Connecticut lawmakers returned to Hartford on Wednesday for a special session on sweeping housing legislation, a state buyout of Waterbury Hospital and several bills related to the Trump administration.
The state House of Representatives spent all day debating the four bills. The Connecticut Senate will vote on Thursday.
The special session comes as Gov. Ned Lamont plans to launch his reelection campaign later this week.
HOUSING CRISIS
Connecticut needs at least 150,000 new housing units, according to a study from the Connecticut Business and Industry Association.
“So that a young professional, a young professional couple, can achieve their American dream and buy their first single-family home,” said state House Majority Leader Jason Rojas (D-East Hartford). “There’s no multifamily housing. There are no condos; there are no town homes.”
But on the House floor Wednesday, there was fierce debate over “compromise” legislation to tackle the crisis. The bill was negotiated with Lamont five months after he vetoed an even more ambitious bill.
Instead of imposing housing quotas on each town, nine Councils of Government around the state will develop regional growth plans. To make it easier to develop smaller lots, most apartment complexes under 16 units would not need any parking spots.
Last week, local officials from across the state – both Democrats and Republicans – joined Lamont to support the proposal. But GOP lawmakers said that many communities are opposed.
“There are numerous towns and cities that have reached out to our caucus to say how unhappy there are will this housing bill,” said state Rep. Vin Candelora (R-North Branford), the Connecticut House Republican leader.
Critics are particularly concerned about letting commercial buildings be converted to housing without a public hearing.
“You’re going to add residential potentially next to businesses like a dispensary,” said state Rep. Tony Scott (R-Monroe). “You’re going to have kids potentially living right next to a residential – a residential place right next to a dispensary.”
But supporters said it makes no sense to leave commercial properties crumbling when the state desperately needs more housing.
“What are we going do with that otherwise underutilized property?” Rojas said. “Let’s make it easier for people to convert that property and bring it back to productive use.”
FEDERAL EMERGENCY RESPONSE FUND
State lawmakers are also setting aside $500 million in case the federal government shuts down again or if Connecticut sees other sudden cuts from Washington. Lamont would have broad authority to spend the money, but only until the General Assembly reconvenes in February – and only for things like childcare or food and energy assistance.
“The $500 million is a safety net,” the governor said. “On-again, off-again, you never knew what the government was doing. That was loud and clear when it came to SNAP; we had six different directives in seven different days.”
Legislative leaders from both parties can reject Lamont’s spending decisions with a simple majority vote.
Money for the Federal Emergency Response Fund comes from budget surpluses and will be added to the state’s $4.3 billion budget reserves.
For now, the money is primary meant to guard against another shutdown. But Connecticut House Speaker Matt Ritter (D-Hartford) said the state may have to step in next spring to buffer deep cuts from President Donald Trump's "One Big Beautiful Bill."
“At some point, no state – no matter how wealthy – can full replace federal programs related to Medicaid,” he told reporters.
The $500 million in budget surplus was scheduled to help pay down Connecticut long-underfunded pensions. Any unused money will go back into pensions when the current fiscal year ends in June 2026.
NEW LIMITS ON ICE AGENTS
Lawmakers are debating a ban on immigration arrests in and around courthouses. Federal agents would have to present a criminal warrant – signed by a judge – to state judicial marshals before detaining anyone.
If ICE agents don't comply, they could face contempt of court charges or civil lawsuits.
The bill comes after several arrests at the Stamford courthouse, including one in the parking garage.
“It’s traumatizing,” said Ramon Garcia, of New Britain. “I’ve actually had some co-workers who were rounded up on their way to court.”
The legislation also bans law enforcement from covering their face unless they have a medical reason.
“We’re going to pass legislation that is largely unenforceable,” Candelora said. “It is going to cause confusion in courthouses. I don’t think the marshals are going to be wanting to even enforce it. Are they going to have to get doctor’s notes?”
Finally, the legislation would prohibit state agencies from sharing personal data with immigration agents.
“We know the state, and we know our local government, have a lot of personally identifying data about us,” said state Rep. Steve Stafstrom (D-Bridgeport). “Particularly location data – where someone is, when someone may have an appointment with a state agency.”
SAVING WATERBURY HOSPITAL
Connecticut lawmakers are voting on a multimillion-dollar bill to save Waterbury Hospital from closure.
The long-awaited deal will let UConn Health borrow up to $390 million to purchase and upgrade Waterbury and two other hospitals along with a private partner.
“It was a mass exodus,” said Marilyn Anthony, a longtime nurse at Waterbury Hospital. “Just the stress of what they were doing to us in staffing. Cutting staffing, not hiring staffing.”
UConn Health is pledging to turn the hospital around.
“The bones, so to speak, are strong,” said Dr. Andrew Agwunobi, the system’s CEO. “We have fantastic medical staff; we have great staff here. It’s just being under-resourced.”
Last Friday, UConn Health bid $13 million in cash and the assumption of $22 million in debts to purchase Waterbury Hospital.
The system hopes to purchase Waterbury, Bristol and Day Kimball hospitals to create a statewide network that can share resources and consolidate functions.
