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I hope this message finds you and your family well! The 2026 Legislative Session adjourned on May 6th at midnight. It was a productive Short Session, and we were able to pass legislation to protect and support residents in a variety of policy areas and delivered an increase in funding to municipalities across the state to help address affordability.
This was a particularly strong year for town aid, our schools, policy for workers across the state, and consumer protection. These are areas I care deeply about, and I played a major role in crafting key legislation to advance our goals and get these policies across the finish line. It is humbling and inspiring to have the opportunity to do work that is so meaningful and I am grateful each day to be your public servant.
As always, I am here to listen and be a resource for Ansonia and Derby residents, whether it be to discuss a policy item, navigate a state agency, or anything else you may need help with that is under my jurisdiction. Please don't hesitate to reach out to my office at any time and email me at kara.rochelle@cga.ct.gov. |
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| Bipartisan State Budget Signed Into Law |
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After months of policy proposals, public hearings, and negotiations, the Connecticut General Assembly passed a 745-paged budget, demonstrating that working together for the community remains the most effective way to govern.
Together, we produced a 2027 budget that significantly boosts support for the state’s education system, increases crucial investments in housing and transportation, supports town and city budgets, and more—all while safeguarding the state's strong fiscal outlook, including $1 billion toward paying down long-term debt.
This budget:
- Delivers major funding boosts for our towns and schools
- Delivers $100k to continue free teen programming at the Boys & Girls Club for Ansonia & Derby high schoolers
- Delivers on our promise to support early childhood education by investing $300 million in the Early Childhood Education Endowment
- Establishes universal free school breakfast programs across the state, and makes school lunch free for those previously on reduced-cost lunch —saving families money
- Creates a family caregiver tax credit for residents caring for a loved one
- Provides tax relief to our hospitals (including Griffin Hospital, our district's largest employer)
- Delivers increased funding to our fire schools to offer free and reduced-cost classes and live burns for our volunteer firefighters
- Establishes free bus passes for veterans and high school students
- Helps small businesses offer health care support by providing a tax credit when they contribute toward employees’ individual health insurance coverage
- Supports small businesses and biotech companies through a new research and development tax credit to help them grow and create jobs in our state
- Invests in graduate student loan assistance to combat federal action that said nurses and other workers were no longer “professional” and couldn’t qualify for its student loans
- Expands tax-free week to include clothing, shoes, and backpacks
- Makes basic school supplies tax-free, including backpacks, lunchboxes, notebooks, pens, pencils, crayons, rulers, and paper
- Continues our commitment to responsible budgeting by putting $1 billion toward paying down long-term debt
Overall, this budget provides relief to our cities, schools, and hospitals, addressing affordability for working families across the state. The Connecticut General Assembly proudly worked together to deliver this critical funding and much-needed relief to our cities and towns.
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| Delivering $866,309 in Additional Funds for Derby |
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I am thrilled to share that Derby will be receiving an additional $866,309 in state funding to help close critical gaps in school budgets and town finances through the 2027 state budget.
This funding includes:
- $439,618 in additional education funding
- $426,691 in additional town aid
Derby’s portion of the state budget is $15,812,463, which includes PILOT funds, Motor Vehicle Tax Payments, Supplemental Revenue Sharing Grants, Town Aid Road, Local Capital Improvement Program (LoCIP), Municipal Grants in Aid, Education Cost Sharing, Adult Education, Special Education and Expansion Development (SEED) Grant, as well as the one-time supplemental funding for education and town aid.
Additionally, we also passed a measure to help save Derby an estimated $500,000 for the land conveyance from the state in Derby necessary for the downtown redevelopment. The cost will be picked up by the Connecticut Municipal Redevelopment Authority, not Derby taxpayers, for the land. This is an important step towards lasting economic success in Derby.
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| Delivering $4.4M in Additional Funds for Ansonia |
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I am thrilled to share that Ansonia will be receiving an additional $4.4 M in state funding to help close critical gaps in school budgets and town finances through the 2027 state budget.
This funding includes:
- $939,494 in additional education funding
- $279,502 in additional town aid
The City of Ansonia will also receive an additional $3.25 M in municipal aid as Ansonia Rescue Funds to assist the city in navigating through the current budget crisis and to help stabilize the city's finances.
I was able to have Ansonia Public Schools included as one of the two towns to participate in the initial Art Therapy Pilot Program. Through this program, we are expanding Ansonia Public School's arts capacity and expanding dynamic services available to our kids.
Ansonia’s total portion of the state budget is $27,186,388, which includes PILOT funds, Motor Vehicle Tax Payments, Supplemental Revenue Sharing Grants, Town Aid Road, Local Capital Improvement Program (LoCIP), Municipal Grants in Aid, Education Cost Sharing, Adult Education, Special Education and Expansion Development (SEED) Grant, as well as the one time supplemental funding for education, town aid, and Ansonia Rescue Funds.
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| State Bond Commission Approves Funding for Derby |
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The State Bond Commission approved a $250,000 planning grant for the City of Derby for Fountain Lake Industrial Park. The grant will fund planning efforts to prepare the 30 acres of city-owned land for Fountain Lake Industrial Park—an industrial and manufacturing development—including support for critical infrastructure. The funding will support infrastructure including roads, water, electricity, natural gas lines, and more, for the land to be used as an industrial and manufacturing site. The proposed industrial park has the potential to create high-skill jobs while generating revenue for the city.
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| Ansonia Fuel Cell Project |
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Senate Bill 477 includes a measure to respond to the two fuel cell projects endorsed by the City of Ansonia at the same project site and time. The prior city administration terribly botched the fuel cell project, creating a $4.5m hole in the annual budget from a series of staggeringly bad decisions. That’s the equivalent of over a 15% tax increase from this one problem. After many months of hard work, dozens of meetings, and advocacy, we were able to create a legislative path to make the project viable and give the city the opportunity to pursue regulatory approval. While this does not automatically mean the project is ready to move forward, it adjusts several areas of state law to create a path for the city to pursue to resolve this issue.SB 477 will help the City of Ansonia navigate this unfortunate situation and create an effective path for building fuel cells on this property. This was a complex, multi-pronged problem, and I am proud the General Assembly took action on behalf of the entire Ansonia community to provide relief and assistance for the previous error with the Ansonia Fuel Cell Project.If you have any questions, please reply to this email or reach out to my office, and I will be happy to set up a time to discuss more. Click below to watch a clip from the House Floor debate.
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| SB 477 Rep. Steinberg, Chair of the Energy and Technology Committee, House Floor Remarks |
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| Advancing Consumer Protections |
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This session, the Connecticut General Assembly passed Senate Bill 4 and Senate Bill 5, two priority bills from the Artificial Intelligence (AI) Caucus. I am a proud member of the Connecticut General Assembly AI Caucus and advocate for these policies to protect residents from harmful AI systems and practices. Both Senate Bill 4 and 5 have now been signed into law.
Senate Bill 4: An Act Concerning Consumer Privacy and Protection will safeguard Connecticut residents’ personal information from exploitation by data brokers, surveillance technology companies, and federal agencies.
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 can request, at no cost, the deletion of personal data collected by a data broker. This legislation requires data brokers to register with the state and creates a platform for consumers to "one-click" delete their data from all data brokers at once.
- Surveillance pricing: Banned businesses from using online/in-app price gouging through your personal data. Click here to read more.
- 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 Bill 5: An Act Concerning Online Safety, 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.
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HB 5003 was signed into law as PA 26-12! I worked extensively on this 122-paged piece of legislation with a strong group of legislators who brought this bill together. Over the next few weeks, I will be sharing more details about this bill as I breakdown policy by topic.
This bill will deliver expanded workplace protections and support for Connecticut workers across different fields. Our workers, teachers, nurses, police, firefighters, para-professionals, building trades employees, healthcare workers, veterans, and women in the workplace deserve our support and to be protected while on the job. I am so incredibly proud and grateful for the coalition of policymakers, unions, and advocates who worked on this bill and helped to get it across the finish line. I am so proud to be a part of this meaningful legislation. This comprehensive legislation will make a real, meaningful difference in the lives of workers in Connecticut.
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The GIANT Room at the Ansonia Library is a community project to help transform kids' ideas into their own trading cards. Visit the Ansonia Library through June 20th to participate.
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View the Derby Public Library's June program schedule below!
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I will hold my monthly in-person “Coffee with Kara” Event on Friday, June 19th, from 8 a.m. to 9 a.m. at Valley Diner, 636 New Haven Ave, Derby.
Ansonia and Derby residents are welcome to attend this event. Please feel welcome to come share your thoughts, ask questions, and provide feedback on state policy issues.
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Save the Date for the Lower Valley Job Fair happening June 24th from 10 am to 1 pm at Ansonia High School!
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Please feel free to contact me with any thoughts or concerns you may have at Kara.Rochelle@cga.ct.gov or 1-800-842-8267. Follow my Facebook page for regular legislative updates.
All my Best,
Kara Rochelle
State Representative
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