SENATOR CHRISTINE COHEN
knows making a difference starts with bringing people together and listening to do what's best for our community.
SENATOR COHEN ON THE ISSUES
Environment
Taking care of our environment has always been one of my top priorities and I was incredibly honored to serve as the Chair of the Environment Committee for four years. As chair, I founded the bipartisan Coastal Caucus, which has served to amplify the voices of coastal communities and I continue to lead that caucus as we navigate rising waters and storm surges. In 2021, I led passage of the first update to our bottle redemption laws since the 1970’s, improving recycling infrastructure and cutting down on blight caused by litter. I led passage on a bill which bans single-use plastic bags and harmful PFAS “forever chemicals” from firefighting foam and food packaging. In 2024 I supported legislation that expanded that PFAS ban to include many everyday items, a step towards keeping our water clean from these chemicals. Unfortunately, PFAS has affected us right here in the 12th District and I continue to work closely with the town of Killingworth to support remediation efforts. In my first term, I passed a bill to enable towns impacted by sea-level rise to adequately plan and save for coastal resiliency, and then in 2021 I passed legislation that strengthened these coastal resiliency funding mechanisms, so our towns have more tools to combat storm surges and sea level rise.
As your state senator I will continue to focus on waste mitigation, eliminating pollutants from our environment and ensuring we meet our carbon emission goals. Now as Chair of the Transportation Committee, reducing transportation related emissions is a top priority.
Economic Growth
Small businesses are the economic engines of the state. As a small business owner, I know the struggles and barriers business owners face and what is required to enable them to prosper. Unfortunately, small businesses have been hurt the hardest due to the COVID-19 pandemic. As Vice-Chair of the Commerce Committee, I worked to provide much needed relief for our small businesses, and as your state Senator, I will continue to advocate for their recovery and vitality. I continue to chair the Bioscience Caucus of the Connecticut General Assembly and have worked with this industry as their explosive growth continues across the state; particularly right here in the 12th Senate District. It has never been more important to realize continued innovation in this sector and with the passage of bills such as the expansion of research and development tax credits, we can foster that growth.
My colleagues and I worked together to pass unemployment reform that will improve the fund’s solvency and result in a tax cut for the majority of Connecticut businesses. There is much work to be done and I am eager to get back to Hartford to be a voice for small business owners across the state.
Transportation
These past two years, I served my first term as Chair of the Transportation Committee and I am proud of the work we accomplished to improve safety on our roadways, invest in our infrastructure, and address carbon emissions from the transportation sector.
Most notably I am thrilled to share that I fought for, negotiated, and secured $5 million to restore 4 peak trains on Shore Line East. While I am disappointed that this won’t result in 100% restoration, I am committed to continuing to fight for the dollars necessary to bring fast, efficient connectivity to the region.
Connecticut has seen an incredibly concerning increase in road fatalities, and as a mother of young drivers and a commuter myself, I am committed to increasing safety for motorists, pedestrians, cyclists, first responders and work crews and all who share our roads. In my first term as Chair, we invested millions into wrong-way driving countermeasures and established automated enforcement measures. We passed important VisionZero legislation that will allow us to work with our Department of Transportation and our municipalities to create safe streets for all. This is a charge that is top of mind for me and for many of you, and I am eager for the opportunity to continue to build upon this work.
Budget
In the past, Connecticut's finances have been managed in such a way that prioritizes the short-term, rather than considering the long-term implications. Decades of this type of thinking allowed for massive unfunded pension liabilities to go unaddressed. We owe it to our kids to tackle these problems in a manner that addresses our current needs, while being mindful of the future.
As your state senator, I have now voted for three biennial budgets that made record payments toward the long-term unfunded pension debt from the past 70 years while fully funding current employee obligations, so we do not repeat the mistakes of the past. As a member of the Finance Committee, I helped write and pass our most recent bipartisan budget that invests in education, municipal aid, nonprofits, nursing homes, civil and social justice, and health care – all while cutting taxes by $600 million. For the first time in decades, we were able to cut the income tax rate for most residents. We addressed the pension and annuity earnings exemption cliff and protected the income tax phaseout on Social Security. We have shored up the Rainy Day Fund to over $3 billion, and met the legal maximum. We supported nonprofits with $110 million, increased the Earned Income Tax Credit for working families, providing $40 million in income to nearly 195,000 households and paid down over $2 billion in long-term debt.
Fiscal responsibility is critical for the growth and success of Connecticut and I'm committed to ensuring our policies are not an extra burden on taxpayers.
Access to the Ballot Box
Connecticut’s journey to early voting began with the residents of our state speaking out to seek reform and legislature’s recognition of the need to modernize the state's election system and make voting more accessible to all eligible citizens. For years, Connecticut remained one of the few states without early voting, leaving many voters to navigate the often challenging logistics of casting a ballot on a single election day, during limited hours. After persistent advocacy, we passed a measure that would allow for early voting, setting the stage for a more flexible voting process. However, because amending Connecticut's constitution was required to implement early voting, the final decision was put in the hands of the people.
In November 2022, Connecticut voters overwhelmingly approved a ballot measure to amend the state constitution and allow early, in-person voting. This marked a significant shift in how elections would be conducted, reflecting widespread public support for greater access to the polls. Now, early voting is officially in place, providing voters with multiple days to cast their ballots before Election Day. This change aims to reduce long lines, accommodate busy schedules, and ensure that more citizens can participate in the democratic process without facing logistical barriers. Connecticut’s embrace of early voting demonstrates the state’s commitment to increasing voter accessibility and modernizing its electoral system.
Protecting Reproductive Freedom
Ever since Donald Trump’s extremist Supreme Court struck down Roe v. Wade, reproductive freedom is on the ballot every November. Before the official ruling came out, we in Connecticut saw the writing on the wall and jumped into action. We passed legislation that protects abortion providers and patients in Connecticut from overzealous overreach by anti-choice states. As a member of the Reproductive Rights Caucus, I am fiercely dedicated to protecting Connecticut resident’s access to the full breadth of reproductive healthcare - from access to abortion to IVF treatments to affordable and accessible maternity care. I believe that intimate health decisions like family planning should remain between a woman and her doctor and is no business of the government.
Education
Access to quality education is essential for the wellbeing and development of our children. As our kids continue to grapple with the effects of the pandemic, I am committed to supporting students, parents, and teachers. It is important that our towns – not Hartford – are at the forefront of determining what is best for our students.
As your state senator, I pushed back against forced regionalization, advocating for local control over our schools. I voted for a budget that increases local funding to schools. I also voted for a bill that focuses on ensuring better mental health outcomes for children through mental health wellness days, suicide prevention training programs, and ending shaming of student lunch debt.
Additionally, I'm very proud that we passed legislation that makes community college free to Connecticut residents. Connecticut's community colleges provide critical job training and higher education for thousands of students across the state and now students have the opportunity to attend without incurring debt.
In the past two years I have secured an increase in state education funding to our towns by over $2 million.
Seniors
After hearing from so many constituents about the pension and annuity earnings exemption cliff, I am proud to share that I helped write and pass a balanced budget that increases the income limits and slowly graduates the exemption percentages. Now those who are single filers earning up to $100,000 and couples earning up to $150,000 will see a benefit. We also made sure that we protected the income tax phase out on social security,
My colleagues and I worked to pass legislation that protects our aging population through reducing expensive copays for home care and providing more funding for nursing homes to improve staffing to patient ratios. During the height of the pandemic, we saw so many nursing home residents suffering from isolation from their loved ones. In response, we strengthened the bill of rights for residents of long term care facilities to ensure access to virtual visits and improve quality of life. We worked to lower the cost of prescriptions, something that will help many of us, but especially our older residents.
Connecticut became a national leader in protecting older workers by passing legislation prohibiting age discrimination in the hiring process, ensuring older workers can get an interview. As your state senator, I am committed to making sure Connecticutians who lived, worked and raised a family here can afford to retire here as well.
Healthcare
Now more than ever, it's essential that people have access to affordable health care. As your state senator, I was proud to vote for the creation of a Paid Family and Medical Leave program in 2019, which workers can now begin receiving benefits from. My colleagues and I passed a much needed health insurance expansion, allowing young people to stay on their family dental and vision plans through their 26th birthday.
I also sponsored a bill to strengthen protections for pre-existing conditions. We've come close to achieving a public health insurance option, and in that process have expanded affordable access to healthcare for many. I will continue to fight for small business owners and families to ensure that they have the coverage and support that they need.
In the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, we passed legislation expanding access to telehealth services, which benefit so many during this difficult time. Additionally, we passed a bill that caps the out-of-pocket cost of insulin at $25. And this past session, we worked with the Comptroller’s office to create a prescription drug discount program that will work for everyone. Health care should always be accessible and affordable, and I'll continue to advocate for policies that ensure everyone has access to comprehensive, quality care.
Public Safety
Creating a Connecticut that is a safe place to raise a family influences every vote I take. In my freshman term, I worked alongside Kristin and Michael Song to pass Ethan’s Law, a measure which closed a loophole in state statutes on the safe storage of unattended firearms in homes. This law was recently expanded. Just this term, I voted to ban the open carry of guns, increase bail for offenders with repeated serious firearm offenses, prevent the bulk purchasing of guns and keep guns out of the hands of those who have committed a family violence crime.
Previously, I voted to close loopholes in laws surrounding Extreme Risk Protection Orders in order to give family members, law enforcement and other professionals more options to protect their loved ones and their community from gun violence. I also voted in favor of legislation banning ghost guns and requiring safe storage of firearms in vehicles. Passing common sense gun legislation that protects our community from violence earned me the endorsement of Moms Demand Action and CT Against Gun Violence in 2020, 2022, and 2024, two distinctions I wear proudly.
I proudly helped craft and voted for Jennifer’s Law which, among many other things, expands the definition of domestic violence to include non-physical "coercive control", protecting survivors of domestic violence and their children. In 2023, I voted to ban open carry, increase bail for offenders with repeated serious firearm offenses, prevent the bulk purchasing of guns and keeps guns out of the hands of those who have committed a family violence crime.
This term I voted for a budget that included $4.5 million for a new North Branford Police Station, and led and secured $150,000 for a vehicle purchase for the Regional Traffic Fatality Response for use by East Haven, North Haven, Branford, North Branford, Madison and Guilford Police Departments. I have worked with police officers, mental health experts and my colleagues on both sides of the aisle on legislation that would provide our police departments with Crisis Intervention Training (CIT) so that they have the tools they need to respond to people in a mental health crisis. In my first term, I voted to provide workers compensation benefits to police officers and firefighters, and in my second term I fought to expand those protections to EMTs, 911 dispatchers and correctional officers as well as healthcare workers who cared for COVID patients. I voted for legislation that allocates $1.44 million to fund 18 new domestic violence child and family advocates at domestic violence agencies statewide and require dating apps to to provide notifications to users regarding background checks and staying safe online.
I believe that public safety must be approached in a multifaceted and compassionate approach, and I will continue to work together with community advocates, law enforcement, mental health professions and more to achieve a safer Connecticut.