Connecticut SB 298: AN ACT CONCERNING THE REALLOCATION OF CERTAIN STATE FUNDS AND VARIOUS PROVISIONS RELATING TO EDUCATION, PUBLIC SAFETY, GENERAL GOVERNMENT, ELECTIONS, INTERMEDIATE CARE FACILITIES AND WAREHOUSE DISTRIBUTION CENTERS.
Status: TRANSMITTED TO SECRETARY OF THE STATE (as of 2026-05-15)
State: Connecticut · Session: 2026 · Bill: SB 298
Subjects: Alternative educational opportunities for expelled students, Appellate Court, Appropriations, Assessments, Audits, Ballots, Bigotry and bias, Bilingual education, Boards of education, Cancer, Candidates, Canvass and returns of votes, Certificates and certification, Chief Justice, Child support, Child support enforcement, Citizens and citizenship, Codes and Standards Committee, Comptroller, Cromwell, Deaf and hearing impaired persons, Dental care, Disability benefits, Disabled persons, Discrimination in employment, Districts, Early voting, Economic and Community Development, Department of, Education Department, Election officials, Elections, Electronic data, Electronic government information, Electronic monitoring in the workplace, Emergencies, Employees, Employers, Eye care, Family support magistrates, Fees, Fines (Penalties), Fire prevention, Firefighters, Grants by the state, Guardian and ward, Health care facilities, Health care facilities certificate of need process, High school diploma, Intellectual disabilities, persons with, Interdistrict public school attendance program, Investigations, Judge trial referees, Judges, Kindergarten, Language, Law enforcement, Maintenance and repair, Medical care, Meetings, Mental health, Mental health facilities, Mental health services, Middletown, Minorities, Multicultural education, Municipal elections, Municipal employee collective bargaining, Municipal employee political activity, Municipal employee retirement, Municipal health departments, Municipalities, New London, Newington, Nominations, Occupational training, Parents, Pensions, Petitions, Physical examinations, Pilots, Plans, Police, Police Officer Standards and Training Council, Police training, Political conventions, Political parties, Polling places, Presidential preference primaries, Primaries, Public Health, Department of, Public hearings, Public school information system, Racial imbalance in schools, Regional educational service centers, Regional schools, Registrars of voters, Rent, Reports, Rocky Hill, School building projects, School curriculum, School districts, School health services, School integration, School nurses, School safety, School security, Schools, Secretary of the State, Stamford, State Board of Education, State Building Code, State Building Inspector, State Education Resource Center, State Elections Enforcement Commission, State Fire Safety Code, State Properties Review Board, State Supreme Court, State agencies, State budget, State funds, State medical assistance program, Student expulsions, Student performance, Student suspensions, Student truancy, Students, Studies, Teachers, Telecommunications companies, Town clerks, University of Connecticut Health Center, Veterans, Violations, Voter registration, Voters, Voting districts, Voting tabulators, Warehouses, Western Connecticut State University, Wethersfield, Windham
Sponsors: Martin M. Looney, Matthew Ritter, Bob Duff, Jason Rojas, Hilda E. Santiago
Summary
Legislative Summary: Connecticut Senate Bill No. 298 / Public Act No. 26-1 1. PRIMARY PURPOSE AND POLICY OBJECTIVES This omnibus act serves multiple concurrent purposes: (1) reallocating FY 2025-2026 state appropriations across several agencies; (2) reforming K-12 education policy across curriculum, budgeting, school building grants, student health, and civil rights; (3) addressing public safety through school resource officer oversight; (4) modifying election-adjacent and general government provisions; and (5) directing targeted grants to specific municipalities, organizations, and programs. The act reflects a broad legislative agenda combining fiscal management with substantive policy reform across numerous state functions. --- 2. KEY PROVISIONS AND MECHANISMS A. Fiscal Reallocation (Sections 1–13) | Section | Action | Amount | |---|---|---| | Sec. 1 | Reduces DSS Temporary Family Assistance (TANF) appropriation | -$3,400,000 | | Sec. 2 | Appropriates to Labor Dept. (Personal Services) for unemployment compensation IT and personnel | +$1,700,000 | | Sec. 3 | Appropriates to Dept. of Education for Adult Education | +$1,700,000 | | Sec. 4 | Makes Sec. 3 Adult Education funds non-lapsing; carried forward to FY 2027 | — | | Sec. 5 | Transfers DOE funds to DECD as grant-in-aid to New London VFW; requires MOU between agencies | $174,000 | | Sec. 6 | Directs Judicial Dept. funds to Village Initiative Project | $70,000 | | Sec. 7 | Directs OPM funds for Hartford outdoor recreation | Up to $2,500,000 | | Sec. 9 | Directs DSS funds for high-acuity school-based mental health programming in five specific municipalities (Newington, Wethersfield, Cromwell, Rocky Hill, Middletown) | $1,500,000 (FY26) + $1,000,000 (FY27) | | Sec. 11 | Grant to Our Piece of the Pie (DECD) | $330,000 | | Sec. 12 | Clarifies Capitol Region Education Council teacher residency program funding (biennial) | $750,000/year | | Sec. 13 | Makes Free Agent Now grant non-lapsing; carried to FY 2027 | $200,000 | Net General Fund impact: $3,400,000 reduction in TANF offset by $3,400,000 in new appropriations—net neutral in aggregate across Sections 1–3, though funding streams are redirected substantially. High-Acuity Mental Health Programming (Sec. 9): Establishes detailed definitional standards requiring: - Clinical care to prevent/reverse out-of-district placements - Master's-level clinicians providing in-person therapeutic services - Providers must be DCF-designated outpatient psychiatric clinics for children and Medicaid/commercial insurance certified B. School Building Grant Modifications (Sections 10, 14–19) Several municipalities receive statutory relief from standard grant application requirements under Chapter 173, General Statutes: - Windham (Sec. 10): 95% reimbursement rate for Windham High School renovation; removes prior conditions requiring educational reform district status and construction commencement deadline - Fairfield (Sec. 14): Corrects project number (093-0367 → 051-0149 EA); removes audit deficiency waiver provision; retains ineligible cost reimbursement up to $600,000 - Stamford (Sec. 15): Corrects school name (New → Roxbury Elementary); authorizes project up to $130,000,000 without pre-June 30, 2024 application requirement - New London (Sec. 16): Corrects project name (East End Elementary → New London High School, Project No. 095-0090 N); 95% reimbursement on cost increase up to $10,000,000 - Cheshire (Sec. 17): Authorizes reimbursement for ineligible costs on energy/infrastructure projects financed through tax-exempt lease-purchase agreements (photovoltaic, HVAC, roofing, etc.) - Regional District 13/Middlefield (Sec. 18): Multi-pronged relief including deadline waiver, authority to reclassify project as renovation, 15% reimbursement increase applicable to entire project (not just early childhood space), and $2,000,000 in swing space ineligible cost coverage - Hartford (Sec. 19): Extended construction commencement deadline to June 30, 2028 for six specific school projects C. Curriculum and Diploma Standards (Sections 20–21, 24–25) - Connecticut State Seal of Civics Education and Engagement (Secs. 20–21, effective July 1, 2026): DOE directed to establish criteria for a diploma seal requiring: - Minimum two years of history/social science including U.S. government or civics - At least one civic engagement project (community service, student government, elected official internship, civic organization) - Demonstrated proficiency via standardized assessment, portfolio, or mastery-based process - Applicable beginning with graduating class of 2027; transcript designation required - Curriculum expansion (Sec. 24): Amends Section 10-16b to add Islamic and Arab studies as a 13th recommended instructional topic alongside existing subjects including Holocaust/genocide education, African-American studies, Puerto Rican/Latino studies, and others - Antisemitism Working Group (Sec. 25, effective from passage): Establishes an 11-member working group with bipartisan legislative and gubernatorial appointments plus organizational representatives (Jewish Federation Association of CT, CABE, CAPSS, CEA, Commissioner of Education). Mandate includes: - Policy guidance for school district antisemitism protocols - Recommended educator training - Curriculum resources on Jewish heritage and Holocaust education - Report and legislative recommendations due January 1, 2027 D. Multilingual Learner Rights (Sections 22–23) - Statewide Public School Information System (Sec. 22): Adds bilingual education program data (academic progress metrics per Sec. 10-17g) to required data collection; adds bilingual program quality metrics to district/school data - Bill of Rights for Multilingual Learner Parents/Students (Sec. 23): Adds a 16th right—access to publicly available academic progress data for bilingual education programs on the statewide public school information system—supplementing existing 15 enumerated rights including immigration status protections and translation service rights E. School Budgeting Transparency (Sections 31–33, 35) Effective July 1, 2026 (Sec. 32) and January 1, 2027 (Sec. 31): - Requires superintendents to provide line-item budget histories showing original appropriated amounts vs. actual expenditures for the two preceding fiscal years - Applies to local boards (Sec. 32 amending Sec. 10-222), regional district budgets (Sec. 33 amending Sec. 10-51(a)), and board presentations to superintendents (Sec. 31) - Regional district reserve fund for educational expenditures (Sec. 35): Adds annual public reporting requirement on fund balance, deposits, and expenditures F. Civil Rights and School Access (Sections 26–30) - Early Admission Policy (Secs. 26–27): Section 26 (eff. July 1, 2026) adds a mechanism for boards to adopt early admission policies for children under age 5 via parental written request and developmental assessment. Section 27 (eff. July 1, 2027) removes this early admission provision from statute, reverting to standard age-5 cutoff—indicating this is a temporary transitional provision - Racial Imbalance Notification Moratorium (Secs. 28–30): Extends the moratorium on State Board of Education notification and action requirements regarding racial imbalance in public schools from July 1, 2025 to July 1, 2030, effectively deferring enforcement obligations for five additional years - Open Choice Program Expansion (Sec. 37): Adds the town of Madison as eligible to participate in the Open Choice voluntary enrollment program as both sending and receiving district with New Haven, commencing school year July 1, 2026 G. Public Safety – School Resource Officers (Section 34) Amends Section 10-233m to require that MOUs governing school resource officers, not later than January 1, 2027, must: 1. Be posted publicly on school and district websites 2. Address daily student-SRO interactions 3. Include a graduated response model for student discipline Existing requirements for SRO training in social-emotional learning/restorative practices (post-July 1, 2021) and firearm/restraint/arrest protocols (post-July 1, 2023) are retained. H. UConn Health Center Neuromodulation Center (Section 8) Amends Section 140 of PA 25-168 to restrict the patient population of the Center of Excellence for Neuromodulation Treatments to disabled veterans only (removing "patients" as the broader intended beneficiary), while retaining hospital collaboration authority. I. Vision and Health Screenings (Sections 36, 39) - Vision Screening (Sec. 36): Authorizes automated vision screening devices as an alternative to Snellen chart; adds annual notice requirement for pupils who did not receive vision screening (with explanation) - Student Health Assessments (Sec. 39): Modernizes terminology throughout Section 10-206 (substitutes "pupil" for "child"); no substantive policy change to assessment requirements J. School Discipline (Section 40) Amends out-of-school suspension criteria for preschool through Grade 2 students; requires that any such suspension be accompanied by trauma-informed, developmentally appropriate services aligned with behavioral intervention plans, IEPs, or Section 504 plans upon the student's return. (Section appears truncated in provided text.) K. Teacher Negotiations (Section 38) Amends Section 10-153d to require that at least one board of education member be present during teacher/administrator contract negotiations, with a conflict-of-interest exclusion for board members who are themselves members of the bargaining unit being negotiated. L. Windham High School / Open Choice / Racial Balance Additional Notes - Racial Imbalance Extension (Secs. 28–30): The 2025 deadline extension to 2030 is significant; it effectively suspends the statutory mechanism by which the State Board could compel local districts to address racial segregation for an extended period. - Open Choice (Sec. 37): Madison's addition is geographically notable as it creates a suburban-to-urban (and reverse) voluntary transfer option with New Haven. --- 3. FISCAL IMPACT Directly determinable appropriations: | Item | FY 2026 | FY 2027 | |---|---|---| | TANF reduction (DSS) | -$3,400,000 | — | | Labor Dept. (unemployment IT/personnel) | +$1,700,000 | — | | Adult Education (DOE) | +$1,700,000 | Carries forward | | New London VFW grant | +$174,000 | — | | Village Initiative Project | +$70,000 | — | | Hartford outdoor recreation | Up to +$2,500,000 | — | | Mental health programming (5 districts) | +$1,500,000 | +$1,000,000 | | Our Piece of the Pie | +$330,000 | — | | CREC teacher residency | +$750,000 | +$750,000 | | Free Agent Now | +$200,000 carried | +$200,000 | School building grants: Fiscal exposure is substantial but indeterminate without project cost completion data. Specific capped exposures include Fairfield ($600,000), New London ($10,000,000 cost increase at 95%), Regional District 13 ($2,000,000 swing space). Stamford project authorization alone is capped at $130,000,000 in eligible costs, with state reimbursement share to be determined by standard formula. Long-term structural costs: Civics seal program, antisemitism working group, and enhanced transparency requirements impose administrative costs on DOE and local districts, likely modest and absorbed within existing appropriations. Net General Fund: Near-neutral for FY 2026 on the direct appropriation side; school building grant commitments represent contingent long-term obligations. --- 4. AFFECTED STAKEHOLDERS | Stakeholder | Impact | |---|---| | TANF recipients/DSS | Reduced TANF administrative funding; potential service delivery implications | | Unemployed workers | Improved unemployment system IT and staffing (Labor Dept.) | | Adult learners | Continued Adult Education funding with non-lapsing protection | | New London VFW | $174,000 capital/operational grant | | Village Initiative Project | $70,000 grant | | City of Hartford | Up to $2,500,000 for outdoor recreation | | Disabled veterans | Exclusive access to UConn neuromodulation treatments | | Students/families in 5 Central CT towns | School-based mental health clinical services | | Our Piece of the Pie (Hartford nonprofit) | $330,000 grant | | CREC | $750,000/year for teacher residency program | | Free Agent Now | $200,000 grant extended | | Windham, Fairfield, Stamford, New London, Cheshire, Regional District 13, Hartford (school building) | Significant reimbursement rate relief and deadline extensions | | High school students (statewide) | Civics seal diploma opportunity beginning class of 2027 | | Multilingual learners and families | Enhanced data transparency rights | | Muslim/Arab communities | Islamic and Arab studies added to recommended curriculum | | Jewish community | Antisemitism working group; continued Holocaust education emphasis | | Local boards of education | Enhanced budget transparency obligations; SRO MOU requirements | | Town of Madison | Open Choice program access with New Haven | | School districts statewide | Extended racial imbalance moratorium reduces near-term compliance burden | | Regional school districts | Budget transparency and reserve fund reporting requirements | | Students in preschool–Grade 2 | Clarified out-of-school suspension criteria with service requirements | --- 5. NOTABLE AMENDMENTS AND CONTROVERSIES 1. TANF Reallocation: The $3,400,000 reduction in TANF administrative funding to fund Labor Department unemployment IT and Adult Education is a policy trade-off that redirects anti-poverty program funds. This may draw scrutiny regarding impact on low-income families. 2. Racial Imbalance Moratorium Extension (Secs. 28–30): Extending the moratorium from 2025 to 2030 is the most legally and politically significant provision. It effectively suspends the statutory mechanism for addressing school segregation for five additional years, deferring obligations under Sections 10-226b through 10-226d. This may face challenge from civil rights advocates and could have implications under the Sheff v. O'Neill line of jurisprudence in Connecticut. 3. UConn Neuromodulation Center Restriction (Sec. 8): Narrowing patient eligibility from "patients" generally to "disabled veterans" exclusively represents a significant restriction of the program's original scope and will limit the center's research and treatment population. 4. Windham High School Reimbursement (Sec. 10): Removal of both the educational reform district condition and construction commencement deadline eliminates accountability conditions that were presumably included in the original authorization, raising questions about grant conditionality. 5. Early Admission Sunset (Secs. 26–27): The unusual structure of enacting an early admission option in Section 26 (eff. July 1, 2026) only to repeal it in Section 27 (eff. July 1, 2027) suggests this was a legislative compromise, possibly intended to allow a one-year transitional period before a return to the standard enrollment age framework. 6. Antisemitism Working Group vs. Curriculum Mandate: While Section 25 creates a working group to address antisemitism and Section 24 adds Islamic and Arab studies to recommended curriculum, there is no parallel mandatory curriculum requirement for Jewish heritage or Holocaust education beyond existing law—a structural asymmetry that may generate debate. 7. Geographically Targeted Grants: Multiple provisions direct funds to specific named organizations and municipalities (New London VFW, Village Initiative Project, Our Piece of the Pie, Free Agent
Bill Text
Senate Bill No. 298 Public Act No. 26-1 AN ACT CONCERNING THE REALLOCATION OF CERTAIN STATE FUNDS AND VARIOUS PROVISIONS RELATING TO EDUCATION, PUBLIC SAFETY, GENERAL GOVERNMENT, ELECTIONS, INTERMEDIATE CARE FACILITIES AND WAREHOUSE DISTRIBUTION CENTERS. Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General Assembly convened: Section 1. (Effective from passage) The amounts appropriated to the following agencies in section 1 of public act 25-168 are reduced by the following amounts for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2026: GENERAL FUND 2025-2026 DEPARTMENT OF SOCIAL SERVICES Temporary Family Assistance - TANF 3,400,000 TOTAL – GENERAL FUND 3,400,000 Sec. 2. (Effective from passage) The sum of $1,700,000 is appropriated to the Labor Department, for Personal Services, for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2026, for the purpose of (1) offsetting declining federal funds that support unemployment compensation program personnel costs, and (2) supporting the integration of information technology solutions in such program to improve service for individuals applying for benefits. Senate Bill No. 298 Public Act No. 26-1 2 of 123 Sec. 3. (Effective from passage) The sum of $1,700,000 is appropriated to the Department of Education, for Adult Education, from the General Fund, for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2026. Sec. 4. (Effective from passage) The unexpended balance of funds appropriated to the Department of Education, for Adult Education, in section 3 of this act, for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2026, shall not lapse on June 30, 2026, and shall be made available for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2027, for the same purpose. Sec. 5. (Effective from passage) (a) The sum of $174,000 of the amount appropriated in section 1 of public act 25-168 to the Department of Education, for Other Expenses, for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2026, shall be transferred to the Department of Economic and Community Development, for Other Expenses, and made available for a grant-in-aid to New London VFW. (b) The Department of Education and the Department of Economic and Community Development shall enter into a memorandum of understanding to effectuate the purpose of subsection (a) of this section. Sec. 6. (Effective from passage) The sum of $70,000 of the amount appropriated in section 1 of public act 25-168 to the Judicial Department, for Other Expenses, for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2026, shall be made available for a grant to the Village Initiative Project. Sec. 7. (Effective from passage) From the amount appropriated in section 1 of public act 25-168 to the Office of Policy and Management, for Other Expenses, for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2026, not more than $2,500,000 shall be made available for outdoor recreation in the city of Hartford. Sec. 8. Section 140 of public act 25-168 is repealed and the following is substituted in lieu thereof (Effective from passage): Senate Bill No. 298 Public Act No. 26-1 3 of 123 (a) As used in this section, (1) "neuromodulation" means the alteration of nerve activity through targeted delivery of a stimulus, including, but not limited to, electrical stimulation or chemical agents, to specific neurological sites in the body, and (2) "hospital" has the same meaning as provided in section 19a-490 of the general statutes. (b) The University of Connecticut Health Center shall establish a Center of Excellence for Neuromodulation Treatments. The health center may collaborate with a hospital in the state to conduct neuromodulation research and provide neuromodulation treatments to [patients] disabled veterans at the Center of Excellence for Neuromodulation Treatments. Sec. 9. (Effective from passage) The sum of $1,500,000 of the amount appropriated in section 1 of public act 25-168 to the Department of Social Services, for Other Expenses, for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2026, and the sum of $1,000,000 of such amount appropriated for the fiscal year ending June 20, 2027, shall be made available in said fiscal years for grants to school districts in Newington, Wethersfield, Cromwell, Rocky Hill and Middletown for the support or establishment of high acuity, school-based mental health programming. For purposes of this section, (1) "high acuity, school-based mental health programming" means programming offered by a qualified provider that includes (A) clinical care to prevent the need for out-of-district placements for students with intensive behavioral health challenges or return such students from such placements to their home districts, (B) in-pe
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