AN ACT CONCERNING EDUCATION MANDATE RELIEF.

House of Representatives
sHB5324 / File No. 412 1

General Assembly File No. 412
February Session, 2026 Substitute House Bill No. 5324

House of Representatives, April 7, 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 CONCERNING EDUCATION MANDATE RELIEF.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General
Assembly convened:

Section 1. Section 17a -106h 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statutes is repealed and the following is substituted in lieu thereof 2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) The Commissioner of Children and Families, in consultation with 4
the Commissioner of Emergency Services and Public Protection, shall 5
develop an initial educational training program and refresher training 6
program for the accurate and prompt identification and reporting of 7
suspected human trafficking. 8
(b) The training program shall include a presentation, developed and 9
approved by said commissioners, that offers awareness of human 10
trafficking issues and guidance to (1) law enforcement personnel, (2) 11
judges of the Superior Court, (3) prosecutors, (4) public defenders and 12
other attorneys who represent criminal defendants, (5) hospital 13
emergency room staff, urgent care facility staff and emergency medical 14
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services personnel who have contact with patients, and (6) persons 15
employed by a local or regional board of education or a constituent unit, 16
as defined in section 10a-1, who have contact with students. 17
(c) Any person described in subsection (b) of this section shall 18
complete the initial educational training program not later than July 1, 19
2018, and , except for a person described in subdivision (6) of said 20
subsection, shall complete the refresher training program every three 21
years thereafter, provided any person being employed as such a person 22
shall complete such initial educational training program not later than 23
six months after beginning such employment or July 1, 2018, whichever 24
is later. 25
Sec. 2. Subdivision (5) of subsection (a) of section 22a-226e of the 2026 26
supplement to the general statutes is repealed and the following is 27
substituted in lieu thereof (Effective July 1, 2026): 28
(5) On and after July 1, [2026] 2028, each public or nonpublic school 29
building or educational facility in which students in grades 30
kindergarten to twelve, inclusive, or any combination thereof, are 31
enrolled, that is located not more than twenty miles from either an 32
authorized source -separated organic material composting facility and 33
that generates an average projected volume of not less than twenty -six 34
tons per year of source -separated organic materials shall: (A) Separate 35
such source-separated organic materials from other solid waste; and (B) 36
ensure that such source-separated organic materials are recycled at any 37
authorized source-separated organic material composting facility that 38
has available capacity and that will accept such source -separated 39
organic material. 40
Sec. 3. Subsection (f) of section 10-262j of the 2026 supplement to the 41
general statutes is repealed and the following is substituted in lieu 42
thereof (Effective July 1, 2026): 43
(f) Any district that has (1) elected to act as a self-insurer, pursuant to 44
section 10-236, (2) experienced a loss that is overexposure of an insured 45
member or incurred as a result of one or more catastrophic events, as 46
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declared by a nationally recognized catastrophe loss index provider, 47
during the prior fiscal year, and (3) increased its budgeted appropriation 48
for education during said prior fiscal year as a result of such loss, shall 49
not be required to include the amount of such increase in the calculation 50
of such district's budgeted appropriation for education for the 51
subsequent fiscal year. 52
Sec. 4. Section 10 -260b of the general statutes is repealed and the 53
following is substituted in lieu thereof (Effective July 1, 2026): 54
(a) There is established the Education Mandate Review Advisory 55
Council. The council shall advise and provide annual reports to the joint 56
standing committee of the General Assembly having cognizance of 57
matters relating to education on the cost and implementation of existing 58
education mandates on local and regional boards of education, as well 59
as the impact of any proposals relating to additions or revisions to such 60
education mandates. Such annual reports may include, but need not be 61
limited to, (1) a review of each education mandate on local and regional 62
boards of education passed by the General Assembly during the prior 63
legislative session and not fewer than ten existing education mandates 64
on local and regional boards of education [in] required by the general 65
statutes and the regulations of Connecticut state agencies for the 66
purpose of identifying those mandates that may be burdensome or have 67
the effect of limiting or restricting the provision of instruction or services 68
to students, including a detailed analysis of each such mandate so 69
identified, the specific statutory or regulation citation for such mandate 70
and how such mandate is imposed on a board of education, and (2) any 71
recommendations regarding the repeal of or amendment to any such 72
sections of the general statutes or regulations of Connecticut state 73
agencies. 74
(b) The council shall consist of the following members: 75
(1) One appointed by the speaker of the House of Representatives, 76
who shall be a representative of the Connecticut Association of Boards 77
of Education; 78
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(2) One appointed by the president pro tempore of the Senate, who 79
shall be a representative of the Connecticut Association of Public School 80
Superintendents; 81
(3) One appointed by the majority leader of the House of 82
Representatives, who shall be a representative of the Connecticut 83
Association of Schools; 84
(4) One appointed by the majority leader of the Senate, who shall be 85
a representative of the Connecticut Association of School Business 86
Officials; 87
(5) One appointed by the minority leader of the House of 88
Representatives, who shall be a member of a local or regional board of 89
education; 90
(6) One appointed by the minority leader of the Senate, who shall be 91
a representative of the Connecticut Federation of School 92
Administrators; 93
(7) One appointed by the House chairperson of the joint standing 94
committee of the General Assembly having cognizance of matters 95
relating to education, who shall be a paraeducator in a public school in 96
this state; 97
(8) One appointed by the Senate chairperson of the joint standing 98
committee of the General Assembly having cognizance of matters 99
relating to education, who shall be a representative of the Connecticut 100
Education Association; 101
(9) One appointed by the House ranking member of the joint standing 102
committee of the General Assembly having cognizance of matters 103
relating to education, who shall be a paraeducator in a public school in 104
this state; and 105
(10) One appointed by the Senate ranking member of the joint 106
standing committee of the General Assembly having cognizance of 107
matters relating to education, who shall be a representative of the 108
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American Federation of Teachers-Connecticut. 109
(c) All initial appointments to the council shall be made not later than 110
August 1, 2024. The initial terms for the members appointed shall 111
terminate on January 31, 2029. Terms following the initial terms shall be 112
for five years. Any member of the council may serve more than one 113
term. Any vacancy shall be filled by the appointing authority. 114
(d) The speaker of the House of Representatives and the president 115
pro tempore of the Senate shall select the chairpersons of the council 116
from among the members of the council. Such chairpersons shall 117
schedule the first meeting of the council, which shall be held not later 118
than October 1, 2024. 119
(e) The administrative staff of the joint standing committee of the 120
General Assembly having cognizance of matters relating to education 121
shall serve as administrative staff of the council. 122
(f) The council shall have the following powers and duties: (1) Review 123
education mandates and submit annual reports pursuant to the 124
provisions of subsection (a) of this section; (2) obtain from any executive 125
department, board, commission or other agency of the state such 126
assistance and data as necessary and available to carry out the purposes 127
of this section; (3) accept any gift, donation or bequest for the purpose 128
of performing the duties described in this section; (4) establish bylaws 129
to govern its procedures; and (5) perform such other acts as may be 130
necessary and appropriate to carry out the duties described in this 131
section. 132
[(f)] (g) Not later than January 1, 2025, and annually thereafter, the 133
council shall develop and submit an annual report on its review of the 134
implementation and cost of statutory and regulatory education 135
mandates on local and regional boards of education. Such annual report 136
shall include, but need not be limited to, (1) a review of [all] each 137
education mandate on local and regional boards of education passed by 138
the General Assembly during the prior legislative session and not fewer 139
than ten existing education mandates required by state law, (2) the costs 140
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incurred by local and regional boards of education resulting from the 141
implementation of such education mandates, and (3) how such 142
education mandates are being implemented by local and regional 143
boards of education, including, but not limited to, the manner in which 144
and how often such education mandate is being implemented. The 145
council shall submit such report, and any recommendations for 146
legislation, to the joint standing committee of the General Assembly 147
having cognizance of matters relating to education and the 148
Commissioner of Education, in accordance with the provisions of 149
section 11-4a. 150
Sec. 5. Sections 10-14ee, 10-212l, 10-212m and 10-234gg of the general 151
statutes are repealed. (Effective July 1, 2026) 152
This act shall take effect as follows and shall amend the following
sections:

Section 1 July 1, 2026 17a-106h
Sec. 2 July 1, 2026 22a-226e(a)(5)
Sec. 3 July 1, 2026 10-262j(f)
Sec. 4 July 1, 2026 10-260b
Sec. 5 July 1, 2026 Repealer section

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:
Municipalities Effect FY 27 $ FY 28 $
Local and Regional School
Districts
See Below See Below See Below

Explanation
The bill modifies or eliminates various requirements related to
education, resulting in the fiscal impacts described below.
Section 1 has no fiscal impact. It exempts school and constituent unit
employees from completing a human trafficking refresher training
every three years after the initial training. It is assumed any time that
would have been spent on the refresher training will be used for other
professional development.
Section 2 delays potential costs incurred by certain school districts.
The section delays, until July 1, 2028, the requirement that certain school
facilities that produce at least 26 tons per year of source -separated
organic materials must separate these materials and recycle them at an
organic composting facility. This correspondingly delays, until FY 29,
any costs a board of education (BOE) would incur in order to comply
with the recycling provision.
Section 3 exempts, beginning in FY 27, overexposure of an insured
member from a BOE's minimum budget requirement (MBR) for
education, allowing for greater future budget flexibility in the event of
overexposure.
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Section 4 expands the duties of the Education Mandate Review
Advisory Council, which does not have a fiscal impact as the council has
the necessary expertise to meet the requirements.
Section 5 results in potential savings to districts beginning in FY 27
by repealing certain requirements including: (1) a voluntary family
history questionnaire regarding the risk of reading proficiency
challenges; (2) implementation of mental health plans for stud ent
athletes; and (3) reporting the usage of websites, online services or
mobile applications without a contract.
The Out Years
The annualized ongoing fiscal impact identified above would
continue into the future subject to inflation.

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OLR Bill Analysis
sHB 5324

AN ACT CONCERNING EDUCATION MANDATE RELIEF.

SUMMARY
This bill narrows the scope of the Education Mandate Review
Advisory Council to (1) annually review each education mandate on
local and regional boards of education (school boards) enacted in the
previous session and at least 10 existing mandates, and (2) authorizes
the council to get help and data from state agencies to carry out its
duties. By law, the council reports annually to the Education Committee
with recommendations to repeal or modify mandates in the report (§ 4).
It also makes several changes on certain education mandates state
law imposes on school boards, including:
1. delays from July 1, 2026, to July 1, 2028, the requirement that
certain public or private schools or educational facilities
producing more than 26 tons per year of organic materials
separate and recycle the material at an authorized composting
facility (§ 2) and
2. expands an existing exception to the minimum budget
requirement (MBR) for self -insured school districts to let them
exclude from the MBR calculation any insurance loss due to
overexposure of an insured member (§ 3).
Additionally, the bill eliminates the following education mandates
current law places on school boards, their employees, or the State
Department of Education (SDE):
1. the requirement that every three years school district employees
get refresher training on identifying and reporting suspected
human trafficking (but it keeps the requirement for an initial
training for every employee) (§ 1);
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2. the requirement that SDE develop or approve a voluntary family
history questionnaire, distributed during the school year, to help
identify students at risk of a reading proficiency problem (CGS §
10-14ee) (§ 5);
3. the requirement that SDE develop a plan to raise awareness of
mental health resources for student athletes, post it on the
department website, and help school boards implement the plan
(§ 5); and
4. the requirement that school boards annually implement this plan
for student athletes (§ 5).
The bill also repeals the requirement that school boards annually
report to the Commission for Educational Technology information on
their use of websites or mobile applications that are not under a contract
that meets the state data privacy law (but this requirement has alread y
been repealed by PA 26-1, § 98) (§ 5).
EFFECTIVE DATE: July 1, 2026
§ 4 — EDUCATION MANDATE REVIEW ADVISORY COUNCIL
PA 24-45 created a 10-member council to advise and annually report
to the Education Committee on (1) the cost and implementation of
education mandates and (2) any proposals to add to or revise them.
The bill explicitly adds that the council may:
1. review education mandates , including a new requirement to
review each mandate enacted in the previous session plus at least
10 existing mandates and submit the related annual reports;
2. obtain from any state agency, board, or commission the help and
data necessary to carry out its duties;
3. accept any gift, donation , or bequest in order to carry out its
duties; and
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4. establish procedural bylaws and take action as necessary and
appropriate to carry out its duties.
§ 2 — DELAYS ORGANIC MATERIAL RECYCLING MANDATE
The bill delays from July 1, 2026, to July 1, 2028, the requirement that
certain public or private schools or educational facilities producing
more than 26 tons per year of organic materials separate and recycle the
material at an authorized composting facility. By law, the requirement
applies to buildings or facilities (1) with grades kindergarten to 12 or
any grade combination and (2) within 20 miles of an authorized source-
separated organic material composting facility . The material must be
recycled at a composting facility that has available capacity and will
accept the source-separated organic material.
§ 3 — EXPANDS A MINIMUM BUDGET REQUIREMENT EXCEPTION
The MBR generally prohibits towns from budgeting less for
education in the upcoming fiscal year than was budgeted for the current
year, but there are exceptions.
The law allows an exception for a self -insured school district that
experiences a loss due to one or more recognized catastrophic events
and must increase its budget appropriation to cover the cost. The bill
expands this exception to include any self -insured school district that
has an insurance loss due to overexposure of an insured member.
BACKGROUND
Related Bill
sHB 5524 (File 398), favorably reported by the Environment
Committee, delays the organic materials recycling requirement for
schools until July 1, 2027.
COMMITTEE ACTION
Education Committee
Joint Favorable Substitute
Yea 45 Nay 0 (03/16/2026)