SB 155 Connecticut Senate · 2026 Regular Session

AN ACT CONCERNING THE RECOMMENDATIONS OF THE DEPARTMENT OF CHILDREN AND FAMILIES AND THE DATA LINK CONNECTICUT SYSTEM.

SB 155 requires Connecticut's Department of Children and Families to submit annual reports to the legislature starting October 2027. The reports must include specific data on service utilization by race/ethnicity, sibling visitation in foster care, facility operations, child abuse reports, family assessment program outcomes, and foster care licensing compliance. These reports must avoid personally identifying information and cover metrics like racial disparities in service access, foster home safety records, and diversion from juvenile justice systems. The bill directly affects the Department of Children and Families, mandating greater transparency in its child welfare operations. It takes effect July 1, 2026, with the first report due October 15, 2027.

Bill status signed all 5 stages cleared

Introduction

Feb 2026

Committee Review

Feb 2026

Senate Passage

Apr 2026

House Passage

May 2026

Signed into Law

May 2026

Introduced Feb 11, 2026 Signed May 26, 2026

Maddy AI version diff · 1 comparison

What changed between versions

Raised Bill → KID Joint Favorable Substitute · 4 edits

MODERATE

The bill was reclassified from a 'Raised Bill' to a 'KID Joint Favorable Substitute,' indicating it has been amended to address concerns raised by the Children's Issues Division and is now ready for final action. The substantive content remains largely the same, with minor formatting adjustments and the addition of specific reporting requirements regarding sibling visitation and foster care licensing outcomes.

Scope change

The scope of the bill remains focused on the Department of Children and Families' reporting obligations, but the text now explicitly includes data on sibling visitation and expanded details on foster home licensing audits and safety concerns.

TECHNICAL

The bill title and number were updated from 'Raised Bill No. 155' to 'Substitute Bill No. 155' to reflect its status as a revised version incorporating committee feedback.

REQUIREMENT

New reporting requirements were added to mandate data on the number of children with siblings who have had documented visitation and the total number of sibling pairs in each placement.

The report on foster care licensing now requires specific data on the number of abuse or neglect reports concerning children in licensed homes, the number of substantiated reports, and the count of revoked licenses or denied applications.

Minor wording changes were made to clarify reporting on reporter types (changing 'that' to 'who') and to specify that safety concerns must include corresponding corrective actions.

Floor votes · Senate Apr 28, 2026 · House May 4, 2026

How they voted

36–0

Passed

Total votes 36

Apr 28, 2026

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

Amendments

May 26, 2026

Signed into law

SIGNED BY GOVERNOR

upper

May 4, 2026

Lower · Passed

HOUSE PASSED, SEN. AMEND. SCH. A

lower

May 4, 2026

Lower · Passed

HOUSE ADOPTED SEN. AMEND. SCH. A

lower

Apr 28, 2026

Upper · Passed

SEN. PASSED, SEN. AMEND. SCH. A

upper

Apr 28, 2026

Upper · Passed

SEN. ADOPTED SEN. AMEND. SCH. A

upper

Feb 24, 2026

Upper · Passed

Joint Favorable Substitute

upper

Feb 11, 2026

Committee

REF. TO JOINT COMM. ON Committee on Children

upper

3 primary · 0 co-sponsors