AN ACT CONCERNING MUNICIPAL PARTICIPATION IN THE CONNECTICUT LAND MOBILE RADIO NETWORK AND RELATED COSTS.

House of Representatives
HB5452 / File No. 327 1

General Assembly File No. 327
February Session, 2026 House Bill No. 5452

House of Representatives, April 1, 2026

The Committee on Public Safety and Security reported through
REP. BOYD of the 50th Dist., Chairperson of the Committee on
the part of the House, that the bill ought to pass.

AN ACT CONCERNING MUNICIPAL PARTICIPATION IN THE
CONNECTICUT LAND MOBILE RADIO NETWORK AND RELATED
COSTS.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General
Assembly convened:

Section 1. (NEW) ( Effective July 1, 2026 ) The Department of 1
Emergency Services and Public Protection shall pay all lifecycle costs 2
that a municipality incurs as a condition of participating in the 3
Connecticut Land Mobile Radio Network. For purposes of this section, 4
(1) "Connecticut Land Mobile Radio Network" means the state -wide 5
public safety telecommunications system that (A) is administered by the 6
Division of State -Wide Emergency Telecommunications in accordance 7
with chapter 518a of the general statutes, and (B) provides interoperable 8
radio communications for public safety agencies, and (2) "lifecycle costs" 9
means expenses incurred to ensure the software and hardware 10
necessary for participating in the Connecticut Land Mobile Radio 11
Network remain functional and compatible with said network. 12
Sec. 2. ( Effective from passage ) (a) The Commissioner of Emergency 13
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Services and Public Protection shall develop a plan to encourage 14
municipalities to participate in the Connecticut Land Mobile Radio 15
Network, as defined in section 1 of this act. Such plan shall include, but 16
need not be limited to: (1) An assessment of municipal participation in 17
the network; (2) identification of infrastructure needs and long -term 18
costs; (3) consideration of opportunities for regional coordination, 19
shared services and cost reduction strategies; and (4) any 20
recommendations to encourage municipalities to participate in the 21
network. 22
(b) Not later than January 1, 2027, the commissioner shall submit the 23
plan to the joint standing committee of the General Assembly having 24
cognizance of matters relating to public safety and security, in 25
accordance with the provisions of section 11-4a of the general statutes. 26
This act shall take effect as follows and shall amend the following
sections:

Section 1 July 1, 2026 New section
Sec. 2 from passage New section

PS Joint Favorable

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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:
Agency Affected Fund-Effect FY 27 $ FY 28 $
Department of Emergency
Services and Public Protection
GF - Cost At least
1,447,500
At least
1,347,500
Note: GF=General Fund

Municipal Impact:
Municipalities Effect FY 27 $ FY 28 $
Various Municipalities Savings At least
1,347,500
At least
1,347,500

Explanation
Section 1 results in a cost to the state of at least $ 1,347,500 annually
beginning in FY 27 by requiring the Department of Emergency Services
and Public Protection (DESPP) to pay all "lifecycle costs "1 that a
municipality incurs from participating in the Connecticut Land Mobile
Radio Network (CLMRN). According to DESPP, there are currently 33
relevant sites across the state , at a cost of $17,500 per year per site
(software), and 140 consoles at $5,500 per year per console (hardware) ,
resulting in the $1,347,500 cost for existing infrastructure currently
incurred by participating municipalities . By shifting these costs to
DESPP, this bill results in an equivalent level of savings for participating
municipalities.
To the extent that additional municipalities opt into CLMRN, costs

1 This estimate assumes "lifecycle costs" are defined as software and hardware
upgrades necessary for participation in CLMRN. It excludes existing maintenance
costs incurred by municipalities of approximately $2.5 million annually.
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for DESPP would increase and newly participating municipalities
would realize savings.
Section 2 requires DESPP to develop a plan to encourage
municipalities to participate in CLMRN, as outlined in the bill. It is
expected that one -time staffing or consultant costs of approximately
$100,000 in FY 27 would be needed to support development of this plan.
The Out Years
The annualized ongoing fiscal impact identified above would
continue into the future subject to inflation and the number of additional
municipalities that opt into CLMRN.

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OLR Bill Analysis
HB 5452

AN ACT CONCERNING MUNICIPAL PARTICIPATION IN THE
CONNECTICUT LAND MOBILE RADIO NETWORK AND RELATED
COSTS.

SUMMARY
This bill requires the Department of Emergency Services and Public
Protection (DESPP) to pay for all municipal lifecycle costs necessary to
participate in the Connecticut Land Mobile Radio Network (CLMRN).
CLMRN is the state -wide public safety telecommunic ations system
administered by DESPP’s Division of State -Wide Emergency
Telecommunications that provides interoperable radio communications
for public safety agencies (see BACKGROUND). “Lifecycle costs” are
the expenses to ensure that a municipal system’s software and hardware
is compatible and functional with CLMRN.
The bill also requires the DESPP commissioner to (1) develop a plan
to encourage municipalities to participate in CLMRN and (2) deliver it
to the Public Safety and Security Committee by January 1, 2027. Under
the bill, the plan must:
1. assess municipal participation in CLMRN;
2. identify infrastructure needs and long-term costs;
3. consider opportunities for regional coordination, shared services,
and cost reduction strategies; and
4. include any recommendations to encourage municipalities to
participate.
EFFECTIVE DATE: July 1, 2026, except the DESPP plan requirement
is effective from passage.
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BACKGROUND
CLMRN
CLMRN is an interoperable radio communication network that
provides 98% mobile coverage statewide. The state began to incorporate
municipalities into the network in 2018 . Since then, CLMRN has
provided unified coverage to participating state, federal, municipal, and
neighboring state public safety providers. Most municipalities belong to
the network, have network access for mutual aid, or are waiting to
onboard into the system.
COMMITTEE ACTION
Public Safety and Security Committee
Joint Favorable
Yea 29 Nay 0 (03/17/2026)