HB 5253 Connecticut House · 2026 Regular Session

AN ACT CONCERNING VOTING PROCEDURES FOR AND STATE ELECTIONS ENFORCEMENT COMMISSION OVERSIGHT OF FIRE DISTRICTS.

HB 5253 requires all fire district meetings in Connecticut to use paper ballots for voting on officers and business, with only in-person voters allowed (no absentee ballots). It directly affects fire district voters and officers, mandating in-person voting at all meetings starting July 2027. The bill creates a complaint process where voters can report voting rule violations to the State Elections Enforcement Commission, which gains new authority to investigate, impose penalties, and order re-votes if violations occur. The Commission can also hold fire district officers personally liable for knowingly violating these rules, with courts able to award fines and legal costs.

Bill status in committee 1 of 4 stages cleared

Introduction

Feb 2026

Committee Review

Floor Vote

Governor

Introduced Feb 19, 2026 Last action Apr 7, 2026

Maddy AI version diff · 1 comparison

What changed between versions

Raised Bill → GOS Joint Favorable Substitute · 4 edits

MODERATE

The bill was reclassified from a 'Raised Bill' to a 'GOS Joint Favorable Substitute,' indicating it has been amended and approved by the General Assembly. Substantive changes include adding a specific right for aggrieved fire district voters to file complaints, clarifying the legal authority of the State Elections Enforcement Commission regarding fire district votes, and updating the effective date of a repealed statute to July 1, 2027.

Scope change

The bill's scope was expanded to explicitly include the right for aggrieved fire district voters to file written complaints with the State Elections Enforcement Commission, and the enforcement powers of the commission were clarified to cover investigations related to fire district meetings.

TIMELINE

The effective date for repealing a specific subsection of the general statutes was updated to July 1, 2027, and the repeal text was amended to reference a specific public act.

ELIGIBILITY

A new provision was added granting any person qualified to vote in a fire district meeting who feels aggrieved by a violation the right to file a written complaint under oath with the State Elections Enforcement Commission.

ENFORCEMENT

The duties and powers of the State Elections Enforcement Commission were modified to explicitly include investigating alleged violations of the new fire district voting provisions and to subpoena records related to those specific investigations.

TECHNICAL

The bill header was updated to reflect its new status as a 'Substitute Bill' rather than a 'Raised Bill,' and page headers were updated accordingly.

Floor votes

How they voted

No floor votes recorded yet.

Full legislative history

Actions timeline

Total actions

Key actions

Committee

Apr 7, 2026

Lower · Passed

REF. BY HOUSE TO COMMITTEE ON Appropriations

lower

Mar 17, 2026

Lower · Passed

Joint Favorable Substitute

lower

Feb 19, 2026

Committee

REF. TO JOINT COMM. ON Government Oversight

lower

16 primary · 0 co-sponsors