General Assembly sessions in even numbered years run from the first Wednesday in February through the first Wednesday in May.  This year that will be February 4 to May 6.  Three months is an incredibly tight timeframe for the legislative process and that’s why the upcoming February to May session is more commonly referred to as the Short Session.

But CSEA members know from experience that the Short Session is not shorthand for unimportant.  The General Assembly will have an opportunity to make changes to the biennial budget that was passed in the previous session.  Legislators can allocate additional funding for services performed by CSEA members - everyone from teachers in Unified School District #1 to environmental analysts in the Department of Energy and Environmental Protection to family childcare providers to paraeducators to town hall workers and more.  General Assembly members can reform our state’s tax code to ensure that billionaires and large corporations pay their fair share.  Representatives and Senators can pass legislation that improves access to and lowers the cost of healthcare.  This is to say, the session might be short, but there is a lot that can happen.

And, because when the General Assembly convenes into session there is always an opportunity to fight for our careers, our families, and our communities; CSEA members are ready with a legislative agenda to advance our members’ interests.  The legislative agenda is recommended by CSEA’s Legislative Action Committee (LAC), which is composed of members from all of our local’s councils.  The range of issues in the agenda is a testament to the variety of work and careers of CSEA members.  After the LAC recommended the agenda, CSEA’s Executive Council voted to approve it.  While that is the technical process for approval of the agenda, at the end of the day, the agenda is the result of conversations with rank and file members, staff representatives, and union leadership and a reflection of the ambitions and experiences of CSEA’s members.

2026 Legislative Agenda

• Connecticut for All Agenda: as part of the Connecticut for All coalition, CSEA joins with allied partners working to ensure that Connecticut’s budget and spending priorities put working people first.  CSEA members will support the work of Connecticut for All as the coalition continues to fight for an equitable tax structure and full funding for the services provided by our members;

• Connecticut AFL-CIO Agenda: In 2026, the AFL will continue its work supporting collective bargaining rights and fighting for the priorities of its affiliates.  From combatting wage theft to establishing standards and limits for the use of Artificial Intelligence in the workplace to investment in long-term care for seniors, and more, the AFL agenda is a reflection of the size and diversity of the Connecticut AFL and its membership;

• SEBAC Legislative Proposals: Joining with allied unions in the State Employee Bargaining Agent Coalition (SEBAC), CSEA will work to advance legislative proposals that fund services and jobs, protect against attempts to privatize public work, and address the continuing problem of short staffing.
  
  From passing legislation that prevents the release of the personal home addresses of public employees to improving the work and effectiveness of the State Contracting Standards Board, CSEA members will work with our allies in SEBAC to advance needed legislation and pro-worker policies.  Additionally, CSEA will support our brothers and sisters in Connecticut’s Higher Education system as they continue the fight against harmful consolidation and privatization proposals;

• Just Cause for Renters: CSEA will work with our allies in the Connecticut Tenants Union to pass a strong universal just cause bill which expands existing protections to prohibit no-fault, lapse of time evictions to all  renters (except those in small, owner- occupied buildings), so tenants in good standing can remain in their homes;

• State Employee and Childcare Contracts: CSEA members will work to pass any collective bargaining agreements, arbitration awards, and memoranda of understanding that are put before the General Assembly for approval;

• Paraeducators: While the past several sessions have brought some progress for paraeducators around critical issues like healthcare and professional development, it has not been enough.  In the coming session, CSEA paraeducators will work to pass legislation that raises pay, improves healthcare, gives all paraeducators access to a secure retirement, and allows paraeducators to collect unemployment insurance over the summer; and

• Recruitment and Retention of Municipal and Board of Education Workers: To address the recruitment and retention problems facing public employers like municipalities and school districts, CSEA members working in municipalities and boards of education will advocate for increased funding to raise wages and expand health and retirement benefits.