These news briefs are part of The Connecticut Mirror’s 2026 political coverage. For more news about the 2026 legislative session, campaigns, elections and more, sign up here for The Issue, CT Mirror’s weekly politics newsletter. DHS shutdown heads into fourth week Kristi Noem might be out as the head of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. But the shutdown of the agency will outlast her tenure. DHS heads into its fourth week of a funding lapse. On Thursday, the House passed a funding bill, but with little support from Democrats. On the other side of the Capitol, Senate Democrats blocked such funding. U.S. Rep. Rosa DeLauro, the ranking member on the House Appropriations Committee, called the House vote “political theater.” She urged GOP leaders to take up her bill that would fund all agencies in DHS except for ICE and Border Patrol while negotiations continue. — Lisa Hagen, Federal Policy Reporter Overdose prevention centers A bill seeking to create centers where people can use illicit drugs under supervision passed through the Public Health Committee on Monday, advancing a controversial approach to stopping overdose deaths. The bill would create a pilot program in four municipalities, requiring approval of local governments. The effort was taken up last year by advocates who say that such centers, of which there are only a handful nationwide, can save lives by allowing for the administration of the overdose reversal drug naloxone when needed. At the time, Gov. Ned Lamont said the state wasn’t ready. — Laura Tillman, Human Services Reporter Private equity protections On Monday, the Public Health Committee passed two bills meant to address lessons learned from the fallout following private equity ownership of three Connecticut hospitals, which left the facilities bankrupt and on the brink of closure. Senate Bill 196 would ban Connecticut hospitals from engaging in “sale-leasebacks,” which involve the sale of a hospital’s real estate to an investor. Research published last year found sale-leasebacks were associated with greater risk of hospital bankruptcy and closure. The other proposal directs a study regarding whether the attorney general should be authorized to petition the court to appoint a receiver at financially distressed hospitals. — Katy Golvala, Health Reporter Golden Girls bill The Housing Committee on Tuesday heard testimony on a bill that would ensure that single-family homeowners can rent up to three rooms in their houses to long-term tenants, a measure that supporters have termed the “Golden Girls Bill.” Senate Bill 339 would require that local zoning allow room rentals for six months or more. Supporters said it would help address Connecticut’s lack of housing and have nicknamed the measure after the 1980s sitcom in which four women spend their golden years sharing a house in Miami. Opponents said the measure would effectively turn single-family housing into multi-family. — Ginny Monk, Housing Children’s Issues Reporter  Diamantis scandal prompts calls for change You can call it the Kosta Diamantis rule. Legislators on the Government Oversight Committee heard testimony this week on a bill — Senate Bill 323 — that would make it illegal under Connecticut’s ethics laws for a public official or state employee to use their position to “facilitate” the “employment, appointment, promotion, transfer or advancement” of their immediate family members to a “state office or position.” The bill, which was requested by the Office of State Ethics, comes after multiple investigations concluded that Diamantis, a former state deputy budget director and head of the state’s school construction program, used his public positions to help his daughter land jobs at the Chief State’s Attorney’s office and with a school construction contractor. — Andrew Brown, Investigative Reporter ‘Superfund’ bill advances A so-called “climate superfund’ bill championed by climate advocates advanced out of the Environment Committee on Wednesday over the objections of Republicans. The bill, modeled off of similar laws in New York and Vermont, would require large fossil fuel companies to pay billions of dollars to help Connecticut better withstand the impacts of climate change. Opponents, including many in the business community, charge that the bill would shift those costs onto consumers through higher gas prices. Climate superfund laws in other states are tied up in legal battles, which Democrats say they are monitoring as they weigh the legislation. — John Moritz, Energy Environment Reporter Energy bill draws warning from Lamont Gov. Ned Lamont issued a rare warning last month to lawmakers considering a bill that would give towns a bigger voice in the siting of power facilities and other critical infrastructure projects within their borders: tread carefully. The governor’s message came in testimony on Senate Bill 144, which he said was “nearly identical” to legislation he vetoed in 2023. Both bills would grant towns a non-voting member on the Connecticut Siting Council. Despite the governor’s warning, the Environment Committee advanced the bill on Wednesday with lawmakers promising to refine the language to ease the governor’s concerns. — John Moritz, Energy Environment Reporter Nursing home private equity bill moves forward Members of the Aging Committee voted to advance a bill that would require nursing homes to disclose a slew of records, including the names and addresses of entities with a beneficial ownership interest, the number of shares owned by each partner, and other documents. Private equity-backed facilities would also have to obtain a performance bond or other form of security in an amount equal to 90 days of operating costs, and owners would be prohibited from selling or transferring the property on which a nursing home is located during the first five years after acquisition without written permission from the state. — Jenna Carlesso, Investigative Reporter Medicaid caps proposal advances A bill that would allow the Department of Social Services to limit Medicaid payments for unionized nursing homes whose owners hire family members at inflated salaries passed the Aging Committee this week. Medicaid reimbursements would be capped at the average salary for the position occupied by the family member. So, if a nursing home owner hired a relative to be a certified nursing aide and that worker made twice the average salary, the reimbursement would be limited to the average salary for that position. DSS officials said they already have rules in place that cap Medicaid payments for relatives at nonunion facilities. — Jenna Carlesso, Investigative Reporter College scholarship programs Democratic and Republican lawmakers joined Thursday to promote a bill expanding college scholarships for high schoolers across the state. House Bill 380 dedicates $3,000 to each student enrolled in one of the state’s four Promise Programs, located in Hartford, Bridgeport, New Haven and Waterbury. The bill sets a goal of developing eight new Promise Programs by 2031. “These programs have increased college enrollment … they’ve strengthened completion rates … and importantly they’ve helped retain talent within our communities and within the state,” said Richard Sugarman, founding President of Hartford Promise. Higher Education Committee Co-Chair Rep. Gregg Haddad, D-Mansfield, said high costs prevent many students from attending college and criticized Connecticut for offering less scholarship money than most other states. He praised the existing Promise Scholarship programs, which currently support college-bound students in four municipalities, and said he wants to see the model expanded. — Emilia Otte, Justice Reporter, and Theo Peck-Suzuki, Education Reporter  Islamophobia working group proposed One week after a working group to address antisemitism in public schools cleared the General Assembly, the Education Committee has proposed a similar group on Islamophobia. High school junior Hadia Qadir was one of several people who told legislators about Muslim students in Connecticut being harassed due to their faith. She said a friend of hers had to transfer to a different school because other students bullied her and pulled at her hijab. Some speakers also suggested a term like “anti-Muslim racism” would more adequately capture the problems the working group needs to address. — Theo Peck-Suzuki, Education Reporter  DMV commissioner opposes age-related changes The commissioner of the state Department of Motor Vehicles is against proposed Senate Bill 234, which would allow 16- and 17-year-olds with a license to drive with their underaged siblings in the car. Commissioner Tony Guerrera was part of a task force in 2008 that proposed the law barring anyone under 18 from carrying passengers in their car after a series of fatal accidents involving young drivers. Proponents of the new bill said that with family work schedules it is sometimes necessary to have a sibling take along their brothers and sisters. But Guerrera said at a recent Transportation Committee public hearing that the law should not be changed. “Nobody wants to see an officer come to the door and tell then that they’ve lost a loved one,” he said. — Dave Altimari, Investigative Reporter Out-of-school suspensions Advocates want Connecticut to end out-of-school suspensions for nonviolent behavior. Senate Bill 311 would restrict the use of such suspensions to cases involving violent behavior, sexual misconduct or possession of a weapon or controlled substance. It also defines violent behavior in statute, which advocates say is needed. Students spoke in favor of the bill at an Education Committee hearing on Wednesday. According to the Reimagining School Safety Coalition, just one suspension makes a student 23% less likely to graduate. Advocates say harm falls disproportionately on students of color, students with disabilities and LGBTQ students. — Theo Peck-Suzuki, Education Reporter  Health plans for small businesses The Insurance Committee this week heard testimony on a bill to permit the establishment of “multiple employer welfare arrangements” or “MEWAs.” MEWAs allow for two or more employers to pool resources in order to pay for employees’ health insurance. Supporters said the plans offer small businesses a much-needed cost effective way to offer health coverage. But, several patient advocacy groups said the savings come at the expense of patient protections. MEWAs use medical underwriting, which could lead to higher costs if employees have complicated medical histories or require expensive care. — Katy Golvala, Health Reporter Bill alarms Black and Puerto Rican Caucus Members of the General Assembly’s Black and Puerto Rican Caucus voiced concern over Senate Bill 307 this week. The bill, requested by the Department of Economic and Community Development, changes agency statutes and core functions. That includes altering the name and scope of the Minority Business Initiative Advisory Board and the Minority Business Revolving Loan Fund, replacing “minority” with references to “first generation and emerging businesses” and “opportunity,” respectively. Lawmakers argued that the changes remove the agency’s emphasis on the structural needs of racial minorities. In response to testimony, Commerce Committee leadership and DECD said that the bill will be revised. — P.R. Lockhart, Economic Development Reporter School-based health centers An Education Committee bill would mandate school-based health centers screen high schoolers for eating disorders starting in 2028. It would also create a task force to better identify and treat such disorders and a working group to develop a statewide food education roadmap. Jasmine Lee, a health policy student at the Yale School of Public Health, testified in support of the legislation. She said it might prevent kids from growing up with an undiagnosed eating disorder as she did. “I learned the term eating disorder not from a clinician, but from a social media discussion page,” Lee said. — Theo Peck-Suzuki, Education Reporter AI insurance denials Physicians testified in support of a bill that would ban insurers from automatically “downcoding” health insurance claims using AI or other software tools without physician review. “Downcoding” is when insurance companies reclassify a claim for a higher-cost service as a lower-cost service, which decreases how much a provider gets paid for their work. One physician testified that insurers downcoded 62% of his claims between 2022-2025. The Connecticut Association of Health Plans testified against the bill, noting that downcoding plays an important role in controlling health costs, and that any prohibition of AI tools would slow down the claims process. — Katy Golvala , Health Reporter Homeschooling, DCF bill A controversial bill that would introduce more oversight of homeschooling following two high-profile abuse cases, passed the Children’s Committee on Thursday. Senate Bill 6 is an omnibus bill that would also increase oversight of the Department of Children and Families. It would require that the Department of Education report names of families that pull their children out of public school to DCF. The child welfare agency would then check whether it has open cases with the family. Homeschoolers have opposed the bill. It passed largely on a party-line vote and next heads to the Senate. — Ginny Monk, Housing Children’s Issues Reporter ...read more read less