Connecticut lawmakers returned to the capitol Wednesday for the start of the 2026 legislative session.
The session will include adjustments to the state’s two-year budget and ongoing bipartisan concerns about housing and energy bill affordability and federal funding cuts.
Gov. Ned Lamont’s administration plans to share its proposed budget adjustments Wednesday morning, and the Democrat will give his State of the State address soon after.
Lamont said he plans to propose a rent cap to help residents with skyrocketing prices amid a housing crisis. He also plans to pitch a one-time energy bill rebate for millions of Connecticut customers.
Democratic House Speaker Matt Ritter told Connecticut Public’s “The Wheelhouse” that the state may need to take more action to make up for federal funding cuts.
“Obviously, there’s been a lot made about the cuts from the federal government,” Ritter said. “We’ve done a good job of, for example, subsidizing those health premiums that would have expired otherwise.”
Lawmakers are expected to continue a $500 million-dollar emergency relief fund that was authorized late last year to cover federal policy changes. About $300 million remains available in that fund, Ritter said.
As federal funding uncertainty continues, Connecticut’s House Republican leader said affordability concerns remain front of mind for his caucus this session.
State Rep. Vincent Candelora told “The Wheelhouse” that inflation and high food prices are hammering state residents and that Republicans want to help.
“We’re looking at proposing property tax relief in particular,” Candelora said. “We would like to see more money go into education, which would also, as a correlation, offset property taxes since education relies so heavily on that real property tax.”
Candelora said ongoing federal cuts have been a “nightmare,” but that state lawmakers must be careful about using state money to cover the loss of that funding.
This is a developing story and will be updated. Connecticut Public’s Michayla Savitt, Daniela Doncel, Áine Pennello, Matt Dwyer and Patrick Skahill contributed to this post.
