Connecticut

GOVERNOR LAMONT REMINDS FAMILIES THAT NO-COST MEALS ARE AVAILABLE FOR ALL CHILDREN WHILE SCHOOL IS OUT DURING THE SUMMER MONTHS

(HARTFORD, CT) – Governor Ned Lamont and Education Commissioner Charlene M. Russell-Tucker today are reminding Connecticut families that during the summer months, nutritious meals are available at no cost to all children in the state, helping to ensure that students continue to have access to healthy meals while school is out. Any child age 18 and younger may receive meals at participating locations. No application, proof of income, or identification is required. To locate participating meal sites, use the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Summer Meals Site Finder at www.fns.usda.gov/summer/sitefinder or call 2-1-1. Because locations and operating hours may change throughout the summer, families are encouraged to confirm location and meal service times before visiting. “Access to nutritious meals is essential…

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GOVERNOR LAMONT ANNOUNCES FUNDING TO SUPPORT THE REDEVELOPMENT OF 12 UNUSED, BLIGHTED PROPERTIES

(HARTFORD, CT) – Governor Ned Lamont announced today that his administration is releasing $15.2 million in state funding to support assessment and remediation activities at 12 blighted properties across Connecticut, helping cover the costs of cleaning up these unused, polluted parcels so they can be redeveloped and returned to productive use, including for the creation of new housing and other economic development and job growth opportunities. The grants are being distributed through the Connecticut Department of Economic and Community Development’s (DECD) Brownfield Remediation and Development Program. This round of funding will support investigation and cleanup activities on 267 acres of land and are expected to leverage more than $81 million in private investments. “By partnering with towns and developers, we…

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Attorney General Tong Wins Lawsuit Over H-1B Visa Fee

ATTORNEY GENERAL WINS LAWSUIT CHALLENGING TRUMP ADMINISTRATION’S UNLAWFUL $100K TAX FOR H-1B VISAS (Hartford, CT) — Attorney General William Tong today released the following statement regarding a final ruling from the U.S. District Court of Massachusetts finding unlawful and vacating the Trump Administration’s policy imposing a $100,000 tax payment on new H-1B visa petitions. H-1B visas allow U.S. employers to hire highly skilled foreign national workers in roles that require specialized skills, including as teachers, physicians, researchers, nurses, and other vital workers, to alleviate nationwide labor shortages. The tax created a costly barrier for employers, weakened the economy, and disrupted essential services, especially for public sector and government employers trying to fill these positions. Attorney General Tong joined a multistate…

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GOVERNOR LAMONT SIGNS LEGISLATION STRENGTHENING THE ABILITY TO PROSECUTE HATE CRIMES

(HARTFORD, CT) – Governor Ned Lamont today announced that he has signed legislation into law that will improve the ability of police and prosecutors to charge criminals with hate crimes and seek their associated enhanced penalties. “Connecticut proudly led the nation in the adoption of hate crimes laws, but after three decades of expanded statutes, we needed to streamline our laws in order for them to be effective for police and prosecutors,” Governor Lamont said. “Our decision to consolidate our existing hate crime statutes into one law reflects feedback we received many criminal justice and legal experts. Hate crimes are on the rise nationwide, and many communities feel that the federal government is emboldening hate speech and discrimination against them.…

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GOVERNOR LAMONT ANNOUNCES ADDITIONAL 97,000 CONNECTICUT RESIDENTS TO HAVE MEDICAL DEBT ERASED

Letters Being Mailed This Week Under Fourth Round of the Lamont Administration’s Medical Debt Erasure Initiative (HARTFORD, CT) – Governor Ned Lamont today announced that more than 97,000 Connecticut residents can anticipate receiving letters in the mail starting the week of June 1, 2026, informing them that some or all of their medical debt has been erased under an initiative the Lamont administration launched in partnership with the national nonprofit organization Undue Medical Debt to give relief to qualifying residents who are having difficulties paying outstanding medical bills. This fourth round of the initiative is eliminating nearly $315 million in medical debt. In total, more than 252,000 Connecticut residents who’ve been struggling with medical bills have had more than $513 million in medical debt…

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GOVERNOR LAMONT SIGNS FY 2027 STATE BUDGET, DELIVERING A RELIABLE PATH FORWARD FOR SCHOOLS AND MUNICIPALITIES AND INCREASING AFFORDABILITY INITIATIVES

(HARTFORD, CT) – Governor Ned Lamont today announced that he has signed into law the fiscal year 2027 budget adjustment bill (Public Act 26-68), which his administration developed in collaboration with legislative leaders and was overwhelmingly approved on a bipartisan basis by the members of the Connecticut General Assembly. Most notably, the budget includes an historic increase in state funding for every school district and municipality statewide with the goal of helping towns and cities deliver essential services, while also working to stabilize and lower property taxes. It also includes a major investment into the state’s Early Childhood Education Endowment to continue Governor Lamont’s landmark expansion of early childhood education programs, continuing the state on the path forward toward providing…

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ATTORNEY GENERAL TONG WARNS AGAINST JOB RECRUITER SCAMS

(Hartford, CT)- Attorney General William Tong today urged Connecticut job seekers to remain vigilant against elaborate job recruitment scams. Cybercriminals are impersonating recruiters from legitimate companies to steal money, personal information, and other sensitive information from job seekers. These scams often appear on popular job search websites, like Indeed and LinkedIn, and on social media. The criminals may identify and target job seekers who have recently posted about the job search, layoffs, or displayed an “open to work” banner on their profiles. “As graduates begin searching for jobs and launching their careers, scammers are preying on that excitement and luring victims into handing over money and personal information. A legitimate recruiter or employer will never require payment for a job…

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BLUMENTHAL, DELUZIO, & BOYLE INTRODUCE BILL RESTORING LEGAL PROTECTIONS FOR AMTRAK PASSENGERS

[WASHINGTON, D.C.] – U.S. Senator Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) and U.S. Representatives Chris Deluzio (D-PA) and Brendan F. Boyle (D-PA) introduced the Ending Passenger Rail Forced Arbitration Act, legislation providing Amtrak passengers a pathway to seek justice after incidents of negligence or misconduct. In 2019, Amtrak quietly implemented a broad arbitration agreement and class action waiver policy that include personal injury claims, such as gross negligence and wrongful death, as well as claims of discrimination. The policy’s forced arbitration provision requires Amtrak passengers to forfeit their right to sue Amtrak in a U.S. court for any reason with the purchase of an Amtrak ticket. The Ending Passenger Rail Forced Arbitration Act prohibits Amtrak from continuing to impose its forced arbitration and class action waiver policy…

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Attorney General Tong Says Office Will Scrutinize Eversource Rate Hike Request

ATTORNEY GENERAL TONG STATEMENT REGARDING EVERSOURCE RATE HIKE (Hartford, CT) – Attorney General William Tong released the following statement regarding news that Eversource intends to file for a double-digit rate hike this summer. “Connecticut families are getting crushed by unaffordable energy costs while Eversource executives crow to Wall Street over surging profits and rake in multimillion dollar bonuses. But they choose now to demand hundreds of millions of dollars more. Why? Because after years of litigation and lobbying, they finally ran their chief regulator out of town. They want a rate hike now not because they need one, but because they think they can get away with it. We’re going to scrutinize every profit, every bonus, every perk and every…

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