By Mary Welander
State Rep., D-114
Mary Welander
The 2025 legislative session has officially started, and committees are already working on the priorities and goals for this budgetary year.
Every House legislator is typically assigned to two to four committees each term. This year my focus continues to be on education, but there have been a few interesting adjustments to my schedule. In addition to serving on the Education Committee for my fifth year, I am also serving on a special select committee on special education. As one of the major costs for every school district and municipality, evaluating how our state and the federal government funds and creates policy for special education services is key for understanding how we can improve. This committee will be convening for part of the year until we create recommendations that are passed along to the Education Committee, where I will be able to help shepherd those concepts further.
I am also reprising my role as vice chair of the Children’s Committee. While I had stayed on as a committee member last term, I am excited to return to a leadership position. We will be continuing to serve as the committee of cognizance for the Department of Children and Families, and will be taking the lead on two priority bills (HB5003 and SB6) focused on early childhood education and child care.
Additionally, I have been named the Democratic House leader for the Regulation Review Committee; this committee is unique in that it meets year-round and is divided equally between both parties. Regs, as it is referred to, is the final step in enacting legislation and policy that has made it through to the governor’s desk and determines the final details of implementation. It also is unique in that policy from all state agencies that covers every type of subject matter goes through Regs, which gives the committee incredibly broad oversight responsibilities. I served on this committee in my first term and am very pleased to return and serve in a leadership role.
Finally, I will be chairing the Early Childhood Caucus, which is a bipartisan partnership between the legislature, advocates and professionals and relevant agencies. Access to child care, early childhood education and family supports is one of the main determining factors of the economic success of our communities and the success of families, particularly for women and mothers. I am honored to be leading this group to address such important issues.
With these multiple leadership roles, I know that this will be a busy and challenging session. But I am excited for these opportunities and do not take these responsibilities lightly. As the bill proposals start taking more shape, I will be sure to share some key issues that may impact our district.
Your feedback makes a huge difference in how policy takes shape, so please stay up to date on the process by signing up for my weekly emails. As always, please reach out to share your thoughts on legislation or how I can help in any way at mary.welander@cga.ct.gov.