HARTFORD, CT — A special session of the state House of Representatives Wednesday saw three bills advance to the Senate, which has its own special session scheduled for Thursday.
A fourth bill was still being debated as the clock ticked past 10 p.m., but was also expected to pass.
The most contentious of the three was HB 8002, a revised version of a comprehensive housing bill that passed the legislature in May, but was vetoed by Gov. Ned Lamont.
Debate on the housing bill started shortly before 11 a.m. and continued until after 6 p.m. before passing 90-56, mostly along party lines with no Republicans supporting and six Democrats opposing.
Among other things, the bill would make it easier for owners of commercial buildings to convert them to residential use, require towns with more than 15,000 residents to establish fair rent commissions and provide incentives for constructing multi-family housing near transit hubs.
In contrast, HB 8001, approval of a deal that would result in UConn Health Center buying Waterbury Hospital, passed the House on a bipartisan vote after a little over an hour of debate.
Gov. Ned Lamont, in a news briefing last week announcing the deal, called it “a significant step toward protecting health care access for the people of Waterbury and the surrounding region,”
The bill passed 133-11 with seven members absent or not voting.
The third bill, HB 8003, authorized the creation of a $500 million reserve fund to address potential federal cuts to social programs like the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), the Women, Infants and Children (WIC) food program, and the Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP).
That bill, which Lamont announced with support from representatives of both parties, passed 126-20 after more than two hours of debate.
Opponents described the bill as being unnecessary with the federal government shutdown ending while the House was in its special session. Proponents said the bill was not limited to the shutdown but was a tool to be prepared to act in the event federal actions threatened Connecticut residents who are dependent on programs. The fund also could shore up the state’s health care exchange should the federal government cut Affordable Care Act subsidies and tax credits.
The fourth bill, HB 8004, addresses youth behavioral health and a telecommunications surcharge to support the firefighters cancer relief program. But the bill also codified in law certain restrictions on warrantless arrests and masked personnel in courthouses that had been enacted in September, and further limited information sharing between state agencies and third parties that aren’t state agencies.
That bill was still being debated late Wednesday, but also was expected to pass.
The bills now move on to Thursday’s Senate special session.
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