AN ACT SUPPORTING FIRST RESPONDER RECRUITMENT AND RETENTION.

House of Representatives
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General Assembly File No. 313
February Session, 2026 Substitute House Bill No. 5046

House of Representatives, April 1, 2026

The Committee on Public Safety and Security reported through
REP. BOYD of the 50th Dist., Chairperson of the Committee on
the part of the House, that the substitute bill ought to pass.

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the general statutes is repealed and the following is substituted in lieu 2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
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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
(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
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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
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 municipality or 65
organization, and (13) for any student attending the state fire school 66
who is enrolled in a program at said school offered in coordination with 67
a regional community -technical college that accredits courses taken in 68
such program. If any person who receives a tuition waiver in accordance 69
with the provisions of this subsection also receives educational 70
reimbursement from an employer, such waiver shall be reduced by the 71
amount of such educational reimbursement. Veterans and members of 72
the National Guard described in subdivision (5) of this subsection shall 73
be given the same status as students not receiving tuition waivers in 74
registering for courses at the Connecticut State Community College. 75
Notwithstanding the provisions of section 10a -30, as used in this 76
subsection, "domiciled in this state" includes domicile for less than one 77
year. 78
Sec. 2. Subsection (d) of section 10a-99 of the 2026 supplement to the 79
general statutes is repealed and the following is substituted in lieu 80
thereof (Effective July 1, 2026): 81
(d) The Board of Regents for Higher Education shall waive the 82
payment of tuition fees for undergraduate and graduate degree 83
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programs at the Connecticut State University System (1) for any 84
dependent child of a person whom the armed forces of the United States 85
has declared to be missing in action or to have been a prisoner of war 86
while serving in such armed forces after January 1, 1960, which child 87
has been accepted for admission to such institution and is a resident of 88
the state at the time such child is accepted for admission to such 89
institution, (2) subject to the provisions of subsection (e) of this section, 90
for any veteran, as defined in section 27 -103, who performed service in 91
time of war, as defined in section 27-103, except that for purposes of this 92
subsection, "service in time of war" shall not include time spent in 93
attendance at a military service academy, which veteran has been 94
accepted for admission to such institution and is domiciled in this state 95
at the time such veteran is accepted for admission to such institution. 96
Said board shall also waive for any such veteran the payment of any 97
extension fees under section 10a-26 for educational extension programs, 98
(3) for any resident of the state sixty -two years of age or older who has 99
been accepted for admission to such institution, provided (A) such 100
resident is enrolled in a degree -granting program, or (B) at the end of 101
the regular registration period, there are enrolled in the course a 102
sufficient number of students other than those residents eligible for 103
waivers pursuant to this subdivision to offer the course in which such 104
resident intends to enroll and there is space available in such course 105
after accommodating all such students, (4) for any student attending the 106
Connecticut Police Academy who is enrolled in a law enforcement 107
program at said academy offered in coordination with the university 108
which accredits courses taken in such program, (5) for any active 109
member of the Connecticut Army or Air National Guard who (A) has 110
been certified by the Adjutant General or such Adjutant General's 111
designee as a member in good standing of the guard, and (B) is enrolled 112
or accepted for admission to such institution on a full-time or part-time 113
basis in an undergraduate or graduate degree -granting program. Said 114
board shall also waive for any such member the payment of any 115
mandatory fees relating to such member's enrollment in said institution, 116
including, but not limited to, any extension fees under section 10a-26 for 117
educational extension programs, (6) for any dependent child of a (A) 118
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police officer, as defined in section 7 -294a, or supernumerary or 119
auxiliary police officer, (B) firefighter, as defined in section 7 -323j, or 120
member of a volunteer fire company, (C) municipal employee, or (D) 121
state employee, as defined in section 5-154, killed in the line of duty, (7) 122
for any resident of this state who is a dependent child or surviving 123
spouse of a specified terrorist victim who was a resident of the state, (8) 124
for any dependent child of a resident of the state who was killed in a 125
multivehicle crash at or near the intersection of Routes 44 and 10 and 126
Nod Road in Avon on July 29, 2005, [and] (9) for any resident of the state 127
who is a dependent child or surviving spouse of a person who was 128
killed in action while performing active military duty with the armed 129
forces of the United States on or after September 11, 2001, and who was 130
a resident of this state, (10) for any police officer, as defined in section 7-131
294a, who has been employed as such an officer in the state for not less 132
than five years, (11) for any uniformed member of a paid or volunteer 133
fire department, including, but not limited to, a fire department 134
operated by a federally recognized Indian tribe in the state, who, as 135
documented by the chief of the department, has served as such a 136
member in the state for not less than five years, (12) for any emergency 137
medical responder, emergency medical technician, advanced 138
emergency medical technician, emergency medical services instructor 139
or paramedic, as such terms are defined in section 20-206jj, who has been 140
employed in the capacity of such responder, technician, instructor or 141
paramedic in the state for not less than five years by a municipality or 142
nonprofit organization, as documented by the chief administrator of 143
such municipality or organization, and (13) for any student attending 144
the state fire school who is enrolled in a program at said school offered 145
in coordination with a university that accredits courses taken in such 146
program. If any person who receives a tuition waiver in accordance with 147
the provisions of this subsection also receives educational 148
reimbursement from an employer, such waiver shall be reduced by the 149
amount of such educational reimbursement. Veterans and members of 150
the National Guard described in subdivision (5) of this subsection shall 151
be given the same status as students not receiving tuition waivers in 152
registering for courses at Connecticut state universities. 153
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Notwithstanding the provisions of section 10a -30, as used in this 154
subsection, "domiciled in this state" includes domicile for less than one 155
year. 156
Sec. 3. Subsection (e) of section 10a-105 of the 2026 supplement to the 157
general statutes is repealed and the following is substituted in lieu 158
thereof (Effective July 1, 2026): 159
(e) Said board of trustees shall waive the payment of tuition fees for 160
any undergraduate or graduate degree program at The University of 161
Connecticut (1) for any dependent child of a person whom the armed 162
forces of the United States has declared to be missing in action or to have 163
been a prisoner of war while serving in such armed forces after January 164
1, 1960, which child has been accepted for admission to The University 165
of Connecticut and is a resident of the state at the time such child is 166
accepted for admission to said institution, (2) subject to the provisions 167
of subsection (f) of this section, for any veteran, as defined in section 27-168
103, who performed service in time of war, as defined in section 27-103, 169
except that for purposes of this subsection, "service in time of war" shall 170
not include time spent in attendance at a military service academy, 171
which veteran has been accepted for admission to said institution and is 172
domiciled in this state at the time such veteran is accepted for admission 173
to said institution. Said board shall also waive for any such veteran the 174
payment of any extension fees under section 10a -26 for educational 175
extension programs, (3) for any resident of the state sixty -two years of 176
age or older who has been accepted for admission to said institution, 177
provided (A) such resident is enrolled in a degree-granting program, or 178
(B) at the end of the regular registration period, there are enrolled in the 179
course a sufficient number of students other than those residents eligible 180
for waivers pursuant to this subdivision to offer the course in which 181
such resident intends to enroll and there is space available in such 182
course after accommodating all such students, (4) for any active member 183
of the Connecticut Army or Air National Guard who (A) has been 184
certified by the Adjutant General or such Adjutant General's designee 185
as a member in good standing of the guard, and (B) is enrolled or 186
accepted for admission to said institution on a full -time or part -time 187
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basis in an undergraduate or graduate degree -granting program. Said 188
board shall also waive for any such member the payment of any 189
mandatory fees relating to such member's enrollment in said institution, 190
including, but not limited to, any extension fees under section 10a-26 for 191
educational extension programs, (5) for any dependent child of a (A) 192
police officer, as defined in section 7 -294a, or supernumerary or 193
auxiliary police officer, (B) firefighter, as defined in section 7 -323j, or 194
member of a volunteer fire company, (C) municipal employee, or (D) 195
state employee, as defined in section 5-154, killed in the line of duty, (6) 196
for any resident of the state who is the dependent child or surviving 197
spouse of a specified terrorist victim who was a resident of the state, (7) 198
for any dependent child of a resident of the state who was killed in a 199
multivehicle crash at or near the intersection of Routes 44 and 10 and 200
Nod Road in Avon on July 29, 2005, and (8) for any resident of the state 201
who is a dependent child or surviving spouse of a person who was 202
killed in action while performing active military duty with the armed 203
forces of the United States on or after September 11, 2001, and who was 204
a resident of this state. If any person who receives a tuition waiver in 205
accordance with the provisions of this subsection also receives 206
educational reimbursement from an employer, such waiver shall be 207
reduced by the amount of such educational reimbursement. Veterans 208
and members of the National Guard described in subdivision (4) of this 209
subsection shall be given the same status as students not receiving 210
tuition waivers in registering for courses at The University of 211
Connecticut. Notwithstanding the provisions of section 10a-30, as used 212
in this subsection, "domiciled in this state" includes domicile for less 213
than one year. 214
Sec. 4. (NEW) ( Effective October 1, 2026 ) (a) As used in this section, 215
"first responder" means any (1) police officer, as defined in section 7 -216
294a of the general statutes, (2) uniformed member of a paid or 217
volunteer fire department, or (3) emergency medical responder, 218
emergency medical technician, advanced emergency medical 219
technician, emergency medical services instructor or paramedic, as such 220
terms are defined in section 20-206jj of the general statutes. 221
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(b) The Connecticut Housing Finance Authority shall develop and 222
administer a program of mortgage assistance to first responders in the 223
state. Such assistance shall be available to an eligible first responder 224
under guidelines adopted by the authority for the purchase of a home 225
used as such first responder's principal residence in the community 226
served by such first responder. In making mortgage assistance available 227
under the program, the authority may utilize down payment assistance 228
or any other appropriate housing subsidies. The terms of any mortgage 229
assistance may allow the mortgagee to realize a reasonable portion of 230
any equity gain upon sale of the mortgaged property. 231
Sec. 5. (NEW) ( Effective January 1, 2027, and applicable to taxable years 232
commencing on or after January 1, 2027) (a) As used in this section, "eligible 233
volunteer firefighter" means an individual who is actively serving as a 234
volunteer firefighter for a fire department in the state and who has 235
served as a volunteer firefighter for a fire department in the state for not 236
less than fifteen consecutive years, as documented by the chief of the 237
department. 238
(b) For taxable years commencing on or after January 1, 2027, each 239
eligible volunteer firefighter shall be allowed a credit against the tax 240
imposed by chapter 229 of the general statutes, other than the liability 241
imposed by section 12 -707 of the general statutes. The amount of the 242
credit shall be one thousand dollars. Any taxpayer claiming the credit 243
shall provide to the Department of Revenue Services documentation 244
supporting such claim in the form and manner prescribed by the 245
Commissioner of Revenue Services. 246
Sec. 6. ( Effective from passage ) (a) There is established a task force to 247
study issues relating to the recruitment and retention of public safety 248
personnel. Such study shall include, but need not be limited to, an 249
examination of the feasibility and fiscal impact of the state providing (1) 250
tuition waivers, mortgage assistance and tax credits to correction 251
officers and judicial marshals, (2) tuition waivers to the dependent 252
children of police officers, uniformed members of paid or volunteer fire 253
departments, emergency medical responders, emergency medical 254
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technicians, advanced emergency medical technicians, emergency 255
medical services instructors and paramedics, (3) tuition waivers for 256
undergraduate and graduate degree programs at The University of 257
Connecticut to police officers, uniformed members of paid or volunteer 258
fire departments, emergency medical responders, emergency medical 259
technicians, advanced emergency medical technicians, emergency 260
medical services instructors and paramedics, and (4) tuition vouchers to 261
public safety personnel that can be used at any accredited institution of 262
higher education in the state. 263
(b) The task force shall consist of the following members: 264
(1) Two appointed by the speaker of the House of Representatives, 265
one of whom has expertise in public safety and one of whom has 266
expertise in higher education; 267
(2) Two appointed by the president pro tempore of the Senate; 268
(3) One appointed by the majority leader of the House of 269
Representatives; 270
(4) One appointed by the majority leader of the Senate; 271
(5) One appointed by the minority leader of the House of 272
Representatives; 273
(6) One appointed by the minority leader of the Senate; 274
(7) The Commissioner of Emergency Services and Public Protection, 275
or the commissioner's designee; and 276
(8) The Commissioner of Education, or the commissioner's designee. 277
(c) Any member of the task force appointed under subdivision (1), 278
(2), (3), (4), (5) or (6) of subsection (b) of this section may be a member 279
of the General Assembly. 280
(d) All initial appointments to the task force shall be made not later 281
than thirty days after the effective date of this section. Any vacancy shall 282
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be filled by the appointing authority. 283
(e) The speaker of the House of Representatives and the president pro 284
tempore of the Senate shall select the chairpersons of the task force from 285
among the members of the task force. Such chairpersons shall schedule 286
the first meeting of the task force, which shall be held not later than sixty 287
days after the effective date of this section. 288
(f) The administrative staff of the joint standing committee of the 289
General Assembly having cognizance of matters relating to public safety 290
and security shall serve as administrative staff of the task force. 291
(g) Not later than January 1, 2027, the task force shall submit a report 292
on its findings and recommendations to the joint standing committee of 293
the General Assembly having cognizance of matters relating to public 294
safety and security, in accordance with the provisions of section 11 -4a 295
of the general statutes. The task force shall terminate on the date that it 296
submits such report or January 1, 2027, whichever is later. 297
This act shall take effect as follows and shall amend the following
sections:

Section 1 July 1, 2026 10a-77(d)
Sec. 2 July 1, 2026 10a-99(d)
Sec. 3 July 1, 2026 10a-105(e)
Sec. 4 October 1, 2026 New section
Sec. 5 January 1, 2027, and
applicable to taxable years
commencing on or after
January 1, 2027
New section
Sec. 6 from passage New section

Statement of Legislative Commissioners:
In Section 2(d)(13), " the university " was changed to " a university" for
accuracy.

PS Joint Favorable Subst.

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The following Fiscal Impact Statement and Bill Analysis are prepared for the benefit of the members of
the General Assembly, solely for purposes of information, summarization and explanation and do not
represent the intent of the General Assembly or either chamber thereof for any purpose. In general,
fiscal impacts are based upon a variety of informational sources, including the analyst’s professional
knowledge. Whenever applicable, agency data is consulted as part of the analysis, however final
products do not necessarily reflect an assessment from any specific department.

OFA Fiscal Note

State Impact:
Agency Affected Fund-Effect FY 27 $ FY 28 $
Connecticut Housing Finance
Authority (CHFA)
CHFA – Cost/
Potential
Revenue Impact
Minimal Minimal
Department of Revenue Services GF – Revenue
Loss
None Up to 6.5
million
Department of Revenue Services GF - Cost None 20,000
Connecticut State Colleges and
Universities
OF – Net
Revenue Loss
See Below See Below
Connecticut State Colleges and
Universities
OF – Revenue
Loss
Up to 2
million
Up to 2
million
University of Connecticut OF – Revenue
Loss
Approx.
680,000
Approx.
680,000
Note: GF=General Fund; OF= Other Funds

Municipal Impact: None
Explanation
The bill 's provisions to support recruitment and retention of first
responders result in the fiscal impacts described below.
Sections 1 – 2 result in an annual net revenue loss to the Connecticut
State Colleges and Universities (CSCU) beginning in FY 27. The sections
require CSCU to: (1) waive tuition for a variety of first responders , and
(2) waive mandatory fees for National Guard members who are
currently eligible for a tuition waiver.
First responders who may receive a tuition waiver under the bill's
provisions include: (1) paid and volunteer firefighters, sworn state and
local police officers, and emergency medical services (EMS) personnel
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employed (or serving) in Connecticut for at least five years; and (2) any
student attending a state fire school. There are an estimated 42,9001 paid
and volunteer firefighters, sworn police officers, and EMS workers in
the state. It is unknown how many have been employed or serving in
Connecticut for at least five years.
The tuition waiver revenue loss to CSCU will vary based on the
number of first responders who receive a waiver , which could be
significant. The table below shows the per student value of a tuition
waiver at CSCU. It also shows what the potential revenue loss would be
in FY 27 if an additional 500, 1,500, and 2,000 students received the
waiver at a CSU or at CT State. The bill's tuition waiver provision does
not apply to the UConn.

To the extent that this tuition waiver results in increased enrollment
at CSCU, the above -described revenue loss is offset by an increase in
revenue from fees. The extent of such offsetting revenue gain will
depend on the number of first responders who attend CSCU due to the
bill's tuition waiver.
The sections result in an additional revenue loss to CSCU of up to $2
million annually beginning in FY 27. This revenue loss is associated with
the bill's waiver of mandatory fees for members of the National Guard
who currently receive a statutory tuition waiver. There are 604 National
Guard members receiving tuition waivers at CSCU in FY 26.

1 This figure does not include students attending a state fire school.
Examples of Tuition Waiver Value, FY 27
FY 27 Per Student Value 6,998 4,608
# Addt'l Students
Receiving Waiver
CSUs Est. Revenue
Loss $
CT State Est.
Revenue Loss
500 3,499,000 2,304,000
1,000 6,998,000 4,608,000
1,500 10,497,000 6,912,000
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Section 3 results in an annual revenue loss of approximately $680,000
beginning in FY 27 for the University of Connecticut. It requires UConn
to waive mandatory fees for members of the National Guard who
already receive a statutory tuition waiver. There are 173 National Guard
members receiving tuition waivers at UConn in FY 26.
Section 4 requires the Connecticut Housing Finance Authority
(CHFA) to establish a new program of mortgage assistance for first
responders, which results in costs to CHFA from the authority's own
resources beginning in FY 27 associated with developing and marketing
the program.2
If CHFA provides first responders with existing first -time
homebuyer mortgage products at a reduced interest rate, changes to
CHFA's operating revenues are anticipated to be minimal.
Costs or revenue loss for providing other forms of assistance would
depend on: (1) the number of first responders assisted and (2) the type
of assistance provided. Given the low utilization rate of CHFA's other
occupation-specific mortgage assistance progr ams, the bill is not
anticipated to materially change the rate of spending.3
Section 5, which establishes a personal income tax credit of $1,000 for
active volunteer firefighters who have served for at least 15 years,
results in a : (1) General Fund loss of up to $6.5 million annually
beginning in FY 28, and (2) one -time cost of $20,000 to the Department
of Revenue Services in FY 28 associated with programming updates to
the CTax tax administration system and myconneCT online portal, as
well as form modification.4

2 CHFA is a quasi-public authority that issues its own federally tax-exempt and taxable
mortgage revenue bonds. The authority pays its operating expenses using funds
derived from the excess of interest income from loans over bond interest expenses.
3 In 2025, CHFA assisted approximately 3,800 first-time homebuyers. Of these buyers,
27 utilized the Teachers Mortgage Assistance Program, 64 utilized the Military
Homeownership Program, and 7 utilized the Police Officer Homeownership Program.
4 This estimate assumes approximately 6,500 volunteer firefighters would be eligible
for the credit.
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Section 6 establishes a task force to study the feasibility and fiscal
impact of a variety of tuition waiver programs for public safety
personnel. This has no fiscal impact, as it is anticipated that the task
force can complete its duties with existing resources.
The Out Years
The annualized ongoing fiscal impact identified above would
continue into the future subject to the number of first responders
qualifying for the above described benefits and the value of those
benefits.

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OLR Bill Analysis
sHB 5046

AN ACT SUPPORTING FIRST RESPONDER RECRUITMENT AND
RETENTION.

SUMMARY
This bill makes various changes to encourage first responder
recruitment and retention. Primarily, the bill:
1. offers certain first responders tuition waivers for attending the
Connecticut State Community College (CT State) and
Connecticut State University System (CSUS) (§§ 1 & 2);
2. waives mandatory fees for any active National Guard member’s
enrollment at the UConn, CT State, or CSUS (§§ 1-3);
3. requires the Connecticut Housing Finance Authority (CFHA) to
develop and administer a mortgage assistance program for first
responders (§ 4);
4. creates a tax credit for eligible volunteer firefighters (§ 5); and
5. establishes a task force to study public safety personnel
recruitment and retention issues (§ 6).
EFFECTIVE DATE: July 1, 2026, except that the (1) provisions on the
first responder mortgage assistance program take effect October 1, 2026;
(2) tax credit provision is effective January 1, 2027, and each tax year on
and after then; and (3) task force provision is effective upon passage.
§§ 1-3 — TUITION AND FEE WAIVERS
Tuition Waivers for Certain First Responders
The bill requires the Board of Regents for Higher Education to waive
CT State and CSUS tuition for:
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1. any police officer (see BACKGROUND) who has been employed
as such in Connecticut for at least five years;
2. any uniformed member of a paid or volunteer fire department,
including fire departments operated by a federally recognized
Connecticut Indian tribe, who, as documented by the chief of the
department, has served as a firefighter in Connecticut for at least
five years;
3. any emergency medical responder, emergency medical
technician, advanced emergency medical technician, emergency
medical services instructor , or paramedic, who has been
employed in that role in Connecticut for at least five years by a
municipality or nonprofit organization, as documented by their
chief administrator; and
4. students attending the state fire school who are enrolled in a
program offered together with a university that accredits courses
in the program.
For CSUS, only tuition fees for undergraduate and graduate
programs are waived.
Connecticut Army or Air National Guard Fee Waiver
The bill also waives all mandatory fees for a national guard member’s
enrollment at CT State , CSUS, or UConn. To be eligible, the national
guard member must be (1) certified by the adjutant general or his
designee as a member in good standing and (2) enrolled or accepted in
one of those institutions on a full -time or part -time basis in an
undergraduate degree -granting program (or graduate program, for
CSUS and UConn). By law, national guard members’ tuition and
payment of extension fees are already waived.
§ 4 — FIRST RESPONDER MORTGAGE ASSISTANCE PROGRAM
The bill requires CHFA to develop and administer a mortgage
assistance program for certain Connecticut first responders who are
buying a home as their principal residence in the community where they
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serve. In doing so, CHFA (1) must use down payment assistance or any
other appropriate housing subsidies and (2) may allow the mortgagee
to realize a reasonable portion of the property’s equity gain when it is
sold. Under the bill, the program must cover:
1. police officers;
2. uniformed members of a paid or volunteer fire department;
3. certified emergency medical responders, emergency medical
technicians, and advanced emergency medical technicians;
4. certified emergency medical services instructors that teach
courses required to become an emergency medical technician ;
and
5. licensed paramedics.
§ 5 — VOLUNTEER FIREFIGHTER TAX CREDIT
Beginning for taxable years starting January 1, 2027, the bill allows
eligible volunteer firefighters to claim an income tax credit of $1 ,000,
except against the withholding tax . Any taxpayer claiming the credit
must give the Department of Revenue Services (DRS) supporting
documentation as the DRS commissioner requires.
An “eligible volunteer firefighter” is someone who is actively serving
as a volunteer firefighter for a fire department in Connecticut and has
served for at least fifteen consecutive years, as documented by the fire
department’s chief.
§ 6 — RECRUITMENT AND RETENTION TASK FORCE
The bill establishes a task force to study recruitment and retention
issues for public safety personnel. The study must examine the
feasibility and fiscal impact of the state providing:
1. tuition waivers, mortgage assistance, and tax credits to correction
officers and judicial marshals;
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2. tuition waivers to police officers’ dependent children, uniformed
members of paid or volunteer fire departments, emergency
medical responders, emergency medical technicians, advanced
emergency medical technicians, emergency medical services
instructors, and paramedics;
3. tuition waivers for undergraduate and graduate degree
programs at UConn to police officers, uniformed members of
paid or volunteer fire departments, emergency medical
responders, emergency medical technicians, advanced
emergency medical technicians, emergency medical services
instructors, and paramedics; and
4. tuition vouchers for public safety personnel to any accredited
higher education institution in Connecticut.
Under the bill, the task force consists of the Department of Emergency
Services and Public Protection (DESPP) and Education commissioners,
or their designees, and eight members appointed by the legislative
leaders (two each by the House speaker and Senate president pro
tempore and one each by the House and Senate majority and minority
leaders). One of the speaker’s appointees must have expertise in public
safety and the other in higher education. The appointees may be
legislators.
All initial appointments must be made within 30 days after the bill
passes, and any vacancies must be filled by the appropriate appointing
authority.
The speaker and the president pro tempore must select the task
force’s chairpersons from its members, who must schedule and hold the
first meeting of the task force within 60 days after the bill passes.
The Public Safety and Security Committee’s administrative staff must
serve in that capacity for the task force . The task force must submit its
findings and recommendations to the Public Safety and Security
Committee by January 1, 2027. The task force ends on January 1, 2027,
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or when it submits its report, whichever is later.
BACKGROUND
Definition of Police Officers
By law, police officers are sworn members of an organized local
police department or of the Division of State Police within DESPP,
appointed constables who perform criminal law enforcement duties,
special appointed policemen, or any member of a law enforcement unit
who performs police duties (CGS § 7-294a).
Related Bill
sHB 5003 , §§ 16 -19, reported favorably by the Labor and Public
Employees Committee, has substantially similar provisions concerning
first responder tuition waivers and a first responder mortgage
assistance program.
COMMITTEE ACTION
Public Safety and Security Committee
Joint Favorable Substitute
Yea 29 Nay 0 (03/17/2026)