Connecticut HB 5324: AN ACT CONCERNING EDUCATION MANDATE RELIEF.

Bill Text

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General Assembly  
Substitute Bill No. 5324  
February Session, 2026 
 
 
 
 
 
AN ACT CONCERNING EDUCATION MANDATE RELIEF.  
Be  it  enacted  by  the  Senate  and  House  of  Representatives  in  General 
Assembly convened: 
 
Section  1.  Section  17a-106h of  the  2026  supplement  to  the  general 1 
statutes  is  repealed  and  the  following  is  substituted  in  lieu  thereof 2 
(Effective July 1, 2026): 3 
(a) The Commissioner of Children and Families, in consultation with 4 
the  Commissioner  of  Emergency  Services  and  Public  Protection,  shall 5 
develop an initial educational training program and refresher training 6 
program  for  the  accurate  and  prompt  identification  and  reporting  of 7 
suspected human trafficking. 8 
(b) The training program shall include a presentation, developed and 9 
approved  by  said  commissioners,  that  offers  awareness  of  human 10 
trafficking  issues  and  guidance  to  (1)  law enforcement  personnel,  (2) 11 
judges of the Superior Court, (3) prosecutors, (4) public defenders and 12 
other   attorneys   who   represent   criminal   defendants,   (5)   hospital 13 
emergency room staff, urgent care facility staff and emergency medical 14 
services  personnel  who  have  contact  with  patients,  and  (6)  persons 15 
employed by a local or regional board of education or a constituent unit, 16 
as defined in section 10a-1, who have contact with students. 17 
(c) Any  person  described  in  subsection  (b)  of  this  section  shall 18 

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complete the initial educational training program not later than July 1, 19 
2018,  and,  except  for  a  person  described  in  subdivision  (6)  of  said 20 
subsection, shall  complete  the  refresher  training  program every  three 21 
years thereafter, provided any person being employed as such a person 22 
shall complete such initial educational training program not later than 23 
six months after beginning such employment or July 1, 2018, whichever 24 
is later. 25 
Sec. 2. Subdivision (5) of subsection (a) of section 22a-226e of the 2026 26 
supplement  to  the  general  statutes  is  repealed  and  the  following  is 27 
substituted in lieu thereof (Effective July 1, 2026): 28 
(5) On and after July 1, [2026] 2028, each public or nonpublic school 29 
building    or    educational    facility    in    which    students    in    grades 30 
kindergarten  to  twelve,  inclusive,  or  any  combination  thereof,  are 31 
enrolled,  that  is  located  not  more  than  twenty  miles  from  either  an 32 
authorized  source-separated  organic  material  composting  facility  and 33 
that generates an average projected volume of not less than twenty-six 34 
tons per year of source-separated organic materials shall: (A) Separate 35 
such source-separated organic materials from other solid waste; and (B) 36 
ensure that such source-separated organic materials are recycled at any 37 
authorized  source-separated  organic  material  composting  facility  that 38 
has  available  capacity  and  that  will  accept  such  source-separated 39 
organic material. 40 
Sec. 3. Subsection (f) of section 10-262j of the 2026 supplement to the 41 
general  statutes  is  repealed  and  the  following  is  substituted  in  lieu 42 
thereof (Effective July 1, 2026): 43 
(f) Any district that has (1) elected to act as a self-insurer, pursuant to 44 
section 10-236, (2) experienced a loss that is overexposure of an insured 45 
member  or incurred  as  a  result  of  one  or  more  catastrophic  events,  as 46 
declared  by  a  nationally  recognized  catastrophe  loss  index  provider, 47 
during the prior fiscal year, and (3) increased its budgeted appropriation 48 
for education during said prior fiscal year as a result of such loss, shall 49 
not be required to include the amount of such increase in the calculation 50 

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of   such   district's   budgeted   appropriation   for   education   for   the 51 
subsequent fiscal year. 52 
Sec.  4.  Section  10-260b  of  the  general  statutes  is  repealed  and  the 53 
following is substituted in lieu thereof (Effective July 1, 2026): 54 
(a)  There  is  established  the  Education  Mandate  Review  Advisory 55 
Council. The council shall advise and provide annual reports to the joint 56 
standing  committee  of  the  General  Assembly  having  cognizance  of 57 
matters relating to education on the cost and implementation of existing 58 
education mandates on local and regional boards of education, as well 59 
as the impact of any proposals relating to additions or revisions to such 60 
education mandates. Such annual reports may include, but need not be 61 
limited to, (1) a review of each education mandate on local and regional 62 
boards of education passed by the General Assembly during the prior 63 
legislative session and not fewer than ten existing education mandates 64 
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