Connecticut Bills

in committee · Connecticut · Senate Apr 14, 2025

SB 1530: AN ACT CONCERNING A TECHNICAL CHANGE TO A PROVISION CONCERNING GOVERNMENT ADMINISTRATION AND THE PROVISION OF REPRODUCTIVE AND GENDER-AFFIRMING HEALTH CARE SERVICES TO PATIENTS REGARDLESS OF LOCATION.

SB 1530 amends Connecticut law to protect healthcare providers who offer reproductive and gender-affirming care permitted under Connecticut law from lawsuits in other states. The bill allows providers to recover damages - including attorney fees and costs - if sued in another state for providing such care, regardless of where the patient was located when the care was delivered. It specifically applies to cases where the lawsuit is based on the care being legal in Connecticut, shielding providers from out-of-state legal challenges targeting their practice. The law does not alter the definitions of reproductive or gender-affirming care but creates a new remedy for providers facing these cross-state lawsuits.

Topics ✓ Healthcare

in committee · Connecticut · Senate Apr 14, 2025

SB 1531: AN ACT CONCERNING PUBLIC UTILITY TRANSPARENCY AND ACCOUNTABILITY AND PROCEEDINGS OF THE PUBLIC UTILITIES REGULATORY AUTHORITY.

SB 1531 restricts large electric, gas, pipeline, and water utilities (with over 200,000 customers) from passing certain costs to customers through their rates. The bill specifically prohibits utilities from recovering costs related to trade association memberships, lobbying, marketing aimed at influencing public opinion, excessive executive travel/entertainment, and investor relations. Utilities with over 75,000 customers must annually report detailed itemizations of these restricted costs to the Public Utilities Regulatory Authority, including vendor invoices and employee hours. The law takes effect on October 1, 2025, with the reporting requirement starting January 2024.

in committee · Connecticut · Senate Apr 14, 2025

SB 80: AN ACT CONCERNING THE BURNING OF MEDICAL WASTE.

SB 80 requires all facilities incinerating hospital, medical, or infectious waste (treated or untreated) to obtain a Department of Energy and Environmental Protection (DEEP) permit meeting or exceeding U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) emission standards. This directly affects hospitals, medical facilities, and waste incinerators that burn such waste, including those previously exempt under federal rules. Key provisions mandate continuous monitoring for mercury and hydrochloric acid, monthly sampling for dioxins and furans, and public posting of all monitoring data within 180 days of the bill’s effective date. The bill enforces stricter emissions controls than prior federal exemptions and applies to all applicable facilities statewide.

Topics ✓ Environment

in committee · Connecticut · House Apr 14, 2025

HB 7050: AN ACT CONCERNING THE OFFICE OF HEALTH STRATEGY'S RECOMMENDATIONS REGARDING THE CERTIFICATE OF NEED PROGRAM.

This bill updates Connecticut's Certificate of Need program for healthcare facilities. It requires hospitals to report budget transfers within 30 days and adds new review criteria for ownership transfers. Specifically, when reviewing ownership changes, the health department must assess whether alternatives were considered to maintain healthcare diversity and ensure service continuity for three years. These changes directly affect hospitals planning ownership shifts or major facility expansions, aiming to protect community healthcare access.

Topics ✓ Healthcare

in committee · Connecticut · House Apr 14, 2025

HB 6002: AN ACT SUBJECTING STATE AGENCIES TO THE SAME DATA PROTECTION AND PRIVACY LAWS AS THE PRIVATE SECTOR.

HB 6002 requires state agencies to follow the same data privacy and protection rules as private businesses, removing their previous exemption from consumer health data laws. It mandates that state agencies obtain consumer consent before selling health data, ban geofencing within 1,750 feet of mental health or reproductive health facilities for data collection, and ensure employees/contractors have confidentiality agreements. This bill directly affects state agencies and their contractors who handle consumer health data, extending private-sector standards to government operations. The changes take effect January 1, 2026.

Topics ✓ Healthcare ✓ Technology

in committee · Connecticut · House Apr 14, 2025

HB 7229: AN ACT CONCERNING ACCESSIBILITY TO ABSENTEE BALLOTS FOR ELECTORS IN STATE CUSTODY.

HB 7229 modifies Connecticut election law to improve absentee voting access for people incarcerated in state correctional facilities. The bill requires the Secretary of State to create a special absentee ballot application form for correctional facilities, which must include a space for the inmate's facility mailing address. Municipal clerks must mail absentee voting sets to incarcerated applicants within 24 hours of receiving their applications (or immediately if submitted in person), and the Department of Correction must ensure ballots reach inmates transferred between facilities. This directly affects incarcerated voters by streamlining the process to receive and return absentee ballots without requiring them to leave custody.

Topics ✓ Criminal Justice

in committee · Connecticut · House Apr 14, 2025

HB 6263: AN ACT CONCERNING THE USE AND PURCHASE OF GAS-POWERED HAND-HELD OR BACKPACK LEAF BLOWERS BY STATE AGENCIES.

HB 6263 requires Connecticut's Departments of Administrative Services, Energy and Environmental Protection, and Transportation to replace gas-powered landscaping equipment (like leaf blowers and mowers) with equivalent electric models for state property maintenance. Starting September 1, 2027, agencies must purchase or lease electric equipment when gas-powered machines reach the end of their useful life and electric alternatives work just as well. By September 1, 2029, these departments must also require contractors performing state landscaping work to use electric equipment if functionally equivalent options exist. Exceptions allow continued use of gas-powered equipment for emergencies, fire management, forest/riparian area maintenance, or public safety operations.

Topics ✓ Energy ✓ Environment

in committee · Connecticut · House Apr 11, 2025

HB 7270: AN ACT CONCERNING REQUIREMENTS FOR CERTAIN TAX APPEALS, THE DISAGGREGATION OF CERTAIN TAX SOURCING INFORMATION, THE AMORTIZABLE BOND PREMIUM SUBTRACTION FOR PURPOSES OF THE PERSONAL INCOME TAX AND THE APPLICATION OF VALUATION ALLOWANCE FOR CERTAIN COMBINED GROUP REPORTING.

HB 7270 requires taxpayers filing certain tax appeals in Connecticut to submit detailed information on a standardized form. Specifically, it mandates including the taxpayer's full contact details, the exact tax amount in dispute, all supporting evidence, and legal arguments for each issue. The bill sets strict deadlines: missing information must be submitted within 10 business days, and evidence not provided upfront requires a 3-month extension request at filing. Appeals lacking required details by these deadlines will be deemed invalid and dismissed without review. This primarily affects businesses and individuals contesting tax assessments under specified Connecticut tax statutes.

in committee · Connecticut · Senate Apr 10, 2025

SB 1392: AN ACT CONCERNING EDUCATOR CERTIFICATION.

SB 1392 changes Connecticut's educator certification rules by requiring the Connecticut Educator Preparation and Certification Board to set minimum content knowledge standards for teachers seeking new certificates or endorsements. These standards can be met by passing a state-approved subject assessment, completing a rigorous evidence-based assessment, or finishing a 12-month supervised residency program. The bill takes effect July 1, 2025, and applies to all new certification applicants and those adding endorsement areas. It also includes limited exceptions, such as temporary certification for skilled trades teachers without assessments for up to two years.

Topics ✓ Education

in committee · Connecticut · Senate Apr 10, 2025

SB 132: AN ACT ESTABLISHING A TASK FORCE CONCERNING THE REGULATION ADOPTION PROCESS.

SB 132 establishes a 9-member task force to study how the existing legislative committee reviews state agency regulations under Chapter 54 of the general statutes. The task force, including appointed experts, legislative leaders, and government officials like the Attorney General and regulation coordinator, will examine ways to improve this process and submit recommendations by January 1, 2026. It does not change current regulations or create new laws, but focuses solely on analyzing the committee’s role in the rulemaking process. The bill has no fiscal impact on state or municipal budgets, as the task force will use existing staff and resources. This procedural bill affects the regulatory review process but does not directly impact businesses, citizens, or agencies.

in committee · Connecticut · Senate Apr 10, 2025

SJ 57: RESOLUTION PROPOSING AN AMENDMENT TO THE STATE CONSTITUTION TO MAKE REFERENCES TO INDIVIDUALS GENDER-NEUTRAL.

This Senate Joint Resolution (SJ 57) proposes a constitutional amendment to replace gender-specific terms like "man," "his," and "him" with gender-neutral language (e.g., "person" or "such person's") throughout the state constitution. It directly affects all constitutional text referencing individuals, including sections on equality, legal rights, jury trials, and legislative procedures. The bill would change wording in key areas such as Article I (equality clauses), Article I (free speech), Article I (criminal trial rights), and Article XV (legislative structure) to remove gendered references. This is a procedural language update, not a policy change, and would require voter approval to become part of the constitution.

in committee · Connecticut · House Apr 10, 2025

HB 7244: AN ACT MAKING A TECHNICAL CHANGE TO STATUTES CONCERNING STATE CONTRACTING.

HB 7244 makes technical corrections to state contracting laws without changing policy. It rewords Section 4-250(5) to clarify that "large state contracts" (over $500,000 annually) exclude agreements with political subdivisions, and updates Section 4b-24b(b) regarding "total cost basis" projects for state facility work. These changes adjust statutory language for precision but do not create new requirements or affect how state agencies award contracts. The bill has no fiscal impact and affects state agencies, contractors, and quasi-public entities that manage state procurement.

Bill results