SB 416 Connecticut Senate · 2026 Regular Session

AN ACT CONCERNING TRANSPORTATION SYSTEM MODERNIZATION.

This bill establishes a rebate program to help Connecticut residents, businesses, and municipalities purchase or lease new or used electric vehicles, with priority given to low-income households and environmental justice communities. It also creates a matching grant program to help municipalities upgrade traffic signals for better transit efficiency and reduces congestion. Additionally, the bill sets a timeline requiring most school buses to be zero-emission or alternative fuel vehicles by 2035, with accelerated adoption in distressed municipalities.

Bill status in committee 1 of 4 stages cleared

Introduction

Mar 2026

Committee Review

Floor Vote

Governor

Introduced Mar 4, 2026 Last action Apr 7, 2026

Maddy AI version diff · 1 comparison

What changed between versions

Raised Bill → TRA Joint Favorable Substitute · 7 edits

MODERATE

The bill was converted from a 'Raised Bill' to a 'Joint Favorable Substitute,' changing the bill number and committee reference. The substantive policy changes include shifting the primary focus from electric vehicle rebates to a matching grant program for modernizing traffic signals, and significantly altering the timeline and requirements for zero-emission school bus adoption. The new version introduces specific mandates for 'distressed municipalities' to submit transition plans and requires diesel school buses to use biodiesel blends by 2027.

Scope change

The bill's scope shifted from a general electric vehicle rebate program to a targeted traffic signal modernization grant and a more complex, tiered zero-emission school bus mandate that differentiates between general municipalities and 'distressed municipalities.'

SCOPE

The primary electric vehicle rebate program was removed and replaced with a matching grant program specifically for municipalities to modernize traffic signals for transit priority and congestion reduction.

TIMELINE

The deadline for 100% zero-emission or alternative fuel school buses was moved from July 1, 2035 to July 1, 2040, and the 90% target was moved from 2040 to 2040 (with a new intermediate 10% target for distressed areas by 2030).

REQUIREMENT

New requirements mandate that distressed municipalities submit a compliance plan by July 1, 2029, and all other municipalities must submit a plan by July 1, 2035.

A new requirement mandates that fully diesel-powered school buses must be fueled with at least a 20% biodiesel blend starting July 1, 2027.

FISCAL

Funding for the traffic signal modernization program is now explicitly capped at $75 million within a larger $130 million transportation allocation.

DEFINITION

The definition of 'environmental justice community' was removed from the definitions section, while 'distressed municipality' was added as a specific category for compliance planning.

ELIGIBILITY

Eligibility for the new school bus grant program now prioritizes zero-emission buses operated in environmental justice communities.

Floor votes

How they voted

No floor votes recorded yet.

Full legislative history

Actions timeline

Total actions

Key actions

Committee

Mar 16, 2026

Upper · Passed

Joint Favorable Substitute

upper

Mar 4, 2026

Committee

REF. TO JOINT COMM. ON Transportation

upper

3 primary · 0 co-sponsors