Connecticut HB 5046: AN ACT SUPPORTING FIRST RESPONDER RECRUITMENT AND RETENTION.

Bill Text

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General Assembly Substitute Bill No. 5046
February Session, 2026

AN ACT SUPPORTING FIRST RESPONDER RECRUITMENT AND
RETENTION.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General
Assembly convened:

Section 1. Subsection (d) of section 10a-77 of the 2026 supplement to 1
the general statutes is repealed and the following is substituted in lieu 2
thereof (Effective July 1, 2026): 3
(d) The Board of Regents for Higher Education shall waive the 4
payment of tuition at the Connecticut State Community College (1) for 5
any dependent child of a person whom the armed forces of the United 6
States has declared to be missing in action or to have been a prisoner of 7
war while serving in such armed forces after January 1, 1960, which 8
child has been accepted for admission to said college and is a resident 9
of the state at the time such child is accepted for admission to said 10
college, (2) subject to the provisions of subsection (e) of this section, for 11
any veteran, as defined in section 27-103, who performed service in time 12
of war, as defined in section 27-103, except that for purposes of this 13
subsection, "service in time of war" shall not include time spent in 14
attendance at a military service academy, which veteran has been 15
accepted for admission to said college and is domiciled in this state at 16
the time such veteran is accepted for admission to said college. Said 17
board shall also waive for any such veteran the payment of any 18
extension fees under section 10a-26 for educational extension programs, 19

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(3) for any resident of the state (A) sixty-two years of age or older, or (B) 20
who is a resident of a nursing home, as defined in section 19a-490, and 21
has maintained residency at such nursing home for not less than thirty 22
days, provided, at the end of the regular registration period, there are 23
enrolled in the course a sufficient number of students other than those 24
residents eligible for waivers pursuant to this subdivision to offer the 25
course in which such resident intends to enroll and there is space 26
available in such course after accommodating all such students, (4) for 27
any student attending the Connecticut State Police Academy who is 28
enrolled in a law enforcement program at said academy offered in 29
coordination with the Connecticut State Community College which 30
accredits courses taken in such program, (5) for any active member of 31
the Connecticut Army or Air National Guard who (A) has been certified 32
by the Adjutant General or such Adjutant General's designee as a 33
member in good standing of the guard, and (B) is enrolled or accepted 34
for admission to said college on a full-time or part-time basis in an 35
undergraduate degree-granting program. Said board shall also waive 36
for any such member the payment of any mandatory fees relating to 37
such member's enrollment in said institution, including, but not limited 38
to, any extension fees under section 10a-26 for educational extension 39
programs, (6) for any dependent child of a (A) police officer, as defined 40
in section 7-294a, or supernumerary or auxiliary police officer, (B) 41
firefighter, as defined in section 7-323j, or member of a volunteer fire 42
company, (C) municipal employee, or (D) state employee, as defined in 43
section 5-154, killed in the line of duty, (7) for any resident of the state 44
who is a dependent child or surviving spouse of a specified terrorist 45
victim who was a resident of this state, (8) for any dependent child of a 46
resident of the state who was killed in a multivehicle crash at or near the 47
intersection of Routes 44 and 10 and Nod Road in Avon on July 29, 2005, 48
[and] (9) for any resident of the state who is a dependent child or 49
surviving spouse of a person who was killed in action while performing 50
active military duty with the armed forces of the United States on or 51
after September 11, 2001, and who was a resident of this state, (10) for 52
any police officer, as defined in section 7-294a, who has been employed 53
as such an officer in the state for not less than five years, (11) for any 54

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uniformed member of a paid or volunteer fire department, including, 55
but not limited to, a fire department operated by a federally recognized 56
Indian tribe in the state, who, as documented by the chief of the 57
department, has served as such a member in the state for not less than 58
five years, (12) for any emergency medical responder, emergency 59
medical technician, advanced emergency medical technician, 60
emergency medical services instructor or paramedic, as such terms are 61
defined in section 20-206jj, who has been employed in the capacity of 62
such responder, technician, instructor or paramedic in the state for not 63
less than five years by a municipality or nonprofit organization, as 64
documented by the chief administrator of such munici