This bill confirms the Governor's nomination of Patricia M. Feeney of Plainfield to join the Technical Education and Career System Board. The resolution approves her appointment as a board member with experience in manufacturing or trades related to the system, succeeding Christine Benz. Feeney will serve at the Governor's pleasure for a term matching the Governor's term or until a successor is appointed and qualified, whichever is longer. This action formalizes her appointment to the board without changing any existing laws or policies.
This bill confirms the Governor's nomination of Barry F. Armata from Suffield to join the Judicial Review Council as a Superior Court judge. The resolution approves Armata's appointment to serve a term ending November 30, 2028, or until a successor is appointed and qualified, whichever occurs later. This action replaces the outgoing member, Honorable Vernon Oliver, and follows the standard confirmation process for judicial appointments. The measure is a procedural step that does not alter existing laws or create new policy requirements.
This bill confirms the nomination of James Donegan from Milford to serve on the Connecticut Port Authority Board of Directors. As a designee of Milford's chief elected official, Donegan would represent the town on the board for a term ending June 30, 2029. The resolution formally approves the nomination originally made by House Majority Leader Jason Rojas. This action allows Donegan to participate in the Port Authority's governance and decision-making processes.
This bill confirms the Governor's nomination of Gerald Weiner to serve as a neutral arbitrator on the State Department of Education Arbitration Panel. The resolution approves Weiner's reappointment for a term ending June 30, 2029, or until a successor is appointed and qualified, whichever occurs later. This action directly affects the composition of the panel that handles education-related disputes in the state. The measure is a procedural confirmation that does not alter any existing policies or create new regulations.
This bill establishes the Office of the Educational Ombudsperson within the state's Office of Governmental Accountability to assist students, families, and schools with special education and related educational issues. The office will be led by a governor-appointed official with expertise in educational advocacy and special education law, and will have the authority to investigate complaints, hold hearings, and subpoena witnesses. Additionally, the bill requires the State Department of Education to publicly report annually on the number of students with Section 504 plans and to convene a working group to review how schools provide accommodations to these students.
This bill establishes a task force to study whether voters in unconsolidated cities and boroughs within towns can apply for absentee ballots through the Secretary of the State's online system. The task force will examine the feasibility and obstacles to implementing this change for elections, primaries, and referendums held in those specific jurisdictions. The group will include representatives from both legislative chambers, local election officials, and experts in voting technology, with a deadline to submit findings by January 1, 2027. This measure does not change current voting rules but instead creates a committee to investigate potential improvements to absentee ballot access in these areas.
This bill requires state agencies and contractors in Connecticut to conduct criminal background checks on employees who have access to federal tax records. The law mandates that applicants, transfer candidates, and current employees with such access submit written statements about any criminal convictions or pending charges and undergo fingerprinting for state and national criminal history checks. These background checks must occur at least every five years for all covered employees and contractors, ensuring ongoing security for sensitive tax information. The bill also extends these requirements to any subcontractors whose work involves accessing federal tax data, maintaining consistent security standards across all levels of employment.
This bill restructures the Correction Advisory Committee by updating how its eleven members are appointed to ensure broader representation of incarcerated individuals, legal experts, mental health and medical professionals, victims' rights advocates, and correctional specialists. The committee members will be selected by various legislative leaders, the Senate and House chairs, minority leaders, and the Governor, with specific roles assigned to each appointee to balance expertise with lived experience. The changes take effect on October 1, 2026, and aim to improve the committee's composition while maintaining its advisory function to the Department of Correction.
This bill amends Connecticut's public health regulations to clarify when ownership changes at healthcare facilities require state approval. It defines specific situations that do not count as ownership changes, such as corporate restructuring where beneficial ownership stays the same, public stock offerings that don't allow new owners to reach 10% stake, and transfers to nonprofit hospitals. The law also establishes a timeline requiring owners to submit applications at least 120 days before planned ownership transfers, while defining serious risks to patient safety that would trigger stricter review. Healthcare facility owners and operators will be directly affected by these new reporting and approval requirements.
This bill updates Connecticut's campaign finance laws to clarify how candidates can form exploratory committees before officially announcing their candidacy. It allows candidates to raise small amounts of money, capped at $5,000, to gauge interest in running for public office without immediately establishing a full campaign committee. The bill requires candidates to convert these exploratory committees into official single-candidate committees within 15 days of publicly declaring their intent to seek office, with specific timing rules for state legislative and state office positions. Additionally, it mandates that any remaining funds from the exploratory committee be transferred to the official campaign committee or distributed to the Citizens' Election Fund under certain conditions. These changes aim to provide more structure and transparency for early-stage campaign fundraising while maintaining existing campaign finance regulations.
This bill makes technical updates to Connecticut election laws to clarify how voter qualifications are examined and approved. It allows town clerks and registrars of voters to review voter applications at various locations including DMV offices, public places, and the officials' regular offices, provided proper notice is given for non-standard locations. The legislation also defines who qualifies as a permanently physically disabled person and establishes procedures for their admission as electors, including home visits for those unable to travel to official offices. These changes take effect on October 1, 2026, and aim to streamline the voter registration process while maintaining existing oversight requirements.
This bill updates Connecticut's absentee voting laws to clarify which groups can use federal absentee ballot forms. It allows members of the armed forces, their families, certain religious and welfare group members serving with the military, U.S. civilian employees working outside the state, temporarily residing U.S. citizens abroad, and overseas citizens under federal voting acts to use federal application forms. The changes take effect on October 1, 2026, and streamline the process for eligible voters who cannot appear at their polling place for reasons specified in state law.
