Reflections on the 2025 State Legislative Session

Jun 26, 2025

by Elaine Mintz, Vice President, Strategy & External Relations

During the 2025 Connecticut Legislative Session, FCCF advocated for policies that would expand fairness and opportunity in education, housing, health, and economic mobility for Fairfield County residents.

The session unfolded under tight fiscal constraints. State leaders faced tough choices about how to allocate limited resources, and many nonprofits are preparing for more federal funding cuts later this year. Despite these challenges, there were encouraging steps forward and continued momentum around policies that promote equity and opportunity.

Highlights from the 2025 Session

Economic Mobility

  • While a permanent Child Tax Credit was not passed, a modest but meaningful expansion to the Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) added a new $250 per-child dependent credit for qualifying households. This change is expected to benefit many working families and cost the state approximately $26 million annually.
  • A standalone bill to address “benefit cliffs” didn’t pass, but its core provisions were included in the state budget. This protects recipients of direct cash assistance pilot programs in CT, including recipients of our Changemaker Fund, from losing public benefits due to small income increases. This is a key step toward long-term financial security.

Children and Families

  • A landmark early childhood package passed laying the groundwork for universal pre-K by 2032. The package caps childcare costs at 7% of household income for families earning over $100,000 and will make childcare and pre-K free for families earning under $100,000. It also establishes an endowment to expand and sustain access to early care and education for the future.

Housing Investments

  • A comprehensive housing reform bill (HB 5002) was passed by the House and Senate but was vetoed by the Governor. This bill would have made meaningful progress in addressing the state’s housing crisis. The Legislature will return for a special session to address the Governor’s concerns with HB 5002. While this comprehensive bill was vetoed, the state budget did include a boost to housing and homelessness services including:
    • The Housing/Homeless Services budget line had an increase of $8.5M and $26.4M in each year of the biennium over the previous budget, representing a 9% and 30% budget increase, respectively. The legislature also appropriated an extra $18M for immediate use in FY25.
    • This increase in funding includes an increase for CT’s Rental Assistance Program (RAP). Funding is expected to support an estimated 700 new RAP vouchers, along with increases to keep pace with rising rents.
  • The state also allocated new bond authorizations for housing including:
    • $200M in each year of the biennium for housing development and rehabilitation projects.
    • $150M in FY26 and $150M in FY27 to the Housing Trust Fund (HTF) for workforce housing projects.
    • $60M in each year of the biennium for the Time to Own program.

Youth Justice

A bill that raises the age of arrest and limits the use of handcuffs on young children passed both chambers and now awaits implementation. It’s a meaningful step toward ensuring a more compassionate approach to youth justice.

Missed Opportunities—and What’s Next

Despite real progress, several important proposals did not advance.

  • A bill to establish “just cause” eviction protections was not brought to a vote.
  • A proposed permanent child tax credit and free school meals for all students both stalled.
  • The scholarship displacement bill—which would have prevented colleges from reducing financial aid when students receive outside scholarships—passed the Senate unanimously but was not taken up by the House.

Community Voice in Action

We were especially encouraged by the engagement of our Allies for Equity community in our advocacy work. Nearly 40 Allies participated in our advocacy training sessions, and more than 20 took direct action—writing legislators and submitting testimony to support policies that expand fairness and opportunity. Their voices made a difference, and we’re excited to build on that momentum.

Our advocacy during this legislative session brought valuable insights and gave us opportunities to strengthen existing relationships and form new ones. We’re proud to have contributed to policies that advance opportunity in Connecticut. We’re grateful to our partners, advocates, and legislative allies who helped advance this work—and we look forward to continuing the journey in the year ahead.