This budget also provides critical funding to help Connecticut residents by:

• Providing $20 million in bonding for graduate student loan assistance to combat Trump administration cuts
• Investing $12 million to establish universal free school breakfast programs across the state
• Reducing bus fare costs for Veterans and Students
• Expanding sales tax-free week to include clothing, shoes and backpacks under $300 (from $100)
• Making basic school supplies tax-free, including backpacks, lunchboxes, notebooks, pens, pencils, crayons, rulers and paper
• Creating a family caregiver tax credit for residents caring for a loved one
• Helping small businesses offer health care support by providing a tax credit when they contribute toward employees’ individual health insurance coverage
• Investing in youth employment programs and manufacturing workforce pipeline program
• Continuing our commitment to responsible budgeting by putting $1 billion toward paying down long-term debt

With federal attacks of funding cuts and higher costs for all Connecticut residents, this budget takes aim at property taxes with town aid relief and makes life more affordable for working families. I am grateful for the steps we took this year in the budget but we must continue to do more to fix our upside down and broken tax code. Let’s keep fighting together to create a state where everyone can truly thrive.

The House passed Senate Bill 5: An Act Concerning Online Safety, legislation I am proud to have co-sponsored. The C.A.R.T. Act creates clear standards for powerful AI systems, while preparing Connecticut's residents, workers, students, small businesses, public agencies, and institutions for an AI-driven economy.
 
AI is already affecting our economy, workplaces, online platforms, and the information Connecticut residents encounter every day. Senate Bill 5 responds to the new reality of AI through targeted protections, transparency for consumers, and system accountability.

This legislation targets areas where AI is making a meaningful impact on residents' lives, including employment-related automated decision tools, consumer disclosures, synthetic media provenance, youth online safety, and workforce preparation.
 
Connecticut residents are already being impacted by AI systems. It is our state's responsibility to take action to set clear expectations to keep residents protected from harmful AI practices.

This bill makes it easier to exercise your right to delete your data from data brokers and people tracking websites and prevents predatory surveillance pricing. As technology evolves, our laws must evolve with it. Senate Bill 4 takes critical action to strengthen privacy protections, promote transparency, and ensure Connecticut consumers are treated fairly.

Senate Bill 4 will target the following specific threats to consumer privacy:

• Data brokers: Consumers may request, at no cost, the deletion of any personal data collected by a data broker.
• Dynamic pricing: Strict disclosure requirements apply when businesses use algorithmic pricing to increase prices.
• Geolocation data: Controllers and processors are banned from selling or sharing precise geolocation data.
• Genetic Testing: Consumers would have the right to their own genetic data when using direct to consumer genetic testing services and create more transparency in their policies.
• Volume of Ads: Streaming platforms cannot transmit the audio of any commercial advertisement at a volume that is louder than the volume established by the Federal Communications Commission for television commercials.

Senate Bills 4 and 5 now move to the Governor's desk to be signed into law.

Connecticut has strived to be a leader in renewable energy, and this approach ensures we keep moving forward while prioritizing affordability. House Bill 5340: An Act Concerning Renewable Power Generation, modernizes Connecticut’s renewable energy programs by introducing measures meant to make them more reliable, consistent and flexible to economic fluctuations.

This bill will:

• Create clear annual megawatt and budget targets so renewable energy programs remain financially sustainable, and ratepayer impacts stay predictable and focus on investments that result in savings for ratepayers holistically
• Give state regulators the flexibility to adjust programs year-to-year to remain within overall budget limits instead of being tied to rigid annual caps that may not reflect market conditions
• Create dedicated solar rates for low-income residents, residents in distressed municipalities, and affordable multifamily housing residents
• Encourage municipalities to adopt an existing streamlined solar permitting platform (Solar APP +) to help simplify and speed up the permitting process

As electricity demand grows, we must ensure that our energy programs are cost effective and efficient.

We as a state have an obligation to address the unprecedented breakdown in federal accountability and attacks on the rule of law. This week Governor Ned Lamont signed into law Public Act No. 26-14 which represents a measured and lawful response to these concerns. This legislation seeks to strengthen accountability by requiring clear identification from federal agents, restricting enforcement actions in sensitive locations, and creating a pathway for individuals to seek recourse when their constitutional rights are violated. 

Specifically Public Act No. 26-14 does the following:

• Enables any person the right to sue federal actors who violate their constitutional rights.
• Ensures the Inspector General has clear unrestricted authority to investigate the unauthorized use of force by state, local and certain federal agents when force results in death.
• Prohibits law enforcement officers from wearing masks and refusing to identify themselves when conducting operations.
• Builds on the framework established in 2025, designating protected areas – hospitals, schools, court houses, places of worship – that will be shielded from civil immigration arrests unless a law enforcement officer presents a signed judicial warrant.
• Establishes a floor of at least 480 hours of training for law enforcement officers in Connecticut.
• Regulates automated license plate reader technologies, permitting an active hot list, but capping retention of data to 21 days absent an ongoing criminal investigation.

This legislation is not born out of partisan preference. It’s a measured response to protect the people of Connecticut. No one is above the law, and the protection of constitutional rights is not solely within the federal government’s purview.

Finally, I’d like to recognize my intern, Jibreel Akbar, for his outstanding work and the positive impact he brought to my team this session. He is graduating UConn and headed to UConn Law School this fall. As House Democratic Chair of the Internship Committee, I worked with my colleagues across the aisle this session and for the first time starting next year, the Connecticut General Assembly will provide legislative interns a $500 stipend. This is a huge step in the right direction to open access to more students across our state to participate in this internship opportunity. Thank you to all of the prior interns who advocated for this policy! 

Happy Teacher Appreciation Week to all the dedicated educators in our community!

Your hard work and dedication make a lasting difference in the lives of students and families every day, and our community is stronger because of you.

This week, and every week, we are grateful for all that you do. Thank you, teachers!

To all the mom's out there, wishing you a day filled with love, joy, and appreciation for all that you do. Happy Mother’s Day!