Hundreds of bills were introduced to Connecticut lawmakers in the 2024 session on dozens of topics, from the state bug to solving the state’s housing crisis, but only a few will become law . While many bills were put on the calendar for a vote, a lack of political will or time, as lawmakers worked until the final minutes before the mandatory session ended at midnight Wednesday, limited what was approved. Here’s a look at what happened.
Stabilization and budget bonus
Instead of opening the state budget for review, lawmakers approved a $360 million spending package that redistributes millions in unspent federal pandemic aid to fund higher education , children’s mental health, municipalities and non-profit organizations, among others.
The Legislature also authorized nearly $2.5 billion in bonds for capital projects next year. The package includes up to $625 million in bonds through 2031 for the UConn 2000 Development Project, with the condition that the university’s philanthropic commitments total at least $100 million over the next eight years.
Paid sick days, strikes
Soon, all employees will be entitled to paid sick days under House Bill 5005.
The legislation paves the way for a three-year phase-in of Connecticut’s sick leave requirements for businesses with fewer than 50 employees. Under the bill, employees will accrue one hour of sick leave for every 30 hours worked. Employees are eligible for this time after working for their employer for 120 calendar days. They can use up to a maximum of 40 hours of leave each year.
Gov. Ned Lamont said the expansion of paid sick days “makes Connecticut one of the leaders.”
“You have to work hard in this day and age. Make sure you keep your workers and make sure they can stay. I don’t want people showing up to work sick. We’ve done that, and hats off to you,” he said. said Lamont.
The governor wasn’t as keen on another labor victory, the creation of a state fund to pay striking workers.
Lamont told reporters he would not support House Bill 5431, which would establish a $3 million fund under the State Comptroller’s Office to provide financial assistance to striking workers.
“I support the right to organize, I support defined benefit plans, I support expanding health care and I want to make sure we have a strong workforce,” Lamont said. “Does this mean that I want taxpayers to subsidize striking workers? I don’t think I do.”
Senate President Pro Tempore Martin Looney said Lamont’s opposition to the bill is something Democratic lawmakers “regret and hope he changes his mind.”
nurses
Lawmakers approved Senate Bill 1, an expansive health care bill that strengthens protections for nurses and home health care providers.
The legislation was inspired by the death of Joyce Grayson, a 63-year-old visiting nurse who was found dead in the basement of a foster home after a home visit with a registered sex offender.
“SB 1 was really significant,” Looney said. “It offers protection to home care workers and tries to have a safety system in place so that people who need home care can get it, but the workers who provide it have greater protection. This is important.”
The legislature also passed House Bill 5058, which would allow Connecticut to enter the Nursing Licensing Compact. The measure would ensure that nurses can acquire a multistate license to practice in any state that is part of the compact.
housing
This session, House Speaker Matt Ritter, D-Hartford, said the Legislature made “incremental progress” on housing but achieved “certainly not everything that people might have hoped for.” .
Most notable was House Bill 5474, a proposal that incorporates numerous concepts from the Majority Leaders’ Affordable Housing Roundtable to encourage affordable housing development.
It requires municipalities to allow developers to convert vacant nursing homes into multi-family housing. It also allows cities and towns to regulate short-term rentals like Airbnb and Vrbo rentals. The bill also requires landlords to provide 45 days’ written notice of proposed rent increases to tenants.
“I think we’ve made progress on housing,” Lamont said. “We have added population in recent years, this is good. The only thing that can hold us back and put us at risk (is if) there is no place to live.”
Lamont said he is a fan of HB 5474’s provisions.
“I like the fact that it provides additional incentives for labor, housing and affordable housing in the downtown areas. I like the fact that it gives a little bit of an incentive in terms of a why you want to I like the fact that you get extra credit if you zone it accordingly and get relaxed relief with 8-30g I think these are all ways to work with our municipalities to achieve more housing,” Lamont said.
Reform of care for the elderly
Ritter said Connecticut lawmakers had “a very good year in terms of senior care and aging-in-place legislation.”
House Bill 5001 makes sweeping changes to the state’s senior care system by increasing oversight, streamlining access to Medicaid, and requiring the state to maintain a virtual registry of home care providers.
Beginning July 1, 2026, HB 5046 prohibits new nursing home residents from being admitted to a room with more than two beds. The bill also establishes penalties for healthcare institutions that fail to comply with corrective action plans, among other measures.
education
After a Dalio Education report found that one in five young people are at risk of not graduating or are already disconnected from education and employment, the Legislature will now require the state’s data system to submit reports Annual Report on Disconnected Youth in Connecticut.
The provision is part of House Bill 5437, a major education package that also takes steps to address school climate and imposes restrictions on the number of days schools can suspend students in or out of school, among other things measures
House Republican Leader Vincent Candelora of North Branford said the data collection component was “definitely a sticking point” for Republicans.
“For us, what was important is a lot of the education reform laws, for the ECS (Education Cost Sharing), to create a fairer funding stream for our communities, but also to start the path of data collection and start trying to get involved to get our young people reconnected in the classroom,” said Candelora.
Lawmakers also approved Senate Bill 327, a proposal that would establish a task force to study the effects of hate speech and bullying on children’s mental well-being, physical health and academic performance.
House Bill 5436 streamlines the state’s teacher certification process, among other sweeping changes.
Charlene Russell-Tucker, commissioner of the Connecticut State Department of Education, said the certification regulations were last updated in 1998.
“We are very pleased with the passage of HB 5436 and believe this is a giant step in the right direction to modernize our certification laws, break down barriers, and hire and retain a diverse workforce,” Russell-Tucker said in a statement on Thursday.
Russell-Tucker said the creation of the Connecticut Educator Certification and Preparation Board “will bring the expertise of qualified and veteran educators, along with the State Board of Education, to continually develop standards and proposals that result in to significant long-term change.”
Killed in the “line of duty”.
This session, state lawmakers passed legislation to expand the definition of “line-of-duty” death and extend more benefits to the families of fallen officers.
House Bill 5279 gives police, fire, and emergency medical service chiefs the authority to declare an officer, firefighter, or EMS personnel killed in the line of duty “if the death be caused by a cardiac event, stroke or pulmonary embolism within 24 hours.” after … a shift or training.” For some surviving families, the expanded definition will unlock access to cash benefits, tuition waivers, health insurance and pension benefits.
Senate Bill 341 codifies a “Fallen Officers Fund” under the state comptroller’s office to provide “a lump sum death benefit totaling $100,000 to a surviving relative or beneficiary of a police officer who died in the line of duty or suffered injuries that were the direct and proximate cause of the officer’s death.”
It also allows family members to keep coverage on the deceased officer’s health insurance policy for up to five years after the officer’s death.
Candelora said the legislation was an important initiative for the Republican caucus, which pushed for the creation of the fund last year.
“The Fallen Officer Fund … will now extend health care benefits to families where an officer is killed in the line of duty,” Candelora said. “I was glad to see that the intervention was also pushing this agenda and working to keep this bill moving forward.”