Rep. Josh Elliott

Maddy summaryHJ 47 proposes a constitutional amendment allowing state citizens aged 16 to apply for voter registration in advance, with voting rights activating on their 18th birthday if they applied and meet other eligibility requirements. This would permit 16- and 17-year-olds to preregister as voters, though they could not cast ballots until turning 18. The amendment would appear on the November 2026 general election ballot, with a one-time $35,000 cost for ballot printing in fiscal year 2027. The ballot question asks voters to approve "allowing citizens who have attained the age of sixteen years to preregister to be an elector, for the purpose of becoming an elector on such citizen's eighteenth birthday."

Maddy summaryHB 6915 bans the use of certain second-generation anticoagulant rodenticides (containing brodifacoum, bromadiolone, difenacoum, or difethialone) statewide starting October 1, 2025, affecting most residential, commercial, and general pest control uses. Key exceptions allow continued use for public health activities (e.g., water infrastructure protection, mosquito control), emergency rodent infestations requiring public health approval, specific facilities like medical waste sites and food production facilities, and agricultural operations in designated locations (warehouses, slaughterhouses, etc.). The bill also requires the Environmental Protection Commissioner to develop wildlife protection regulations and submit a 2027 report analyzing impacts on public health, agriculture, and federal compliance. This policy change directly affects pest control businesses, property managers, and agricultural operations while permitting limited uses for public health and critical infrastructure needs.

Maddy summarySB 1327 allows judges to reduce sentences for certain defendants while they are serving time, specifically those sentenced to over seven years via a plea agreement after October 1, 2021. It requires courts to hold hearings for good cause, consider victim input (either in person or via written statement), and sets a two-year waiting period before a defendant can reapply for sentence reduction after a denial or partial grant. The bill also explicitly permits judges to modify sentences below mandatory minimums for eligible cases, while requiring defendants to submit applications with supporting documents and giving the state 90 days to respond. This changes existing law by expanding access to sentence reviews and streamlining the process for eligible individuals.

Maddy summaryHB 5560 prohibits businesses from creating or spreading fake reviews, testimonials, or celebrity endorsements that falsely claim to come from real people or misrepresent their experience with a business, product, or service. It specifically bans businesses from: (1) writing or selling fake reviews/testimonials that pretend a reviewer exists or had real experience, and (2) buying or sharing such false content when they know it misrepresents the reviewer’s existence or experience. The law applies to online reviews on websites or social media platforms, covering consumer goods (like household items) and services (like home repairs) sold to people in the state. It exempts reviews from "immediate relatives" (spouses, parents, children, siblings) but targets misleading content meant to trick consumers. The bill takes effect October 1, 2025.

Maddy summaryThis House Joint Resolution honors the 6888th Central Postal Directory Battalion, a World War II unit of 855 African-American and Latina women in the Women's Army Corps, for clearing military mail backlogs in Europe. The battalion processed an average of 65,000 parcels daily under difficult conditions, clearing a six-month backlog in three months and a three-year backlog in France, supporting troop morale through their motto "No mail, low morale." The Connecticut General Assembly passes this resolution to recognize the battalion's historic role as the only predominantly Black and Latina women's unit deployed to the European Theater during WWII, highlighting their contributions to breaking racial and gender barriers in the military.

Maddy summarySB 1192 requires Connecticut's Office of the Healthcare Advocate to create an online portal by July 1, 2025, to help patients and families navigate hospital financial assistance programs that reduce their medical costs. The portal must include tools to streamline applications, eligibility screening, and resources to avoid future medical debt. Starting July 1, 2026, hospitals offering financial assistance programs must provide the Office with updated contact details (websites, phone numbers, emails) within 30 days of any changes. This bill directly affects patients seeking financial aid, hospitals with existing assistance programs, and the Office of the Healthcare Advocate, which will manage the portal and related information.

Maddy summarySB 1191 establishes a state-run pancreatic cancer screening and treatment referral program targeting underserved populations, including those at or below 250% of the federal poverty level, without health coverage for screening, or at recommended screening age. The program, to be run by the Department of Public Health starting October 2025, provides public education on early detection, registers screening providers, tracks patients after screening, and ensures quality compliance. It prioritizes minority communities and aims to improve access to screening and treatment referrals through outreach and data systems. The program requires no new medical treatments but creates a structured referral system to connect eligible patients with existing services.

Maddy summaryHB 6280 establishes a Climate Superfund Cost Recovery Program to fund climate adaptation projects by requiring fossil fuel companies to pay for historical emissions. It targets entities that extracted or refined fossil fuels (coal, oil, gas) during 1995-2025 and caused over one billion metric tons of emissions, treating corporate "controlled groups" as single liable entities. Funds collected will finance concrete adaptation projects like flood protection, infrastructure upgrades, and health programs to address climate impacts. The Department of Energy and Environmental Protection administers the program, using strict liability to recover costs for state-wide climate resilience efforts.

Maddy summarySB 742 would impose a new 1.75% surcharge on capital gains for Connecticut taxpayers with adjusted gross income meeting the threshold for the state's highest income tax rates (as defined in section 12-700). This surcharge applies specifically to profits from selling investments like stocks or real estate, directly affecting high-income earners who already pay the top marginal tax rates. The bill amends tax law to add this surcharge to existing capital gains tax calculations for qualifying taxpayers. It does not change the base tax rates or thresholds for income brackets.

Maddy summaryHB 5026 exempts the sale, storage, use, and consumption of aircraft weighing less than 6,000 pounds (maximum certificated takeoff weight) from state sales and use taxes. This change directly affects owners, buyers, and sellers of small aircraft, such as personal or small business planes. The bill amends existing tax law to create a uniform exemption for this category of aircraft, removing a tax burden previously applied to their purchase and use. It does not apply to larger aircraft or other taxable items.