About Kevin

State Senator Kevin C. Kelly was elected Senate Republican Leader in 2020. He represents the 21st Senatorial District which includes the towns of Monroe, Seymour, Shelton and Stratford.

Senator Kelly is the Senate Republican Ranking Member of the Higher Education Committee and the Legislative Management Committee. He also serves on the Executive and Legislative Nominations Committee and the Regulations Review Committee. He has previously served as Ranking Member of the Committees on Aging, Children, Human Services, and Insurance & Real Estate.

Senator Kelly is an advocate for common sense solutions to make Connecticut more affordable for middle-class families. He prioritizes environmental stewardship, health care access, and issues pertaining to Connecticut’s senior citizens.

Senator Kelly has made an impact in many substantive areas of law dealing with health insurance and hospitals, Medicaid, aging in place initiatives, family caregivers, women’s health care, school safety, and consumer protection.

Senator Kelly has worked to improve the lives of seniors by strengthening elder abuse laws and improving aging in place initiatives which encourage independent living with dignity. In 2021 Senator Kelly successfully passed legislation to strengthen protections for nursing home residents and their loved ones in response to the pain and suffering experienced during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic. He also successfully advocated for and passed legislation to increase the personal needs allowance for nursing home residents and to fight age discrimination in the workplace. In 2015, Senator Kelly played an important role the in passage of the CARE Act which requires hospitals to provide caregivers the important information and services they need to care for their loved ones at home upon discharge.

Senator Kelly has worked to increase the access, quality, and affordability of health care in Connecticut. He was central to the enactment of An Act Concerning Life Insurance Producer Licenses which protects insurance consumers from unethical stockbrokers. He led efforts to pass historic legislation that establishes pregnancy as a qualifying life event, so pregnant women can obtain health insurance during their pregnancy and access needed prenatal care.

Senator Kelly has been recognized for his extensive work on health care access and affordability. He was named a 2022 Legislative Champion for Oral Health by the Connecticut Oral Health Initiative in recognition of his work as a champion for oral health access in Connecticut, and in particular his support and success in passing legislation to extend dental coverage to dependents up to age 26 through their family dental plans. He was named the 2021 Champion of the Year by the Greater Connecticut/Western Massachusetts Chapter of the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation (JDRF) in recognition of his work on bipartisan legislation addressing insulin affordability. In 2020, Senator Kelly was named a Legislative Champion by the Radiological Society of Connecticut in recognition of his strong support and advocacy for preventive breast cancer screenings and patient protections. He also has received the award for Outstanding Commitment to Quality Health Care and Patient Access from the Radiological Society of Connecticut (RSC) for his work during the 2012 legislative session during which he co-sponsored legislation that focused on improving access to breast cancer screening.

Additionally, Senator Kelly has worked to make Connecticut a more competitive state as it relates to the captive insurance industry, and in 2016 he was recognized as a 2016 Legislative Champion by the Connecticut Captive Insurance Association.

Senator Kelly holds multiple awards from AARP including a national “Capitol Caregiver” award. He also has been recognized with awards from the Connecticut Association of Optometrists, the Bridgeport Regional Business Council, the Connecticut League of Conservation Voters and the Connecticut Marine Trades Association.

Senator Kelly is an elder law attorney and the owner of Kevin Kelly & Associates, PC; a Stratford law firm.

Prior to working in private practice, he worked as an investigator for the Department of Social Services for over 13 years.

Senator Kelly earned his bachelor’s degree at Assumption College (B.A. 1982), his master’s degree at Fairfield University (M.A. 1985), and his law degree from the University of Connecticut School of Law (J.D. 1997).

He resides in Stratford with his spouse Cindy. Their family includes four children and seven grandchildren.

Awards include:

  • Legislative Champion for Oral Health (2022) by the Connecticut Oral Health Initiative
  • 2021 Champion of the Year by the Greater Connecticut/Western Massachusetts Chapter of the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation (JDRF)
  • Legislative Champion, Connecticut Captive Insurance Association (2016)
  • AARP National Capitol Caregiver award
  • AARP Legislative Achievement Awards (2011, 2012, 2013, 2015 and 2016)
  • Connecticut Association of Optometrists Legislative Award (2013)
  • Advocate of School Nursing Award (2013)
  • Radiological Society of Connecticut’s Outstanding Commitment to Quality Health Care and Patient Access Award (2012) recognizing his work on legislation that focused on improving access to breast cancer screening, and Legislative Champion Award (2020) recognizing his advocacy for Preventative Breast Cancer Screenings
  • The Bridgeport Regional Business Council (BRBC) Regional Legislator Impact Award (2015) for being a consistent voice for a pro jobs agenda
  • The Connecticut League of Conservation Voters Legislative Leader (2015) in recognition of supporting key environmental issues
  • Honorary Crew Member Award (2020) from the Connecticut Marine Trades Association for his support businesses along the state’s shoreline