Connecticut SB 223: AN ACT CONCERNING THE PARAEDUCATOR HEALTH CARE SUBSIDY PROGRAM.

Bill Text

LCO 1394 
 
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General Assembly  
Raised Bill No. 223  
February Session, 2026 
 
LCO No. 1394 
 
 
Referred to Committee on EDUCATION  
 
 
Introduced by:  
(ED)  
 
 
 
AN ACT CONCERNING THE PARAEDUCATOR HEALTH CARE 
SUBSIDY PROGRAM.  
Be  it  enacted  by  the  Senate  and  House  of  Representatives  in  General 
Assembly convened: 
 
Section 1. Section 203 of public act 23-204, as amended by section 124 1 
of public act 24-81,  is  repealed and the following is  substituted in  lieu 2 
thereof (Effective July 1, 2026): 3 
(a) As used in this section: 4 
(1) "Health benefit plan" has the same meaning as provided in section 5 
38a-1080 of the general statutes; [,] and 6 
(2) "Partnership plan" has the same meaning as provided in section 3-7 
123aaa of the general statutes. 8 
(b) For the fiscal [years] year ending [June 30, 2024, and June 30, 2025] 9 
June  30, 2027,  and  each  fiscal  year  thereafter,  the  Comptroller  shall 10 
establish    a    program    to    provide    a    subsidy,    within    available 11 
appropriations,  to  each  paraeducator  who  (1)  opens  a  health  savings 12 
account, pursuant to Section 223 of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, 13 

Raised Bill No. 223 
 
 
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or  any  subsequent  corresponding  internal  revenue  code  of  the  United 14 
States,  as  amended  from  time  to  time,  or  is  eligible  for  Medicare  and 15 
enrolls in a high deductible health plan, and (2) is employed [by a local 16 
or regional board of education] in a public school. Such subsidy shall be 17 
in an amount up to a certain percentage, as specified by the Comptroller, 18 
of  the  deductible  for  the  health  plan  in  which  such  paraeducator  is 19 
enrolled, minus the amount of any employer contributions to a health 20 
savings account or health reimbursement account, and not exceeding an 21 
amount  specified  by  the  Comptroller.  No  paraeducator  may  receive 22 
more than one subsidy pursuant to this section. The Comptroller may 23 
work  with  the  local  or  regional  board  of  education  that  employs  such 24 
paraeducator to distribute such subsidy. 25 
(c) For the fiscal year ending [June 30, 2025] June 30, 2027, and each 26 
fiscal  year  thereafter,  the  Comptroller  shall  establish  a  program  to 27 
provide  a  subsidy,  from  any  funds  appropriated  for  such  purpose,  to 28 
each  local  or  regional  board  of  education  that  provides  coverage  to 29 
paraeducators  and  their  dependents  under  a  health  benefit  plan  or  a 30 
partnership  plan  for  such  fiscal  year  or  any  portion  thereof.  Such 31 
subsidy  shall  be  (1)  in  an  amount  not  more  than  ten  per  cent  of  the 32 
aggregate  premium  cost,  inclusive  of  the  employee  and  employer 33 
shares, paid by such board of education for coverage under such health 34 
benefit   plan   or   partnership   plan,   divided   by   the   number   of 35 
paraeducators  employed  by  such  board  of  education  and  enrolled  in 36 
health  coverage,  and  (2)  used  to  offset  the  employee's  share  of  such 37 
premium that is deducted from the payroll check of each paraeducator 38 
employed  by  such  board  of  education  during  any  pay  period  during 39 
such  fiscal  year.  The  provisions  of  this  subsection  shall  not  apply  to  a 40 
local or regional board of education that provides coverage under a high 41 
deductible health plan, as that term is used in subsection (f) of section 42 
38a-520 of the general statutes. Pursuant to the provisions of subsection 43 
(b)  of  section  10-66dd  of  the  general  statutes,  the  provisions  of  this 44 
section shall apply to charter schools. 45 
[(d) The Comptroller and the Commissioner of Education shall enter 46 
into   a   memorandum   of   understanding,   in   accordance   with   the 47 

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provisions   of   section   4-97b   of   the   general   statutes,   to   allow   the 48 
Comptroller to utilize the sum of $5,000,000 that is appropriated to the 49 
Department  of  Education  for  assistance  to  paraeducators  pursuant  to 50 
section  1  of  public  act  23-204  to  implement  the  provisions  of  this 51 
section.] 52 
This act shall take effect as follows and shall amend the following 
sections: 
 
Section 1 
July 1, 2026 
PA 23-204, Sec. 203 
 
ED Joint Favorable C/R APP 
APP Joint Favorable