Policy Priorities

WestCOG coordinates with member municipalities to define policy priorities.

Legislative Priorities

A list of WestCOG’s legislative priorities can be downloaded in the link below. Also provided is a list of WestCOG’s testimony on a number of house and senate bills.

Legislative Policy Priorities 2025

Testimony for House and Senate Bills

House Bill 1352 An Act Promoting Energy Efficiency
House Bill 1484 Regulation of the use of AI in the workplace
House Bill 1186 An Act Concerning the Regional Planning Incentive Account Distribution Formula
House Bill 5050 An Act Concerning the Online Publication of Municipal Budgets and Information Concerning Municipal Finances
House Bill 6830 An Act Concerning Training for Members and Employees of Inland Wetland Agencies.
House Bill 6831 An Act Concerning Transit-Oriented Communities.
House Bill 5323 An Act Eliminating a Skilled-Trade Licensing Exemption for Federal, State and Municipal Agency Employees.
House Bill 1243 An Act Concerning Fare)Free Bus Public Transportation Services for high school students, veterans, and qualifying low-income people without charging a fare.
House Bill 6862 An Act Concerning Electric Scooters, Electric Bicycles and Motor-Driven Cycles.
House Bill 6896 An Act Concerning Adoption of the Uniform Real Property Transfer on Death Act.
House Bill 6851 An Act Concerning Purple Property Borders as Warning to Trespassers.
House Bill 6908 An Act Requiring a Study of Communication Systems Used by Public Safety Personnel and Establishing a Working Group to Study the Consolidation of Public Safety Answering Points.
House Bill 6876 An Act Establishing First-Time Homebuyer Savings Accounts and a Related Tax Deduction and Credit.
House Bill 1262 An Act Reducing the Sales and Use Tax for Certain Goods Used in New Housing Construction.
House Bill 5365 An Act Establishing an Exemption from the Affordable Housing Appeals Procedure for a municipality that Contains an Aquifer Protection Area.
House Bill 6491 An Act Prioritizing Allocation of Rental Assistance Program Vouchers to Individuals Who Intend to Use Such Vouchers in Municipalities Below the Threshold for the Affordable Housing Appeal Procedure Exemption.
House Bill 6928 An Act Concerning Municipal Electric Aggregation Programs.
House Bill 6929 An Act Establishing a Thermal Energy Network Grant and Loan Program.
House Bill 6931 An Act Concerning Conflicts of Interest Due to an Employer Other Thank the State under the State Code of Ethics
House Bill 1296 An Act Concerning Statements of Financial Interests under the State Code of Ethics for Public Officials
House Bill 1307 An Act Establishing a Working Group to Study and Develop Best Practices to Promote Housing Growth and Protect the State’s Water Supply.
House Bill 1308 An Act Establishing a Starter Homes Working Group.
House Bill 6888 An Act Concerning Real Property Tax Abatements for Certain First-Time Homebuyers.
House Bill 6938 An Act Increasing the Number of Rental Assistance Program
House Bill 6940 An Act Establishing a Working Group to Develop a Uniform Statutory Definition of “Affordable Housing”.
House Bill 6944 An Act Requiring a Municipality to Include Certain Information in its Affordable Housing Plan.
House Bill 6946 An Act Concerning the Annual Report of Housing Authorities.
House Bill 6950 An Act Concerning the Income Threshold for Tenants Renting a Dwelling Unit in a Set-Aside Development.
House Bill 6917 An Act Concerning the Management of Solid Waste in the State.
House Bill 1295 An Act Concerning Social Media Platforms and Online Services, Products and Features.
House Bill 1313 An Act Increasing Housing Development within One-Half Mile of Public Transit Stations.
House Bill 1314 An Act Repealing a Statute Concerning Prohibited Charter Amendments.
House Bill 6536 An Act Concerning Regional Councils of Government and Inland Wetlands Review and Historic Property Maintenance.
House Bill 6812 An Act Redefining “Inclusionary Zoning“
House Bill 6960 An Act Establishing a Public Infrastructure Grant Program for Certain Municipalities.
House Bill 6962 An Act Establishing a Task Force to Study the Regulation of Corporate Housing Acquisitions.
House Bill 1341 An Act Concerning Local Government.
House bill 1342 An Act Concerning Municipal Agencies.
House Bill 6998 An Act Requiring the Licensing of Dogs Every Three Years.
House Bill 5544 An Act Establishing a Fee and Tax Related to Electric Vehicles.
House Bill 5979 Would exempt from the real estate conveyance tax the transfer of privately owned real property to nonprofit organizations and public housing authorities for the development and construction of affordable housing.
House Bill 1356 An Act Concerning Data Privacy, Online Monitoring, Social Media and Data Brokers
House Bill 1357 An Act Concerning the Department of Consumer Protection’s Recommendations Regarding Various Statutes Concerning Consumer Protection.
House Bill 1258 An Act Concerning the Department of Economic and Community Development
House Bill 6786 An Act Concerning the Hiring Ratio for Skilled Trades
House Bill 1352 An Act Promoting Energy Efficiency
House Bill 1252 An Act Establishing Priority Housing Development Zones.
House Bill 1361 Would fund the creation of affordable housing and transit-oriented development.
House Bill 1362 An Act Establishing a Construction Employment and Affordable Housing Pilot Program.
House Bill 7032 An Act Establishing a Program to Assist Municipalities in Developing Preapproved Building Plans.
House Bill 7037 An Act Including Workforce Housing in The Calculation of the Threshold for Exemption from the Affordable Housing Appeals Procedure.
House Bill 1365 An Act Establishing a Grant Program to Create Affordable Housing Developments with Certain Deed Restrictions
House Bill 7028 Would reward municipalities that receive federal and state subsidies for housing with additional state subsidies for school construction.
House Bill 7034 Seeks to prohibit municipalities from requiring land donations as a condition for subdivision approval.
House Bill 7035 An Act Prohibiting a Municipality from Implementing a Ban on Multifamily Housing Development
House Bill 7036 An Act Requiring the Establishment of Fair Rent Commissions
House Bill 1370 Would impose new requirements on off-site fabrication for public works projects.
House Bill 6994 An Act Concerning the State, Regional and Municipal Plans of Conservation and Development (POCDs).
House Bill 6996 An Act Concerning Protested Changes to Municipal Zoning Regulations
House Bill 7061 An Act Concerning Mandatory Minimum Parking Requirements
House Bill 1245 An Act Establishing a Resilient Connecticut Strategy.
House Bill 5004 An Act Concerning the Protection of The Environment and the Development of Renewable Energy Sources and Associated Job Sectors.
House Bills 1351, 1404, and 7085 Support Connecticut’s transition from the Transfer Act to a release-based cleanup framework.
House Bill 1263 Proposes tax credits to facilitate the conversion of commercial properties into residential developments.
House Bill 1267 Would allow housing authorities to expand their jurisdiction into other municipalities without those municipalities’ approval.
House Bill 1422 Seeks to ensure that the Connecticut Opportunity Map is updated using a broader, more comprehensive set of metrics.
House Bill 1423 Act Establishing a Task Force to Study the Regulation of the Corporate Acquisition of Residential Property.
House Bill 7112 An Act Concerning Housing and Homelessness and the Rental Assistance Program.
House Bill 7113 An Act Permitting Municipalities to Establish Light Touch Density Housing
House Bill 1444 An Act Concerning the Conversion of Commercial Real Property for Residential Use.
House Bill 7062 An Act Concerning Temporary Shelter Units for Persons Experiencing Homelessness or Refugees and Affordable Housing Developments Located on Real Property Owned by Religious Organizations
House Bill 7063 An Act Concerning the Conversion of Vacant Motels to Multifamily Housing
House Bill 7149 An Act Concerning Certain Municipal Contracts for Professional Engineering Services.
House Bill 1454 An Act Concerning Eligibility Requirements for Participation in Brownfield Programs for Certain Municipalities.
House Bill 1484 This bill seeks to regulate the use of AI in the workplace, ensuring transparency and accountability in electronic monitoring
House Bill 5749 An Act Concerning Advanced Septic Systems with Nitrogen-Removal Features.
House Bill 6249 Would limit interventions under the Connecticut Environmental Policy Act (CEPA) for certain residential building permit applications.
House Bill 7174 An Act Concerning Riparian Buffers and Associated Environmental Provisions.

Senate Bill 12 An Act Concerning Connecticut’s Housing Needs.
Senate Bill 78 An Act Providing for Local Representation on the Connecticut Siting Council.
Senate Bill 738 An Act Establishing a Homestead Property Tax Exemption.
Senate Bill 739 An Act Concerning the Distribution of the Sales and Use Taxes Imposed on Meals Sold by an Eating Establishment, Caterer or Grocery Store
Senate Bill 2 An Act Concerning Artificial Intelligence.
Senate Bill 9 Would enhance Connecticut’s resilience to flooding and climate change.
Senate Bill 58 , An Act Authorizing Residents Living in a Flood Zone to Lay up to Ten Thousand Cubic Yards of Landscape Fill per Year in their Yard and Establishing a Tax Deduction for the Costs of Such Fill and a Grant Program for Road Raising.
Senate Bill 647 aims to enhance consumer access to affordable electricity in Connecticut.
Senate Bill 3 Section 4 of Committee Bill No. 3, specifically the mandate requiring municipalities to transition their official websites to a “.gov” top-level domain (TLD).

Options to Grow Federal Grants

A presentation on how to eliminate self imposed barriers to bring more federal resources into Connecticut.

Options to grow federal grants

Comments on Proposed Rules and Environmental Documents

Comments on Central Business District Tolling Program Environmental Assessment of the Metropolitan Transit Authority .