The Lamont administration, regional boards and municipal leaders announced the proposed legislation that lawmakers will address at the upcoming special session.
EAST HARTFORD, Conn. — The state of Connecticut and local town leaders announced Friday a bipartisan affordable housing bill with a more one-size-fits-all approach. The General Assembly will discuss the proposed bill during a special session, starting Wednesday.
Lamont’s vision for this bill is to encourage municipalities – from small towns to big cities – to put thought into and determine what the future looks like for their community and establish a role for the state to help bring that vision to reality.
“This bill tells mayors and first selectmen, what do you want your town to look like in five or 10 years? Start planning accordingly,” Lamont said. “Where do you want that housing to go? Are you going to zone accordingly? What else do you need? We want to be your partner.”
Lt. Gov. Susan Bysiewicz said, “This bill is a great step forward because it’s going to give our towns and cities the incentive to build the housing that we need.”
This go-around with the bipartisan bill works to address the many layers of the housing crisis that are being felt in Connecticut, and the many needs the municipalities would have to achieve the expansion of affordable housing. This includes turning underutilized spaces, like parking lots and vacant retail areas, into housing, according to Lamont.
“We’ve been growing, we’ve been building housing, trying to accommodate for the amazing growth of southeastern Connecticut,” said New London Mayor Mike Passero. “This bill will really help people to really enable us to move to the next level.”
For Ridgefield First Selectman Rudy Marconi, this bill, if passed, will bring the opportunity for more families to move to lower Fairfield County and address the “reality” of the housing crisis in the community.
“Lower Fairfield County, the wealthiest part of the state, has often been criticized for not doing our share, for not supplying the housing that’s necessary for a diverse community,” Marconi said. “I’m so happy to be here today to get behind this bill, and hopefully it makes it through the special session to provide people the opportunity to move into our town, to move into lower Fairfield County.”
Housing advocates see this as an opportunity to continue expanding housing, which advocates say is at “a crisis point.”
“We’re excited by any form of housing legislation, quite honestly. All we deal with on a day-to-day basis is seeing women and children come in who cannot afford a place to live,” said Kara Capone, CEO of Community Housing Advocates.
“This has been a crisis building over years, decades, and it will take years to get out of this,” added Pete Harrison, CT Director of Regional Plan Association.
A housing bill that addressed homelessness, building and zoning was brought to Lamont’s desk after the 2025 legislative session, and he ended up vetoing that bill over the summer amid controversy.
Fast forward to November, leaders praised the work, focus and “collaboration” on the municipal, regional, and state level that went into creating this latest proposed bill.
“One big message in this proposal is the collaboration, the collaboration of all different levels,” said State Dept. of Housing Commissioner Seila Mosquera-Bruno.
Lamont added, “Housing does not stop at a town’s border, so working with the COGs (Council of Governments), working with the mayors, first selectmen, you tell us where you want the housing to be and we’re going to be there as your partner to make sure it gets built.”
After the housing bill announcement, Lamont addressed the federal freeze on SNAP funds and said that Connecticut will send funding to state SNAP recipients in the coming days. He also addressed filing paperwork to run for a third term as governor.
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