Month: April 2026

SEN. ANWAR APPROVES NEW FOUR-YEAR CONTRACT FOR 42,000 STATE EMPLOYEES

Posted on by sdozapier@senatedems.ct.gov

Senator Anwar

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Joe O’Leary | Joe.OLeary@cga.ct.gov | 508-479-4969

April 29, 2026
 

SEN. ANWAR APPROVES NEW FOUR-YEAR CONTRACT FOR 42,000 STATE EMPLOYEES

 

State Senator Saud Anwar (D-South Windsor) today voted to approve a new four-year labor union contract for 42,000 state employees that gives them a 2.5% raise, plus a step increase, in each of the next three years, with a wage re-opener in the fourth year to re-examine current economic conditions.

Senate Resolution 12, “RESOLUTION PROPOSING APPROVAL OF AN AGREEMENT BETWEEN THE STATE OF CONNECTICUT AND THE STATE EMPLOYEES BARGAINING AGENT COALITION (SEBAC),” passed the Senate on a partisan vote of 26-10.

The contract, which also secured $84 million in health care savings/concessions over three years, impacts clerical and administrative staff; corrections officers; nurses, doctors, and staff in state facilities; custodial and maintenance staff; engineering and technical staff; employees working in social services, child protection, and developmental disabilities; Higher Education faculty and staff at state universities and colleges; and Judicial Branch employees.

“To have an effective workforce, it needs to be properly compensated, and today Connecticut legislators took action to make sure the hardworking nurses, maintenance workers, engineers, corrections officers and so many more people who move our state forward receive that compensation,” said Sen. Anwar. “I’m proud to take action today to support the hard-working state employees of our state, as this support will not just aid them today but help our state retain its current standing competing in the labor market.”

The financial terms of today’s contract are identical to another state labor union contract that the state Senate approved just two months ago, this time with nearly unanimous Republican support.

In late March, the Senate voted 30-2 to approve a four-year, $45 million labor union contract for 3,700 state employees who collect trash, fix roads, and serve meals. The raises were 2.5% per year, plus an annual increment of 2% – the exact same raise and step increase as the SEBAC contract, which Republicans opposed today.

 

SEN. MARX APPROVES NEW FOUR-YEAR CONTRACT FOR 42,000 STATE EMPLOYEES

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SEN. MARX APPROVES NEW FOUR-YEAR CONTRACT FOR 42,000 STATE EMPLOYEES

State Senator Martha Marx (D-New London) today voted to approve a new four-year labor union contract for 42,000 state employees that gives them a 2.5% raise, plus a step increase, in each of the next three years, with a wage re-opener in the fourth year to re-examine current economic conditions. 

Senate Resolution 12, “RESOLUTION PROPOSING APPROVAL OF AN AGREEMENT BETWEEN THE STATE OF CONNECTICUT AND THE STATE EMPLOYEES BARGAINING AGENT COALITION (SEBAC),” passed the Senate on a partisan vote of 26-10.

The contract, which also secured $84 million in health care savings/concessions over three years, impacts clerical and administrative staff; corrections officers; nurses, doctors, and staff in state facilities; custodial and maintenance staff; engineering and technical staff; employees working in social services, child protection, and developmental disabilities; Higher Education faculty and staff at state universities and colleges; and Judicial Branch employees.

“The many workers who keep our state running deserve to be rewarded for their dedication to Connecticut,” said Sen. Martha Marx. “This legislation ensures Connecticut remains competitive in the labor market and properly compensates the many state workers tirelessly keeping our roads, schools, prisons, hospitals, colleges, courthouses and many other places running.”

The financial terms of today’s contract are identical to another state labor union contract that the state Senate approved just two months ago, this time with nearly unanimous Republican support.

In late March, the Senate voted 30-2 to approve a four-year, $45 million labor union contract for 3,700 state employees who collect trash, fix roads, and serve meals. The raises were 2.5% per year, plus an annual increment of 2% – the exact same raise and step increase as the SEBAC contract, which Republicans opposed today.

***NEWS ADVISORY *** FRIDAY: SENATORS OSTEN & BERTHEL HONOR MISSING AND MURDERED INDIGENOUS NATIVE AMERICAN WOMEN

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**NEWS ADVISORY **

FRIDAY: SENATORS OSTEN & BERTHEL HONOR MISSING AND MURDERED INDIGENOUS NATIVE AMERICAN WOMEN
 

HARTFORD – State Senators Carthy Osten (D-Sprague) and Eric Berthel (R-Watertown) will host Connecticut’s annual Missing and Murdered Indigenous Persons Awareness Day – also known as  “Red Dress Day” – at the State Capitol this Friday May 1, beginning at 9:30 a.m.
 
National Missing and Murdered Indigenous Persons (MMIP) Awareness Day is observed annually on May 5 to honor victims, support families, and raise awareness of the high rates of violence against Indigenous people. Established in 2017, this day of advocacy addresses the crisis of Native women and girls who are missing or being murdered at disproportionate rates.
 
Schedule:
 
9:30 a.m.- Capitol, South Lobby
Opening Ceremony – Flute Honoring Song – Mashantucket Pequot Tribal Member
                                    Rashad Young Director of the MPTN Language Department
                                   
9:40 a.m.  – Capitol, South Lobby
Opening Prayer –   Herbert “Half-Crow” Boyd, Vice Chairman, Mashantucket Pequot   
                                   Tribal Elders Council
 
Opening Remarks – Senators Osten & Berthel   
 
Tribal Nation Guest Speakers:
 

  • Eastern Pequot Tribal Nation – Secretary Dawnrae Rocha

 

  • Golden Hill Paugussett Tribal Nation – Clan Mother Shoran Waupatukuay Piper

 

  • Mashantucket Pequot Tribal Nation Vice Chairwoman Latoya Cluff

 

  • Mashantucket Pequot Tribal Nation Mashantucket Royalty, Jr Miss Mashantucket Chloe Cox

 

  • Mashantucket Pequot Tribal Nation Mashantucket Royalty, Tiny Tot Miss Mashantucket Izarra Eleazer

 

  • Mohegan Tribe Nation Chairwoman Council of Elders Beth Regan; Vice Chairwoman of Strong Wolves Speak Loudly MMIP Committee-Teri McHale

 

  • Schaghticoke Tribal Nation – Member Darlene Kascak

 
Outside South Lobby
Closing Ceremony – Red Sand Project activation
Mohegan Tribal Nation – Elder Two Dogs Bruce Bozsum and Strong Wolves Speak Loudly MMIP Committee—Red Dress Song played during the Red Sand portion outside
Schaghticoke Tribal Nation – Member Darlene Kascak
 
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SENATOR OSTEN PROUDLY SUPPORTS FARM BILL, GRATEFUL FOR STATE AID BENEFITTING DAIRY FARMS

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SENATOR OSTEN PROUDLY SUPPORTS FARM BILL, GRATEFUL FOR STATE AID BENEFITTING DAIRY FARMS

HARTFORD – State Senator Cathy Osten (D-Sprague) today joined a unanimous and bipartisan vote in the state Senate to support Connecticut dairy farmers at a time when they need support, creating new state programs and expanding existing state aid to help farmers thrive.
 
“It’s really important for us to support an industry that does so much good for our state. This bill, in particular, will save an industry,” Sen. Osten said. “It is so important for us to stand by these family-owned businesses that support each and every one of us. Not only do we like to see our dairy industry as it populates our roadside, but quite frankly, the dairy industry is the backbone of agriculture in Connecticut.”

Senate Bill 148 supports Connecticut dairy farms through a number of new measures, including:

  • Creates the Dairy Modernization Grant Program under the Department of Agriculture, which will aid farms with equipment, operational, and infrastructure investments.
  • Expands eligibility for a farm investment tax credit program to include Connecticut taxpayers with annual income from farming of at least $250,000.
  • Establishes a working group to study dairy farming sustainability, looking at long-term recommendations for the state dairy industry.
  • Reinstates recommended land use values for forest land, thereby reversing an unexpected increase until the next revaluation period.

In the last 20 years, Connecticut’s dairy farms have fallen by 63% — far from a peak of nearly 1,000 dairy farms in the 1950s and 1960s. Fewer than 80 dairy farms now remain in the state, with Connecticut’s dairy farmers expected to lose $20 million this year – largely due to federal milk ordering systems that are tied to Midwestern dairy prices, where production and feed costs are lower.

The bill now heads to the House of Representatives for consideration.  
 
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SEN. MAHER APPROVES NEW FOUR-YEAR CONTRACT FOR 42,000 STATE EMPLOYEES

Posted on by sdozapier@senatedems.ct.gov

SEN. MAHER APPROVES NEW FOUR-YEAR CONTRACT FOR 42,000 STATE EMPLOYEES

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Wednesday, April 29, 2026

State Senator Ceci Maher (D-Wilton) today voted to approve a new four-year labor union contract for 42,000 state employees that gives them a 2.5% raise, plus a step increase, in each of the next three years, with a wage re-opener in the fourth year to re-examine current economic conditions.

Senate Resolution 12, “RESOLUTION PROPOSING APPROVAL OF AN AGREEMENT BETWEEN THE STATE OF CONNECTICUT AND THE STATE EMPLOYEES BARGAINING AGENT COALITION (SEBAC),” passed the Senate on a partisan vote of 26-10.

The contract, which also secured $84 million in health care savings/concessions over three years, impacts clerical and administrative staff; corrections officers; nurses, doctors, and staff in state facilities; custodial and maintenance staff; engineering and technical staff; employees working in social services, child protection, and developmental disabilities; Higher Education faculty and staff at state universities and colleges; and Judicial Branch employees.

“The tens of thousands of state employees benefitted by this contract work tirelessly every day to keep our communities running, and in the current economic climate, it’s vital to make sure they get the support they deserve,” said Sen. Maher. “I’m encouraged that we are supporting our state’s workforce and keeping Connecticut competitive in the labor market, able to compete against neighboring states for high-quality workers.”

The financial terms of today’s contract are identical to another state labor union contract that the state Senate approved just two months ago, this time with nearly unanimous Republican support.

In late March, the Senate voted 30-2 to approve a four-year, $45 million labor union contract for 3,700 state employees who collect trash, fix roads, and serve meals. The raises were 2.5% per year, plus an annual increment of 2% – the exact same raise and step increase as the SEBAC contract, which Republicans opposed today.

SENATOR ANWAR PROUDLY SUPPORTS FARM BILL, GRATEFUL FOR STATE AID BENEFITTING DAIRY FARMS

Posted on by sdozapier@senatedems.ct.gov

Senator Anwar

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Joe O’Leary | Joe.OLeary@cga.ct.gov | 508-479-4969

April 29, 2026

SENATOR ANWAR PROUDLY SUPPORTS FARM BILL, GRATEFUL FOR STATE AID BENEFITTING DAIRY FARMS

Today, State Senator Saud Anwar (D-South Windsor) strongly supported the passage of legislation supporting Connecticut dairy farms at a time when they need support, creating new programs and expanding existing aid. Sen. Anwar’s district represents numerous farms and dairy farms in Ellington, East Windsor, East Hartford and South Windsor, including the largest in the state, Oakridge Dairy.

“Connecticut needs to protect its agricultural industry or risk losing community mainstays that have supported our households with fresh, nutritious produce,” said Sen. Anwar. “I’m proud to help advance this legislation because of its strong supports for Connecticut agriculture and dairy farms in particular. A new program improving grant access and investments, an expanded farm tax credit and the restoration of recommended land use values are all going to pay strong dividends for farmers, and I’m encouraged to see this become law.”

Senate Bill 148 seeks to support Connecticut dairy farms through a number of measures, including:

  • The creation of a Dairy Modernization Grant Program under the Department of Agriculture, which will aid farms with equipment, operational and infrastructure investments.
  • Expanding eligibility for a farm investment tax credit program to include Connecticut taxpayers with annual income from farming of at least $250,000.
  • Establishes a working group to study dairy farming sustainability, looking at long-term recommendations for the dairy industry.
  • Reinstates recommended land use values for forest land, reversing an unexpected increase, until the next valuation.

In the last 20 years, Connecticut’s dairy farms have fallen by 63%, CT News Junkie reported, far from a peak of nearly 1,000 in the 1950s and 1960s. Fewer than 80 remain, with the dairy farm industry in Connecticut projected to lose a collective $20 million this year. That’s largely due to federal ordering systems tied to Midwest prices, where production costs are far lower and grain is grown locally, which constrain Connecticut farms’ financial abilities.

With today’s unanimous adoption in the Senate, the bill now heads to the House.

SEN. CABRERA APPROVES NEW FOUR-YEAR CONTRACT FOR 42,000 STATE EMPLOYEES

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SEN. CABRERA APPROVES NEW FOUR-YEAR CONTRACT FOR 42,000 STATE EMPLOYEES

HARTFORD – State Senator Jorge Cabrera (D-Hamden) today voted to approve a new four-year labor union contract for 42,000 state employees that gives them a 2.5% raise, plus a step increase, in each of the next three years, with a wage re-opener in the fourth year to re-examine current economic conditions.

Senate Resolution 12, “RESOLUTION PROPOSING APPROVAL OF AN AGREEMENT BETWEEN THE STATE OF CONNECTICUT AND THE STATE EMPLOYEES BARGAINING AGENT COALITION (SEBAC),” passed the Senate on a partisan vote of 26-10.

The contract, which also secured $84 million in health care savings/concessions over three years, impacts clerical and administrative staff; corrections officers; nurses, doctors, and staff in state facilities; custodial and maintenance staff; engineering and technical staff; employees working in social services, child protection, and developmental disabilities; Higher Education faculty and staff at state universities and colleges; and Judicial Branch employees.

“The State of Connecticut is the largest employer in the state. We’re five times bigger than Walmart, three times bigger than Electric Boat, and twice as big as Hartford Healthcare. Chances are you, or a family member, or a neighbor or someone you know works for the state,” Sen. Cabrera said. “Over the past decade, we’ve gained 30,000 jobs in the private sector in Connecticut, and we’ve lost 5,000 jobs in the government sector. We need to grow and reward our state employee workforce, keep their salary growth on par with the private sector, and give our residents their money’s worth when it comes to the public services that they pay for and expect. Today’s contract helps do that. These hardworking families keep Connecticut going. They support us. This contract supports them, and I’m proud to vote for it.”

The financial terms of today’s contract are identical to another state labor union contract that the state Senate approved just two months ago, this time with nearly unanimous Republican support.

In late March, the Senate voted 30-2 to approve a four-year, $45 million labor union contract for 3,700 state employees who collect trash, fix roads, and serve meals. The raises were 2.5% per year, plus an annual increment of 2% – the exact same raise and step increase as the SEBAC contract, which Republicans opposed today.

 

Senator Gaston Leads Senate Passage of Bill to Expedite Life-Saving Organ Transport

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Senator Gaston Leads Senate Passage of Bill to Expedite Life-Saving Organ Transport

Today, state Senator Herron Keyon Gaston (D-Bridgeport), Chair of the Public Safety and Security Committee, led Senate passage of a bill designed to help ensure that organs intended for transplant can be transported as swiftly and safely as possible.

Senate Bill 407, ‘An Act Authorizing the Commissioner of Motor Vehicles to Issue Permits Allowing Organ Transport Vehicles to Use Certain Lights’, authorizes the Commissioner of Motor Vehicles to issue permits allowing organ transport vehicles to use any combination of steady or flashing blue, red, yellow, or white lights, with the exception of lights exclusively reserved for use by police officers or DMV inspectors.

“When a life-saving organ is in route to a patient, every second counts,” said Senator Gaston. “This bill cuts through unnecessary barriers and gives organ transport vehicles the tools they need to move quickly and safely through our communities. No family should lose a loved one because transport was delayed.”

Organ transplantation is among the most time-sensitive procedures in modern medicine. Viability windows for transported organs can be extremely narrow, making rapid transit a critical factor in patient outcomes.

According to the Vice President of OPO Relations, Legislative Affairs, Quality and Safety for the Nationwide Organ Recovery Transport Alliance, Timothy Snyder, there are currently more than 100,000 individuals in the United States waiting for a life-saving transplant. Over 1,000 of those individuals are in Connecticut, approximately 900 awaiting kidney transplants, 150 awaiting liver transplants, and 50 awaiting heart transplants. These individuals depend on the donation and transplant community for a second chance at life. Equally important are the donor families who, in their time of profound loss, say “yes” to organ donation to save others. Organ donation has steadily increased over the past decade. At the same time, federal organ allocation policies now require broader geographic sharing of organs, often across state lines. This increases transport distances and time sensitivity.

The EMS system remains focused appropriately on 911 emergency response. Organ transport is secondary to emergency calls. There have been instances where transplant teams arrive at emergency departments with a heart or lungs awaiting transport, only for the responding ambulance to be diverted to a 911 call. These delays can jeopardize organ viability and ultimately impact patient outcomes.

SB407 brings Connecticut in line with the urgent, life-saving nature of organ transport by giving the DMV commissioner the authority to issue the appropriate lighting permits for these vehicles.

This legislation enhances efficiency, preserves organ viability, and supports patient safety while maintaining appropriate regulatory oversight.

SEN. KUSHNER HONORED WITH AFL-CIO HEALTH & SAFETY AWARD AT WORKERS MEMORIAL DAY CEREMONY

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SEN. KUSHNER HONORED WITH AFL-CIO HEALTH & SAFETY AWARD AT WORKERS MEMORIAL DAY CEREMONY

State Senator Julie Kushner (left) at the annual Workers Memorial Day Ceremony in Hartford, April 28, 2026.

 

HARTFORD – State Senator Julie Kushner (D-Danbury), who is Senate Chair of the Labor and Public Employees Committee, was honored today with the AFL-CIO’s “Legislative Health and Safety Award” for her “unwavering commitment to the health and safety of Connecticut workers, fair compensation for work-related physical and mental impacts, and financial support during  periods of incapacity.”

Sen. Kushner’s award was presented at the annual Workers Memorial Day Ceremony in Hartford to honor the 41 Connecticut workers who lost their lives to work-related injuries in 2024; an additional 34,600 workers suffered on-the-job injuries or illnesses.

Each year on April 28, the labor movement observes Workers Memorial Day to honor those who have lost their lives on the job. During these ceremonies, we remember their sacrifices and the families they left behind, drawing strength and purpose from their stories.

“For me, it’s total privilege to be able to represent the labor movement in the State Capitol and to work every day to pass laws that will improve the lives, and improve the conditions, and save the lives, of working men and women,” Sen. Kushner told the crowd assembled in Bushnell Park.

“When I started working as a union organizer, I was 24, in New York City, in the 1970s. And it was just a few years later when one of our members was killed at a corrugated box factory. And it was a really horrible, horrible death, getting caught on that machine. And it made a huge impression on me. This shouldn’t happen to anybody, ever. That could have been prevented, and there’s no way it should have happened, but it was because the employers were not taking care of their workers, they weren’t putting in the necessary, and sometimes costly, equipment that would have prevented that death,” she added. “These things leave a mark on you.”

Sen. Kushner was introduced as a longtime fighter for working people, where her legislative leadership is guided by principle and grounded in the real experiences of everyday working people.

Under Sen. Kushner, Connecticut has seen the expansion of PTSI coverage, acknowledging the very real mental health challenges faced by those who serve on the front lines. She has championed the firefighter cancer relief fund, standing with the brave men and women who risk their lives daily and ensuring that they are not left to face a devastating diagnosis alone. Sen. Kushner is also one of the main reasons why Connecticut has access to paid sick days and paid family and medical leave.

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SENATOR SLAP VOTES TO ENHANCE CONNECTICUT HATE CRIME POLICIES

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SENATOR SLAP VOTES TO ENHANCE CONNECTICUT HATE CRIME POLICIES

April 28, 2026

Today, State Senator Derek Slap (D-West Hartford) voted to enhance and improve Connecticut’s statutes for hate crimes, seeking to better protect the people of Connecticut against undue discrimination and hate.

“With hate crimes doubling nationally in the last decade and more than 100 hate crimes reported each year in Connecticut, we need to make sure our communities are free from hate and intimidation,” said Sen. Slap. “This bill will make it easier to understand the penalties and consequences of hate crimes and ensures intimidation, physical harm, damage to houses of worship and other offenses will be treated with the seriousness they deserve. I’m grateful to Senator Winfield and the Judiciary Committee for their work on this bill.”

Senate Bill 90 makes adjustments to hate crime statutes including combining protected classes (disability, gender identity/expression, race, religion, sex, sexual orientation, color, ethnicity, alienage, national origin and age) into one protected social category.

It relabels and consolidates existing laws, including intimidation based on bigotry or bias and hate crimes causing physical injury or contact, better aligning the state’s hate crime laws and making them simpler and easier to understand and enforce.

The bill also creates a dedicated hate crime for damaging houses of worship, with higher penalties if damage exceeds $10,000, and labels threatening a house of worship or religiously affiliated community center as a hate crime.

It further extends persistent offender status to offenders committing hate crimes multiple times, allows for a hate crimes diversion program as a condition of probation under accelerated rehabilitation, extends the attorney general’s authority to investigate hate crimes and initiate legal action and expands the Hate Crimes Investigative Unit’s duties to incorporate all hate crimes.

Additional provisions include a requirement for the Connecticut Sentencing Commission to review the appropriateness of state hate crime penalties and report recommendations by January 1, 2027.

With the bill’s passage today, it next heads to the House for further consideration.