Senator Harley Leads Senate Passage of Bill to Establish an AI Small Business Program

Posted on May 1, 2026 by sdozapier@senatedems.ct.gov

Senator Hartley Leads Senate Passage of Bill to Establish an AI Small Business Program

This week State Senator Joan Hartley (D-Waterbury), Chair of the Commerce Committee, led senate passage of a bill that would direct the Department of Economic and Community Development (DECD) to develop a plan to establish an Artificial Intelligence Small Business Program.

Senate Bill 417, ‘An Act Requiring the Department of Economic and Community Development to Develop a Plan to Establish an Artificial Intelligence Small Business Program’ will now head to the House.

“Artificial intelligence is rapidly reshaping our economy and Connecticut’s small businesses cannot afford to be left behind,” said Senator Hartley. “This bill takes a smart, strategic approach that helps our small businesses harness the power of AI to grow and compete. Connecticut has always understood that a strong economy is one that works for everyone and that means equipping our workers with the skills they need to thrive.”

This legislation requires DECD, in consultation with other state agencies, public higher education institutions, and any other necessary public entities, to develop a comprehensive plan to establish an AI small business program with two core objectives: incentivizing small businesses to adopt and deploy artificial intelligence to improve productivity and the quality of their products and services, and establishing a competitive small business environment for the development and deployment of AI technologies.

Under the bill, the plan developed by DECD must include eligibility criteria and an application process with clear guidelines and terms for financial assistance. Any small business seeking financial funding through the program would be required to train its employees to work alongside AI technologies and prepare workers for new roles in the event that their current positions may be displaced by AI adoption.

SENATORS LOONEY, DUFF & WINFIELD WECOME HOUSE PASSAGE OF ICE BILL AND GOV. LAMONT’S FORTHCOMING SIGNATURE INTO LAW

Posted on May 1, 2026 by sdozapier@senatedems.ct.gov

SENATORS LOONEY, DUFF & WINFIELD WELCOME HOUSE PASSAGE OF ICE BILL AND GOV. LAMONT’S FORTHCOMING SIGNATURE INTO LAW

“In the 250^th year of our independence, America is at a crossroads. Today’s House passage of Senate Bill 397 – a Senate Democrats’ priority bill – to rein in federal Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents’ repeated and horrific violations of our constitutional and human rights is evidence that the principles of federalism enunciated in the 10^th Amendment are still viable and vital, despite repeated attempts by Donald Trump and Republicans to choke the life out of our national democratic tradition of dual sovereignty.

“We look forward to standing on the steps of the state Supreme Court on Monday as Governor Lamont signs this bill into law and Connecticut once again fires a shot in the fight for freedom against tyranny.”

Senate President Martin Looney (D-New Haven), Senate Majority Leader Bob Duff (D-Norwalk), and Senator Gary Winfield (D-New Haven), Senate Chair of the Judiciary Committee

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact: Lawrence Cook | lawrence.cook@cga.ct.gov | 860-604-9279

Senator Harley Leads Senate Passage of Bill to Establish an AI Small Business Program

Posted on May 1, 2026 by sdozapier@senatedems.ct.gov

Senator Hartley Leads Senate Passage of Bill to Establish an AI Small Business Program

SENATORS LOONEY, DUFF & WINFIELD WECOME HOUSE PASSAGE OF ICE BILL AND GOV. LAMONT’S FORTHCOMING SIGNATURE INTO LAW

Posted on May 1, 2026 by sdozapier@senatedems.ct.gov

SENATORS LOONEY, DUFF & WINFIELD WELCOME HOUSE PASSAGE OF ICE BILL AND GOV. LAMONT’S FORTHCOMING SIGNATURE INTO LAW

Senate President Martin Looney (D-New Haven), Senate Majority Leader Bob Duff (D-Norwalk), and Senator Gary Winfield (D-New Haven), Senate Chair of the Judiciary Committee

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact: Lawrence Cook | lawrence.cook@cga.ct.gov | 860-604-9279

SENS. OSTEN & BERTHEL RAISE AWARENESS OF MISSING AND MURDERED INDIGENOUS PERSONS AT STATE CAPITOL EVENT

Posted on May 1, 2026 by sdozapier@senatedems.ct.gov

SENS. OSTEN & BERTHEL RAISE AWARENESS OF MISSING AND MURDERED INDIGENOUS PERSONS AT STATE CAPITOL EVENT

HARTFORD – State Senators Cathy Osten (D-Sprague) and Eric Berthel (R-Watertown) today led a commemoration of Missing and Murdered Indigenous Persons Day (MMIP) as part of Connecticut’s annual event at the State Capitol to recognize the high rates of assault, abduction, and murder of Native American tribal members.

MMIP 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.

“We’ve come a long way in raising awareness about missing and murdered indigenous people, but we have an even longer way to go to solve this problem. No one should be satisfied until we’ve reversed this shameful history of assault and murder of Native Americans,” said Sen. Osten, whose Senate District includes the Mohegan and Mashantucket Pequot tribal nations. “MMIP Day is a day that keeps us focused and on track to achieve that.”

“Each year, we reserve this solemn day to raise awareness for missing and murdered indigenous persons and learn about this social and civil rights tragedy that must be addressed,” said Sen. Berthel, whose Senate District is home to the Institute for American Indian Studies in Washington. “Connecticut has joined the national day of awareness to honor victims and extend support for the families impacted by these tragedies. Our state has benefitted so much from our Tribal Nations and it’s important that we continue to recognize the injustices happening to indigenous persons and take action.”

Sens. Osten and Berthel were joined by several members of the Eastern Pequots, Golden Hill Paugussetts, Mashantucket Pequots, Mohegan, and Schaghticoke tribal nations. The day began with a Flute Honoring Song, concluded with a Red Dress Song, and included a “Red Dress” display, which is a series of empty red dresses that honor and symbolize the lost lives of indigenous women at the hands of violence.

Native American and Alaska Native rates of murder, rape, and violent crime are all higher than the national averages, and Native American and Alaska Native women make up a significant portion of missing and murdered individuals.
For decades, Native American and Alaska Native communities have struggled with high rates of assault, abduction, and murder of tribal members. Community advocates describe the crisis as a legacy of generations of government policies of forced removal, land seizures and violence inflicted on Native peoples.

A 2016 study by the National Institute of Justice (NIJ) found that more than four in five American Indian and Alaska Native women (84.3 percent) have experienced violence in their lifetime, including more than half who have experienced sexual violence. Overall, it’s estimated more than 1.5 million American Indian and Alaska Native women have experienced violence in

Congress responded in part in 2020 with the “Not Invisible Act,” which brought together law enforcement, tribal authorities, federal partners, and others to study solutions to the crisis of murdered and missing Indigenous women and to establish better systems of coordination. The Act created a new position within the Interior Department dealing specifically with murder, trafficking, and missing Native Americans, and it appointed the federal Bureau of Indian Affairs to coordinate prevention efforts, grants, and programs relating to murder of, trafficking of, and missing Native Americans, across various federal agencies.

Senator MD Rahman Leads Passage of Four Bills, Advancing Housing, Zoning, and Property Tax Reform

Posted on April 30, 2026 by sdozapier@senatedems.ct.gov

Senator MD Rahman Leads Passage of Four Bills, Advancing Housing, Zoning, and Property Tax Reform

HARTFORD — Senator MD Rahman (D-Manchester), Senate Chair of the Planning and Development Committee, today led passage of four separate pieces of legislation, advancing bills to make building accessory dwelling units more affordable, strengthen municipal zoning enforcement, modernize Connecticut’s property tax assessment statutes, and provide Hartford with flexibility on an upcoming property revaluation.

“I’m proud of what we were able to accomplish today for Connecticut residents,” Senator Rahman said. “Too many families want to add a unit for an aging parent or a caregiver and run into costs that make it impossible before they even break ground. Removing these utility fee barriers is a practical step that gives families more options and helps us add housing where it’s needed most. The zoning enforcement bill gives our towns the tools they need to protect their communities, and the property tax revisions clean up statutes that haven’t kept pace with how our municipalities actually operate.”

House Bill 5288 removes a barrier that has made it harder and more expensive for homeowners to add a second unit to their property. Under current law, utilities could treat an accessory dwelling unit as a new residential connection and charge full connection fees. The bill prohibits that practice and, for the first time, extends that prohibition to investor-owned water companies. It also extends as-of-right ADU protections to municipalities that exercise zoning authority under a special act, closing a gap that had left some towns outside the state’s existing framework.

House Bill 5391 strengthens the enforcement tools available to municipalities when property owners violate local zoning regulations. The bill ensures that towns exercising zoning authority under a special act have access to the same criminal and civil penalties available to towns operating under the general statutes, including civil penalties of up to $2,500 for ongoing violations.

Senate Bill 362 makes a series of technical and substantive updates to Connecticut’s property tax assessment statutes, modernizing how motor vehicles are valued, updating procedures for veterans’ exemptions, and streamlining assessor certification and notification requirements.

“Owners of older vehicles have been paying taxes based on a floor that did not reflect what their car was actually worth,” Senator Rahman said. “This bill fixes that by allowing the assessed value of vehicles twenty years and older to drop below the previous minimum, so families are taxed on a value that is closer to reality.”

Senate Bill 359 allows the city of Hartford to defer its required property revaluation from the assessment year beginning October 1, 2026, to the assessment year beginning October 1, 2027, provided the deferral is approved by Hartford’s legislative body.

SENATOR MARX LEADS SENATE PASSAGE RESTRICTING PRIVATE EQUITY PRESENCE IN CONNECTICUT HOUSING

Posted on April 30, 2026 by sdozapier@senatedems.ct.gov

SENATOR MARX LEADS SENATE PASSAGE RESTRICTING PRIVATE EQUITY PRESENCE IN CONNECTICUT HOUSING

Thursday, April 30, 2026

Today, State Senator Martha Marx (D-New London) led the Senate’s passage of legislation restricting private equity presence in Connecticut housing by placing time limits on private equity institutions’ ability to purchase homes as they enter the marketplace.

Under Senate Bill 256, private equity entities would be prohibited from purchasing, acquiring or offering to purchase or acquire part or all of a single- or two-family residence unless it has been listed for sale to the general public for 90 days. Should the residence’s asking price change, that 90-day timer would restart.

The bill defines “private equity entity” as an institutional real estate investor owning at least 10 residences and managing at least $50 million in asserts or an entity receiving funding from such an investor for purchasing homes. The term does not include nonprofit organizations or entities operating under the state’s land bank and land trust program.

“It’s already hard enough to buy a home in this market. We don’t need private equity corporations further skewing the market buying up homes and reducing housing stock in Connecticut,” said Sen. Marx. “This bill gives regular people a fighting chance by putting a three-month timer before private equity can purchase a single- or two-family home. It’s not barring them from investing; it’s making sure they aren’t jumping regular people in line to snap up properties for profit.”

The waiting period does not apply to properties that will be used as the principal residence of a person with ownership interest in the private equity entity seeking to buy it or operated with federal, state or municipal appropriated funds.

Should a private equity entity violate the bill’s provisions, they could face civil action including penalties of up to $250,000.

The law would go into effect October 1.

In written testimony, the Connecticut Citizen Action Group noted Connecticut has become one of the fastest-growing states in the country for shares of single-family homes purchased by corporate investors, and in the last five years, the median price of a single-family home increased by 49% in the state.

Connecticut Voices for Children testified private equity investors often utilize all-cash offers and waive contingencies to appeal to sellers, boxing families out of the marketplace, particularly in neighborhoods historically serving as homeownership entry points.

Before today’s 27-9 Senate vote, the bill previously passed the Housing Committee by a 13-6 vote in April and the Judiciary Committee by a 34-6 vote in April. It next heads to the House for further consideration.

SENATOR MAHER LEADS SENATE TO PRIORITIZE CHILD CARE OVER PRIVATE EQUITY

Posted on April 30, 2026 by sdozapier@senatedems.ct.gov

SENATOR MAHER LEADS SENATE TO PRIORITIZE CHILD CARE OVER PRIVATE EQUITY

Today, State Senator Ceci Maher (D-Wilton), Senate Chair of the Committee on Children, led the Senate’s passage of legislation seeking to prioritize Connecticut child care centers over private equity presence in the state.

“At a time when costs are high everywhere and families are struggling, the last thing they need is for costs in the child care market to grow further,” said Sen. Maher. “Today, the Senate is prioritizing the care and education of our children, ensuring support funds go programs needing them first, not helping monied interests profit further from their investments. We need to grow and support small businesses and nonprofits that provide these vital services in our communities.”

Senate Bill 266, “An Act Limiting The Access Of Private Equity To Funds From The Early Childhood Education Endowment,” makes a simple adjustment to funds released through the state’s Early Childhood Education Endowment, developed last year to support early care and education programs, de-emphasizing private equity companies for the release of funds.

Under the bill, early care and education programs or preschool programs with a controlling interest from a private equity entity would not receive funds from the state’s early childhood education fund until funds have been expended to all other eligible early care education and preschool programs.

The Commissioner of Early Childhood will be required to determine there are no other eligible entities that can provide these programs and that the private equity entity also meets all of the office’s applicable application standards.

The Urban Institute notes private equity firms have stakes in eight of the 11 largest child care chains with franchises in multiple states, while 15 of the largest 16 largest early childhood care and education chains receive at least some funding from private equity.

Consequences of this can range, though it’s noted large-capacity chains primarily serve wealthier families and that private equity firms often cut staff and services to reduce costs and return profits to investors. A 2007 study found large, for-profit chains have lower program quality on average than nonprofit or independent programs.

The Connecticut Citizen Action Group testified that private equity shows a larger propensity for higher failure and closure rates, which leads to worse outcomes for customers.

The bill previously passed the Committee on Children by a 12-5 tally in March before passing the Senate today on a 24-12 vote. It next heads to the House.

Senator Honig Leads Passage of Legislation to Ensure Veterans’ Graves Are Maintained

Posted on April 30, 2026 by sdozapier@senatedems.ct.gov

Senator Honig Leads Passage of Legislation to Ensure Veterans’ Graves Are Maintained

HARTFORD — Senator Paul Honig (D-Harwinton), Senate Chair of the Veterans’ and Military Affairs Committee, voted Thursday to pass Senate Bill 282, legislation which will set aside $100,000 to be used as grants to municipalities to care for and maintain graves for veterans who served in a time of war.

“The upkeep of veterans’ gravesites has depended on the goodwill of private individuals, and their efforts have honored many of those who have served our country,” Senator Honig said. “But when that goodwill falls short, there has been no reliable backstop, and some gravesites have suffered for it. This bill ensures the state can fill that gap so the resting places of all our veterans receive the care and maintenance they deserve.”

By law, the Office of Policy and Management may, from the neglected cemetery account, make grants to municipalities for maintaining neglected burial grounds and cemeteries with more than six places of interment. The municipal selectmen may use the funds to clear vegetation, mow lawn areas, repair fences or walls, and fix memorial stones.

Under existing law, municipalities are responsible for the cost of caring for and maintaining graves of those who served in wartime if the services are not paid for by private individuals or the cemetery trustees.

The bill allows municipalities to apply for money available in the neglected cemetery account for grants for these maintenance purposes.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact: Hugh McQuaid | hugh.mcquaid@cga.ct.gov |

SENATOR ANWAR SUPPORTS SENATE ADVANCEMENT OF LONG-TERM CARE INSURANCE SAFEGUARDS

Posted on April 30, 2026 by sdozapier@senatedems.ct.gov

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

April 30, 2026

SENATOR ANWAR SUPPORTS SENATE ADVANCEMENT OF LONG-TERM CARE INSURANCE SAFEGUARDS

Today, State Senator Saud Anwar (D-South Windsor) voted in support of the Senate’s passage of new safeguards to better protect long-term care insurance policy holders. For years, Sen. Anwar has worked to support constituents and Connecticut residents struggling under rapidly escalating costs these plans can lead to.

“For too long, I’ve heard from far too many long-term care insurance policy holders that they can’t rely on the policies they paid for decades ago, with shocking rate hikes putting increasing financial pressure on them,” said Sen. Anwar.”I’m proud this bill is working to reduce sticker shock and provide policy holders with more power, though I’d like to see it go further. Still, this represents significant progress in supporting those at the mercy of insurance companies and I hope to see it become law.”

Senate Bill 478 seeks to require insurers to file annual reports with the Insurance Commissioner on actual losses paid, and beginning in 2027, legislative committees will review that information. The Commissioner will also gain the power to study whether policyholders should be able to cancel and get full premium refunds when an insurer files a rate increase above the inflation rate.

Additionally, any rate increase of 20% or more must be spread out over at least three years, insurers must notify policyholders before implementing large increases and give at least 30 days to choose reduced benefits or a lower-cost option, and there will be new enforcement authority in the event of violations.

Long-term care insurance provides support for skilled in-home care, rehabilitation therapy, assisted living, nursing home stays and respite care, but its costs have skyrocketed in the last few years, according to the Connecticut Mirror, which found rate increases range from 50% to as high as 174%.

That issue is largely due to interest rates being lower than expected, more people than expected holding onto their plans and policyholders living longer, increasing periods of care. Still, policy holders often find themselves facing extreme financial challenges as a result of the changing market, making change necessary.

With today’s passage, the bill now heads to the House.