HB 5013 Connecticut House · 2025 Regular Session

AN ACT ADDING CERTAIN PLANTS TO THE INVASIVE PLANTS LIST.

HB 5013 adds specific plant species to the state's official invasive plants list, requiring state agencies to regulate their management. This affects state land managers, conservation groups, and landowners who handle these plants, as it triggers mandatory control measures under existing invasive species laws. The bill does not create new restrictions but formalizes management requirements for the newly listed species, now enacted as Public Act 25-126.

Issues: ✓ Environment

Bill status signed all 5 stages cleared

Introduction

Jan 2025

Committee Review

Feb 2025

House Passage

May 2025

Senate Passage

Jun 2025

Signed into Law

Jul 2025

Introduced Jan 8, 2025 Signed Jul 8, 2025

Maddy AI version diff · 1 comparison

What changed between versions

Proposed Bill → Committee Bill · 5 edits

MODERATE

The bill was amended from a simple prohibition of Japanese barberry and burning bush to a comprehensive, phased-in invasive plant control program. The Committee Bill significantly expands the scope by adding 60+ new invasive plant species and establishing a multi-year timeline with different effective dates for different plant categories. This represents a major policy shift from targeting only two plants to a systematic approach addressing invasive species across multiple years.

Scope change

Expanded from prohibiting only 2 invasive species to 60+ species with staggered implementation dates ranging from 2005 to 2030

SCOPE

Added 60+ new invasive plant species to the prohibited list, including water milfoils, honeysuckles, buckthorns, and various weeds

Removed the original focus on only Japanese barberry and burning bush as the sole prohibited species

TIMELINE

Established phased implementation with different effective dates (2005, 2024, 2027, 2028, 2030) for different plant categories

REQUIREMENT

Replaced simple prohibition language with detailed subsections specifying import, movement, sale, and distribution restrictions for each plant category

DEFINITION

Added specific definition of 'reproductive portion' to include seeds, flowers, roots, and tubers for enforcement clarity

Floor votes · Senate Jun 4, 2025 · House May 13, 2025

How they voted

36–0

Passed

Total votes 36

Jun 4, 2025

D Democratic25

25 Yea

100% Yea

R Republican11

11 Yea

100% Yea

Vote distribution

All Yea All Nay Mixed No data

Full legislative history

Actions timeline

Total actions

Key actions

Committee

Jul 8, 2025

Signed into law

SIGNED BY GOVERNOR

lower

Jun 4, 2025

Upper · Passed

SENATE PASSED

upper

May 13, 2025

Lower · Passed

HOUSE PASSED

lower

Feb 28, 2025

Lower · Passed

Joint Favorable

lower

Jan 24, 2025

Committee

REF. TO JOINT COMM. ON Environment

lower

Jan 23, 2025

Lower · Passed

DRAFTED BY COMMITTEE

lower

Jan 8, 2025

Committee

REF. TO JOINT COMM. ON Environment

lower

15 primary · 0 co-sponsors