Connecticut SB 135: AN ACT IMPLEMENTING THE RECOMMENDATIONS OF THE TECHNICAL EDUCATION AND CAREER SYSTEM.

Bill Text

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General Assembly Raised Bill No. 135
February Session, 2026 LCO No. 1113

Referred to Committee on EDUCATION

Introduced by:
(ED)

AN ACT IMPLEMENTING THE RECOMMENDATIONS OF THE
TECHNICAL EDUCATION AND CAREER SYSTEM.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General
Assembly convened:

Section 1. Section 10-95h of the general statutes is repealed and the 1
following is substituted in lieu thereof (Effective October 1, 2026): 2
(a) Not later than November thirtieth each year, the joint standing 3
committees of the General Assembly having cognizance of matters 4
relating to education, higher education and employment advancement 5
and labor shall meet with [the chairperson of the Technical Education 6
and Career System board,] the superintendent of the Technical 7
Education and Career System, the executive director of the Technical 8
Education and Career System, the Labor Commissioner and such other 9
persons as they deem appropriate to consider the items submitted 10
pursuant to subsection (b) of this section. 11
(b) On or before November fifteenth, annually: The executive director 12
of the Technical Education and Career System shall submit the 13
following to the joint standing committees of the General Assembly 14
having cognizance of matters relating to education, higher education 15

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and employment advancement and labor: (1) Information ensuring that 16
the curriculum of the Technical Education and Career System is 17
incorporating those workforce skills required for future workforce 18
development; (2) information regarding the employment status of 19
students who graduate from or complete an approved program of study 20
at the Technical Education and Career System, including, but not 21
limited to: (A) Demographics such as age and gender, (B) course and 22
program enrollment and completion, (C) employment status, and (D) 23
available wage data; (3) an assessment of the adequacy of the resources 24
available to the Technical Education and Career System as the system 25
develops and refines programs to meet existing and emerging 26
workforce needs; [(4) recommendations to the Technical Education and 27
Career System board to carry out the provisions of subdivisions (1) to 28
(3), inclusive, of this subsection; and (5)] and (4) information regarding 29
staffing needs at each technical education and career school for the 30
current academic year. The executive director shall collaborate with the 31
Labor Commissioner to obtain information as needed to carry out the 32
provisions of this subsection. 33
Sec. 2. Section 10-95i of the general statutes is repealed and the 34
following is substituted in lieu thereof (Effective October 1, 2026): 35
(a) Not later than January 1, [2020] 2030, and every five years 36
thereafter, the executive director of the Technical Education and Career 37
System [board shall adopt] shall develop a long-range plan of priorities 38
and goals for the Technical Education and Career System. The plan shall 39
address coordination with other providers of vocational, technical, 40
technological or postsecondary education or training and shall include 41
(1) an analysis of the activities described in subsections (b) and (c) of this 42
section and how such activities relate to the long-range plan of priorities 43
and goals, and (2) a summary of activities related to capital 44
improvements and equipment pursuant to subsection (d) of this section. 45
[Upon adoption of the plan, the board] The executive director shall file 46
the plan directly with the joint standing committees of the General 47
Assembly having cognizance of matters relating to education, finance, 48
revenue and bonding and appropriations and the budgets of state 49

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agencies in accordance with the provisions of section 11-4a. [The state 50
board shall use the plan in preparing its five-year comprehensive plan 51
pursuant to subsection (c) of section 10-4.] 52
(b) During the five-year period beginning January 1, 2020, and during 53
each five-year period thereafter, the board shall evaluate each existing 54
technical education and career school trade program in accordance with 55
a schedule which the [board] executive director of the Technical 56
Education and Career System shall establish. A trade program may be 57
reauthorized for a period of not more than five years following each 58
evaluation on the basis of: The projected employment demand for 59
students enrolled in the trade program, including consideration of the 60
employment of graduates of the program during the preceding five 61
years; anticipated technological changes; the availability of qualified 62
instructors; the existence of similar programs at other educational 63
institutions; and student interest in the trade program. As part of the 64
evaluation, the board shall consider geographic differences that may 65
make a trade program feasible at on