Yankee Institute commends Gov. Ned Lamont for vetoing two detrimental bills: S.B. 8, which would have provided unemployment benefits to striking workers, and H.B. 5002, an omnibus housing bill that threatened local decision-making.
“We appreciate Gov. Lamont listening to the people of Connecticut, who objected to these destructive and costly policies,” said Yankee Institute President Carol Platt Liebau. “These vetoes demonstrate that when our hardworking families, residents, and businesses speak up, their voices resonate in Hartford.”
S.B. 8 would have granted unemployment benefits to workers voluntarily striking after just two weeks, a policy Gov. Lamont rightly called “a bridge too far.”
“This bill would have discouraged job creation, incentivized labor unrest, prolonged strikes, increased unemployment insurance rates for businesses, and driven up costs for essentials like food and construction,” Liebau said. “It would have worsened Connecticut’s affordability crisis and handed unions disproportionate power.”
Similarly, H.B. 5002 would have imposed one-size-fits-all housing mandates, undermining the ability of Connecticut’s diverse communities to shape policies suited to their unique needs.
Yankee Institute salutes its partners — including CT169Strong and the Council of Small Towns (COST) — and other groups like the Connecticut Conference of Municipalities (CCM) who helped raise statewide awareness of the potential harm the bill would have inflicted on Connecticut’s communities.
“The governor’s veto of H.B. 5002 reinforces the importance of local decision-making in shaping housing policies that reflect the unique needs of our towns and cities,” Liebau said. “We look forward to working with Gov. Lamont and all lawmakers to craft housing legislation that makes sense for all of Connecticut.”
While Gov. Lamont has indicated a potential special session this fall to address issues with H.B. 5002, Yankee Institute urges the Governor and General Assembly to allow lawmaking of this complexity to be done through an open and transparent process during the regular legislative session.
