Gov. Ned Lamont will veto two bills passed by the Connecticut legislature, he announced Monday.
“I don’t do a lot of vetoes,” he said at a press briefing at his office. “A veto doesn’t mean dead stop. A veto means we can do a lot better and I hope we can do that with both these bills.”
The bills in question are HB 5002, a broad housing plan to address the state’s housing shortage and affordability crisis, and SB 8, a bill to provide unemployment benefits to striking workers that has been heavily lobbied for by the unions. Both are issues Democrats sought to address in the previous session but were unsuccessful. SB 8 was passed last session as well and Lamont vetoed it then, too.
“I think paying striking workers is a bridge too far,” Lamont said of his opposition to SB 8. “Some people say, Doug, you’re too pro-labor or you’re too pro-business. I think I’m pro-jobs and I want to watch out for any bill that I think discourages jobs in this state. For the first time in a decades we’re actually growing jobs in this state and growing our manufacturing base in particular, which are very good jobs. And I don’t want to do anything to jeopardize that.”
Senate President Pro Tempore Martin M. Looney (D-New Haven) and Senate Majority Leader Bob Duff (D-Norwalk) responded to the announcement before Lamont had even finished speaking.
“We are disheartened that Governor Lamont has vetoed Senate Bill 8, which would have extended unemployment insurance protections to striking workers,” they said in a statement. “Connecticut faces a Trump administration rolling back worker protections, a National Labor Relations Board that is in the back pocket of big business, and an unprecedented consolidation of corporate power. Now, more than ever, states must stand up for workers’ rights. The Connecticut State Senate recognizes that other states have adopted various versions of this policy tailored to their unique circumstances. We remain willing to compromise with the Governor to achieve consensus on an appropriate model for Connecticut.”
He noted that the Pratt & Whitney strike was about job security and he said “the striking workers bill would send the wrong message when it comes to protecting those jobs.”
“Good,” Sen. Minority Leader Stephen Harding, on behalf of the Senate Republican caucus, said. “We already have an extremely anti-business climate here in Connecticut. We already we have some of the highest taxes in the country, some of the highest electric rates in the country, some of the most burdensome regulatory climate in the country. From the day Democrats introduced this bad bill, Republicans have highlighted how it is anti-business, it is anti-rank and file union worker, and it will repel current and future job creators. We applaud the governor for yet again vetoing it.”
While Lamont had made known his intent to veto the striking workers bill even before the legislature voted on it, the housing bill was a surprise. The issue passed with opposition from Republicans and a few Democrats but with relatively little public outcry. As the bill sat on the governor’s desk awaiting his signature, local leaders in many wealth communities, particularly Fairfield County, and state Republicans waged a pressure campaign to get him to veto the bill. Lamont later said he wished he had gotten involved earlier in its development, which was largely handled by House Majority Leader Jason Rojas.
Rojas and House Speaker Matt Ritter also expressed their disappointment in Lamont’s veto in a statement.
“The veto is disappointing. Our legislation, built off the foundation laid in past legislative sessions, was a comprehensive package of housing policies that included incentives, local options, access to resources, while acknowledging the importance of city and town leaders’ voices in making final decisions,” they said. “The bill sought to encourage action on status quo policies that have led to the lack of access, availability, and affordability throughout our state. Individuals and organizations, as well as our executive branch colleagues, spent months weighing in, informing the final product that was debated and passed in both the House and Senate. In the end, a choice was made.
As leaders, we encourage the public and our members to keep writing, keep negotiating, and keep fighting for policies that support the universal goal of housing access and security. Together with our counterparts in the Senate, we will continue to do the work with our committee chairs and members, local leaders, the Governor’s office, and others who we know are committed to addressing housing costs and homelessness for Connecticut.”
On the housing bill, Lamont said, “It’s a really good start on a really important problem confronting our state. Again when it comes to jobs, when it comes to economic growth, when it comes to opportunity, when it comes to affordability, a lot of that comes back to housing, the high price of housing, the cost of housing, how zoning and the approval process and the permitting process can drive up the cost of housing and the amount of time it takes to get the job done. And we pay a terrible price for that,” Lamont said.
He touted growth “from our smallest towns to our biggest cities, depending where. It’s lumpy growth but that’s what we’ve got to continue to grow on.”
Lamont called for a new housing bill to be on his desk after a special legislative session expected to come before fall. Legislative leaders have suggested that budget numbers would potentially need to be adjusted in a special session after the passage of a federal budget because allocations of federal funding would likely change unpredictably.
“We are deeply disappointed that Governor Lamont has chosen to veto the most comprehensive effort to tackle Connecticut’s urgent housing crisis. Connecticut cannot create jobs, lower costs, and attract businesses without building more housing,” Looney and Duff said in a second statement.
“Democratic and Republican governors across the country, like Florida, Texas, California, and Montana, understand the need to cut red tape and increase housing supply. Many of those chief executives take the lead on housing initiatives because they understand how critical these measures are to the local economy. At our State Capitol, undue weight is placed on the opinions of some municipal officials who do not think beyond the borders of their own communities, rather than on the needs of families seeking housing.
“We have collaborated with Governor Lamont on many issues, including this bill, and we look forward to a continued partnership,” The Governor earnestly believes he can get municipal officials and their interest groups to agree to a strong bill. When that happens, we look forward to seeing the proposal.
“We will continue to stand strong on addressing housing. The families in the state are counting on us. We will break through as we must for the future of our state.”
Harding called it a victory against “anti-local control” legislation.
“Good. All Senate Republicans voted against this anti-local control legislation,” he said. “After Democrats passed it, Senate Republicans have been urging the governor to veto this deeply flawed bill. Some Democrats even joined us in demanding a veto. There is bipartisan recognition that this terrible bill represents one of the most aggressive attacks on local control our state has seen.
“What began as a one-page bill on homelessness was transformed into a 160-page monster. It was filled with top-down mandates that override the voices of our towns and cities. It was rushed through the legislature and voted on at 2:30 AM. This is not how legislators should be serving constituents.
Let’s now go back to the drawing board, work together across the aisle, and find real bipartisan solutions that address housing affordability—without gutting local control. Our towns and cities deserve a seat at the table—not a mandate from Hartford.”
Originally Published: June 23, 2025 at 11:35 AM EDT