Connecticut HB 5221: AN ACT CONCERNING PUBLIC EDUCATION IN CONNECTICUT.

Bill Text

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General Assembly Substitute Bill No. 5221
February Session, 2026

AN ACT REESTABLISHING THE LEGISLATIVE PROGRAM REVIEW
AND INVESTIGATIONS COMMITTEE.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General
Assembly convened:

Section 1. (NEW) (Effective July 1, 2026) (a) As used in this section and 1
sections 2 and 3 of this act: 2
(1) "Program review" means an examination of programs 3
administered by state departments and agencies to ascertain whether 4
such programs are effective, continue to serve their intended purposes, 5
are conducted in an efficient and effective manner or require 6
modification or elimination; and 7
(2) "Investigation" means the investigation of any matter which is 8
referred to the Legislative Program Review and Investigations 9
Committee, as provided in section 2 of this act. 10
(b) There is hereby reestablished a Legislative Program Review and 11
Investigations Committee, which shall be a permanent standing 12
committee of the General Assembly, consisting of (1) six members of the 13
Senate, three appointed by the president pro tempore and three 14
appointed by the minority leader of the Senate, and (2) six members of 15
the House of Representatives, three appointed by the speaker of the 16
House of Representatives and three appointed by the minority leader of 17
the House of Representatives. Members shall serve for a term of two 18

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years from the date of appointment. 19
(c) The initial appointments of the members shall be made not later 20
than January 6, 2027, and thereafter appointments of the members shall 21
be made at the beginning of each regular session of the General 22
Assembly in the odd-numbered year. The terms of all members 23
appointed to the committee shall end with the termination of each 24
member's term or holding of office, whichever occurs first. Vacancies 25
shall be filled in the same manner as the original appointments. The 26
committee shall select cochairpersons and such other officers as it may 27
deem necessary from among its membership. 28
(d) A majority of the membership shall constitute a quorum and all 29
actions of the committee shall require the affirmative vote of a majority 30
of the full committee membership. The cochairpersons and ranking 31
minority members of the joint standing committee of the General 32
Assembly requesting an investigation shall serve as nonvoting, ex-33
officio members of the Legislative Program Review and Investigations 34
Committee during the course of such investigation. 35
Sec. 2. (NEW) (Effective July 1, 2026) (a) The Legislative Program 36
Review and Investigations Committee shall: 37
(1) Direct its staff and other legislative staff available to the committee 38
to conduct program reviews and investigations to assist the General 39
Assembly in the proper discharge of its duties; 40
(2) Establish policies and procedures regarding the printing, 41
reproduction and distribution of its reports; 42
(3) Review staff reports submitted to the committee and, when 43
necessary, confer with representatives of the state departments and 44
agencies reviewed in order to obtain full and complete information in 45
regard to programs, other activities and operations of the state, and may 46
request and shall be given access to and copies of, by all public officers, 47
departments, agencies and authorities of the state and its political 48
subdivisions, such public records, data and other information and given 49

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such assistance as the committee determines it needs to fulfill its duties; 50
(4) Act on staff reports and recommend in its report, or propose, in 51
the form of a raised bill, such legislation as may be necessary to modify 52
current operations and agency practices; 53
(5) Consider and act on requests by members of the General 54
Assembly, legislative committees, elected officials of state government 55
and state department and agency heads for program reviews. The 56
request shall be submitted, in writing, to the Program Review and 57
Investigations Committee and shall state reasons to support the request. 58
The decision of the committee to grant or deny any such request shall 59
be final; 60
(6) Conduct investigations requested by joint resolution of the 61
General Assembly, or, when the General Assembly is not in session, (A) 62
requested by a joint standing committee of the General Assembly or 63
initiated by a majority vote of the Program Review and Investigations 64
Committee and approved by the Joint Committee on Legislative 65
Management, or (B) requested by the Joint Committee on Legislative 66
Management. In the event two or more investigations are requested, the 67
order of priority shall be determined by the Legislative Program Review 68
and Investigations Committee; 69
(7) Retain, within available appropriations, the services of 70
consultants, technical assistants, researchers and other personnel 71
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