PROUDLY SERVING THE 16TH DISTRICT
State Senator Rob Sampson
Senior Deputy Republican Leader
Rob Sampson, re-elected to a fourth term in 2024, represents Connecticut’s 16th District. He is the Ranking Member on the Government Administration & Elections Committee, the Housing Committee, and the Labor & Public Employees Committee. Rob is widely known as an advocate for America’s core principles, restoring our system of limited, representative, constitutional government, protecting private contracts and defending the natural rights of his constituents.
“I am honored to be chosen by the people of the 16th District as their voice at the State Capitol. I remain committed to defending our American principles of freedom, representation, limited constitutional self-government, and the rule of law. I believe that with hard work and our collective voices, Connecticut can become a safer and more affordable state with a bright future for all. As always, I will put in the hard work to make it happen.”
LATEST COLUMN
The Big Beautiful Contrast: What Trump Gets Right—and Connecticut Gets So Wrong (August 2025)
If you’ve been following the media freak-out over the “Big Beautiful Bill,” you’d think Congress just passed a dystopian nightmare designed to starve grandma and destroy the weather. Naturally, none of that’s true. But as anyone watching politics lately knows, truth is rarely the priority.
UPCOMING EVENTS
Cheshire Legislative Update
2025 Legislative Session wrap-up and any other topic that’s important to you.
Wednesday, August 20
6 – 8 PM
Cheshire Town Hall
For Immediate Release
August 4, 2025
Sen. Rob Sampson and Sen. Stephen Harding today issued the following statement regarding Connecticut’s former Chief State’s Attorney paying $7,000 to resolve alleged ethics violations. The former Chief State’s Attorney, who did not admit wrongdoing as part of the settlement, allegedly hired Gov. Ned Lamont’s then-deputy state budget director’s daughter in exchange for staff raises.
“We commend the Office of State Ethics for reaching this resolution. And we agree with the ethics office’s Executive Director, who emphasized that ‘state service must be free of quid pro quo arrangements.’ The amount of the allowable civil penalty fine limit may need to be adjusted upward going forward in order to give our state ethics laws more teeth.
Senate Republicans have repeatedly noted how shocking it is that Gov. Lamont and Democrats have remained largely silent as state government ethics goes sideways. Their inaction and failure to speak out forcefully only emboldens those who believe they can bend rules and norms for personal or political gain.
The message from state government must be clear: misconduct will not be tolerated.”
I receive a lot of requests to share more of my correspondence with constituents. Here is my recent reply to the latest incoming message in an ongoing debate over and acting the so-called “just cause” eviction legislation. Enjoy.
First the incoming message:
Good afternoon Sen.Sampson, Rob.
While I appreciate the enlightenment concerning the bill, i can’t help but see firsthand how what we have in place right now is dangerous in the hands of most Landlords who only care about money.
As a person who has rented the same apartment for over twenty one years and now on the verge of becoming homeless, not because of anything I have done wrong but only because Landlords are allowed to take advantage of good people, I will continue to support the Bill as much as I can.
Homelessness affects both person and community. Supporting unscrupulous Landlords who don’t care about the Tenants is careless and there should be an end to it somehow. You might want to consider working families who are suffering at the hands of these landlords, most of whom don’t even live in the state of Connecticut.
And my reply:
Thank you again for your message and for sharing your personal story. I don’t take your situation lightly—housing challenges are emotionally and financially stressful, and I genuinely sympathize with anyone facing uncertainty, especially after many years in the same home.
That said, part of being a responsible adult in a free society is recognizing that each of us is responsible for our own choices, including where we live, the agreements we enter into, and how we respond to change. If your landlord is violating your lease, you have a right to pursue justice through the courts. If they are proposing different terms for a future agreement, that is their right—just as it is yours to reject those terms and seek a new place to live.
But advocating that the government forcibly intervene to dictate lease terms or compel property owners to rent on conditions they oppose is not a solution—it’s a violation of their rights. And while you may believe landlords “only care about money,” that’s no different than any business or worker seeking a return for their labor and risk. That’s not immoral—it’s fundamental to how our economy functions.
You are understandably upset, but misplacing blame on the very people who provide housing in the private market is unproductive and misguided. If we punish property owners for raising rents to meet rising taxes, utility rates, and repair costs, the result will not be more affordable housing—it will be less housing altogether. Fewer landlords, fewer rentals, and higher prices for everyone.
You seem to believe the bills you support would protect tenants. In reality, they will make it harder for people to find housing—especially working families—by shrinking the rental market, discouraging investment, and introducing new legal risks that many landlords simply won’t tolerate. When that happens, the people hurt the most will be those already struggling to find housing.
Capitalism is not the problem. It is the solution. It has lifted more people out of poverty and provided more opportunity than any other system in history. It is also the only moral system, because it is based on consent, mutual benefit, and individual liberty. By contrast, demanding that government override private agreements and forcibly redistribute housing is not fairness—it’s legalized theft.
I respect your right to advocate for what you believe. But I cannot support policies that violate the rights of others, dismantle the free market, and ultimately worsen the very crisis they claim to address.
Respectfully,
State Senator Rob Sampson
For Immediate Release
August 1, 2025
Sen. Rob Sampson, Sen. Henri Martin and Sen. Stephen Harding today issued the following statement regarding federal authorities opening an investigation into how tens of millions of dollars are being distributed among and spent by several non profit social service organizations operating in Hartford. (www.courant.com/2025/07/31/federal-grand-jury-opens-probe-of-how-millions-in-grants-were-distribu...)
“Nearly four months ago, Senate Republicans were asking the Lamont administration questions about this potentially fraudulent activity involving millions and millions of Connecticut taxpayer dollars.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office now has questions as well.
As the federal government investigates, we as state lawmakers must have a bipartisan conversation on how to inject more transparency and accountability into the nonprofit grant process.
We must view this as an opportunity to enact meaningful reforms at the State Capitol to better protect taxpayers.”