Anne Dauphinais

State Representative Anne Dauphinais: 2026 Budget Adjustment Notes

2026 Budget Adjustment I wanted to provide you with a few notes that ultimately pointed me in the direction of a NO vote on this bill. With all that is laid out below- there was no way I could support this adjustment to the State Budget. S.B. 1 An Act Concerning Affordability Lamont declares an “Emergency” to bypass “Spending Cap” & support blowing through the Volatility Cap (which is the threshold for deciding what level of revenue is deemed “volatile”). Reasons used: Medicaid deficiency due to the negligent lack of full funding for the last 3 years by the majority (Not New). Threat to access of care due to lack of Federal Funds (Not New). Governor already given $500M to address this— through emergency certification in late 2025 which $160 million has already been spent. This gives Lamont $50 million more obtained from Volatility Revenue (aka gains from stock market), a bad practice using Unpredictable Funds. The municipality needs support (Not New). Not an emergency! The municipalities always need support and should have priority over earmarks. Relief should be permanent, not one time election year handouts. Despite Lamont claiming great fiscal responsibility, this emergency is proof of anything but good fiscal health. This budget: Tens of millions of dollars to various earmarks. $10 million tax credit to prop up the operator for the PeoplesBank Arena (XL Center). Provides one time money to our towns/schools while making no major change to ECS formula, choosing one time funding from the volatility funds. Provides no sustainable tax relief while we face future deficits and an affordability crisis. Provides family caregiver tax credit but limits funding to our most vulnerable. (nonprofits) Removes hospital tax outside of the budget without strong provisions to ensure transparency. Blows through both the spending and volatility caps to support irresponsible spending resulting in greatly diminished payback to our pensions, hurting our future fiscal health. Provides “free” breakfast & healthcare to “illegals” while our senior centers are struggling to buy food, medication and pay their electric bills. This budget delays transparency on rising electric costs and continues a pattern of overspending without structural reform. Paying for 4.5% annual pay increases for state employees. Increasing total spending by about 8%, $2 billion! All while Connecticut residents struggle to make ends meet. Republicans tried passing real relief! Amendments offered were both to eliminate income tax on Social Security for all seniors and ease financial burden to our property taxes by sending permanent funding back to municipalities. They were voted down by every single Democrat!

H.B. 5004- An Act Concerning Child Welfare Accountability and Transparency

On Thursday, the House Chamber advanced some truly meaningful work from the Children’s Committee, which was a welcome and encouraging change. H.B. 5004, An Act Concerning Child Welfare Accountability and Transparency, passed unanimously and adds important safeguards in response to recent tragic events involving children in our state. The bill makes substantial reforms within the Department of Children and Families to strengthen protections for children and enhance transparency and accountability across the system. Key provisions include: • Requiring the emergency placement of a child with a relative or fictive kin caregiver who has not yet been issued a license or approval, if that placement is in the best interest of the child. • Requiring the commissioner, upon denial of an emergency placement or removal of a child from a relative or fictive kin caregiver, to document in writing the reason for the denial or removal. • Requiring DCF, when a child is placed with someone other than a relative or fictive kin caregiver, to file written confirmation with the clerk of the court that the selected placement serves the best interest of the child. • Establishing a grant program for relative and fictive kin caregivers accepting emergency placement of a child, to help cover clothing, food, safety-related purchases, and other necessities. • Creating a public dashboard with real-time information on the department’s administration and performance of statewide programs and services. Additionally, I introduced an amendment that was added to the bill to further strengthen protections for children living in homes with individuals convicted of certain serious offenses. Under this amendment, within one week of a qualifying offender’s release to parole or placement on probation, the Department of Correction (DOC) must notify the Department of Children and Families (DCF) if that person is living at an address where someone under 18 resides. Within one week of that notification, DOC or DCF will conduct a home visit to assess the safety of any child in the residence. After that initial assessment, DOC or DCF will continue to visit the home at least once every three months until the person’s parole or probation ends, or until no minor resides at the address. As ranking member of the Children's Committee I want to thank Democratic Co-Chair State Representative Corey Paris, my fellow members of the Children’s Committee, and my House colleagues for working together on this important legislation. I am grateful we were able to come together to make some much-needed changes for children and families in our state.

Session Notes: April 27, 2026

Here are a few bills I wanted to touch on that passed through the House of Representatives last week- H.B. 5043 An Act Concerning Convertible Pistols, Unfinished Frames or Unfinished Lower Receivers, Voluntary Relinquishment of Firearms and Ammunition, And Refundability of Permits For Sale At Retail Of Firearms And For Carrying Of Pistols And Revolvers: The House passed this controversial bill, which prohibits future sales of certain handguns in Connecticut. I opposed it because it unfairly targets law-abiding gun owners rather than addressing violent crime. The measure faced bipartisan opposition from lawmakers who share concerns about government overreach, which has been on full display this legislative session. H.B. 5044 An Act Establishing Connecticut Vaccine Standards: This bill takes away parental authority and individual religious freedoms regarding vaccines. The legislature also granted power to the Public Health Commissioner to set vaccine regulations—no one person should have that authority. The bill also interrupts a legal lawsuit in the middle of the process which is even more concerning to me. H.B. 5374 An Act Concerning Health Coverage Mandates for Certain Health Conditions: While this bill may appear to be something we should all support, it includes four separate mandates, each of which could raise our premiums by as much as $100 or more per year. H.B. 5468 An Act Concerning the Provision of Parent-Managed Learning: Last Thursday, the supermajority of Democrats passed the homeschooling bill through the House of Representatives as expected. Although this bill was "watered down," I can’t help but think this is just the tip of the iceberg on this subject. The office of child advocacy said- this is just a start. Homeschooling families across our state should not let their guards down as we head into 2027 and beyond.

PUBLIC HEARING ALERT: HOMESCHOOL, PRIVATE, & PAROCHIAL SCHOOL RESTRICTIONS

Democrats are capping in-person & remote testimony at midnight! This bill (H.B. 5468) proposes several new requirements for parents who choose alternatives to public school. Among other things, the proposal would require parents withdrawing a child from public school, for whatever reason, to appear in person at their local district office, sign new forms declaring their educational choice, and provide proof of enrollment in a nonpublic school. For families providing equivalent instruction (homeschooling), the bill would also require annual filings with the school district and, beginning in the 2028–29 school year, require parents to demonstrate their child’s academic progress through a portfolio review, standardized testing, or other methods. Additionally, the bill includes provisions requiring school districts to contact the Connecticut Department of Children and Families to review certain records when a student is withdrawn. EDUCATION COMMITTEE PUBLIC HEARING: Wed., March 11, 10:00 a.m. See the bill: https://cga.ct.gov/asp/cgabillstatus/cgabillstatus.asp?selBillType=Bill&which_year=2026&bill_num=5468 Testify in person or remotely (Deadline, Tues., 3/10, 3 p.m.): https://zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_pdXkzrx7Q4Okm42NSRVShg Submit written testimony (Choose March 11, H.B. 5468): https://www.cga.ct.gov/.../CGAtestimonysubmission.aspx...

Attention Connecticut Homeschool Families!

A busy day at your State Capitol on Wednesday kicked off in the Education Committee, and I want to draw your attention to item #8 on the agenda: AAC the Provision of Equivalent Instruction in Connecticut — a concept I call the “Homeschool Hijack.” This concept will be the vessel for the possible homeschooling regulations that we have been hearing so much about since last year. As soon as public hearing information is released, I will let you know. In the meantime, the information provided today was very vague, so we all need to watch this very carefully.