# Connecticut Legislature Wraps 2025 Session: Key Bills Pass While Others Falter
The Connecticut General Assembly just wrapped up its 2025 legislative session. Lawmakers managed to pass several significant bills, including a new $55.8 billion two-year budget.
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Hundreds of other proposals didn’t make it before the midnight deadline. The session brought a mix of bipartisan wins and heated debates on topics like environmental protection and criminal justice reform.
Governor Ned Lamont will now review all the bills that made it through.
Budget Highlights and Major Legislative Victories
The big headline? Lawmakers approved a $55.8 billion biennial budget with some notable fiscal changes. Residents in Hartford and New Haven will notice a new cap on the Special Transportation Fund reserve.
Farmers in Litchfield County could see some relief from new business tax credits. Lawmakers say these changes aim to support small businesses and rural economies.
Family child care home owners in Fairfield and New London counties will get a $500 tax credit. It’s a small bit of relief, but in this economy, every bit helps.
Education and Childcare Initiatives
Senate Bill 1, which targets early childhood care, cleared both chambers with strong bipartisan backing. The bill tries to address the childcare crunch for working families in places like Stamford and Bridgeport.
House Bill 5001 also passed with little pushback. It’s set to improve special education services across Connecticut schools, something advocates in West Hartford have really pushed for.
Environmental Legislation and Climate Action
House Bill 5004, aiming to strengthen Connecticut’s carbon-reduction targets and create a Clean Economy Council, passed the House. The Senate still needed to act on it as the session closed.
Environmental groups from Greenwich to Mystic kept a close watch on this bill. They see it as a big step toward the state’s climate goals.
Bear Management Controversy
A bill that would’ve allowed bear hunting in Connecticut went through major changes in the House. Lawmakers scrapped the hunting provision and instead called for a comprehensive bear management plan.
This shift followed some pretty intense debates between wildlife advocates and residents dealing with more bear encounters in the suburbs.
In northwestern Connecticut, people keep talking about how often they’re running into bears these days. It’s become a real issue for those communities.
Insurance Reform and Consumer Protections
Lawmakers passed an omnibus insurance reform bill. It gives the insurance commissioner more authority to limit rate hikes and enforce mental health parity rules.
The law brings hefty fines—up to $625,000 for noncompliance. It stands out as one of the toughest consumer protection moves in years.
Immigration and Criminal Justice Measures
The legislature expanded the Trust Act. Now, people can sue over violations, and the rules for when officials can honor federal immigration detainers have broadened.
This change will have a big impact on immigrant communities in Connecticut’s cities.
Criminal justice reforms landed all over the map:
What Didn’t Make It
As always, plenty of bills just didn’t make it this session. A proposal for “baby boxes,” which would have let people anonymously surrender infants, died in committee even though it had some early support.
Environmental and criminal justice advocates watched the clock tick down. Several of their top bills ran out of time and never got a final vote before the legislature’s midnight deadline.
Here is the source article for this story: CT 2025 legislative session: Here’s the status of several bills
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