HB05159 • 2026

AN ACT FUNDING JOURNALISM FELLOWSHIPS FOR GRADUATES OF PUBLIC INSTITUTIONS OF HIGHER EDUCATION.

Education

Passed Legislature

This bill passed both chambers and reached final enrollment, even if later executive action is not shown here.

Sponsor: Higher Education and Employment Advancement Committee
Last action: 2026-02-26
Official status: Favorable Change of Reference, Senate to Committee on Appropriations
Effective date: Not listed

Plain English Breakdown

The bill text specifies requirements for mentorship, direct work experience, and professional networking but does not explicitly state these as recommendations. The exact funding amount per fellowship is also unspecified in the provided official source material.

Funding Journalism Fellowships for Public College Grads

This act requires the Office of Higher Education to establish a journalism fellowship program that funds at least twelve positions each year for recent graduates from public colleges in local news organizations.

What This Bill Does

Creates a journalism fellowship program funded by the state.
Requires the program to fund at least twelve fellowships per fiscal year.
Specifies that fellows must have graduated from a journalism program at a public college in the state.

Who It Names or Affects

Recent graduates of journalism programs at public colleges.
Local news organizations that hire these graduates as fellows.

Terms To Know

local news organization: A news company based in the state where this law applies.

Limits and Unknowns

The exact amount of funding for each fellowship is not specified.
It's unclear how many local news organizations will participate in the program.

Bill History

2026-02-26 Connecticut General Assembly
Favorable Change of Reference, Senate to Committee on Appropriations
2026-02-25 LCO
Filed with Legislative Commissioners' Office
2026-02-25 LCO
Reported Out of Legislative Commissioners' Office
2026-02-25 Connecticut General Assembly
Favorable Change of Reference, House to Committee on Appropriations
2026-02-24 HED
Joint Favorable Substitute Change of Reference Appropriations
2026-02-13 Connecticut General Assembly
Public Hearing 02/17
2026-02-11 Connecticut General Assembly
Referred to Joint Committee on Higher Education and Employment Advancement

Official Summary Text

To require the Office of Higher Education to establish a journalism fellowship program to fund not fewer than twelve journalism fellowship positions at local news organizations.

Current Bill Text

Read the full stored bill text

LCO 1 of 2

General Assembly Substitute Bill No. 5159
February Session, 2026

AN ACT FUNDING JOURNALISM FELLOWSHIPS FOR GRADUATES
OF PUBLIC INSTITUTIONS OF HIGHER EDUCATION.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General
Assembly convened:

Section 1. (NEW) ( Effective July 1, 2026 ) (a) As used in this section, 1
"local news organization" means a news organization, as defined in 2
section 54-33i of the general statutes, that is located in the state. 3
(b) For the fiscal year ending June 30, 2027, and each fiscal year 4
thereafter, the Office of Policy and Management shall enter into a 5
memorandum of understanding with a student journalism collaborative 6
for such collaborative to establish a journalism fellowship program to 7
fund not fewer than twelve journalism fellowships at one or more local 8
news organizations. The memorandum of understanding shall specify 9
the (1) minimum requirements for a fellowship funded under such 10
program, including, but not limited to, opportunities for (A) a 11
mentorship from experienced journalists and editors, (B) direct work 12
experience, and (C) professional networking, (2) eligibility requirements 13
for individuals to qualify for such journalism fellowships, including, but 14
not limited to, (A) graduating from a journalism degree program at a 15
public institution of higher education in the state, and (B) interviewing 16
with and being approved by the local news organization providing such 17
fellowship, (3) amount at which such fellowships shall be funded, and 18
(4) requirement for the collaborative to post, not later than September 1, 19
Substitute Bill No. 5159

LCO 2 of 2

2026, in a conspicuous location on its Internet web site (A) a description 20
of the journalism fellowship program, including, but not limited to, the 21
amount of funding available for each fellowship under such program, 22
(B) the minimum requirements and eligibility requirements specified 23
pursuant to subdivisions (1) and (2) of this subsection, (C) the list of 24
fellowships with funding available under such program, and (D) the 25
application form for such program. 26
This act shall take effect as follows and shall amend the following
sections:

Section 1 July 1, 2026 New section

HED Joint Favorable Subst. C/R APP