Connecticut HB 5455: AN ACT CONCERNING CAMPAIGN CONSULTANTS AND DISCLOSURE.

Bill Text

LCO 1 of 4

General Assembly Substitute Bill No. 5455
February Session, 2026

AN ACT CONCERNING THE UNIVERSITY OF CONNECTICUT
SPECIAL POLICE FORCES AND FIRE DEPARTMENT.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General
Assembly convened:

Section 1. (NEW) (Effective from passage) (a) Not later than July 1, 2027, 1
the president of The University of Connecticut shall establish a 2
recruitment and retention program for The University of Connecticut 3
special police forces and fire department to address critical staffing 4
shortages and high resignation rates. As part of such program, the 5
president of The University of Connecticut shall develop: (1) Salary 6
schedules for all sworn members of the university's special police forces 7
and all members of the fire department, and (2) an education benefit to 8
reward such members' long-term commitment and acquisition of 9
institutional knowledge critical to higher education and hospital 10
environments. 11
(b) (1) The salary schedules described in subdivision (1) of subsection 12
(a) of this section shall: (A) Align the compensation rates of the sworn 13
members of the university's special police forces and the members of the 14
fire department with the compensation rates of members of comparable 15
municipal and state law enforcement and fire service agencies to 16
eliminate any pay disparities between the members of such agencies 17
and the sworn members of the university's special police forces and the 18
members of the fire department, and (B) eliminate any significant step 19

Substitute Bill No. 5455

LCO 2 of 4

overlaps between ranks to ensure that supervisors do not earn less than 20
the personnel they supervise. 21
(2) The president shall provide the salary schedules developed 22
pursuant to subdivision (1) of this subsection to the Office of Labor 23
Relations and the collective bargaining unit representing the sworn 24
members of the university's special police forces and the members of the 25
fire department. Such salary schedules: (A) Shall be a mandatory subject 26
of the negotiations between the Office of Labor Relations and such 27
collective bargaining unit (i) relating to salary, including, but not limited 28
to, any wage reopener, and (ii) next occurring after the president has 29
provided such salary schedules to said office and the collective 30
bargaining unit, and (B) may be a subject of any negotiations between 31
the Office of Labor Relations and such collective bargaining unit 32
occurring after the president has provided such salary schedules to said 33
office and the collective bargaining unit, but before the negotiations 34
described in subparagraph (A) of this subdivision, by mutual agreement 35
of said office and such bargaining unit. 36
(c) (1) The president of The University of Connecticut shall develop 37
the parameters of the education benefit described in subdivision (2) of 38
subsection (a) of this section. Such parameters: (A) May include, but 39
need not be limited to, tuition reimbursement or university fee waivers, 40
and (B) shall (i) include, but need not be limited to, the required years 41
of service for eligibility, and (ii) allow dependents of the sworn members 42
of the university's special police forces and the members of the fire 43
department to be eligible for such education benefit, under terms and 44
conditions established by the president. 45
(2) The president shall provide the parameters of the education 46
benefit developed pursuant to subdivision (1) of this subsection to the 47
Commissioner of Administrative Services. Notwithstanding the 48
provisions of any applicable collective bargaining agreement or chapter 49
68 of the general statutes, upon receipt of such parameters from the 50
president, the commissioner shall implement the education benefit 51
without modification. 52

Substitute Bill No. 5455

LCO 3 of 4

Sec. 2. (NEW) (Effective from passage) Not later than January 1, 2027, 53
and annually thereafter, the president of The University of Connecticut 54
shall submit a report, in accordance with the provisions of section 11-4a 55
of the general statutes, on the recruitment and retention status of the 56
university's special police forces and fire department to the joint 57
standing committees of the General Assembly having cognizance of 58
matters relating to public safety and security and higher education and 59
employment advancement and to the Board of Trustees of The 60
University of Connecticut. Such report shall include, but need not be 61
limited to, for both the special police forces and the fire department: (1) 62
The total number of authorized positions compared to filled positions, 63
including a breakdown of any vacancies due to unfilled positions, 64
personnel being in academy training or field training or personnel being 65
on administrative, military or medical leave, (2) the total number of any 66
resignations, retirements and terminations that occurred during the