HARTFORD – State Sen. Jorge Cabrera (D-Hamden) Feb. 25 joined his Senate Democratic colleagues in approving $40 million to help municipalities cover the cost of local special education needs, nearly $3 million more for various nonprofits across the state, and new restrictions on the use of drones made in China and Russia.
Sen. Cabrera voted to give final passage in the Senate to House Bills 7066 and 7067. Both were passed Monday evening by the House of Representatives, and they now await the signature of Governor Ned Lamont into law.
“Local school boards deserve to have the resources they need to serve all our students. The drone bill is important to keep foreign actors from interfering with our national security. And as Washington politicians come after our community organizations, I want to make sure they can continue to do the good work that they do at the local level,” Sen. Cabrera said.
Today’s bills provide a $40 million injection of state funding to municipalities to support special education needs for the current fiscal year. This funding is in addition to the $181 million which was previously appropriated for Fiscal Year 2025, bringing the total to $221 million. The funding will be allocated through the Excess Cost Grant program and distributed to municipalities through a tiered reimbursement structure .
Today’s bills also appropriate $2.88 million to 23 different organizations that address children’s, immigrant, women’s health, neighborhood, LBGTQ+, and other issues, including $800,000 for Planned Parenthood of Southern New England and $225,000 for Integrated Refugee & Immigrant Services (IRIS).
Today’s bills also restrict in the future the use of certain drones — made by companies located in China and Russia which have been deemed to pose security risks — by state agencies, municipalities, and contractors working with them.