Connecticut HB 5447: AN ACT IMPLEMENTING RECOMMENDATIONS OF THE TRANSFORMING CHILDREN'S BEHAVIORAL HEALTH POLICY AND PLANNING COMMITTEE.

Bill Text

Substitute House Bill No. 5447 
 
Public Act No. 26-62 
 
 
AN     ACT     IMPLEMENTING     RECOMMENDATIONS     OF     THE 
TRANSFORMING   CHILDREN'S   BEHAVIORAL   HEALTH   POLICY 
AND PLANNING COMMITTEE. 
Be  it  enacted  by  the  Senate  and  House  of Representatives  in  General 
Assembly convened: 
 
Section 1. (NEW) (Effective from passage) (a) The executive director of 
the Commission on Women, Children, Seniors, Equity and Opportunity 
shall convene two working groups. Each working group shall include 
one or more members of the Transforming Children's Behavioral Health 
Policy and Planning Committee and such other members as selected by 
the executive director. 
(b) Not later than July 1, 2026, the executive director shall convene a 
working  group  concerning  the  treatment  of  eating  disorders.  The 
working group shall, in consultation with the Commissioners of Public 
Health and Mental Health and Addiction Services, compile information 
to  be  made  available  to  the  public  concerning  (1)  providers  of  eating 
disorder  treatment  services  in  the  state,  including,  but  not  limited  to, 
facilities that provide such treatment, (2) details concerning the types of 
services  each  such provider  offers  and  the  ages  of  persons  typically 
served by such providers, and (3) other resources available in the state 
for persons with eating disorders. The working group shall also consult 
with  the  Commissioner  of  Public  Health  to  establish  best  practice 

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guidelines for facilities in providing treatment for eating disorders. 
(c) Not later than July 1, 2026, the executive director shall convene a 
working group to develop a state-wide food education roadmap and a 
model  school  nutrition  curriculum  that  includes,  but  is  not  limited  to, 
developmentally  appropriate  evidence-based  education  programs  on 
disordered  eating  behaviors,  nutrition,  culinary  skills,  growing  food, 
food safety and food systems. 
(d)  Not  later  than  January  1,  2028,  and  annually  thereafter,  the 
executive  director  shall  report,  in  accordance  with  the  provisions  of 
section   11-4a   of   the   general   statutes,   to   the   chairpersons   of   the 
Transforming   Children's   Behavioral   Health   Policy   and   Planning 
Committee and the joint standing committees of the General Assembly 
having   cognizance   of   matters   relating   to   children,   public   health, 
education  and  human  services  concerning  the  results  of  the  working 
groups' studies. 
Sec. 2. Section 2-137 of the 2026 supplement to the general statutes is 
amended by adding subsection (o) as follows (Effective October 1, 2026): 
(NEW) (o) The committee shall annually review the progress of the 
working  groups  concerning  eating  disorders  and  food  education  and 
nutrition, established pursuant to section 1 of this act. 
Sec. 3. (Effective from passage) (a) The Commissioner of Social Services 
shall, in collaboration with the Commissioners of Children and Families, 
Developmental Services and Mental Health and Addiction Services, and 
the  Office  of  the  Behavioral  Health  Advocate,  study  the  feasibility  of 
establishing   an   inpatient   facility   to   provide   psychiatric   treatment 
services to children and young adults between the ages of fourteen and 
twenty-one,    inclusive,    who    have    intellectual    or    developmental 
disabilities. 
(b)  The  study  shall  include,  but  need  not  be  limited  to:  (1)  The 

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appropriate size of such facility and number of persons to be served at 
one  time;  (2)  the  best  treatment  practices  for  the  population;  (3)  the 
operational  costs  of  establishing  such  a  facility  and  the  feasibility  of 
operating   the   facility   within   available agency   appropriations;   (4) 
appropriate  sites,  which  may  include  state-owned  property, on  which 
the facility may be built; and (5) billing options for payment of inpatient 
psychiatric  services  for  the  population  served,  including  Medicaid 
billing options. 
(c)  Not  later  than  July  1,  2027,  the  Commissioner  of  Social  Services 
shall file a report, in accordance with the provisions of section 11-4a of 
the general statutes, on the results of the study with the joint standing 
committees  of  the  General  Assembly  having  cognizance  of  matters 
relating to children, human services, public  health and appropriations 
and the budgets of state agencies. 
Sec. 4. (NEW) (Effective July 1, 2026) On and after January 1, 2027, each 
school-based health center shall (1) use an evidence-based screening tool 
for early identification of disordered eating behaviors, as a supplement 
to existing methods used to diagnose disordered eating behaviors, and 
(2)  provide  such  screening  tool  to  each  patient  who