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Sens. Cohen, Looney, Winfield, and McCrory chat during session at the state Capitol on February 25, 2025. Credit: Shahrzad Rasekh / CT Mirror

In March, Connecticut lawmakers passed a 98-section “emergency certified” bill that contained several measures affecting Connecticut’s municipalities.

The bill received significant opposition from Republicans in the General Assembly. And weeks after it passed, two GOP lawmakers sued the House speaker and Senate president, both Democrats, over it.

Rep. Cara Pavalock-D’Amato, R-Bristol, and Rep. Anne Dauphinais, R-Killingly, sought in their lawsuit to have the Superior Court weigh in on what an “emergency” is. They have argued that nothing in the legislation constituted any real emergency, but instead the bill was presented as a so-called “e-cert” to bypass the usual legislative process and shut out the minority party and the public.

The bill included a number of provisions that affect cities and towns, including new training requirements for police, changes to early voting procedures and additions to school curriculums.

Here’s what you need to know about some of those changes.

Police training

In February, Hartford residents Steven Jones and Everard Walker were shot and killed by city police officers. In both cases, police were sent to the scene based on calls seeking mental health assistance for the men.

Police were said not to have called in a crisis team before the Jones shooting. The Hartford Police union stated that police officers “should not be society’s default mental health responders.” The union also asked legislators “to provide better tools and support” for those responding to calls for mental health assistance.

The bill calls for new training for police officers on how to interact with people with mental illness or physical disabilities and how officers can reduce conflict and prevent situations from escalating.

“Our officers are often faced with a situation where they are not trained to de-escalate. With this new training, law enforcement will be better equipped to de-escalate these situations in a safe manner,” New Haven Mayor Justin Elicker said.

Early voting

There are also some big changes related to the early voting process.

Previously, ballots were sealed in envelopes that were signed by voters and counted on Election Day. Now, ballots must be inserted into a machine called a tabulator so the number of votes can be counted each day. This will lead to quicker results and reduce room for errors or tampering, officials said.

“More and more, voters are telling me they’re afraid that if they vote, their private information will be stolen or that their ballot somehow won’t be counted,” Secretary of the State Stephanie Thomas said in a press release.

The law also makes several updates to voting procedures that address expansions in early voting. Registrars must now test tabulators prior to the start of any early voting period, and early voting locations must be submitted to the state by Feb. 15 annually.

Education

The law requires the state Board of Education to provide curriculum resources to schools on Islamic and Arab studies and encourage schools to teach these topics. The state board already provides similar resources for other areas of study, including Holocaust and genocide awareness, financial literacy, African-American and Black studies, Puerto Rican and Latino studies, Native American studies and Asian American and Pacific Islander studies.

“I am looking forward to having these sources available for our students so they will be able to learn about different cultures all around the world,” Mayor Arunan Arulampalam, D-Hartford, said.

The bill also gives high school students who achieve high proficiency in civics education and engagement the opportunity to receive a Connecticut State Seal of Civics Education and Engagement on their diplomas. 

Arulampalam said that it’s “important” for students to be engaged in civics and local government. 

To receive this seal on their diplomas, students must successfully complete a history or social science course for at least two school years, including one U.S. government or civics course. They are expected to participate in at least one civic engagement project, including community service, student government, an internship with an elected official or civic organization involvement. Students must also show proficiency in civics knowledge through a standardized assessment, work portfolio or other mastery-based assessment or process.

Schools may begin awarding students with this seal starting with the graduating class of 2027.

Lucas is an audience engagement intern focused on bringing local news to younger audiences in an engaging way. His work is focused on social media posts, newsletters, and written reporting. Lucas is in his first year at Tunxis Community College pursuing a degree in business/marketing.