AN ACT ESTABLISHING AN ACCOUNT TO PROVIDE PATIENT LIFTS TO CERTAIN HEALTH CARE OFFICES AND FACILITIES.

Budget

Passed Legislature

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

Sponsor: Appropriations Committee
Last action: 2026-05-19
Official status: Signed by the Governor
Effective date: Not listed

Plain English Breakdown

Checked against official source text during the last sync.

Health Care Facility Patient Lift Account Act

This law creates a special state fund to give money to certain health care offices and facilities so they can buy patient lifts.

What This Bill Does

Creates a new, nonlapsing account called the 'health care facility patient lift account'.
Allows the State Treasurer to manage the account's funds and investment earnings.
Lets the Department of Public Health use money from the account for grants.
Permits the department to keep up to 2% of the account balance each year for administrative costs.
Provides grants to help buy patient lifts that move people from beds to wheelchairs or other equipment.

Who It Names or Affects

Offices with one or more licensed physicians
Radiological facilities and imaging centers
Health care facilities as defined by state law
Elderly persons, persons with disabilities, or those with injuries or chronic health conditions

Terms To Know

Patient lift: Equipment used to transfer people from facility beds to wheelchairs or other equipment.
Nonlapsing account: A fund where money not spent in one year stays available for future use.

Limits and Unknowns

Grants cannot be larger than the amount of money currently available in the account.
The law does not state a specific dollar limit on how much each facility can receive, only that it depends on the total balance.
The effective date is July 1, 2026.

Bill History

2026-05-19 Connecticut General Assembly
Signed by the Governor
2026-05-15 Connecticut General Assembly
Transmitted to the Secretary of State
2026-05-15 Connecticut General Assembly
Transmitted by Secretary of the State to Governor
2026-05-14 LCO
Public Act 26-36
2026-05-04 Connecticut General Assembly
Senate Adopted House Amendment Schedule A
2026-05-04 Connecticut General Assembly
Senate Passed as Amended by House Amendment Schedule A
2026-05-04 Connecticut General Assembly
On Consent Calendar / In Concurrence
2026-04-30 Connecticut General Assembly
Favorable Report, Tabled for the Calendar, Senate
2026-04-30 Connecticut General Assembly
Senate Calendar Number 489
2026-04-30 LCO
File Number 753
2026-04-29 Connecticut General Assembly
House Adopted House Amendment Schedule A 4932
2026-04-29 Connecticut General Assembly
House Passed as Amended by House Amendment Schedule A
2026-04-29 Connecticut General Assembly
Immediate Transmittal to the Senate
2026-04-15 LCO
Reported Out of Legislative Commissioners' Office
2026-04-15 Connecticut General Assembly
Favorable Report, Tabled for the Calendar, House
2026-04-15 Connecticut General Assembly
House Calendar Number 429
2026-04-15 LCO
File Number 638
2026-04-09 LCO
Referred to Office of Legislative Research and Office of Fiscal Analysis 04/14/26 5:00 PM
2026-04-02 LCO
Filed with Legislative Commissioners' Office
2026-04-01 APP
Joint Favorable Substitute
2026-03-06 Connecticut General Assembly
Public Hearing 03/12
2026-02-27 Connecticut General Assembly
Referred to Joint Committee on Appropriations

Official Summary Text

To establish an account to assist health care facilities in purchasing durable medical equipment.

Current Bill Text

Read the full stored bill text

Substitute House Bill No. 5421

Public Act No. 26-36

AN ACT ESTABLISHING AN ACCOUNT TO PROVIDE PATIENT
LIFTS TO CERTAIN HEALTH CARE OFFICES AND FACILITIES.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General
Assembly convened:

Section 1. (NEW) (Effective July 1, 2026 ) (a) There is established a
separate, nonlapsing account to be known as the "health care facility
patient lif t account". The account shall contain (1) any amounts
appropriated or otherwise made available by the state for the purposes
of this section, (2) any moneys required by law to be deposited in the
account, and (3) gifts, grants, donations or bequests made for the
purposes of this section. Investment earnings credited to the assets of
the account shall become pa rt of the assets of the account. The State
Treasurer shall administer the account.
(b) All moneys deposited in the account shall be used by the
Department of Public Health for the purposes of this section. The
Commissioner of Public Health may deduct and retain from the moneys
in the account an amount equal to the costs incurred by the department
in administering the provisions of this section, except said amount shall
not exceed two per cent of the balance of the account in any fiscal year.
(c) The Commissioner of Public Health shall use the health care
facility patient lift account to make grants to offices of a practice of one
Substitute House Bill No. 5421

Public Act No. 26-36 2 of 2

or more physicians licensed pursuant to chapter 370 of the general
statutes, radiological facilities, imaging centers or health care facilities,
as defined in section 19a -490dd of the general statutes, to purchase
patient lifts to be used to transfer elder ly persons, persons with
disabilities or persons with injuries or chronic health conditions from
facility beds to wheelchairs or other equipment. The commissioner shall
not make any grant that exceeds the balance available for grants in the
account.