Education

This bill updates Connecticut's compulsory education laws to allow parents to choose between public school, private school, or home-based equivalent instruction for children aged five to seventeen. It requires parents to formally notify their local school district each year of their chosen educational path and mandates that districts provide information about available educational options. The legislation also raises the age at which students can voluntarily withdraw from school from seventeen to eighteen years old and clarifies definitions for equivalent instruction and nonpublic schools.

This bill removes sales tax on clothing under $100, school supplies, and appliances, and eliminates a 1% tax on meals sold by grocery stores. It creates new tax credits for homeowners (increasing the existing credit), caregivers of elderly or disabled family members, and renters earning $75,000 or less for primary residence costs. These changes directly lower tax burdens for Connecticut residents, particularly lower- and middle-income households. The bill modifies sales tax rules and expands income tax credits to improve affordability.

SB 298 reallocates state funds across multiple agencies for the 2025-2026 fiscal year. It reduces $3.4 million from Temporary Family Assistance (TANF) funding for the Department of Social Services while appropriating $1.7 million to the Labor Department for unemployment program IT upgrades and $1.7 million to the Department of Education for Adult Education. The bill allocates $1.5 million to five school districts (Newington, Wethersfield, Cromwell, Rocky Hill, Middletown) for high-acuity school-based mental health programs and $750,000 for a teacher residency program operated by the Capitol Region Education Council. These changes directly affect TANF recipients, school districts, mental health providers, and teacher training initiatives.

This bill requires healthcare facilities and schools to cover medical costs and pay full salary for staff injured during work-related assaults or aggressive incidents. It creates a system for reporting patient violence in digital health records (with patient appeal options) and ensures absences due to such incidents don’t count against paid leave. Directly affects healthcare workers, teachers, and school staff who face workplace violence while performing job duties.

SB 266 prioritizes funding from Connecticut's Early Childhood Education Endowment for non-private equity child care and preschool programs. It requires the Commissioner to first fund all eligible programs meeting specific criteria (like receiving Early Start CT funding or participating in quality improvement systems), before allocating funds to programs owned or controlled by private equity companies. Private equity programs are defined as non-publicly traded investment firms owning or controlling child care services. This change takes effect July 1, 2026, ensuring taxpayer-funded early education resources support community-based providers over for-profit private equity entities.