Lezlye Zupkus

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."

Statement on House Democrats/local education funding

HARTFORD—House Republican Leader Vincent Candelora (R-North Branford), State Rep. Lezyle Zupkus (R-Prospect), and State Rep. Tammy Nuccio (R-Tolland) released the following statement Monday in response to a news conference by House Democrats on providing more state education funding to local school districts: "The property tax crisis has reached a fever pitch in communities across Connecticut and we agree with our House Democratic colleagues that state education funding is at the heart of the matter. We're ready and willing to work across the aisle on solutions that will help municipal leaders deliver quality education in a manner taxpayers can afford. House Republicans have put forward solutions for several years to provide sustainable education funding for our communities, we've prioritized that, but our proposals have been largely ignored. It's good to see the other side of the aisle catching up to the conversation. We find encouragement in today's discussion around magnet school and agriscience tuition that local school districts pay, but the bulk of what was described is a promise, not a permanent fix. It would draw from the same $500 million pool of volatile, one-time revenue the Governor has already been eyeing for energy rebates and gas tax relief—enough to get municipal leaders through the budgets they're building right now, but nothing more. Our goal is to prioritize permanence over promises while making sure every community, regardless of size, is treated fairly." Rep. Zupkus is House Ranking Member of the Education Committee Rep. Nuccio is House Ranking Member of the Appropriations Committee

Candelora, Zupkus Respond to Senate Democrats’ S.B. 7 Education Equity Proposal

HARTFORD— House Republican Leader Vincent Candelora (R-North Branford) and State Rep. Lezlye Zupkus (R-Prospect), House Ranking Member of the Education Committee, released the following statement Wednesday in response to Senate Democrats’ news conference to promote S.B. 7, An Act Concerning Educational Equity: “Property taxes are a major driver of Connecticut's affordability crisis, and education funding is at the heart of the issue. While Democrats have previously directed hundreds of millions of dollars toward higher education, sacrificing K-12 students and property taxpayers in the process, House Republicans have consistently fought to protect local aid and secure more special education funding. This session, we've again put forward legislation ( H.B. 5093 ) to address the problem. We appreciate that Democrats are now joining us on the property tax crisis and look forward to working together toward real solutions. But we have to get this right. Under current law, increased ECS funding can actually force towns to raise property taxes to meet the Minimum Budget Requirement, and the last thing the majority party should do is add to the massive tax burden our residents are already facing. More state aid shouldn't mean higher local tax bills. We can fund our schools and cut property taxes. That's the standard any solution must meet.”