Connecticut Congressional Bills

in committee · Connecticut · House Jul 17, 2025

HR 4487: Gun Safety Incentive Act

The Gun Safety Incentive Act establishes voluntary best practices for safe firearm storage (e.g., in homes, vehicles, businesses) through the Attorney General, requiring public education and annual updates. It mandates that firearm manufacturers include a "SAFE STORAGE SAVES LIVES" notice with every handgun, rifle, or shotgun starting in 2027, directing consumers to a public website with storage guidance. The bill also creates a $10 million annual grant program for states and tribes to fund local safe storage device distribution programs and offers a tax credit (up to $400 per device) to manufacturers selling safe storage devices. These provisions directly affect firearm manufacturers, state/local governments, and safe storage device sellers, focusing on accessible storage education and financial incentives without restricting firearm ownership.

André Carson (D) · 33 co-sponsors

in committee · Connecticut · Senate Jul 16, 2025

SCONRES 18: A concurrent resolution recognizing a health and safety emergency disproportionately affecting the fundamental rights of children due to the Trump administration's directives that unleash fossil fuels and greenhouse gas emissions that contribute to climate change, while suppressing climate change science.

This Senate concurrent resolution (SCONRES 18) expresses Congress's view that Trump administration policies - such as expanding fossil fuel extraction, blocking renewable energy, and suppressing climate science - create a health and safety emergency disproportionately harming children. It specifically criticizes executive orders that increase greenhouse gas emissions, weaken environmental protections, and restrict access to climate data, citing scientific evidence linking these actions to worsened air quality, extreme weather impacts, and long-term health risks for children. The resolution demands the administration reverse these policies, restore the EPA’s mission, and publicly republish climate science data. As a symbolic congressional statement, it does not change law but aims to highlight the disproportionate impact on children’s fundamental rights and health.

Topics ✓ Energy ✗ Environment

in committee · Connecticut · House Jul 16, 2025

HCONRES 44: Recognizing a health and safety emergency disproportionately affecting the fundamental rights of children due to the Trump administration's directives that unleash fossil fuels and greenhouse gas emissions that contribute to climate change, while suppressing climate change science.

HCONRES 44 is a symbolic resolution recognizing a health and safety emergency for children linked to the Trump administration's climate policies. It claims these policies - unleashing fossil fuel production, blocking renewable energy, and suppressing climate science - disproportionately harm children through increased air pollution, extreme weather, and denied access to climate data. The resolution calls for reversing these policies, restoring the EPA's mission, and ensuring climate action aligns with protecting children's rights. It does not enact new laws or change policy, but serves as a formal congressional statement of concern.

Topics ✓ Energy ✓ Environment

in committee · Connecticut · Senate Jul 16, 2025

SRES 324: A resolution expressing the sense of the Senate that the actions of the Trump Administration that drastically and indiscriminately reduce staff at Federal agencies, freeze vast swaths of critical Federal funding, and dismantle Federal agencies are destructive and harmful to communities across the United States and have raised costs for American families.

SRES 324 is a non-binding Senate resolution expressing concern over actions taken by the Trump Administration. It criticizes policies that drastically reduced federal agency staff, froze critical funding, and dismantled agencies, stating these actions harm communities and raise costs for families. The resolution specifically highlights impacts on programs serving 32 million patients through health centers, Social Security/Medicare access, veterans' services, small business support, and medical research. It does not create new policy but formally states the Senate’s view that these actions are destructive and harmful. The resolution lists 12 specific areas affected, including housing assistance, disability education programs, and foreign aid reductions.

Topics ✓ Budget & Taxes ✓ Healthcare ✓ Labor & Employment ✓ Veterans

in committee · Connecticut · Senate Jul 16, 2025

S 2298: Asunción Valdivia Heat Illness, Injury, and Fatality Prevention Act of 2025

S 2298, the Asunción Valdivia Heat Illness, Injury, and Fatality Prevention Act of 2025, requires employers to prevent heat-related harm to workers. It mandates the Secretary of Labor to create binding standards within one year of enactment, including requirements for employers to provide cool water, scheduled rest breaks, shade, heat illness training, and engineering controls (like ventilation) to reduce heat exposure. These standards directly affect workers in high-heat occupations (e.g., construction, agriculture) and their employers, who must implement specific protective measures like hydration plans, cooling equipment, and supervisor training on recognizing heat illness symptoms. The bill also includes whistleblower protections for workers reporting safety violations and requires ongoing data collection to assess the standards' effectiveness.

Topics ✓ Labor & Employment

Alex Padilla (D) · 27 co-sponsors

in committee · Connecticut · Senate Jul 16, 2025

S 2299: Resilient Transit Act of 2025

The Resilient Transit Act of 2025 (S 2299) creates federal grants to help state and local governments improve public transportation systems' resilience against climate impacts like flooding, wildfires, and extreme weather. It funds specific activities such as flood barriers, backup power systems, temperature monitoring, and vulnerability assessments for transit infrastructure. Grants prioritize projects benefiting environmental justice communities, medically underserved areas, and neighborhoods with high poverty or unemployment rates, as defined by the bill. The legislation authorizes $4.15 billion for these grants in fiscal year 2025, requiring annual reports to Congress on funded projects and their community impact.

Topics ✓ Budget & Taxes ✓ Environment ✓ Transportation

in committee · Connecticut · Senate Jul 16, 2025

S 2300: A bill to amend section 2112 of title 44, United States Code, to appropriately limit donations to Presidential Libraries and Centers.

This bill restricts donations to presidential libraries and centers by prohibiting contributions from certain categories of donors, including registered lobbyists, foreign nationals, federal contractors, and individuals seeking pardons, during a president's term and for two years after leaving office. It also sets a $10,000 annual limit on individual donations (adjusted for inflation) and requires libraries to report all donations over $200, including donor details, to the National Archives. Donations must be reported quarterly, with reports published online for public access. The bill aims to increase transparency and prevent potential conflicts of interest in fundraising for these institutions.

in committee · Connecticut · Senate Jul 16, 2025

S 2303: Promoting Physical Activity for Americans Act

This bill requires the Secretary of Health and Human Services to publish regular physical activity recommendations for the public every 10 years, starting by December 2029. Each report must be based on current scientific evidence and include specific guidance for groups like children and people with disabilities. Federal agencies must consider these reports when developing their own physical activity guidelines. The bill does not create any mandatory fitness standards for individuals.

Topics ✓ Healthcare

in committee · Connecticut · House Jul 16, 2025

HR 4444: Student Loan Bankruptcy Improvement Act of 2025

HR 4444 would replace the current "undue hardship" standard for discharging student loan debt in bankruptcy with a new, more accessible standard. This change directly affects the 43 million Americans with federal student loans, particularly those struggling with payments (over 6 million are 90+ days delinquent as of June 2025), who currently face an extremely low success rate (less than 0.01%) under the existing Brunner test. The bill amends Section 523(a)(8) of the bankruptcy code to remove "undue hardship," giving courts flexibility to use reasonable criteria while maintaining existing bankruptcy requirements like means testing. This aims to provide a fairer path to relief for borrowers who cannot repay their debts, addressing a system where most bankruptcy filings for student loans fail.

Topics ✓ Education

J. Luis Correa (D) · 24 co-sponsors

in committee · Connecticut · House Jul 16, 2025

HR 4451: CARE for Kids Act of 2025

The CARE for Kids Act of 2025 expands eligibility for free school meals under the National School Lunch Act by adding new categories of children who automatically qualify. It includes children in kinship care with legal documentation (e.g., grandparent caregivers with custody or consent affidavits), children receiving adoption or kinship guardianship payments, and children living in low-income housing with older caregivers or under Native American housing programs. The bill also requires schools to honor meal eligibility when a child transfers between districts, extending coverage by one year if the child began living with a qualifying caregiver within the prior 12 months. These changes directly affect school districts, caregivers, and children in specific vulnerable situations who previously faced barriers to meal assistance.

Topics ✓ Education ✓ Healthcare

in committee · Connecticut · House Jul 16, 2025

HR 4443: Asunción Valdivia Heat Illness, Injury, and Fatality Prevention Act of 2025

This bill establishes federal worker heat protection standards to prevent heat-related illness and injury. It requires employers to provide a workplace free from heat stress hazards, including access to cool water, scheduled rest breaks, shaded cooling areas, and training on heat illness symptoms. The Secretary of Labor must create these standards within one year, incorporating evidence-based practices like engineering controls (e.g., ventilation), administrative measures (e.g., adjusted schedules), and employer-paid personal protective equipment. The law directly affects all employers in high-heat work environments - such as construction, agriculture, and manufacturing - and strengthens whistleblower protections for workers reporting safety violations.

Topics ✓ Environment ✓ Labor & Employment

Judy Chu (D) · 146 co-sponsors

in committee · Connecticut · House Jul 16, 2025

HR 4420: Cool Corridors Act of 2025

The Cool Corridors Act of 2025 expands the existing Healthy Streets program to fund tree planting, shade structures, and green infrastructure along transportation corridors - like bus stops, transit hubs, and school zones - to reduce heat exposure. It directly affects communities facing extreme heat and limited tree canopy (especially low-income or historically underserved areas), as well as state/local transit agencies, schools, and environmental groups. Key provisions include requiring projects to prioritize heat-vulnerable regions, mandate annual reporting on temperature reduction and equity outcomes, and ensure tree planting doesn’t obstruct traffic safety. The bill also extends program funding through 2030 and mandates coordination with agencies like the EPA and Forest Service.

Topics ✓ Education ✓ Environment ✓ Transportation

Connecticut Congressional Bills

Bill results