Policy Priorities

Connecticut State Capital Building

WestCOG coordinates with member municipalities to define policy priorities.

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

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 5124, An Act Concerning Revisions to Certain Economic and Community Development-Related Statutes
  • House Bill 5204, An Act Concerning a Needs Assessment and Fair Share Plans for Municipalities to Increase Affordable Housing
  • House Bill 5205, An Act Concerning Fair Rent Commissions.
  • House Bill 5043, An Act Concerning Motor Vehicle Assessment.
  • House Bill 5269, An Act Concerning Remote Meetings under the Freedom of Information Act.
  • House Bill 5289, An Act Concerning the Nighttime Lighting of State-Owned Buildings at Certain Times for the Protection of Birds.
  • House Bill 5359, An Act Requiring a Study of the Feasibility of Permitting the Online Advertisement of Legal Notices by Municipalities.
  • House Bill 5422, An Act Concerning Motor Vehicle Noise.
  • House Bill 5429, An Act Concerning Transit-Oriented Development. Supplementary information provided to the Committee in response to hearing questions.
  • House Bill 5296, An Act Concerning the Open Space and Watershed Land Acquisition (OWSLA) Program
  • Senate Bill 4, An Act Concerning the Clean Air Act.
  • Senate Bill 21, An Act Concerning a State-wide Property Tax on Certain Residential Real Property.
  • Senate Bill 168, An Act Establishing a Right to Housing
  • Senate Bill 169, An Act Concerning a Study of the Effects of Affordable Housing Policies in the State.
  • Senate Bill 202, An Act Concerning Property Tax Abatement for Certain First-Time Homebuyers.
  • Senate Bill 215, An Act Concerning the Development of a Transportation Engineering Recruitment Program.
  • Senate Bill 216, An Act Concerning the Expansion of Passenger Rail Service on the Waterbury Branch of the Metro-North Commuter Railroad.
  • Senate Bill 277, An Act Establishing a Trash-to-Energy Working Group.
  • Senate Bill 292, An Act Concerning Heating Efficiency in New Residential Construction and Major Alterations of Residential Buildings.
  • Senate Bill 295, An Act Concerning Tax Credits for Energy-Efficient Homes.
  • Senate Bill 296, An Act Eliminating the Requirement to Store the Personal Property of Evicted Tenants.
  • Senate Bill 323, An Act Establishing a Municipal Tree Removal Account.
  • Senate Bill 324, An Act Establishing a Working Group to Study Title Seven of the General Statutes.
  • Senate Bill 326, An Act Lowering the Mill Rate Cap for Motor Vehicle Property Tax and Concerning Reimbursements to Municipalities for Lost Revenue.
  • Senate Bill 390, An Act Concerning Revisions to the Transportation Statutes.
  • Senate Bill 393, An Act Establishing a Pilot Program Delegating the Management of Small-Scale Transportation Projects to the Capitol Region Council of Governments.