Connecticut HB 5217: AN ACT ESTABLISHING A WORKING GROUP TO STUDY ISSUES RELATING TO SCHOOL START TIMES.

Bill Text

LCO No. 1407 1 of 3

General Assembly Raised Bill No. 5217
February Session, 2026 LCO No. 1407

Referred to Committee on EDUCATION

Introduced by:
(ED)

AN ACT ESTABLISHING THE COMMISSIONER OF EDUCATION AS
THE DEPARTMENT HEAD OF THE DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General
Assembly convened:

Section 1. Section 4-5 of the general statutes is repealed and the 1
following is substituted in lieu thereof (Effective July 1, 2028): 2
As used in sections 4-6, 4-7 and 4-8, the term "department head" 3
means the Secretary of the Office of Policy and Management, 4
Commissioner of Administrative Services, Commissioner of Revenue 5
Services, Banking Commissioner, Commissioner of Children and 6
Families, Commissioner of Consumer Protection, Commissioner of 7
Correction, Commissioner of Economic and Community Development, 8
[State Board of Education] Commissioner of Education, Commissioner 9
of Emergency Services and Public Protection, Commissioner of Energy 10
and Environmental Protection, Commissioner of Agriculture, 11
Commissioner of Public Health, Insurance Commissioner, Labor 12
Commissioner, Commissioner of Mental Health and Addiction 13
Services, Commissioner of Social Services, Commissioner of 14
Developmental Services, Commissioner of Motor Vehicles, 15

Raised Bill No. 5217

LCO No. 1407 2 of 3

Commissioner of Transportation, Commissioner of Veterans Affairs, 16
Commissioner of Housing, Commissioner of Aging and Disability 17
Services, Commissioner of Early Childhood, Commissioner of Health 18
Strategy, executive director of the Office of Military Affairs, executive 19
director of the Technical Education and Career System, Chief Workforce 20
Officer and Commissioner of Higher Education. [As used in sections 4-21
6 and 4-7, "department head" also means the Commissioner of 22
Education.] 23
Sec. 2. Section 10-3a of the general statutes is repealed and the 24
following is substituted in lieu thereof (Effective July 1, 2028): 25
(a) There shall be a Department of Education. [which shall serve as 26
the administrative arm of the State Board of Education.] The department 27
shall be under the direction of the Commissioner of Education, [whose 28
appointment shall be recommended to] who shall be appointed by the 29
Governor [by the State Board of Education] for a term of four years to 30
be coterminous with the term of the Governor. Such appointment shall 31
be in accordance with the provisions of sections 4-5 to 4-7, inclusive, as 32
amended by this act. The Commissioner of Education shall be the 33
[administrative officer] department head of the department and shall 34
administer, coordinate and supervise the activities of the department. 35
[in accordance with the policies established by the board.] 36
(b) The [State Board of Education] Commissioner of Education shall 37
organize the Department of Education into such bureaus, divisions and 38
other units as may be necessary for the efficient conduct of the business 39
of the department, and may, from time to time, create, abolish, transfer 40
or consolidate within the department any bureau, division or other unit 41
as may be necessary for the efficient conduct of the business of [said 42
board] the department. Upon such organization or reorganization the 43
[board] commissioner shall adopt regulations pursuant to the 44
provisions of chapter 54. The [board] commissioner may create such 45
advisory boards as it deems necessary for the efficient conduct of the 46
business of the department. 47

Raised Bill No. 5217

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This act shall take effect as follows and shall amend the following
sections:

Section 1 July 1, 2028 4-5
Sec. 2 July 1, 2028 10-3a

Statement of Purpose:
To make the Commissioner of Education the department head of the
Department of Education.

[Proposed deletions are enclosed in brackets. Proposed additions are indicated by underline, except
that when the entire text of a bill or resolution or a section of a bill or resolution is new, it is not
underlined.]