2026 Legislative Agenda
A. Advancing Racial, Economic, Environmental, and Social Justice
NASW-CT aims to increase equitable rights and resources pertaining to race, class, religion, gender identity and expression, sexual orientation, ethnicity, and disability. NASW-CT opposes the deportation of immigrants. The chapter promotes legislation that:
- Supports the protection of immigrant communities through various protections of data and courthouse.
- Improves quality and accessibility to social services, physical and mental health care, childcare, clean air and water, healthy food, education, affordable housing, employment, transportation, capital, and justice.
- Adds an environmental justice amendment to the constitution.
- Bans human trafficking, genital mutilation, and cutting. This includes legislation to support and protect those harmed by Intimate Partner Violence.
- Implements zoning reforms, such as diverse housing and shelter access for both individuals and families.
B. Protecting Safety Net Services
NASW-CT believes every Connecticut resident and family should be able to meet their basic human needs. We oppose cuts to safety net programs and support laws that:
- Fully fund programs that prevent people from experiencing poverty.
- Advance Medicaid expansion, including dental and vision care.
- Remove means testing for benefits and raises income and asset limits.
- Increases assistance for youth aging out of DCF custody.
C. Expanding Access to Comprehensive Medical and Behavioral Health Care
NASW-CT believes that every Connecticut resident has the right to accessible, comprehensive health care. We oppose the reimplementation of managed care as well as the introduction of truncated rates for Husky programs. The chapter promotes legislation that:
- Refines CONNIE policies to follow statutory mandates, protect the privacy of client records, decrease risks for providers, and align with current laws.
- Improves access to public options for health insurance by raising asset limits, reducing restrictions, and permitting coverage for all undocumented immigrants.
- Increases the ratio of school mental healthcare providers to 1 per 250 students.
- Adds licensed social workers to family courts, urgent medical centers, and libraries as well as for consultation in homeless shelters.
- Increases use of and reimbursement rates for Urgent Crisis Centers and Certified Community Behavioral Health Clinics.
- Does not require 6-month face-to-face appointments for prescriptions.
- Limits retroactive denials of behavioral health insurance claims to one year.
- Considers affordability for health insurance rate hikes
D. Policing, Justice, and Prison Reform
NASW-CT acknowledges structural, historical and systemic practices within the criminal justice system that have led to community trauma. The chapter promotes legislation that:
- Reallocates funds from incarceration to decarceration programs, gets rid of money bail, and increases reentry services.
- Integrates social work services into law enforcement agencies and reroutes mental health crises to clinicians and peer support.
- Effectively supports reentry efforts by decreasing the cost needed to have records expunged.
- Reforms youth justice through improving parole eligibility, increasing arrest age, banning child placement in adult prisons, erases records at age 18, and eliminates chemical agents.
- Improves family connections, reduces offense levels related to cannabis, and does away with strip searches.
- Supports the PROTECT Act
E. Voting and Election Reform
NASW-CT supports encouragement of voting by all eligible residents, making ballot boxes permanent, promoting no-excuse absentee voting, and upholding the right to vote for incarcerated individuals.
F. Tax Reform
NASW-CT supports tax reform that promotes economic justice. We support laws that:
- Increase income taxes on the wealthy, expand the estate and gift tax, and sunset corporate tax breaks.
- Create surcharges for ammunition and investment income.
- Promote an increase in the CT Child Tax Credit.
G. Protecting and Strengthening the Profession
NASW-CT aims to allow social workers to practice at their highest level ofscope of practice, assure workplace safety, and be inclusive of physical and emotional trauma. The chapter promotes legislation that:
- Supports and defines Social Work as a Profession
- Provides resources and support for graduate students impacted by the decrease in loan limits
- Reinstates the suspension of the LMSW Exam
- Addresses the need for reasonable staffing ratios in direct practice settings.
- Expands positions that are compatible with MBA, MPA, and MPH degrees to also include MSWs.
- Lowers the LCSW annual renewal fee, increases funding for social work salaries, reimbursement rates, tuition reimbursement, and retention bonuses.
- Introduces longevity bonuses and funds continuing education for all licensure levels.
- Requires nursing homes to hire BSWs and MSWs with one year of health care experience for the position of nursing home social worker.