Sen. Gadkar-Wilcox Gives Final Approval for State Funds to Counteract Trump Cuts, Create More Housing, Fight ICE Abuse, Purchase Waterbury Hospital and Improve Children’s Mental Health
HARTFORD – On Thursday and early Friday morning, State Senator Sujata Gadkar-Wilcox, alongside her Senate Democrat colleagues, gave final approval to a series of bills that will ensure state residents are financially protected from the financial chaos of Republicans in Washington, D.C., are protected from ICE arrests in courthouse parking lots, support children’s mental health, rescue Waterbury Hospital from its bankruptcy under private ownership, and build more housing all across the state.
“In the absence of leadership in Washington D.C., I am so relieved that Connecticut has taken a critical step to protect our residents,” said Sen. Gadkar-Wilcox. “We have a moral obligation to act now. We know that if we don’t act, tens of thousands of Connecticut residents will lose food assistance, healthcare, heating assistance and more. We need to be prepared to respond to the crises created by the Trump administration, and with this vote we are better prepared to do so.”
The Senate action came one day after Connecticut House Democrats approved the same series of bills; they now go to Governor Ned Lamont for his signature into law.
The highlight of the day was $500 million set aside in the state’s budget reserve – better known as “The Rainy Day Fund” – to make up for hundreds of millions of dollars in state funding that have already been cut, or could be cut even further in the coming months – by Donald Trump and Republicans in Congress.
The State of Connecticut will use the state funds to make up for federal shortfalls and policy changes that would financially harm hundreds of thousands of Connecticut residents in every city and town with the loss of funding for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP, formerly known as food stamps), the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children (WIC), the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP, which provides low-cost heating fuel over the winter), health care, school meals, child care assistance, and housing assistance.
Senate Democrats approved new housing legislation that will see towns and regional councils of government (COGs) adopt policies to create more housing – including market-rate and affordable housing. School construction grants from the state would increase by 5% in towns that implement housing growth plans, qualify as rapid transit or transit-adjacent communities, or adopt development districts.
In order to prevent aggressive federal Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents from arresting people on state property, Senate Democrats defined “courthouse” to mean not only the interior of any facility, but also the “courthouse grounds” to include the courthouse and any garage or parking lot owned by the Judicial Branch, or under contract with the branch, for the purpose of serving the courthouse – along with any walkways or sidewalks on the grounds of the courthouse or connecting a garage to the courthouse. The bill provides a private right of action so aggrieved parties can sue ICE for any such violations, and it prohibits state agencies and towns from sharing non-public information with ICE about individuals.
Senate Democrats also passed legislation amending the bonding authority of the University of Connecticut 2000 Act (“UConn 2000”) to allow the university and its hospital to purchase and operate Waterbury Hospital, thereby saving the hospital, its 1,000 employees and 360,000 patients from Prospect Medical Holdings, the California-based private-sector operator that filed for bankruptcy protection in January.
Senate Democrats also passed a bill calling for a study of existing behavioral health services for children in the state, and how much demand there may be for such services in the near future. The study will examine how often children interact with The United Way of Connecticut 2-1-1 Infoline program, the 9-8-8 National Suicide Prevention Lifeline, mobile crisis intervention services and urgent crisis centers, subacute crisis stabilization centers, and hospital emergency departments, and will examine state resources to these providers and what demands for children’s behavioral health services they might face in the future. The bill also raises the age, from under 21 to under 26, that applies to required coverage for behavioral therapy for people with autism spectrum disorder under private insurance plans.
All of the bills are effective from the date of passage, except for the housing provisions, which begin January 1, 2026.
