Lezlye Zupkus

Honoring "America's 250th Essay Contest" Winners in Prospect

PROSPECT - State Representatives Lezlye Zupkus and Nicole Klarides-Ditria presented Long River Middle School students, Emma Ross, grade 8, and Mason Coviello, grade 7, with official State Citations in recognition of their winning writings for the "America's 250th Essay Contest!" The veteran lawmakers came up with the essay contest as a way to help students connect with the upcoming 250th anniversary of our nation. About 100 entries were submitted as part of the voluntary contest, which asked students what America meant to them. Mason wrote in his essay that: “With freedom, we have the opportunity to follow our dreams. People can choose their careers, start businesses, and work towards their goals. The idea of the ‘American Dream’ is based on freedom and opportunity. This means that with hard work, we can improve our lives and succeed. Possibility is a huge part of what freedom means in America.” And Emma wrote: “I knew that it wasn't the beauty of the land or the strong army that wins wars. No. I thought about the people. You make America the country it is. To me, America is us.” Long River Middle School Principal Derek Muharem and family members for each student were on hand for the brief presentation held in the school's media center.

Rep. Lezlye Zupkus Opposes HB 5468, Raises Concerns Over Government Overreach into Homeschooling

HARTFORD — State Representative Lezlye Zupkus, Ranking Member of the Education Committee , voiced strong opposition Thursday to HB 5468, legislation she says targets homeschooling families under the guise of child safety while failing to address broader concerns. “Let’s be clear about what’s going on here, this bill is not about protecting children. It is about expanding government control over homeschooling families because they are the group that is specifically targeted in this legislation,” said Rep. Zupkus. HB 5468 establishes a new annual “intent to educate” requirement for families, effectively creating a statewide registry of how children are being educated. Rep. Zupkus warned that this represents a significant shift toward increased regulation of homeschooling. Under the proposal, parents who withdraw their children from public school for homeschooling would be subject to a records check through the Department of Children and Families to determine whether any adult in the household is under investigation or listed on the state’s child abuse or neglect registry. “This is a major step toward government oversight of parents who choose to educate their children at home. And it goes even further by singling out these families for additional scrutiny,” Rep. Zupkus said. “If the goal is truly to protect children, then why are these checks only applied to homeschooling families? There are still clear loopholes that allow a child to be withdrawn from school for other reasons without the same level of review, such as serious sickness, but those are not included.” Rep. Zupkus emphasized that while child safety must remain a top priority, policies should be applied consistently and effectively across all situations. She also raised concerns about the long-term implications of the legislation, noting that the registry requirement could serve as a foundation for further restrictions on homeschooling in the future. “Parents have a fundamental right to direct their children’s education,” she said. “This bill moves us in the wrong direction by expanding government involvement without addressing the broader gaps it claims to fix,” she said. “We should be focused on policies that protect all children, not just creating new mandates for a specific group.”

Honoring "America's 250th Essay Contest" Winners!

State Representatives Lezlye Zupkus and Nicole Klarides-Ditria presented Woodland Regional High School students, Alexa Piscitelli, grade 9, and Avery Deitelbaum, grade 11, with official State Citations in recognition of their winning writings for the "America's 250th Essay Contest!" The veteran lawmakers, whose districts are served by Region 16, came up with the essay contest as a way to help students connect with the upcoming 250th anniversary of our nation. The voluntary contest garnered submissions from students in each grade. Ultimately, Alexa's essay titled "I Pledge Allegiance to the Flag" was selected as the winner with Avery's essay, "America 250" selected as runner-up. Woodland Regional High School Principal Kurt Ogren and social studies teacher Chris Tomlin were on hand for the brief presentation held in the school's media center.

Rep. Zupkus Votes in Strong Support of Bill to Address Abuse of 'Earmark' Process

HARTFORD - State Rep. Lezlye Zupkus , R-Prospect, on Thursday voted in strong support of legislation that would add new transparency, reporting and oversight requirements to legislatively directed funds, more commonly known as earmarks. The legislation, H.B. 5039, was developed in response to media scrutiny of state funding provided to nonprofit and community organizations. A federal probe into a Hartford-based organization that received state funding, combined with sustained pressure from House Republicans, proved to be a catalyst for change. The scrutiny has centered on the Blue Hills Civic Association, a Hartford-based nonprofit that received more than $15 million in state funds in recent years. A state audit released in early 2026 found serious problems with how Blue Hills spent taxpayer money, including what auditors described as a troubling pattern of financial mismanagement and a breakdown of internal controls. The Blue Hills controversy compounded broader Republican concerns about earmarks during the 2025 debate over the two-year budget, with House and Senate GOP leaders later holding a press conference pointing to several nonprofit recipients they said lacked any verifiable public presence or track record of work. Among the most impactful elements of the legislation are reforms targeting a current gap in the system that allows earmark recipients to pass funds along to other organizations without approval, transparency, or accountability. Under the bill, that practice would require prior approval, and any organization receiving passed-along funds would face the same transparency requirements as the original earmark recipient. The legislation also requires the Office of Policy and Management (OPM)—the governor's budget office—to provide quarterly reports to the Appropriations, Finance and Government Oversight committees on disbursements to date and plans for remaining funds. Earmark recipients must also report annually to the administering state agency on how they and any organizations they passed funds to used the money. OPM would be required to post that information to a publicly accessible website. The bill further directs OPM to establish policies requiring funding recipients to disclose key organizational details, from the entity's legal name and leadership information to certifications that neither the recipient nor any organization they passed funds to has been convicted of or found civilly liable for fraud in connection with a government contract. OPM must share details of those policies with the leaders of the General Assembly. The legislation was passed with bipartisan support. It awaits further action in the State Senate.

Rep. Zupkus Issues Statement in Response to Education Committee Vote on Homeschool Bill

HARTFORD— State Rep. Lezyle Zupkus (R-Prospect), Ranking Member of the Education Committee , issued the following statement following the committee vote to advance HB 5468, An Act Concerning The Provision Of Equivalent Instruction. The final vote tally was 26 in support to 20 opposed: "More than 3,000 people opposed this homeschool bill, either in direct testimony before the Education Committee, or by submitting written testimony, and today, the voices of all those people, and many who join them in opposition, have been ignored. Instead of tackling real issues in our schools like failing reading levels, absenteeism, and student safety, this bill, put forward by a Democrat, targets homeschooling families who are doing right by their kids. This bill assumes parents are the problem. They’re not. This isn’t about education, it’s about government overreach, power and control. And it should be stopped before it goes any further."