New Laws Effective January 1, 2026

December 19, 2025

Dear Neighbor,

As we welcome a new year, several laws passed in the last legislative session will take effect on January 1, 2026.

These new measures address key issues impacting our state and its residents, including expanded incentives for farmers, strengthened protections for workers in sensitive professions, and improved reporting requirements to better track higher education enrollment, post-secondary credits, and student opportunities.

We took a major step forward in advancing policies that support new, diverse housing options across Connecticut. With some of the highest housing costs in the region, too many individuals and families are being priced out of the communities where they work, where they grew up, and where they hope to retire.

Preventative health care continues to be a priority because early detection saves both lives and long-term costs. To support this, we now require health insurers to cover certain high-priority biomarker tests that aid in early detection, prevention, and treatment. Additionally, we have prohibited the substitution of lower-priced drugs for higher-priced medications for individuals living with multiple sclerosis and arthritis, and we have made this ban permanent for medications used to treat mental health disorders.

You can click here to see the full list of new laws taking effect on January 1, 2026. Feel free to reach out to my office if you have any questions.

Last week, I attended the Council of State Governments' (CSG) National Conference in Chicago. During the conference, I was presented as the new ELA Class of 2025 president at the CSG East executive meeting. It is always a pleasure to meet so many legislators from around the country, including Brandon Johnson, the mayor of Chicago.

Due to a system outage that may have prevented many customers from enrolling in health and dental coverage by the December 15, 2025 deadline for coverage effective January 1, 2026, Access Health CT is extending the enrollment deadline. Customers now have until tomorrow, December 20, 2025, at 3:00 p.m. to enroll in coverage beginning January 1, 2026.

To receive coverage effective January 1, 2026, enrollment must be completed by contacting the Access Health CT Call Center. Applications completed on the website will result in coverage beginning February 1, 2026.

Call: 1-855-805-4325 or TTY: 1-855-789-2428

Monday–Friday: 8:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m.
Saturday: 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.

Customers should expect longer-than-normal hold times and are encouraged to call before 3:00 p.m. on Saturday, December 20 to ensure enrollment is completed. Assistance is available in more than 100 languages.

If you work with a Certified Broker, please contact your broker for assistance enrolling by Saturday, December 20.

Open Enrollment ends January 15, 2026. You may continue to enroll online at AccessHealthCT.com, but coverage will begin February 1, 2026.

40,000 Connecticut residents will receive letters in the mail this week informing them that some or all of their medical debt will be erased under an initiative with the national organization Undue Medical Debt to provide relief to those having difficulty paying medical bills.

This is the third round of the initiative, the first two erasing nearly $130 million in debt for 125,000 residents.

The City of Norwalk will hold their annual Kwanzaa Celebration on Friday, December 26. Celebrate Umoja, the first principle of Kwanzaa, which represents unity within family, community, and culture. Kwanzaa honors African heritage and the shared values that uplift and strengthen communities through tradition, reflection, and celebration. There will be food, live performances, and local vendors.

The event will be held from 6:00 PM - 8:30 PM in the Community Room at Norwalk City Hall. Please see the flyer below for more information.