AN ACT IMPLEMENTING THE RECOMMENDATIONS OF THE DEPARTMENT OF ADMINISTRATIVE SERVICES REGARDING THE SCHOOL BUILDING PROJECTS STATUTES.

House of Representatives
sHB5147 / File No. 511 1

General Assembly File No. 511
February Session, 2026 Substitute House Bill No. 5147

House of Representatives, April 8, 2026

The Committee on Education reported through REP. LEEPER
of the 132nd Dist., Chairperson of the Committee on the part of
the House, that the substitute bill ought to pass.

AN ACT IMPLEMENTING THE RECOMMENDATIONS OF THE
DEPARTMENT OF ADMINISTRATIVE SERVICES REGARDING THE
SCHOOL BUILDING PROJECTS STATUTES.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General
Assembly convened:

Section 1. Section 10 -285a of the 2026 supplement to the general 1
statutes is repealed and the following is substituted in lieu thereof 2
(Effective July 1, 2026): 3
(a) (1) The percentage of school building project grant money a local 4
board of education may be eligible to receive, under the provisions of 5
section 10 -286, as amended by this act , shall be assigned by the 6
Commissioner of Administrative Services in accordance with the 7
percentage calculated by the Commissioner of Education as follows: (A) 8
For grants approved pursuant to section 10-283 for which application is 9
made on and after July 1, 1991, and before July 1, 2011, (i) each town 10
shall be ranked in descending order from one to one hundred sixty-nine 11
according to such town's adjusted equalized net grand list per capita, as 12
defined in section 10-261; and (ii) based upon such ranking, a percentage 13
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of not less than twenty nor more than eighty shall be determined for 14
each town on a continuous scale; (B) for grants approved pursuant to 15
section 10-283 for which application is made on and after July 1, 2011, 16
and before July 1, 2017, (i) each town shall be ranked in descending 17
order from one to one hundred sixty -nine according to such town's 18
adjusted equalized net grand list per capita, as defined in section 10-261, 19
and (ii) based upon such ranking, (I) a percentage of not less than ten 20
nor more than seventy shall be determined for new construction or 21
replacement of a school building for each town on a continuous scale, 22
and (II) a percentage of not less than twenty nor more than eighty shall 23
be determined for renovations, extensions, code violations, roof 24
replacements and major alterations of an existing school building and 25
the new construction or replacement of a school building when a town 26
or regional school district can demonstrate that a new construction or 27
replacement is less expensive than a renovation, extension or major 28
alteration of an existing school building for each town on a continuous 29
scale; (C) for grants approved pursuant to section 10 -283 for which 30
application is made on and after July 1, 2017, and before June 1, 2022, (i) 31
each town shall be ranked in descending order from one to one hundred 32
sixty-nine according to the adjusted equalized net grand list per capita, 33
as defined in section 10-261, of the town two, three and four years prior 34
to the fiscal year in which application is made, (ii) based upon such 35
ranking, (I) a percentage of not less than ten nor more than seventy shall 36
be determined for new construction or replacement of a school building 37
for each town on a continuous scale, and (II) a percentage of not less 38
than twenty nor more than eighty shall be determined for renovations, 39
extensions, code violations, roof replacements and major alterations of 40
an existing school building and the new construction or replacement of 41
a school building when a town or regional school district can 42
demonstrate that a new construction or replacement is less expensive 43
than a renovation, extension or major alteration of an existing school 44
building for each town on a continuous scale; (D) except as otherwise 45
provided in subdivision (2) of this subsection, for grants approved 46
pursuant to section 10 -283 for which application is made on and after 47
June 1, 2022, (i) each town shall be ranked in descending order from one 48
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to one hundred sixty-nine according to the adjusted equalized net grand 49
list per capita, as defined in section 10 -261, of the town two, three and 50
four years prior to the fiscal year in which application is made, and (ii) 51
based upon such ranking, (I) a percentage of not less than ten nor more 52
than seventy shall be determined for new construction or replacement 53
of a school building for each town on a continuous scale, and (II) a 54
percentage of not less than twenty nor more than eighty shall be 55
determined for renovations, extensions, code violations, roof 56
replacements and major alterations of an existing school building and 57
the new construction or replacement of a school building when a town 58
or regional school district can demonstrate that a new construction or 59
replacement is less expensive than a renovation, extension or major 60
alteration of an existing school building for each town on a continuous 61
scale; and (E) except as otherwise provided in subdivision (2) of this 62
subsection, for grants approved pursuant to section 10 -283 for which 63
application is made on and after July 1, 2024, (i) each town shall be 64
ranked in descending order from one to one hundred sixty -nine 65
according to the adjusted equalized net grand list per capita, as defined 66
in section 10-261, of the town two, three and four years prior to the fiscal 67
year in which application is made, and (ii) based upon such ranking, (I) 68
a percentage of not less than ten nor more than eighty shall be 69
determined for new construction or replacement of a school building for 70
each town on a continuous scale, and (II) a percentage of not less than 71
twenty nor more than eighty shall be determined for renovations, 72
extensions, code violations, roof replacements and major alterations of 73
an existing school building and the new construction or replacement of 74
a school building when a town or regional school district can 75
demonstrate that a new construction or replacement is less expensive 76
than a renovation, extension or major alteration of an existing school 77
building for each town on a continuous scale. 78
(2) For grants approved pursuant to section 10 -283 for which 79
application is made prior to July 1, 2047, the percentage of school 80
building project grant money a local board of education for (A) any 81
town with a total population of eighty thousand or greater may be 82
eligible to receive shall be the greater of the percentage calculated 83
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pursuant to subdivision (1) of this subsection or sixty per cent, and (B) 84
the town of Cheshire shall be the greater of the percentage calculated 85
pursuant to subdivision (1) of this subsection or fifty per cent. 86
(b) (1) Except as otherwise provided in subdivision (2) of this 87
subsection, the percentage of school building project grant money a 88
regional board of education may be eligible to receive under the 89
provisions of section 10-286, as amended by this act, shall be determined 90
by its ranking. Such ranking shall be determined by (A) multiplying the 91
total population, as defined in section 10-261, of each town in the district 92
by such town's ranking, as determined in subsection (a) of this section, 93
(B) adding together the figures determined under subparagraph (A) of 94
this subdivision, and (C) dividing the total computed under 95
subparagraph (B) of this subdivision by the total population of all towns 96
in the district. The ranking of each regional board of education shall be 97
rounded to the next higher whole number and each such board shall 98
receive the same reimbursement percentage as would a town with the 99
same rank plus ten per cent, except that no such percentage shall exceed 100
eighty-five per cent. 101
(2) Any board of education of a regional school district established or 102
expanded on or after July 1, 2016, that submits an application for a 103
school building project (A) not later than ten years after the 104
establishment or expansion of such regional school district, and (B) that 105
is related to such establishment or expansion, may be eligible to receive 106
a percentage of school building project grant money, under the 107
provisions of section 10 -286, as amended by this act , as follows: The 108
reimbursement percentage of the town in such regional school district 109
with the greatest reimbursement percentage, as determined in 110
subsection (a) of this section, plus ten per cent. 111
(c) The percentage of school building project grant money a regional 112
educational service center may be eligible to receive shall be determined 113
by its ranking. Such ranking shall be determined by (1) multiplying the 114
population of each member town in the regional educational service 115
center by such town's ranking, as determined in subsection (a) of this 116
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section; (2) adding together the figures for each town determined under 117
subdivision (1) of this subsection, and (3) dividing the total computed 118
under subdivision (2) of this subsection by the total population of all 119
member towns in the regional educational service center. The ranking 120
of each regional educational service center shall be rounded to the next 121
higher whole number and each such center shall receive the same 122
reimbursement percentage as would a town with the same rank. 123
(d) The percentage of school building project grant money a 124
cooperative arrangement pursuant to section 10-158a, may be eligible to 125
receive shall be determined by its ranking. Such ranking shall be 126
determined by (1) multiplying the total population, as defined in section 127
10-261, of each town in the cooperative arrangement by such town's 128
ranking, as determined in subsection (a) of this section, (2) adding the 129
products determined under subdivision (1) of this subsection, and (3) 130
dividing the total computed under subdivision (2) of this subsection by 131
the total population of all towns in the cooperative arrangement. The 132
ranking of each cooperative arrangement shall be rounded to the next 133
higher whole number and each such cooperative arrangement shall 134
receive the same reimbursement percentage as would a town with the 135
same rank plus ten percentage points. 136
(e) (1) If an elementary school building project for a new building or 137
for the expansion of an existing building includes space for an early 138
childhood care and education program that provides services for 139
children from birth to five years, the percentage determined pursuant to 140
this section for the entire school building project shall be increased by 141
fifteen percentage points, but shall not exceed one hundred per cent. 142
Recipient districts shall maintain such early childhood care and 143
education program for at least ten years. 144
(2) The percentage determined pursuant to this section for any school 145
building project for a building or facility that will be used exclusively by 146
a local or regional board of education for an early childhood care and 147
education program that provides services for children from birth to five 148
years shall be increased by fifteen percentage points, but shall not 149
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exceed one hundred per cent. Recipient districts shall maintain such 150
early childhood care and education program for at least twenty years. 151
(f) The percentage determined pursuant to this section for a school 152
building project grant for the expansion, alteration or renovation of an 153
existing public school building to convert such building for use as a 154
lighthouse school, as defined in section 10 -266cc, shall be increased by 155
ten percentage points. 156
(g) The percentage determined pursuant to this section for a school 157
building project grant shall be increased by the percentage of the total 158
projected enrollment of the school attributable to the number of spaces 159
made available for out-of-district students participating in the program 160
established pursuant to section 10 -266aa, provided the maximum 161
increase shall not exceed ten percentage points. 162
(h) Subject to the provisions of section 10 -285d, if an elementary 163
school building project for a school in a priority school district or for a 164
priority school is necessary in order to offer a full -day kindergarten 165
program or a full -day preschool program or to reduce class size 166
pursuant to section 10-265f, the percentage determined pursuant to this 167
section shall be increased by fifteen percentage points, but shall not 168
exceed one hundred per cent, for the portion of the building used 169
primarily for such full -day kindergarten program, full -day preschool 170
program or such reduced size classes. Recipient districts that receive an 171
increase pursuant to this subsection in support of a full -day preschool 172
program shall maintain full -day preschool enrollment for at least ten 173
years. 174
(i) For all projects authorized on or after July 1, 2007, all attorneys' 175
fees and court costs related to litigation shall be eligible for state school 176
construction grant assistance only if the grant applicant is the prevailing 177
party in any such litigation. 178
(j) The percentage determined pursuant to this section for a school 179
building project grant for a diversity school, approved pursuant to 180
section 10-286h, shall be increased by ten percentage points. 181
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(k) If a school building project for a new building or for the 182
renovation or expansion of an existing building includes plans for the 183
expansion or creation of in-district special education programming and 184
services, the percentage determined pursuant to this section shall be 185
increased by fifteen percentage points, but shall not exceed one hundred 186
per cent, for the portion of the project used primarily for such purpose, 187
provided the portion of such school building project that will be used 188
primarily for such in -district special education programming and 189
services shall be a part of a school building that is being used to provide 190
a program of general education for nonspecial education students and 191
is a part of the school building being constructed or renovated or 192
expanded; and, provided further, any additional funding received by 193
the local or regional board of education resulting from and related to the 194
inclusion of such plans for the expansion or creation of in-district special 195
education programming and services shall be expended for such 196
construction or renovation or expansion. 197
(l) On and after July 1, 2026, for applications submitted pursuant to 198
subsection (a) of section 10-283, the reimbursement percentage of school 199
building project that a local or regional board of education or an 200
endowed academy approved pursuant to section 10 -34 shall be 201
increased by five percentage points, provided such increase shall not 202
result in a reimbursement percentage exceeding one hundred per cent, 203
if the municipality (1) is in compliance with the provisions of section 8 -204
13bb regarding its housing growth plan or compliance with a regional 205
housing growth plan, as applicable, and has demonstrated steps such 206
municipality has taken to implement its housing growth policies, (2) is 207
a qualifying transit-oriented community pursuant to section 8 -13hh, or 208
(3) has adopted a development district established pursuant to a 209
memorandum of agreement with the Connecticut Municipal 210
Development Authority. 211
(m) Notwithstanding any provision of the general statutes, the 212
percentage determined pursuant to this section for a school building 213
project grant shall not exceed one hundred per cent. 214
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Sec. 2. Section 10 -292q of the general statutes is repealed and the 215
following is substituted in lieu thereof (Effective from passage): 216
(a) There is established a [School Building Projects Advisory Council] 217
School Safety and Security Infrastructure Advisory Council. The council 218
shall consist of: (1) The Secretary of the Office of Policy and 219
Management, or the secretary's designee, (2) the Commissioner of 220
Administrative Services, or the commissioner's designee, (3) the 221
Commissioner of Education, or the commissioner's designee, (4) the 222
Commissioner of Emergency Services and Public Protection, or the 223
commissioner's designee, (5) the [chairperson of the Technical 224
Education and Career System board, or the chairperson's ] executive 225
director of the Technical Education and Career System, or the executive 226
director's designee, and (6) [six] eight members appointed by the 227
Governor, one of whom shall be a person with experience in school 228
[building] safety and security infrastructure project matters, one of 229
whom shall be a person with experience in [architecture] school safety 230
and security planning, one of whom shall be a person with experience 231
in [engineering] school physical infrastructure hardening, one of whom 232
shall be a person from higher education with experience in [school] 233
campus safety, one of whom shall be a [person with experience with the 234
administration of the State Building Code, ] representative of a rural 235
school district, one of whom shall be a representative of a suburban 236
school district, one of whom shall be a representative of an urban school 237
district and one of whom shall be a person with experience and expertise 238
in construction for students with disabilities and the accessibility 239
provisions of the Americans with Disabilities Act, 42 USC 12101 et seq. 240
The terms for those members appointed under subdivision (6) of this 241
subsection before the effective date of this section shall expire on June 242
30, 2026, and the members appointed under said subdivision shall be 243
appointed not later than September 1, 2026. 244
(b) (1) Prior to the effective date of this section, (A) the chairperson of 245
the council shall be the Commissioner of Administrative Services, or the 246
commissioner's designee ; [. A ] and (B) a person employed by the 247
Department of Administrative Services who is responsible for school 248
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building projects shall serve as the administrative staff of the council. 249
(2) On and after the effective date of this section, (A) the chairperson 250
of the council shall be the Commissioner of Emergency Services and 251
Public Protection, or the commissioner's designee; and (B) a person 252
employed by the Department of Emergency Services and Public 253
Protection shall serve as the administrative staff of the council. 254
(3) The council shall meet at least quarterly to discuss matters relating 255
to school [building] safety and security infrastructure projects. 256
[(b)] (c) The [School Building Projects Advisory Council] council shall 257
(1) develop [model blueprints for new school building ] 258
recommendations regarding school safety and security infrastructure 259
projects that are in accordance with industry standards for school 260
[buildings and the school safety infrastructure criteria, developed 261
pursuant to section 10 -292r] safety and security infrastructure , (2) 262
conduct studies, research and analyses related to school safety and 263
security infrastructure, (3) make recommendations for improvements to 264
the school [building projects ] safety and security grant processes, 265
including eligibility criteria, to the Governor and the joint standing 266
[committee] committees of the General Assembly having cognizance of 267
matters relating to [appropriations and the budgets of state agencies, ] 268
education and [finance, revenue and bonding ] public safety , and (4) 269
periodically review and update, as necessary, the school safety 270
infrastructure criteria developed pursuant to section 10 -292r, as 271
amended by this act. 272
Sec. 3. Section 10 -292r of the general statutes is repealed and the 273
following is substituted in lieu thereof (Effective from passage): 274
(a) The [School Building Projects Advisory Council ] School Safety 275
and Security Infrastructure Advisory Council , established pursuant to 276
section 10-292q, as amended by this act, shall periodically review and 277
update, as necessary, school safety infrastructure criteria for school 278
building projects awarded grants pursuant to this chapter and the 279
school security infrastructure competitive grant program, pursuant to 280
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section 84 of public act 13 -3. Such school safety infrastructure criteria 281
shall conform to industry standards for school building safety 282
infrastructure and shall address areas including, but not be limited to, 283
(1) entryways to school buildings and classrooms, such as, 284
reinforcement of entryways, ballistic glass, solid core doors, double 285
door access, computer -controlled electronic locks, remote locks on all 286
entrance and exits and buzzer systems, (2) the use of cameras 287
throughout the school building and at all entrances and exits, including 288
the use of closed-circuit television monitoring, (3) penetration resistant 289
vestibules, and (4) other security infrastructure improvements and 290
devices as they become industry standards. The council shall meet at 291
least annually to review and update, if necessary, the school safety 292
infrastructure criteria and make such criteria available to local and 293
regional boards of education. 294
(b) The [School Building Projects Advisory Council ] council shall 295
submit any updates made to the school safety infrastructure criteria to 296
the Commissioners of Emergency Services and Public Protection and 297
Education and the joint standing committees of the General Assembly 298
having cognizance of matters relating to public safety and education, in 299
accordance with the provisions of section 11-4a. 300
Sec. 4. Subsections (b) and (c) of section 10 -264h of the 2026 301
supplement to the general statutes are repealed and the following is 302
substituted in lieu thereof (Effective from passage): 303
(b) Subject to the provisions of subsection (a) of this section, the 304
applicant shall receive current payments of scheduled estimated eligible 305
[project] costs for the interdistrict magnet school facility, provided (1) 306
the applicant files an application for a school building project, in 307
accordance with section 10 -283, by the date prescribed by the 308
Commissioner of Administrative Services, (2) final plans and 309
specifications for the project are approved pursuant to sections 10 -291 310
and 10 -292, and (3) such applicant submits to the Commissioner of 311
Education, in such form as the commissioner prescribes, and the 312
commissioner approves a plan for the operation of the facility which 313
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includes, but need not be limited to: A description of the educational 314
programs to be offered, the completion date for the project, an estimated 315
budget for the operation of the facility, written commitments for 316
participation from the districts that will participate in the school and an 317
analysis of the effect of the program on the reduction of racial, ethnic 318
and economic isolation. The Commissioner of Education shall notify the 319
Commissioner of Administrative Services and the secretary of the State 320
Bond Commission when the provisions of subdivision (3) of this 321
subsection have been met. Upon application to the Commissioner of 322
Administrative Services, compliance with the provisions of subdivision 323
(3) of this subsection and after authorization by the General Assembly 324
pursuant to section 10 -283, the applicant shall be eligible to receive 325
progress payments in accordance with the provisions of section 10-287i, 326
as amended by this act. 327
(c) (1) If the school building ceases to be used as an interdistrict 328
magnet school facility and the grant was provided for the purchase or 329
construction of the facility, the Commissioner of Administrative 330
Services, in consultation with the Commissioner of Education, shall 331
determine whether (A) title to the building and any legal interest in 332
appurtenant land shall revert to the state, or (B) the school district shall 333
reimburse the state an amount equal to the difference between the 334
amount received pursuant to this section and the amount the district 335
would have been eligible to receive based on the percentage determined 336
pursuant to section 10 -285a, as amended by this act , multiplied by the 337
estimated eligible [project] costs. 338
(2) If the school building ceases to be used as an interdistrict magnet 339
school facility and the grant was provided for the extension or major 340
alteration of the facility, the school district shall reimburse the state the 341
amount determined in accordance with subparagraph (B) of subdivision 342
(1) of this subsection. A school district receiving a request for 343
reimbursement pursuant to this subdivision shall reimburse the state 344
not later than the close of the fiscal year following the year in which the 345
request is made. If the school district fails to so reimburse the state, the 346
Department of Administrative Services may request the Department of 347
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Education to withhold such amount from the total sum which is paid 348
from the State Treasury to such school district or the town in which it is 349
located or, in the case of a regional school district, the towns which 350
comprise the school district. If the amount paid from the State Treasury 351
is less than the amount due, the Department of Administrative Services 352
shall collect such amount from the school district. 353
Sec. 5. Subdivision (12) of section 10 -282 of the general statutes is 354
repealed and the following is substituted in lieu thereof ( Effective from 355
passage): 356
(12) "Net eligible costs" means eligible [project] costs adjusted for the 357
state standard education space specifications; 358
Sec. 6. Subdivisions (5) and (6) of subsection (a) of section 10 -286 of 359
the general statutes are repealed and the following is substituted in lieu 360
thereof (Effective from passage): 361
(5) In the case of a public school administrative or service facility, one-362
half of the eligible percentage for subdivisions (1) and (2) of this 363
subsection of the eligible [project] cost as determined by the 364
Commissioner of Administrative Services, or in the case of a regional 365
educational service center administrative or service facility, the eligible 366
percentage, as determined pursuant to subsection (c) of section 10-285a, 367
as amended by this act, of the eligible [project] cost as determined by the 368
commissioner; 369
(6) In the case of the total replacement of a roof or the total 370
replacement of a portion of a roof which has existed for at least twenty 371
years, or in the case of the total replacement of a roof or the total 372
replacement of a portion of a roof which has existed for fewer than 373
twenty years when it is determined by a registered architect or 374
registered engineer that such roof was improperly designed or 375
improperly constructed and the town is prohibited from recovery of 376
damages or has no other recourse at law or in equity, the eligible 377
percentage for subdivisions (1) and (2) of this subsection, of the eligible 378
cost as determined by the Commissioner of Administrative Services. In 379
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the case of the total replacement of a roof or the total replacement of a 380
portion of a roof which has existed for fewer than twenty years (A) when 381
it is determined by a registered architect or registered engineer that such 382
roof was improperly designed or improperly constructed and the town 383
has recourse at law or in equity and recovers less than such eligible cost, 384
the eligible percentage for subdivisions (1) and (2) of this subsection of 385
the difference between such recovery and such eligible cost, and (B) 386
when the roof is at least fifteen years old but less than twenty years old 387
and it cannot be determined by a registered architect or registered 388
engineer that such roof was improperly designed or improperly 389
constructed, the eligible percentage for subdivisions (1) and (2) of this 390
subsection of the eligible [project] costs provided such costs are 391
multiplied by the ratio of the age of the roof to twenty years. For 392
purposes of this subparagraph, the age of the roof shall be determined 393
in whole years to the nearest year based on the time between the 394
completed installation of the old roof and the date of the grant 395
application for the school construction project for the new roof; 396
Sec. 7. Section 10 -287i of the general statutes is repealed and the 397
following is substituted in lieu thereof (Effective from passage): 398
A grant under this chapter for any school building project authorized 399
by the General Assembly on or after July 1, 1996, or for any project for 400
which application is made pursuant to subsection (b) of section 10 -283, 401
on or after July 1, 1997, shall be paid as follows: Applicants shall request 402
progress payments for the state share of eligible [project] costs 403
calculated pursuant to sections 10-65, 10-76e and 10-286, as amended by 404
this act , at such time and in such manner as the Commissioner of 405
Administrative Services shall prescribe provided no payments shall 406
commence until the applicant has filed a notice of authorization of 407
funding for the local share of project costs, and provided further no 408
payments other than those for architectural planning and site 409
acquisition shall be made prior to approval of the final architectural 410
plans pursuant to section 10-292. For any project authorized on or after 411
July 1, 2024, the Department of Administrative Services shall withhold 412
five per cent of a grant if the commissioner determines that the applicant 413
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has failed to comply with the provisions of subdivision (3) of subsection 414
(b) of section 4a -60g relating to minority business enterprises. The 415
Department of Administrative Services shall withhold five per cent of a 416
grant pending completion of an audit pursuant to section 10 -287 417
provided, if the department is unable to complete the required audit 418
within six months of the date a request for final payment is filed, the 419
applicant may have an independent audit performed and include the 420
cost of such audit in the eligible [project] costs. 421
This act shall take effect as follows and shall amend the following
sections:

Section 1 July 1, 2026 10-285a
Sec. 2 from passage 10-292q
Sec. 3 from passage 10-292r
Sec. 4 from passage 10-264h(b) and (c)
Sec. 5 from passage 10-282(12)
Sec. 6 from passage 10-286(a)(5) and (6)
Sec. 7 from passage 10-287i

ED 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: None
Municipal Impact: None
Explanation
The bill, which 1) clarifies that the reimbursement rate for the school
construction program cannot exceed 100% and 2) makes various
changes to an advisory council regarding school safety, is not expected
to result in a fiscal impact.
The reimbursement rate maximum codifies current practice.
Changes to the name of the council, from School Building Projects
Advisory Council to the School Safety and Security Infrastructure
Advisory Council, along with various changes to the membership and
purpose of the council are anticipated to be made within existing
resources and expertise of the agencies involved.
The Out Years
State Impact: None
Municipal Impact: None

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OLR Bill Analysis
sHB 5147

AN ACT IMPLEMENTING THE RECOMMENDATIONS OF THE
DEPARTMENT OF ADMINISTRATIVE SERVICES REGARDING THE
SCHOOL BUILDING PROJECTS STATUTES.

SUMMARY
The bill renames of the School Building Projects Advisory Council as
the School Safety and Security Infrastructure Advisory Council and
revises its responsibilities. It shifts the cou ncil’s focus from school
building projects in general to the safety and security aspects of projects
including by changing (1) members and their qualifications and (2) the
chairperson from the Department of A dministrative Services (DAS)
commissioner or her designee to the Department of Emergency Services
and Public Protection (DESPP) commissioner or his designee.
The DAS school construction grant program reimburses school
districts for eligible school construction project costs. The bill caps the
total reimbursement percentage a board of education may receive under
this program at 100%. Under existing law, t he top standard
reimbursement rate is (1) 70% for new construction projects and (1) 80%
for renovation projects. However, the law has additional provisions that
allow for reimbursement rate bonuses, such as an additional (1) 15% for
an early childhood care and education program in an elementary school
or (2) 10% for cooperative arrangements between school districts . The
bill prohibits combining any available bonuses in a way that lead s to
more than 100% reimbursement for a single project.
The bill also makes technical and conforming changes (§§ 3-7).
EFFECTIVE DATE: July 1, 2026, except the changes to the advisory
council take effect upon passage.
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SCHOOL SAFETY AND SECURITY INFRASTRUCTURE ADVISORY
COUNCIL
Responsibilities
Under current law , the council makes recommendations for
improvements to the DAS school building projects process to the
governor and the Appropriations, Education, and Finance Revenue and
Bonding committees. The bill instead requires it to make
recommendations for improvements to DESPP’s school safety and
security grant process, including eligibility criteria, to the governor and
the Education and Public Safety committees.
The bill requires the council to develop recommendations for school
safety and security infrastructure projects that meet relevant industry
standards. This replaces the council’s current requirement to develop
model blueprints that meet certain safety criteria for new school
building projects.
Under current law and the bill , the council must conduct studies,
research, and analyses, but the bill requires that they be related to school
safety and security infrastructure. Existing law, unchanged by the bill,
also requires the council to periodically review and update, as
necessary, the school safety infrastructure criteria.
Membership
The bill increases the council membership from 11 to 13 by (1) adding
one representative each f rom a rural, suburban, and urban school
district and (2) removing the current member with experience
administering the State Building Code. Under current law and the bill,
the council must include a member with construction and A merican
with Disabilitites Act accessibilty experience and expertise for students
with disabilities. The bill changes the qualifications for the remaining
four members by requiring each to be a person with experience in one
of the following: (1) school safety and security infrastrucure, (2) school
safety and security planning, (3) school physical infrastructure
hardening, and (4) higher education campus safety. As under current
law, the governor must appoint these members.
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In addition to the governor’s appointed members, the council
consists of the O ffice of Policy and Management secretary, the DAS,
education, and DESPP commissioners, and the Connecticut Technical
Education and Career System (CTECS) board chair, or their designees,
and six members appointed by the governor . The bill replaces the
CTECS board chair with the CTECS executive director.
Terms
The bill e nds the terms for all current council members on June 30,
2026, and requires the new members to be appointed by September 1,
2026. Under the bill, on the day it passes the DESPP commissioner , or
the commissioner’s designee, becomes council chairperson, and DESPP
staff must serve as the council’s administrative staff.
COMMITTEE ACTION
Education Committee
Joint Favorable Substitute
Yea 46 Nay 0 (03/18/2026)