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Western Connecticut Council of Governments

Policy Priorities

Connecticut State Capital Building

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 2023

Testimony for House and Senate Bills

  • House Bill 1001, An Act Concerning Certain Sewage Disposal Systems and Alternative Sewage Treatment Systems.
  • House Bill 1003, An Act Providing Funding for the Removal of Hazardous or Dead Trees by Municipalities.
  • House Bill 1078, An Act Concerning Rail Service.
  • House Bill 1083, An Act Establishing a Carbon Budget for the State.
  • House Bill 5137, An Act Concerning Online Building Permit Applications.
  • House Bill 5326, An Act Concerning the Affordable Housing Appeals Process and Removing the Municipal Opt-Out Deadline for Accessory Apartments.
  • House Bill 5400, An Act Concerning the Preservation of Stone Walls in the State.
  • House Bill 5673, An Act Concerning the Reformation of Certain Taxes and Tax Equity.
  • House Bill 5917, An Act Implementing Recommendations of the Vision Zero Council.
  • House Bill 5989, An Act Concerning Local Transportation Projects.
  • House Bill 6294, An Act Prohibiting the Requirement of a Donation of Land as a Condition of Subdivision Approval.
  • House Bill 6394, An Act Concerning Incentives for Transit-Oriented Development.
  • House Bill 6607, An Act Concerning the Nighttime Lighting of State-Owned Buildings at Certain Times for the Protection of Birds.
  • House Bill 6611, An Act Concerning On-Line Dog Licenses from the Department of Agriculture.
  • House Bill 6633, An Act Concerning a Needs Assessment and Fair Share Plans for Municipalities to Increase Affordable Housing.
  • House Bill 6558, An Act Concerning Property Tax Abatement for Certain First Time Home buyers.
  • House Bill 6647, An Act Concerning the State Plan of Conservation and Development.
  • House Bill 6648, An Act Concerning the Online Recording, Indexing and Searching of Municipal Land Records and Maps.
  • House Bill 6670, An Act Study the Consolidation of Metropolitan Planning Organizations.
  • House Bill 6766, An Act Creating a Task Force To Study Electric Infrastructure Security.
  • House Bill 6777, An Act Concerning Property Tax Abatements for Certain Senior-Owned Deed-Restricted Properties.
  • House Bill 6781, An Act Addressing Housing Affordability for Residents in the State.
  • House Bill 6809, An Act Concerning Financial Incentives for Certain Streamside Buffers.
  • House Bill 6890, An Act Concerning Qualifying Transit-Oriented Communities.
  • House Bill 6893, An Act Establishing a Task Force to Study the Exemption of Vacant Lots from Conformance with Zoning Regulations.
  • Senate Bill 100, An Act Establishing an Account in the General Fund to Provide Grants to Towns That Need PFAS Testing and Remediation.
  • Senate Bill 497, An Act Eliminating the Property Tax on Motor Vehicles and Concerning Mechanisms to Replace the Resulting Loss of Revenue.
  • Senate Bill 775, An Act Concerning the Distribution of the Sales and Use Taxes Imposed on Meals Sold by an Eating Establishment, Caterer or Grocery Story.
  • Senate Bill 776, An Act Concerning a State-wide Property Tax on Certain Residential Real Property.
  • Senate Bill 907, An Act Concerning Fair Rent Commissions.
  • Senate Bill 915, An Act Concerning the Granting of Variances by Zoning Boards of Appeals.
  • Senate Bill 939, An Act Concerning Property Tax Abatement for Certain First-Time Home Buyers.
  • Senate Bill 965, An Act Providing Funding for the Removal of Hazardous or Dead Trees by Municipalities.
  • Senate Bill 999, An Act Increasing the Uniform Assessment Rate for Property Tax.
  • Senate Bill 979, An Act Promoting Energy Affordability, Energy Efficiency and Green Cities.
  • Senate Bill 1141, An Act Concerning Transit-Oriented Development.

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