By Kathy Kennedy
State Rep., R-119
Kathy Kennedy
And just like that, the 2025 legislative session is in the books. Did you catch all of the important proposals, conversations and new laws? Don’t worry: below, I will dive in on some of the major highlights from this session including the new state budget and an update to energy costs.
This session was all about one thing: finalizing a new state budget. Although my House Republican colleagues and I were the only caucus to propose an alternative budget to the governor’s plan, majority leaders still proceeded to disobey the fiscal guardrails and abandon a balanced budget.
I opposed the budget because it raises taxes through the hospital user fee, taxes businesses more and overfunds our higher education institutions, while many towns still suffer the costs of electricity, special education and housing. Despite our House Republican plan to lower utility prices and provide immediate relief to businesses and families, majority leaders had other spending priorities.
Apart from the budget, my Republican colleagues and I were successful in protecting residents from policies that would have negatively affected local values and our economic development. Some major wins for Republicans included defeating attempts to tax sweetened beverages, retail deliveries, mileage and car sharing. We also defended against gas-powered vehicle bans, legalizing homelessness and government-sanctioned illegal drug use sites.
More recently, Republicans also found success after the governor vetoed two pieces of legislation: one that would have diverted local control to build congested housing, and another which would have forced companies to pay workers who go on strike against them.
On affordability and energy, we passed a bill (Public Act 25-173) lowering the public benefits portion of our electric bills. Overall, however, this bill didn’t reflect our hopes to eliminate the public benefits portion altogether.
On public safety, PA 25-80 cracks down on street takeovers by increasing license penalties and allowing towns to destroy confiscated vehicles. Similarly, regarding road safety, we proudly passed a law permitting law enforcement to investigate vehicles with drivers using marijuana, which will ease rising rates of intoxicated driving (PA 25-19).
On education, we passed legislation that addresses special education needs and school resources (PA 25-93), ensures quality special education standards (PA 25-67) and diverts resources to the parents who require early childhood care assistance (PA 25-82). Additionally, I was proud to support a bill (HB 6857) on social media algorithms and youth targeting in response to Amity High School students Michael Audie and Daniel Mowerman. However, it failed to pass the Senate.
On veteran affairs, we made significant strides by passing the HERO Act (PA 25-15), which establishes certain military awards and addresses nursing home waiting lists, as well as a provision to expand tuition for national guardsman and disabled-veteran loans. We also made it easier for veterans to find housing and aid (PA 25-95).
Other positive bills include PA 25-159 that implements a “yellow envelope” program in the Department of Motor Vehicles which provides necessary details for law enforcement when interacting with someone who has an intellectual disability or disease. This was a huge win for the members of our IDD community and advocates across the state, and I am grateful for all those who helped make this possible.
As we transition out of our busy season, I look forward to seeing you in Milford and Orange for local events. I encourage you to follow me on social media and visit repkennedy.com to subscribe to my brief newsletter. As always, please never hesitate to contact me at Kathy.Kennedy@housegop.ct.gov or at 860-240-8700 with your questions, ideas and concerns.