Senate Democrats React to ICE Killing in Minneapolis

HARTFORD — Senate President Martin Looney (D-New Haven), Senate Majority Leader Bob Duff (D-Norwalk), and members of the Senate Democratic caucus released the following statement today regarding the killing in Minneapolis by the Trump administration’s ICE.

“The apparent murder of Renee Good is reprehensible, and we condemn it in the strongest terms. This incident happened because Donald Trump’s regime is sending armed, masked, anonymous agents into communities all across the country under the guise of ‘protection’, but with the true intent of sheer domination. Wednesday’s murder – and we do call it a murder – committed by an ICE agent is just the most recent consequence of a reckless and cruel Republican administration that seems intent on destroying the very human rights upon which our Constitution is founded. The citizens of America must speak out and demand that Donald Trump’s lawlessness must end, and that those federal agents responsible for murder and mayhem be held accountable. Legislative session starts soon, and we will look at ways to hold rogue federal authorities accountable at the state level.”

The statement was signed by:

• Senate President Martin Looney
• Senate Majority Leader Bob Duff
• Senator Doug McCrory
• Senator MD Rahman
• Senator Saud Anwar
• Senator Derek Slap
• Senator Rick Lopes
• Senator Paul Honig
• Senator Matt Lesser
• Senator Gary Winfield
• Senator Christine Cohen
• Senator Jan Hochadel
• Senator Joan Hartley
• Senator Jorge Cabrera
• Senator Martha Marx
• Senator Sujata Gadkar-Wilcox
• Senator Herron Keyon Gaston
• Senator Julie Kushner
• Senator Ceci Maher
• Senator Pat Billie Miller
• Senator Mae Flexer
• Senator Norm Needleman

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact: Kevin Coughlin | kevin.coughlin@cga.ct.gov | 203-710-0193

SENS. LOONEY & DUFF REJECT TRUMP DEMAND FOR CONNECTICUT VOTERS’ PERSONAL INFORMATION

HARTFORD — Senate President Martin Looney (D-New Haven) and Senate Majority Leader Bob Duff (D-Norwalk) released the following statement today regarding the Trump administration’s U.S. Department of Justice demanding the release of sensitive, personal information on Connecticut voters.

“Once again, the Trump administration is using threats and coercion to try to collect Connecticut voters’ private data that it has no legal basis for requesting, and which we can only surmise has no beneficial motive for using. Connecticut is one of nearly 20 Democratic states that Trump’s Justice Department is now bullying in order to create a national citizen database. Connecticut will fight for our citizens’ right to privacy, and we will not surrender to the countless election deniers and conspiracy theorists who inhabit the Trump administration.”

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact: Kevin Coughlin | kevin.coughlin@cga.ct.gov | 203-710-0193

SENATOR DUFF VOTES FOR A STATE BUDGET THAT INVESTS IN FAMILIES, EDUCATION AND OUR TOWNS

HARTFORD – Senate Majority Leader Bob Duff (D-Norwalk) joined his Senate Democratic colleagues this evening in voting to approve the 2026-27 biennial no-tax increase state budget that invests in Connecticut’s children, families and towns.

The budget passed 25-11 on a purely partisan vote and now heads to Governor Ned Lamont for his signature into law.

“Locally, this budget delivers more education funding for the Norwalk Public Schools and a record amount of municipal aid for the City of Norwalk. All in all, this funding will help meet Norwalk’s needs over the next two years, especially on some of its most pressing issues,” said Sen. Duff.

In the budget, Sen. Duff secured the following state aid for the 25^th State Senate District:

• Norwalk will receive $76.4 million in total state aid over the next two years, a $21.35 million increase of approximately 38% over the previous biennial budget.
• Of that total, Norwalk will receive $32.89 million in school aid, a $1.9 million increase of about 6% over the previous biennial budget.
• Norwalk will also receive $383,000 in a new Special Education and Expansion Development grant.
• Darien will receive $2.42 million in total state aid over the next two years, a $263,000 increase of about 12% over the previous biennial budget.
• Of that total, Darien will receive $1.1 million in school aid, a $50,400 increase of about 4.9% over the previous biennial budget.

Sen. Duff also secured:

• $3.2 million for the Norwalk Transit District Route Enhancements and ADA Shortfall
• $2.9 million for the Women’s Business Development Council
• $2.2 million for the Norwalk Transit Coastal Link
• $2 million for The Workplace Retail Project
• $1.67 million for Person 2 Person
• $1.607 million for the Norwalk Maritime Aquarium
• $750,000 for Waterford’s Upstart Program
• $190,500 for the Connecticut Writing Project
• $161,726 for Stepping Stones
• $200,000 each for Filling in the Blanks, Robotics Funding, and Serving All Vessels Equally (SAVE) in Norwalk
• $100,000 each for Cornerstone Community Foundation, Norwalk International Cultural Exchange (NICE Festival), and the Norwalk Symphony
• $80,000 for the Youth Business Initiative
• $50,000 each for the Raymond Boathouse and Homes for Hope in Westport
• $40,000 each for Basket of Love, the MLK Scholarship Fund, and the Norwalk Housing Authority Scholarship Fund

“Our budget priorities and budget process here in Connecticut could not be more different than what’s happening right now in Washington, D.C. with Republicans and Donald Trump in charge,” Sen. Duff continued. “We’re paying down debt in Connecticut while they’re exploding it in Washington. We’re expanding access to childcare instead of slashing Head Start. We’re delivering record education aid to towns instead of dismantling the Department of Education. And we’re providing tax relief to lower-income working families, not billionaires. Democrats did right by Connecticut in this state budget.”

The 2026-27 State of Connecticut General Fund budget totals $49.392 billion, with a FY 26 growth rate of 5.4% and a FY 27 growth rate of 5.5%. The budget does not raise income, gasoline or sales taxes and is about $1 million under the constitutional spending cap in FY 26 and $75 million under the spending cap in FY 27.

The budget increases state aid to all local schools by $186 million to $2.4 billion and increases special education ‘excess cost’ aid to cities and towns by more than $80 million to $442 million.

The budget also increases by $250 per family the Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) for the working poor, totaling $26 million per year, affecting an estimated tens of thousands of Connecticut households (Norwalk has the 8^th-highest number of EITC households in the state, with nearly 5,000 claiming the credit.)

Today’s state budget also fully funds Medicaid, including more than $400 million in increased funding to shore up the program on which 900,000 Connecticut residents rely, and it invests $7 million in Foodshare, a nonprofit that helps to feed hungry families.

Duff & Maroney to Introduce Bill Banning Facial Recognition in Retail Establishments

HARTFORD, CT — Today, Senate Majority Leader Bob Duff (D-Norwalk) and State Senator James Maroney (D-Milford) announced they will introduce a bill in the upcoming 2026 legislative session to ban the use of facial recognition technology in retail establishments across Connecticut.

The proposal comes amid growing national concern over consumer privacy and the rapid expansion of biometric surveillance technologies in everyday settings. Facial recognition systems can capture, store, and analyze uniquely identifying biometric data without a customer’s knowledge or meaningful consent, raising serious questions about data security, misuse, and civil liberties.

Recent developments in neighboring states have heightened those concerns. Wegmans Food Markets, which operates stores throughout the Northeast, has posted notices at several New York locations informing customers that personally identifying biometric information, including facial recognition data, may be collected and stored while they shop. According to a recent CT Insider report, it is currently unclear whether the Wegmans in Norwalk, Connecticut, uses facial recognition technology.

The soon-to-be-introduced bill is intended to proactively protect Connecticut consumers before similar practices become widespread in the state. Under the bill, retail establishments would be prohibited from using facial recognition technology on customers, ensuring that individuals can shop without being subject to biometric surveillance.

“Connecticut residents shouldn’t have to worry about giving up information about themselves while grocery shopping,” said Senator Duff. “Facial recognition technology is highly invasive and poses real risks to privacy and trust. This bill will put people first and ensure retailers cannot collect or store personal biometric information about someone just because they walked into a store.”

Senator Maroney, who has been a leader on data privacy and consumer protection issues, emphasized the need for lawmakers to keep pace with rapidly evolving technologies.

“As technology continues to advance, we must be proactive and step in to protect consumers from surveillance they did not consent to,” said Senator Maroney. “Our bill will ensure people can shop for everyday necessities without being unknowingly tracked or having their biometric data collected.”

Consumer advocates have increasingly warned that biometric data, once collected, cannot be changed or reissued like a password or credit card number. If compromised, facial recognition data can expose individuals to long-term privacy and security risks.

The proposal will be part of a broader consumer protection and data privacy package that the senators will introduce during the 2026 session, aimed at strengthening Connecticut’s regulations governing the collection, use, storage, and sharing of personal data. Duff and Maroney say the bill reflects Connecticut’s commitment to protecting residents’ privacy while setting clear guardrails for the responsible use of emerging technologies.

Contact: Kevin Coughlin | Kevin.Coughlin@cga.ct.gov | 203-710-0193

Looney, Duff, Anwar Respond To New Childhood Vaccine Schedule, Which Will Leave More Children At Risk Of Serious Illness

Today, Connecticut Senate President Martin M. Looney (D-New Haven), Senate Majority Leader Bob Duff (D-Norwalk) and State Senator Saud Anwar (D-South Windsor), Senate Chair of the Public Health Committee, released the following statement following an announced change to the childhood vaccine schedule Monday by the Department of Health and Human Services, led by Robert F. Kennedy, Jr.

While the new schedule continues recommending some routine childhood vaccinations, others, like those for RSV and hepatitis, will be recommended only for “high risk” children. Additionally, parents who want their children to be vaccinated against flu, Covid and rotavirus will be required to consult with a health provider.

“This haphazard and alarming decision from Republicans in Washington is divorced from reality,” the lawmakers said. “Requiring parents to schedule annual doctor’s appointments for the sole purpose of getting their children vaccinated against common seasonal illnesses is needlessly complicated, even more so as flu is raging throughout Connecticut right now. The more hoops parents have to jump through for childhood vaccinations, the fewer children will be protected against viruses that can cause serious health complications. It’s another move that weakens our public health systems, contributes to the spread of illness and makes our communities less safe.”

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact: Kevin Coughlin | kevin.coughlin@cga.ct.gov | 203-710-0193

Sen. Duff Statement on Military Action in Venezuela

HARTFORD – Today, Senate Majority Leader Bob Duff (D-Norwalk) released the following statement in response to the military action in Venezuela.

“President Trump never laid out the need or the plan to the American people or Congress before attacking a sovereign nation and putting the lives of the men and women of our military at risk. This is an unpopular and illegal attack motivated by the vanity of a President focused on TV ratings instead of exploding prices here at home.

“Trump has been playing pretend strong man by going on a bombing spree around the world after campaigning on ending wars and putting America first. He’s done the exact opposite, making America weaker. No matter how many military actions he takes, Trump can’t deflect from his failed policies of higher prices and a country that is less affordable today than in 2024.”

Contact: Kevin Coughlin | Kevin.Coughlin@cga.ct.gov | 203-710-0193

Sen. Duff Signs National Letter Urging Federal Government to Withdraw Changes to Endangered Species Act

HARTFORD – Senate Majority Leader Bob Duff (D-Norwalk) signed onto a letter with several other state legislators from across the country to urge the federal government to withdraw proposed changes to the Endangered Species Act (ESA). The letter, addressed to U.S. Department of the Interior Secretary Doug Burgum and Director of U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Brian Nesvik, argues that four proposed changes to the ESA will strip key policies that have protected our nation’s wildlife and their habitats for decades.

“Our country enjoys some of the most diverse wildlife on the planet, from the New England coastline where I live, to rugged mountain ranges from Appalachia to the Sierra Nevada, to rich forestry in the Pacific Northwest and lush Hawaiian rainforests,” said Majority Leader Duff. “Our rich American landscape is under threat from climate change, overdevelopment, and resource mining, and these rules weaken our ability to protect the biodiversity that makes this country great.”

The letter argues that:

• The ESA has prevented the extinction of 99% of listed threatened and endangered species and has facilitated the recovery of iconic symbols of American heritage, such as the bald eagle, gray whale, bison, sea otter, and more.
• The ESA enjoys overwhelming bipartisan support among Americans, and a June 2025 poll shows that 84% believe it’s important to prevent species extinction, and that a majority favor habitat protections for imperiled species.
• These proposed changes will undermine state and federal cooperation in recovery efforts by weakening the partnership between the federal government and state agencies.
• These changes could cause economic harm, as endangered species offer economic benefits, including to tourism, modern medicine, agriculture, and recreation.

The legislators signed onto the letter opposing four specific proposed changes that would:

• Weaken Threatened Species Protections by rescinding the blanket 4(d) rule option and requiring that a species-specific rule is written. Threatened species would no longer be automatically protected from killing, harming, or habitat destruction. Instead, they would be vulnerable to weaker protections and face regulatory protection gaps.
• Exclude Areas from Critical Habitat Designation by requiring the Fish and Wildlife Service to consider economic impacts and follow a rigid process for critical habitat decisions. Such habitat is essential to the survival of endangered species. This new process would shift away from science-backed decisions while also reducing the size and effectiveness of critical habitat designations.
• Reduce Interagency Consultation by limiting the requirements for and the scope of instances in which federal agencies must consult each other to ensure their actions do not jeopardize listed species or destroy critical habitat. Under the proposed rule, it would be easier for federal agencies to overlook harmful impacts from pipelines, dams, mining approvals, grazing permits, and other federal actions.
• Remove Eligibility for New Critical Habitat Designation by making it harder to designate unoccupied critical habitat, narrowing the criteria for the term “foreseeable future,” and eliminating consideration of climate change impacts. This would make it significantly harder to protect species affected by drought, flooding, disease, and cumulative impacts.