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House Bill No. 5349
Public Act No. 26-128
AN ACT CONCERNING A POLICE OFFICER TRAINING PROGRAM
AND THE ROUNDING OF CERTAIN CASH PURCHASES.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General
Assembly convened:
Section 1. (NEW) (Effective October 1, 2026) (a) Not later than January
1, 2028, the Department of Emergency Services and Public Protection, in
consultation with the Police Officer Standards and Training Council,
shall coordinate with an independent institution of higher education
with a campus loc ated in the city of West Haven to establish a state -
wide, one-day training program for police officers in the state in order
to increase law enforcement retention and readiness. Such training shall
include, but ne ed not be limited to, expert instruction, scenario -based
exercises, de-escalation skills and practical planning, and be available
on an online technology platform. Nothing in this section shall be
construed to require a police officer to attend such traini ng at an
independent institution of higher education in the city of West Haven.
For purposes of this section, "police officer" has the same meaning as
provided in section 7-294a of the general statutes.
(b) Not later than January 1, 2029, and annually thereafter, the
Commissioner of Emergency Services and Public Protection shall
submit a report, in accordance with the provisions of section 11-4a of the
general statutes, on the status of the program to the joint standing
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committees of the General Assembly having cognizance of matters
relating to public safety and labor.
Sec. 2. (NEW) (Effective January 1, 2027) (a) As used in this section:
(1) "Cash" has the same meaning as provided in section 21a-434 of the
general statutes, as amended by this act;
(2) "Merchant" means a person engaged in the business of selling
goods or services at retail on an in-person basis; and
(3) "Person" means an individual, association, corporation, limited
liability company, partnership, trust or other legal entity.
(b) Notwithstanding any provision of the general statutes, a merchant
doing business in this state shall determine the total price for a good or
service such merchant sells, at retail, on an in -person basis in the
following manner:
(1) The total price of such good or service shall include all service and
merchant fees charged for such good or service, and all taxes imposed
on the purchase of such good or service under title 12 of the general
statutes, less any discount or deduction made therefrom; and
(2) (A) If the total price determined in accordance with the provisions
of subdivision (1) of this subsection ends in one cent, two cents, six cents
or seven cents, such total price may be rounded down to the nearest
amount divisible by five cents for an individual seeking to purchase
such good or service by cash; or
(B) If the total price determined in accordance with the provisions of
subdivision (1) of this subsection ends in three cents, four cents, eight
cents or nine cents, such total price may be rounded up to the nearest
amount divisible by five cents for an individual seeking to purchase
such good or service by cash.
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(c) The provisions of subsection (b) of this subsection shall not apply
to any transaction in which:
(1) The total price determined in accordance with the provisions of
subdivision (1) of subsection (b) of this section is four cents or less; or
(2) Payment is made by any demand or negotiable instrument,
electronic funds transfer, money order, credit card, debit card, electronic
payment or similar instrument.
Sec. 3. Subsection (b) of section 21a-434 of the 2026 supplement to the
general statutes is repealed and the following is substituted in lieu
thereof (Effective January 1, 2027):
(b) Except as provided in subsection (c) or (d) of this section, a person
selling or offering for sale goods or services at retail in this state shall
not: (1) Refuse to accept cash as a form of payment for such goods or
services, (2) post signs stating that c ash payment is not accepted, or (3)
except as provided in section 2 of this act, charge a customer paying cash
a higher price than such customer would pay using any other form of
payment.