Connecticut HB 5474: AN ACT CONCERNING OVERSIGHT OF MEDICAL CARE FOR PERSONS WHO ARE INCARCERATED AT THE DEPARTMENT OF CORRECTION.

Bill Text

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General Assembly Substitute Bill No. 5474
February Session, 2026

AN ACT CONCERNING OVERSIGHT OF MEDICAL CARE FOR
PERSONS WHO ARE INCARCERATED AT THE DEPARTMENT OF
CORRECTION.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General
Assembly convened:

Section 1. Section 18-81pp of the 2026 supplement to the general 1
statutes is repealed and the following is substituted in lieu thereof 2
(Effective October 1, 2026): 3
(a) As used in this section: 4
(1) "Advanced practice registered nurse" means an advanced practice 5
registered nurse licensed under chapter 373; 6
(2) "Alcohol and drug counselor" means an alcohol and drug 7
counselor licensed or certified under chapter 376b; 8
(3) "Commissioner" means the Commissioner of Correction; 9
(4) "Correctional institution" means a prison or jail under the 10
jurisdiction of the commissioner; 11
(5) "Dental professional" means a (A) dentist, (B) dental hygienist 12
licensed under chapter 379a, or (C) dental assistant, as defined in section 13
20-112a; 14

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(6) "Dentist" means a dentist licensed under chapter 379; 15
(7) "Department" means the Department of Correction; 16
(8) "Discharge planner" means a (A) registered nurse licensed under 17
chapter 378, (B) practical nurse licensed under chapter 378, (C) clinical 18
social worker or master social worker licensed under chapter 383b, or 19
(D) professional counselor licensed under chapter 383c; 20
(9) "HIV test" means a test to determine human immunodeficiency 21
virus infection or antibodies to human immunodeficiency virus; 22
(10) "Medical professional" means (A) a physician, (B) an advanced 23
practice registered nurse, (C) a physician assistant, (D) a registered 24
nurse licensed under chapter 378, or (E) a practical nurse licensed under 25
chapter 378; 26
(11) "Mental health care provider" means (A) a physician who 27
specializes in psychiatry, [or] (B) an advanced practice registered nurse 28
who specializes in mental health, or (C) a physician assistant who 29
specializes in mental health; 30
(12) "Mental health therapist" means (A) a physician who specializes 31
in psychiatry, (B) a psychologist licensed under chapter 383, (C) an 32
advanced practice registered nurse who specializes in mental health, (D) 33
a clinical social worker or master social worker licensed under chapter 34
383b, [or] (E) a professional counselor licensed under chapter 383c, or 35
(F) a physician assistant who specializes in mental health; 36
(13) "Physician" means a physician licensed under chapter 370; 37
(14) "Physician assistant" means a physician assistant licensed under 38
chapter 370; and 39
(15) "Psychotropic medication" means a medication that is used to 40
treat a mental health disorder that affects behavior, mood, thoughts or 41
perception. 42

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(b) Not later than October 1, 2025, the commissioner shall develop a 43
plan for the provision of health care services, including, but not limited 44
to, mental health care, substance use disorder and dental care services, 45
to persons who are incarcerated under the jurisdiction of the 46
department. Such plan shall ensure, at a minimum, that: 47
(1) (A) There is a sufficient number of mental health therapists, as 48
determined by the commissioner, at each correctional institution to 49
provide mental health care services to persons who are incarcerated; 50
(B) There is a mental health therapist placed at a correctional 51
institution to provide mental health care services to any person who is 52
incarcerated who requests such services or has been referred for such 53
services by correctional staff only after the therapist makes an 54
assessment of the person's need for such services and determines that 55
the person requires such services; 56
(C) Each mental health therapist shall deliver such services in concert 57
with the security needs of all persons who are incarcerated and 58
correctional staff and the overall operation of the correctional 59
institution, as determined by the warden of the correctional institution; 60
and 61
(D) No mental health therapist who is providing mental health care 62
services pursuant to this subdivision and licensed to prescribe 63
medication shall prescribe a psychotropic medication to a person who 64
is incarcerated unless (i) the mental health therapist has reviewed the 65
mental health history and medical history of the person, including, but 66
not limited to, the list of all medications the person is taking, (ii) the 67
mental health therapist determines, based on a review of such history, 68
that the benefits of prescribing such medication outweigh the risk of 69
prescribing such medication, (iii) the mental health therapist diagnoses 70
the person with a mental health disorder, the person has received a 71
previous diagnosis of a mental health disorder by a licensed mental 72
health care provider and such medication is used to treat such mental 7