These news briefs were originally written for CT Politics, The Connecticut Mirror’s weekly newsletter providing updates on the 2025 legislative session. To sign up for CT Politics, click here. As gouda it gets “Cheesy, a little sweet.” That was the review Gov. Lamont gave to Arethus a Farm’s award-winning “Europa” gouda cheese during a visit to the company’s dairy and cheesemaking facility in Bantam on Thursday. The governor’s palette was a bit less discerning from the experts at Arethusa, who describe their gouda as having “wispy aromas of butterscotch and toasted nuts that give way to a savory, brothy flavor.” One thing that is clear is that Europa is a winner. The cheese claimed the top prize in March at the U.S. Championship Cheese Contest in Wisconsin, beating out more than 2,000 competitors across the country for the second competition in a row. “We got the UConn Huskies who are world champions,” Lamont said, beaming into the TV cameras. “We’re here at Arethusa, which is the world champion of cheese.” Chris Casiello, the product manager at Arethusa, said he’s been honing the recipe since 2001 and sources all of the dairy’s milk from farms located in northwestern Connecticut. The company produces about 100,000 pounds of cheese a year, he said, and mainly sells locally and in New York and Massachusetts. While the visit from the governor and other local leaders was largely celebratory, talk did turn to the potential impact President Donald Trump’s tariffs would have on the other 85 active dairy farms operating in Connecticut. Department of Agriculture Commissioner Bryan Hurlburt noted that milk and dairy products are one of America’s top agricultural exports to Mexico and Canada, and that those producers would be hit hard if those countries responded with reciprocal tariffs on the industry. “We work in a global dairy economy,” Hurlburt said. “Dairy farmers are going to get paid less, should these tariffs continue, than they were previously.” — John Moritz, Environment and Energy Reporter No-fault eviction Tenants on Wednesday rallied alongside Democratic lawmakers in Hartford to call for a change to state law that would largely end no-fault evictions, which typically occur at the end of a lease. House Bill 6889 would ban no-fault evictions at apartments with five or more units. The protections would begin once a tenant has lived at the apartment for a year. These protections already exist for people with disabilities and seniors in Connecticut, and the bill would expand those rights. “Eviction often means losing our job because we are displaced from the neighborhood where our children have grown up and where we have built strong and diverse communities,” said Hartford tenant union leader Rosalina Rodriguez, speaking through an interpreter. The Housing Committee passed the bill last month. Members of the Connecticut Tenants Union aim to get the House to pass the bill early in the session. Landlords and Republicans have opposed the measure, saying it interferes with the rights of property owners. “There is no more cause for the ‘just cause’ bill today than there was when the legislature rejected it last year, because it does not protect Connecticut’s apartment communities and will not build one new apartment home to relieve the state’s housing shortage,” said Jessica Doll, executive director of the Connecticut Apartment Association, in a written statement. Advocates for the bill say it would help keep people housed, particularly when a new landlord purchases a property, evicts tenants and raises rents. It would also help ensure that people aren’t afraid of being evicted if they ask for home repairs. — Ginny Monk, Housing Children’s Issues Reporter Street takeovers A bill cracking down on so-called “street takeovers” passed through the Judiciary Committee on Tuesday. The bill allows municipalities to destroy all-terrain vehicles, dirt bikes and mini-motorcycles used in street takeovers if the owner doesn’t pick them up within 30 days. It also allows towns and cities to adopt ordinances to fine people participating in street takeovers up to $1,000 for a first violation, $1,500 for a second violation and $2,000 for a third violation, as well as impounding their cars. Participants may also have their licenses suspended for 45 days or revoked after a third offense. Mayor Justin Elicker of New Haven testified in favor of the bill during a public hearing in March, saying the city has struggled to address the problem. “Street takeovers and the use of illegal dirt bikes and ATVs are extremely dangerous, posing a risk not only to the participants themselves, but also to bystanders, neighbors, and our public safety personnel. We have seen injuries across the state and other dangerous activity associated with street takeovers, such as fires being set, fireworks being thrown, and in some cases, shots being fired,” he said in written testimony to the committee.  Deborah Del Prete Sullivan, Legal Counsel Director for the Office of Chief Public Defender who argued against the proposal, said she felt that revoking a license for participating in a street takeover would be too punitive, particularly for young people “who lack the maturity to appreciate their actions.” The ACLU also warned against allowing additional police actions, pointing out that traffic enforcement can disproportionately affect people of color. — Emilia Otte, Justice Reporter Incarcerated mothers and breastfeeding The Judiciary Committee passed a bill to allow people who are incarcerated to breastfeed children during visits. During a public hearing held last month, Department of Correction Commissioner Angel Quiros testified in support of the measure, explaining that no law or policy on breastfeeding currently exists. Sen. Heather Somers, R-Groton, a co-sponsor of the proposal, called it “a compassionate and necessary step forward, not just in criminal justice reform but in the overall health of our communities.” “Denial of breastfeeding during visits is not just an inconvenience — it is a form of unnecessary punishment that harms both mother and child,” Somers wrote in a statement. The bill now heads to the Senate for a vote. — Katy Golvala, Health Reporter Fining incarcerated individuals for misconduct On Tuesday the Judiciary Committee approved a proposal allowing correction officers to fine incarcerated individuals as punishment for misconduct. The bill originally received pushback from advocates, who said the measure would penalize the families of the incarcerated individuals, who contribute funds to their commissary accounts. Correction officers who testified in favor of the proposal told the committee they needed additional measures to impose discipline, since the legislature has prevented them from using punishments such as limiting out-of-cell time or taking away phone time. Sen. John Kissel, R-Enfield, said the idea came from a tour he took of the MacDougall-Walker Correctional Institution in Suffield. “Correction officers feel that the tools in their toolbox to maintain order has been limited,” Kissel said. He noted there would have to be “further discussions” about the bill, noting that not all incarcerated individuals are able to earn their own money. Sen. Gary Winfield, D-New Haven, said he was willing to support the bill because of Kissel’s “openness” to hear concerns brought forward by advocates. “I’m happy to engage in a conversation to see if we can make this bill do what Senator Kissel intends without having unintended consequences,” Winfield said. — Emilia Otte, Justice Reporter Senator proposes new “energy procurement authority” Finance, Revenue and Bonding Committee Co-Chair Sen. John Fonfara, D-Hartford, dropped new legislation this week taking aim at Connecticut’s high electric bills. The bill, S.B. 1560, would declare an “affordable energy crisis” in the state and set up a new public authority tasked with studying and developing plans to roll out new, lower-cost sources of power generation. The bill would require utilities regulators to incorporate time-of-use charges into customers’ electric rates and classify nuclear power as a renewable resource for the purpose of obtaining clean energy credits, among other changes. Fonfara previously served as chair of the Energy and Technology Committee, and has recently found himself in the news as the subject of a controversial deal with Gov. Ned Lamont’s office to confirm Public Utilities Regulatory Authority Chair Melissa Gillett. As part of that deal, Lamont agreed to also appoint Fonfara to an open seat on PURA at some later date. The senator did not make himself available for an interview on the legislation, but he issued a statement through a spokesman saying that his proposal offers a way out of the energy crisis. “This bill will take an historically inefficient electricity procurement and distribution system and turn it into an efficient system that will reduce ratepayer bills by 20 percent immediately, and 40 percent when fully implemented, while meeting critical environmental goals,” the statement said. The legislation is scheduled for a public hearing next Wednesday. — John Moritz, Environment Energy Reporter Eliminating the subminimum wage The Human Services Committee voted to advance a bill, which originated in the Labor Committee, that would establish a task force to study eliminating the subminimum wage for residents with disabilities. Federal and state laws requiring workers to earn a minimum wage do not apply to people with disabilities. There is currently no wage floor for individuals with disabilities, and many earn less than $3.50 an hour. During Friday’s vote, legislators on both sides of the aisle expressed concern about the “unintended consequences” of scrapping the subminimum wage. Rep. Jay Case, R-Winchester, a founding member of the Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities Caucus who had a brother with disabilities, said getting rid of the subminimum wage could eliminate job opportunities. “If we make it so everybody has the same minimum wage, those jobs will be eliminated and those people won’t have things to do during the day,” Case said. Rep. Lucy Dathan, D-New Canaan, agreed with Case’s concerns, but said she would support the measure. “I do feel that we at least need to look at this and study it,” she said. The bill now goes to the House for a vote. — Katy Golvala, Health Reporter Bill for sentence modification dies A bill that would have expanded opportunities for incarcerated people to have their sentences modified was not called for a vote by the Judiciary Committee during its final meeting on Thursday. The bill would have removed the requirement for the state’s attorney to approve any modifications to sentences of seven years or more that were made under a plea deal. It also would allow judges to reduce sentences that were made under mandatory minimums. It also would have allowed people whose bids for a sentence modification were rejected to reapply within two years, rather than five years, as current statute requires. In a public hearing last month, nearly 200 people sent in written testimony supporting the concept, many of whom were family members and acquaintances of people in prison, as well as incarcerated individuals themselves. Sen. Winfield, the committee chair, told The Connecticut Mirror on Thursday that negotiating the bill would have constrained the committee’s ability to pass a number of other important proposals before its Friday deadline. Both the Chief State’s Attorney Patrick Griffin and Rep. Craig Fishbein, R-Wallingford, said they believed the bill didn’t take into account the long judicial process that goes into determining the original sentences for incarcerated individuals. Others in opposition expressed concerns about placing undue burdens on victims by having to notify them every two years that the perpetrator of a crime against them could have his or her sentence modified. — Emilia Otte, Justice Reporter ...read more read less