Connecticut HB 5514: AN ACT CONCERNING VARIOUS REVISIONS TO THE PUBLIC HEALTH STATUTES.

Bill Text

Substitute House Bill No. 5514 
 
Public Act No. 26-13 
 
 
AN  ACT  CONCERNING  VARIOUS  REVISIONS  TO  THE  PUBLIC 
HEALTH STATUTES. 
Be  it  enacted  by  the  Senate  and  House  of  Representatives  in  General 
Assembly convened: 
 
Section 1. Subsection (a) of section 19a-490 of the general statutes is 
repealed and the following is substituted in lieu thereof (Effective October 
1, 2026): 
(a) "Institution" means a hospital, short-term hospital special hospice, 
hospice inpatient facility, residential care home, nursing home facility, 
home  health  care  agency, home health  aide  agency, behavioral health 
facility,  assisted  living  services  agency,  substance  abuse  treatment 
facility, outpatient surgical facility, outpatient clinic, clinical laboratory, 
blood collection facility, source plasma donation center, birth center, an 
infirmary operated by an educational institution for the care of students 
enrolled  in [, and] such  institution, faculty  and  employees  of [,] such 
institution, and the dependent family members of such students, faculty 
and employees, which family members are enrolled in such institution's 
health plan; a facility engaged in providing services for the prevention, 
diagnosis,  treatment  or  care  of  human  health  conditions,  including 
facilities operated and maintained by any state agency; and a residential 
facility  for  persons  with  intellectual  disability  licensed  pursuant  to 
section  17a-227  and  certified  to  participate  in  the  Title  XIX  Medicaid 

Substitute House Bill No. 5514 
 
Public Act No. 26-13 2 of 73 
 
program as an intermediate care facility for individuals with intellectual 
disability.  "Institution"  does  not  include  any  facility  for  the  care  and 
treatment  of  persons  with  mental  illness  or  substance  use  disorder 
operated  or  maintained  by  any  state  agency,  except  Whiting  Forensic 
Hospital and the hospital and psychiatric residential treatment facility 
units of the Albert J. Solnit Children's Center; 
Sec. 2. (Effective July 1, 2026) (a) As used in this section: 
(1)  "Assisted  living  services"  has  the  same  meaning  as  provided  in 
section 19a-693 of the general statutes; 
(2)  "Assisted  living  services  agency"  has  the  same  meaning  as 
provided in section 19a-693 of the general statutes; 
(3) "Commissioner" means the Commissioner of Public Health, or the 
commissioner's designee; 
(4) "Department" means the Department of Public Health; and 
(5)  "Managed  residential  community"  has  the  same  meaning  as 
provided in section 19a-693 of the general statutes. 
(b)  The  Commissioner  of  Public  Health  shall  establish  a  working 
group to advise the Department of Public Health regarding (1) managed 
residential  communities  in  the  state  where  assisted  living  services 
agencies  provide  assisted  living  services  to  the  residents  of  such 
communities,  and  (2)  whether  licensure  of  such  communities  by  the 
department  would  enable  the  department  and  such  communities  to 
improve the health, safety and overall well-being of such residents. The 
working group  shall  include,  but  need  not be  limited  to,  not  less  than 
three  representatives  of  different  managed  residential  communities  in 
the state, not less than three representatives of different assisted living 
services  agencies  in  the  state,  not  less  than  three  residents  who  are 
receiving assisted living services in a managed residential community 

Substitute House Bill No. 5514 
 
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in the state, one each from a different managed residential community, 
not less than three relatives of residents who are receiving such services 
from  a  managed  residential  community,  one  each  from  a  different 
managed residential community, and a representative of an association 
of  aging  services  organizations  in  the  state.  Not  later  than  January  1, 
2027, the working group shall report to the commissioner regarding its 
findings and recommendations. 
(c)  Not  later  than  February  1,  2027,  the  Commissioner  of  Public 
Health shall report, in accordance with the  provisions of section 11-4a 
of  the  general  statutes,  to  the  joint  standing  committee  of  the  General 
Assembly having cognizance of matters relating to public health on the 
findings  and  recommendations  of  the  working  group  and,  for  each 
finding and recommendation, whether the Department of Public Health 
is in agreement with such finding and recommendation. 
Sec. 3. (NEW) (Effective July 1, 2026) Notwithstanding the provisions 
of  chapter  381  of  the  general  statutes,  a  nonprofit  organization  that 
delivers  optical  glasses  produced  by  an  optician  licensed  under  said 
chapter to the ultimate wearer of such glasses at no cost to such wearer 
may deliver such glasses to an authorized representative of such wearer 
if such wearer is unavail