Connecticut HB 5045: AN ACT INCREASING FUNDING TO THE DEPARTMENT OF EMERGENCY SERVICES AND PUBLIC PROTECTION FOR POLICE TRAINING STAFF.

Bill Text

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General Assembly Substitute Bill No. 5045
February Session, 2026

AN ACT STREAMLINING HEALTH CARE FACILITY APPROVALS.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General
Assembly convened:

Section 1. (NEW) (Effective October 1, 2026) As used in this section and 1
sections 2 to 12, inclusive, of this act, unless the context otherwise 2
requires: 3
(1) "Affiliate" means a person, entity or organization controlling, 4
controlled by or under common control with another person, entity or 5
organization. "Affiliate" does not include a medical foundation 6
organized under chapter 594b of the general statutes. As used in this 7
subdivision, "controlled by" means the other person, entity or 8
organization, or one of such other person's, entity's or organization's 9
affiliates, officers or management employees, acting in such capacity, 10
acts as a general partner of a general or limited partnership or manager 11
of a limited liability company. 12
(2) "Applicant" means any person or health care facility that applies 13
for a certificate of need pursuant to section 6 or 7 of this act. 14
(3) "Bed capacity" means the total number of inpatient beds in a 15
facility licensed by the Department of Public Health under sections 19a-16
490 to 19a-503, inclusive, of the general statutes. 17
(4) "Certificate of need" means a certificate issued by the Certificate 18

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of Need Unit of the Department of Public Health pursuant to section 6 19
or 7 of this act. 20
(5) "Commissioner" means the Commissioner of Public Health, or the 21
commissioner's designee. 22
(6) "Day" means a calendar day. 23
(7) "Department" means the Department of Public Health. 24
(8) "Free clinic" means a private, nonprofit community-based 25
organization that provides medical, dental, pharmaceutical or mental 26
health services at reduced cost or no cost to low-income, uninsured and 27
underinsured individuals. 28
(9) "Group practice" has the same meaning as provided in section 19a-29
486i of the general statutes. 30
(10) "Health care facility" means (A) a hospital, including any satellite 31
location licensed by the Department of Public Health under chapter 32
368v of the general statutes; (B) specialty hospital; (C) freestanding 33
emergency department; (D) outpatient surgical facility (i) as defined in 34
section 19a-493b of the general statutes and licensed under chapter 368v 35
of the general statutes, or (ii) as established by a short-term acute care 36
general hospital licensed by the department under said chapter; (E) a 37
hospital or other facility or institution operated by the state that 38
provides services that are eligible for reimbursement under Title XVIII 39
or XIX of the federal Social Security Act, 42 USC 301, as amended from 40
time to time; (F) a central service facility; (G) a mental health facility; (H) 41
a substance abuse treatment facility; (I) any other facility requiring 42
certificate of need review pursuant to section 4 of this act; and (J) any 43
parent company, subsidiary, affiliate or joint venture, or any 44
combination thereof, of any facility described in subparagraphs (A) to 45
(J), inclusive, of this subdivision. 46
(11) "Panel" means the three-person panel established under section 47
2 of this act to decide all certificate of need applications. 48

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(12) "Person" means any individual, partnership, corporation, limited 49
liability company, association, governmental subdivision, agency or 50
public or private organization of any character. "Person" does not 51
include the agency conducting the certificate of need application 52
proceeding under section 6 or 7 of this act. 53
(13) "Physician" has the same meaning as provided in section 20-13a 54
of the general statutes. 55
(14) "Change of ownership or control" means any change in the 56
ownership or beneficial ownership or the change of governance of an 57
entity, including (A) a corporate merger, (B) an acquisition of one or 58
more entities by direct or indirect purchase in any manner, including, 59
but not limited to, lease, transfer, exchange, option, receipt of a 60
conveyance, creation of a joint venture or any other manner of purchase, 61
such as by a health care system, private equity group, hedge fund, 62
publicly traded company, real estate investment trust, management 63
services organization or health carrier, or any subsidiaries thereof, of not 64
less than twenty per cent of the assets or operations of a health care 65
entity, (C) any affiliation, arrangement or contract that results in a 66
change of control of an entity by an arrangement or agreement in which 67
any other person, corporation, partnership or entity acquires direct or 68
indirect control over the operations of the entity in whole or in 69
substantial part, (D) the formation of a partnership, joint venture, 70
accountable care organization, parent organization or management 71
services or