Connecticut

Democrats control the governor’s office, the Senate 25-11, and the House 102-49. Governor Ned Lamont is running for a third term. The 2026 legislative session ended with a bipartisan budget, a gun bill that drew national opposition, and a federal lawsuit that turned Connecticut into a test case for sanctuary protections.

The question is whether a small blue state can hold its ground when the DOJ sues it and the gun lobby targets it.

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The Federal Lawsuit Over Connecticut’s Immigration Laws

On April 14, 2026, the Department of Justice filed a lawsuit against Connecticut and the City of New Haven over their sanctuary policies. The suit targets the state’s Trust Act and New Haven’s “Welcoming City” order, arguing both violate the Supremacy Clause by blocking federal immigration enforcement.

Connecticut’s Trust Act was originally passed unanimously in 2013. The legislature updated it in a November 2025 special session. Under the current law, ICE must present a judicial warrant to detain or arrest someone on courthouse grounds. Public agencies cannot disclose where someone goes to school, works, or lives.

New Haven Mayor Justin Elicker said the city would fight the lawsuit “with all we’ve got.” The DOJ case will determine whether states can set limits on federal immigration enforcement inside their borders.

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Connecticut’s Ban on Pistols Convertible to Machine Guns

HB 5043 bans the sale of pistols that can be converted into machine guns using a common household tool. The bill targets guns with a “cruciform trigger bar,” primarily Glocks that can be modified with illegal switches to fire automatically.

The bill passed the House 86-64, with all Republicans and 15 Democrats voting no. The Senate passed it 22-11 at 7:22 a.m. on May 6, and Lamont signed it May 26 as Public Act 26-41. The NRA’s lobbying arm headlined its response “Connecticut Senate Rams Through Unconstitutional Pistol Ban in Dead of Night.” Connecticut gun dealers told CT Mirror the bill was driving up sales before it passed.

Connecticut already has some of the strongest gun laws in the country. This bill closes a specific gap: weapons designed to be legal but engineered to become illegal with one cheap part.

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The Climate Superfund Bill

The legislature’s Environment Committee advanced HB 5156, a “Climate Superfund” bill modeled after the federal Superfund program. Any fossil fuel company that released more than 1 billion metric tons of greenhouse gases would be required to pay for climate adaptation in Connecticut.

1 billion metric tons the emissions threshold that triggers a company’s obligation to pay

The Department of Energy and Environmental Protection would collect payments and deposit them into a dedicated fund for flood protection and heat wave response. Qualifying companies would be placed on a public registry and sent cost recovery demands.

Connecticut is one of several states pushing this approach.

If the bill becomes law, it would create a template other states can follow.

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The First School Funding Increase in 13 Years

The legislature passed a bipartisan budget giving towns and cities $270 million in new education and municipal aid. The Senate voted 30-6. The House voted 127-21. It was the first increase in 13 years.

The ECS grant, the main state funding formula for public schools, had not been adjusted for inflation since 2013. That created an estimated $800 million gap between what schools need and what the state provides. Every district got at least a 4% increase, but the foundation amount itself still was not raised.

The $270 million breaks down to roughly $170 million in school funding and $100 million in municipal aid. Governor Lamont, a fiscal moderate, was reluctant to set the spending caps aside and preferred that legislators pay for extra municipal aid by cutting elsewhere. With Democrats at odds with him, CT Mirror reported, minority Republicans could shape the budget.

The $270 million helps. It does not close the gap. The ECS formula still has not been updated to reflect what it actually costs to educate students in 2026. Districts that were underfunded for a decade got a raise, not a fix.

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The 2026 Governor’s Race

Governor Lamont is running for a third term. On November 3, the nominees for governor are Ned Lamont (D), incumbent; Ryan Fazio (R). Lamont won the party endorsement at the Democratic State Convention in May with 74% of delegates, and State Senator Ryan Fazio won the Republican endorsement.

The next governor inherits the Justice Department’s lawsuit over the Trust Act.

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What You Can Do in Connecticut

1. Check your voter registration. The general election is November 3. Verify your status at myvote.ct.gov. Connecticut allows same-day voter registration, but confirming early avoids lines and problems.

2. Know your rights if ICE comes to your door. Under the Trust Act, local police cannot carry out federal immigration enforcement. ICE must show a judicial warrant for courthouse arrests. You do not have to open the door. You do not have to answer questions. The Connecticut Immigrant Rights Alliance has resources at ctimmigrant.org.

3. Contact your state legislators about the climate superfund. HB 5156 advanced out of committee but needs floor support. Call your state senator and representative and ask them to vote yes. Find your legislators at cga.ct.gov.

4. Ask your school board about the funding increase. Every district got at least 4% more state money. Ask your local board where that money is going, whether it is reaching classrooms, and what the district still needs. School board meetings are public and listed on your town’s website.

5. Show up at candidate forums. Lamont and Fazio will be making their cases before November 3. Ask them directly: will you defend the Trust Act in court? Will you sign the climate superfund bill? Will you protect the school funding increase? Their answers on stage are harder to walk back than press releases.