The General Assembly now in session, State Rep. Steve Stafstrom, House Chair of the law-writing Judiciary Committee, shared this eblast with his Black Rock/Brooklawn/West End consituency.
I’m sorry if we missed you at my Legislative Update meeting earlier this week. I know the snow impacted many of our schedules, so I wanted to make sure you’re up to speed on what we discussed. Here’s a quick summary of the key topics and what’s ahead for us in Hartford this session.
The 2026 Session Is Underway
The legislative session runs from February 4 through May 6 — just 13 weeks. It’s a short session, but the work is significant. As your House Co-Chair of the Judiciary Committee and a member of the Finance, Revenue and Bonding Committee, I’m right in the middle of the biggest debates this year: adjusting the state budget, responding to federal funding cuts, and advancing legislation on education, public safety, and civil rights.Tax Relief and Fiscal Responsibility
On the Finance Committee, I’m working to put money back in your pocket. Over the past few session we have cut taxes and Governor Lamont is now proposing one-time energy bill rebates to help with rising utility costs. At the same time, we’re being fiscally responsible — we set aside $500 million from the budget surplus during the special session to backfill federal funding cuts, and roughly $170 million of that has already been deployed to maintain health insurance subsidies and critical grant programs. We must also continue to invest in core government services, such as education and public safety.Investing in Education
Education funding, particularly high special education costs, remains a top priority. Bridgeport’s schools need more support, and I’m continuing to fight for our students. I’ve helped secure funding for Central High School, Black Rock School, Claytor Magnet Academy, and $90.8 million in state bonding for the new Bassick High School. Governor Lamont has also proposed a Blue Ribbon Commission to reevaluate the Education Cost Sharing formula, and I’ll be pushing to ensure Bridgeport gets its fair share.Protecting Our Community from Federal Overreach
One of the most important conversations at the meeting was about immigration enforcement. Connecticut’s Trust Act already limits local police cooperation with ICE, and we strengthened those protections during last year’s special session by restricting ICE arrests near courthouses. This session, we’re working on legislation to allow Connecticut residents to sue federal officials who violate their constitutional rights. Our courthouses and schools must remain safe spaces for everyone.Gun Safety and Public Safety
Last session, I led the passage of the Firearm Industry Responsibility Act, which allows victims and municipalities to sue firearms companies that fail to prevent illegal sales. We’re building on that work this year with continued collaboration with Attorney General Tong and advocacy groups. On the broader public safety front, the Judiciary Committee is advancing protections against sexual abuse in prison, expanded violence intervention programs, and other common-sense reforms.Bridgeport’s Future Is Bright
Despite national uncertainty, I’m genuinely optimistic about Bridgeport. We’re seeing new investment and renewed energy across our neighborhoods. Our city is resilient, and I’m committed to continuing the work to improve our business climate and quality of life.How You Can Get Involved
Here’s how you can stay engaged and make your voice heard:
Attend a public hearing. The Judiciary Committee holds public hearings throughout the session, and your testimony matters.Contact my office. Email me at Steve.Stafstrom@cga.ct.gov or call 860-240-8585 with questions, concerns, or ideas.
Stay connected. Keep an eye out for future community meetings and updates from my office.
This is your government, and I want you to be part of it. Even in a time of national polarization, here in Connecticut we’re proving that state government can still work — across party lines and for the people. I’m honored to represent you, and I look forward to hearing from you.
https://youtu.be/cHM5poI1sQc?si=Pve3f2uai8XAjS0t
We don’t need you to support a study. We know the problem. The state of CT and the CGA racist reliance on property taxes to fund education needs to end. No more studies. Action NOW . See my testimony. It’s time to stop the word games.
Madam Chair, members of the committee.
My name is Joseph Sokolovic today I am speaking as an individual in opposition to senate bill 221.
Connecticut loves to feign ‘equity’ through lip service, but our institutions keep in place systems of oppression. The outcomes are racial, the patterns are racial, and the policies that produce them are racial. If we can’t say that out loud, we are not serious about fixing anything.
This state has been blocking Black and brown education for generations. This is not new under Trump. In 1831, New Haven had the chance to host what would have been America’s first Black college. Yet it was voted it down 700 to 4. Violence followed. Connecticut later passed the ‘Black Law’ to criminalize educating out‑of‑state Black students. That is part of the history of institutional racism in this state, deny access, then legalize the denial.
Today, the same system still exists, it is more subtle, and harder to call out. Connecticut’s districts remain among the countries most racially segregated. That’s not coincidence, it’s statute.
There is a massive racial funding gap, which today is approaching $1 billion withheld from Black and Latino children again not a coincidence a but a policy codified by this very body.
Yes, we have ECS, a formula created to equalize opportunity, but the ECS has been underfunded for years, and ‘phase-ins’ don’t mean justice when the racial outcomes stay the same.
Now look at what’s happening in the current budget debate. The state is cheering Lamont’s free breakfast. Feed kids? Absolutely. But , the state proposes eliminating $12 million in supplemental funding for RESC-operated magnet schools. That is not an unrelated detail. It’s the tell, yet another disparity ready to be baked into statute.
RESCs help poor districts deliver services they can’t afford alone. When RESC funding is cut wealthy districts barely notice. Poor, high-need districts, disproportionately Black and Brown, get hit hardest.
So let’s name it. This a regressive election year trade off. A headline-friendly benefit, paid for by weakening a program that serves the poorest children. That is modern day institutional racism operating through a budget swap.
My ask is simple: stop offering platitudes and start making institutional change. Reject the language change in bill 221 and
1) Protect and strengthen RESCs instead of using their funding to buy votes from the affluent.
2) Fully fund ECS to explicitly close the racial funding gap, raise the foundation to $17k with modern costs and stronger need weights. Link minimum increases to the formula to some inflationary index and ensure that districts get enough of an increase to meet escalated fixed costs and any state mandates
Connecticut doesn’t need better language. It needs better law.
Equity delayed is equity denied.
Thank you.