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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 2024

Testimony for House and Senate Bills

  • House Bill 5151, An Act Concerning Solar Licensing Exemptions
  • House Bill 5167 An Act Concerning Property Tax Abatement for Certain First-Time Home Buyers
  • House Bill 5170 An Act Concerning Extensions of Time for Certain Municipal Commission, Board and Agency Decisions and Training for Inland Wetlands Agencies
  • House Bill 5173 An Act Authorizing the Online Publication of Legal Notices by Municipalities.
  • House Bill 5174 An Act Concerning Temporary Shelter Units for Persons Experiencing Homelessness Located on Real Property Owned by Religious Organizations
  • House bill 5218 An Act Concerning the Establishment of Riparian Buffers and Revision of Certain Inland Wetlands Provisions
  • House Bill 5225 An Act Concerning the Recommendations of The Invasive Plants Council.
  • House Bill 5273 An Act Concerning Incentives for Transit-Oriented Development
  • House Bill 5335  An Act Concerning the Development of Middle Housing
  • House Bill 5336 An Act Implementing the Recommendations of the Connecticut Housing and Segregation Study
  • House Bill 5337 An Act Concerning Affordable Housing Development Practices
  • House Bill 5390 An Act Concerning Transit-Oriented Communities
  • House Bill 5391 An Act Establishing the Housing Density Rating Program
  • House Bill 5473 An Act Requiring the Majority Leaders’ Roundtable Group on Affordable Housing to Study the Elimination of Municipal Design Review Processes
  • House Bill 5475 The Development of Housing and Challenges to Certain Decisions of Municipal Agencies
  • House Bill 5477 An Act Concerning Penalties for Blight Upon Real Property, Municipal Agreements to Fix Assessments and a Personal Property Tax Exemption
  • House Bill 5478 An Act Concerning the Land Value Taxation Pilot Program and Eligible Community Investment Fund Projects
  • 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 207 An Act Concerning Housing Authority Jurisdiction
  • Senate Bill 6 An Act Concerning Housing
  • Senate Bill 266 An Act Increasing the Conveyance Tax for Certain Home Sales
  • Senate Bill 267 An Act Requiring a Study of the Effects of Short-Term Rentals on the Housing Market of the State
  • Senate Bill 269 An Act Reducing the Sales and Use Taxes for Certain Goods Used in New Housing Construction.
  • Senate Bill 270 An Act Concerning Tax Credits for the Conversion of Commercial Properties
  • Senate Bill 293 An Act Concerning the Conversion of Commercial Real Property to Residential Use
  • Senate Bill 298 An Act Requiring Pensions for Police Officers and Firefighters Employed by Municipalities
  • Senate Bill 300 An Act Concerning Natural Gas Capacity and The Renewable Portfolio Standard
  • Senate Bill 301 An Act Concerning Energy Efficiency Standards and Grants for Retrofitting Projects
  • Senate Bill 333 An Act Concerning Local Charter Revisions
  • Senate Bill 334 An Act Requiring Pensions for Police Officers and Firefighters Employed by Municipalities
  • Senate Bill 416 An Act Concerning the Conversion of Commercial Real Property to Residential Use
  • Senate Bill 422 An Act Concerning Firefighter Recruitment and Retention

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