State Representative Steve Stafstrom

09/14/2026

This weekend the state experienced significant rainfall resulting in flooding and damage to roadways, businesses and homes. DESPP’s Division of Emergency Management and Homeland Security (DEMHS) is working with local officials to assess next steps. While it is unlikely we will qualify for federal assistance, please report damage through the link below. The next two weeks are critical in assessing damage - the state has 30 days to submit a request to the federal government.

There are two potential processes regarding next steps:

1. Emergency Declaration: Designed to protect property and public health/safety, or to lessen the threat of a catastrophe.

What it activates:
Immediate, short term lifesaving assistance and emergency protective measures. Typically capped at $5M unless Congress approves additional funds.
2. Major Disaster Declaration: Issued when a disaster is determined to be of such severity that effective response is beyond state and local capabilities.
What it activates: Broader, long-term recovery programs including full Public Assistance (PA), Individual Assistance (IA), and Hazard Mitigation Grant Program (HMGP) funding.

Individual Assistance (IA): Direct financial support for homeowners and renters to jumpstart recovery for uninsured or underinsured essential needs.

• Housing Assistance
• Home Repair or Replacement
• Other Needs Assistance

Public Assistance (PA): Federal grant funding that reimburses state, local, and tribal governments and eligible non-profits for emergency services and public infrastructure repair.

• Debris Removal (Category A)
• Emergency Protective Measures (Category B)
• Permanent Work (Categories C-G)

In order to qualify for these federal programs, the county must meet their threshold, and the state must meet a threshold:

State Threshold: $6.9M

County Threshold:

$4.65M- Fairfield
$4.2M- New Haven
$798,000- Middlesex
$1.3M- New London

CT DESPP/DEMHS has activated CrisisTrack to capture damage reports from the September 13th flooding event. The more information we have the better and no dollar amount of damage is too small to report. Affected individuals and households can report flood-related damage and unmet needs below:

https://crisistrack.juvare.com/public/CTDEMHS/request.html?

09/04/2026

“I’m not giving up on getting this done,”

Bridgeport officials are seeking to end what they say is a stalemate over acquiring private property temporarily needed to construct a pedestrian bridge linking Black Rock and Fairfield.

06/17/2026

🚨 🚁 Several people have reached out to me about the helicopters over . After consulting with the State National Guard, I believe a federal aviation unit is indeed conducting training in the area. While the aircraft bears resemblance to those operated by the 160th SOAR, which frequently trains in urban vicinities, I couldn't confirm this with absolute certainty. Trump seems unlikely to return my phone calls on the matter.

06/11/2026

“When someone does something like converting an otherwise lawful G***k pistol into a machine gun, it circumvents all the other reasonable controls and mechanisms that we have in place in Connecticut,” said state Representative Steve Stafstrom, a Democrat from Bridgeport and the chair of the Connecticut House Judiciary Committee. “We are constantly trying to keep up with the trends that we’re seeing and continue to modernize and update our gun statutes.”

https://www.thetrace.org/2026/06/machine-gun-conversion-law-glock-switch/

05/25/2026

Honor the memory of those who gave all this Memorial Day.

05/09/2026

“It’s certainly welcome news and a step in the right direction,” said state Rep. Steve Stafstrom, who has previously criticized the Ganim administration for not investing more in education. “We knew the state would need to do the lion’s share, but the city had to be a partner in that effort and step up with more than the initial $5 million,” recalled Stafstrom on Friday. “So the delegation certainly had pushed the mayor to increase the city’s contribution.”

The additional $35 million for the 2026-27 budget year still falls short of the $44 million local school officials have said is required.

05/07/2026

Sine Die! What a productive Session. Now we sleep.

05/04/2026

A Budget that Delivers for City of Bridgeport,!

05/04/2026

The fight is far from over!

Steve Stafstrom, a vocal critic of the overhead transmission line plan, called the appeal a “mind-boggling” waste of the company’s time and resources when it should instead be trying to negotiate a path forward. “The bottom line is we believe the Siting Council inevitably got it right, that UI’s proposal is wrong for Bridgeport, it’s wrong for Fairfield and wrong for the state of Connecticut as a whole,” Stafstrom said. He said the utility should be “doing what it should have done all along — get in the room with the relevant stakeholders and come to a reasonable plan with the affected communities that UI serves.”

The utility is targeting the months-long roller coaster process the Siting Council conducted in reviewing its power line upgrade in Fairfield and Bridgeport.

05/03/2026

The Connecticut General Assembly passed a responsible, people-focused state budget that invests in our communities while maintaining fiscal discipline.

This budget delivers real progress for working families by:
✅ Investing hundreds of millions in childcare and early education to help parents work and kids succeed
✅ Increasing education funding for our cities and towns, including additional ECS support for underfunded districts
✅ Providing new municipal aid to help communities manage property tax pressure
✅ Expanding funding for healthcare programs like HUSKY and strengthening our social safety net
✅ Supporting small businesses and workers with targeted tax relief and economic development tools

The budget also preserves Connecticut’s fiscal stability while directing surplus resources toward the services families rely on every day.

For cities like Bridgeport, these investments mean stronger schools, healthier families, and more support for the services our residents count on.

I’m proud to support a budget that prioritizes opportunity, affordability, and a stronger future for Connecticut.