AN ACT CONCERNING THE DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC HEALTH'S RECOMMENDATIONS REGARDING VARIOUS REVISIONS TO THE PUBLIC HEALTH STATUTES.

House of Representatives
HB5513 / File No. 539 1

General Assembly File No. 539
February Session, 2026 House Bill No. 5513

House of Representatives, April 9, 2026

The Committee on Public Health reported through REP.
MCCARTHY VAHEY of the 133rd Dist., Chairperson of the
Committee on the part of the House, that the bill ought to pass.

AN ACT CONCERNING THE DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC HEALTH'S
RECOMMENDATIONS REGARDING VARIOUS REVISIONS TO THE
PUBLIC HEALTH STATUTES.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General
Assembly convened:

Section 1. (NEW) (Effective from passage) The Commissioner of Public 1
Health may appoint a willing licensed embalmer, as defined in section 2
20-207 of the general statutes, to dispose of an abandoned dead human 3
body or the abandoned cremated remains of a dead human body. An 4
appointed embalmer may request any records necessary to identify 5
such dead human body or cremated remains. The appointed embalmer 6
shall notify the commissioner, in a form and manner prescribed by the 7
commissioner, of the date and time of disposition of any such dead 8
human body or cremated remains and the method of such disposition 9
not later than seven days after such disposition. A dead human body or 10
cremated remains of a dead human body shall be deemed to be 11
abandoned, for the purposes of this section, when a licensed or formerly 12
licensed funeral director or embalmer voluntarily or improperly 13
relinquishes custody of such human body or cremated remains in 14
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violation of the requirements of state law, including, but not limited to, 15
when a funeral director or embalmer ceases to operate a funeral home 16
and fails to arrange for the transfer or disposition of such dead human 17
body or cremated remains in the funeral director or embalmer's 18
possession prior to ceasing operations. 19
Sec. 2. Subsections (c) and (d) of section 7 -51a of the general statutes 20
are repealed and the following is substituted in lieu thereof ( Effective 21
from passage): 22
(c) [For deaths occurring on or after July 1, 1997 , the ] The Social 23
Security number recorded on the death certificate of the deceased 24
person shall be [recorded in the "administrative purposes" section of the 25
death certificate. Such administrative purposes section, and the Social 26
Security number contained therein, shall be ] restricted and disclosed 27
only to the following eligible parties: (1) All parties specified on the 28
death certificate, including the informant, licensed funeral director, 29
licensed embalmer, conservator, surviving spouse, physician or 30
advanced practice registered nurse and town clerk, for the purpose of 31
processing the certificate, (2) the surviving spouse, (3) the next of kin, or 32
(4) any state and federal agencies authorized by federal law to receive 33
the Social Security number . The department shall provide any other 34
individual, researcher or state or federal agency requesting a certified or 35
uncertified copy of a death certificate, [or the information contained 36
within such certificate, for a death occurring on or after July 1, 1997, such 37
certificate or information. The] in accordance with the provisions of this 38
section, such copy with the decedent's Social Security number [shall be] 39
removed or redacted. [from such certificate or information or the 40
administrative purposes section shall be omitted from such certificate.] 41
(d) The department shall provide, as electronic data, the information 42
contained within a certified copy of a death certificate to any individual, 43
researcher or state or federal agency upon request. The decedent's Social 44
Security number shall be removed, redacted or omitted from such data 45
unless the requester is a state or federal agency authorized by federal 46
law to receive the Social Security number. 47
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[(d)] (e) The registrar of vital statistics of any town or city in this state 48
that has access to an electronic vital records system, as authorized by the 49
department, may use such system to issue certified copies of birth, 50
death, fetal death or marriage certificates that are electronically filed in 51
such system. 52
Sec. 3. Subsection (a) of section 19a -537 of the general statutes is 53
repealed and the following is substituted in lieu thereof ( Effective from 54
passage): 55
(a) As used in this section and section 19a-537a: 56
(1) "Vacancy" means a bed that is available for an admission; 57
(2) "Nursing home" means any chronic and convalescent facility or 58
any rest home with nursing supervision, as defined in section 19a-521; 59
(3) "Hospital" means a general short -term hospital licensed by the 60
Department of Public Health or a hospital for [mental illness ] 61
psychiatric disabilities , as defined in section 17a -495, or a chronic 62
disease hospital. 63
Sec. 4. Section 19a -36g of the general statutes is repealed and the 64
following is substituted in lieu thereof (Effective from passage): 65
As used in this section , [and] sections 19a-36b, 19a-36h to 19a -36o, 66
inclusive, as amended by this act, and section 19a-36r: 67
(1) "Catering food service establishment" means a business that is 68
involved in the (A) sale or distribution of food and drink prepared in 69
bulk in one geographic location for retail service in individual portions 70
in another location, or (B) preparation and service of food in a public or 71
private venue that is not under the ownership or control of the operator 72
of such business; 73
(2) "Certified food protection manager" means a food employee that 74
has supervisory and management responsibility and the authority to 75
direct and control food preparation and service; 76
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(3) "Class 1 food establishment" means a retail food establishment 77
that does not serve a population that is highly susceptible to food borne 78
illnesses and only offers (A) commercially packaged food in its original 79
commercial package that is time or temperature controlled for safety, or 80
(B) commercially prepackaged, precooked food that is time or 81
temperature controlled for safety and heated, hot held and served in its 82
original commercial package not later than four hours after heating , or 83
(C) food prepared in the establishment that is not time or temperature 84
controlled for safety; 85
(4) "Class 2 food establishment" means a retail food establishment 86
that does not serve a population that is highly susceptible to food-borne 87
illnesses and offers a limited menu of food that is prepared or cooked 88
and served immediately, or that prepares or cooks food that is time or 89
temperature controlled for safety and may require hot or cold holding, 90
but that does not involve cooling; 91
(5) "Class 3 food establishment" means a retail food establishment 92
that (A) does not serve a population that is highly susceptible to food -93
borne illnesses, and (B) offers food that is time or temperature controlled 94
for safety and requires complex preparation, including, but not limited 95
to, handling of raw ingredients, cooking, cooling and reheating for hot 96
holding; 97
(6) "Class 4 food establishment" means a retail food establishment 98
that serves a population that is highly susceptible to food -borne 99
illnesses, including, but not limited to, preschool students, hospital 100
patients and nursing home patients or residents, or that conducts 101
specialized food processes, including, but not limited to, smoking, 102
curing or reduced oxygen packaging for the purposes of extending the 103
shelf life of the food; 104
(7) "Cold holding" means maintained at a temperature of forty -one 105
degrees Fahrenheit or below; 106
(8) "Commissioner" means the Commissioner of Public Health or the 107
commissioner's designee; 108
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(9) "Contact hour" means a minimum of fifty minutes of a training 109
activity; 110
(10) "Department" means the Department of Public Health; 111
(11) "Director of health" means the director of a local health 112
department or district health department appointed pursuant to section 113
19a-200 or 19a-242; 114
(12) "Food code" means the food code administered under section 115
19a-36h, as amended by this act; 116
(13) "Food establishment" means an operation that (A) stores, 117
prepares, packages, serves, vends directly to the consumer or otherwise 118
provides food for human consumption, including, but not limited to, a 119
restaurant, catering food service establishment, food service 120
establishment, temporary food service establishment, itinerant food 121
vending establishment, market, conveyance used to transport people, 122
institution or food bank, or (B) relinquishes possession of food to a 123
consumer directly, or indirectly through a delivery service, including, 124
but not limited to, home delivery of grocery orders or restaurant takeout 125
orders or a delivery service that is provided by common carriers. "Food 126
establishment" does not include a vending machine, as defined in 127
section 21a-34, a private residential dwelling in which food is prepared 128
under section 21a -62a or a food manufacturing establishment, as 129
defined in section 21a-151; 130
(14) "Food inspector" means a director of health, or his or her 131
authorized agent, or a registered environmental health specialist who 132
has been certified as a food inspector by the commissioner; 133
(15) "Food inspection training officer" means a certified food 134
inspector who has received training developed or approved by the 135
commissioner and been authorized by the commissioner to train 136
candidates for food inspector certification; 137
(16) "Food-borne illness" means illness, including, but not limited to, 138
illness due to heavy metal intoxications, staphylococcal food poisoning, 139
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botulism, salmonellosis, shigellosis, Clostridium perfringens 140
intoxication and hepatitis A, acquired through the ingestion of a 141
common-source food or water contaminated with a chemical, infectious 142
agent or the toxic products of a chemical or infectious agent; 143
(17) "Food-borne outbreak" means illness, including, but not limited 144
to, illness due to heavy metal intoxications, staphylococcal food 145
poisoning, botulism, salmonellosis, shigellosis, Clostridium perfringens 146
intoxication and hepatitis A, in two or more individuals, acquired 147
through the ingestion of common -source food or water contaminated 148
with a chemical, infectious agent or the toxic products of a chemical or 149
infectious agent; 150
(18) "Hot holding" means maintained at a temperature of one 151
hundred thirty-five degrees Fahrenheit or above; 152
(19) "Itinerant food vending establishment" means a vehicle -153
mounted, self-contained, mobile food establishment; 154
(20) "Permit" means a written document issued by a director of health 155
that authorizes a person to operate a food establishment; 156
(21) "Temporary food service establishment" means a food 157
establishment that operates for a period of not more than fourteen 158
consecutive days in conjunction with a single event or celebration; 159
(22) "Time or temperature controlled for safety" means maintained at 160
a certain temperature or maintained for a certain length of time, or both, 161
to prevent microbial growth and toxin production; and 162
(23) "Variance" means a written document issued by the 163
commissioner that authorizes a modification or waiver of one or more 164
requirements of the food code. 165
Sec. 5. Subsection (b) of section 19a-36h of the 2026 supplement to the 166
general statutes is repealed and the following is substituted in lieu 167
thereof (Effective from passage): 168
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(b) The commissioner may adopt regulations, in accordance with the 169
provisions of chapter 54, to implement the provisions of this section , 170
[and] sections 19a-36i to 19a-36m, inclusive, and section 19a-36r. 171
Sec. 6. Section 19a -36b of the general statutes is repealed and the 172
following is substituted in lieu thereof (Effective from passage): 173
(a) Any person who serves meals to individuals at registered 174
congregate meal sites funded under Title III of the Older Americans Act 175
of 1965, as amended from time to time, which were prepared under the 176
supervision of a [qualified food operator ] certified food protection 177
manager, shall be exempt from the examination requirement for 178
[qualified food operators] certified food protection managers. 179
(b) Any volunteer who serves meals for a nonprofit organization shall 180
be exempt from the examination requirement for [qualified food 181
operators] certified food protection managers. 182
(c) The Commissioner of Public Health, in conjunction with the 183
Commissioner of Social Services, shall adopt regulations in accordance 184
with the provisions of chapter 54 to establish training procedures for 185
persons exempt from the examination requirement for [qualified food 186
operators] certified food protection managers under the provisions of 187
subsections (a) and (b) of this section. 188
Sec. 7. Subsections (c) to (e), inclusive, of section 19a -580h of the 189
general statutes are repealed and the following is substituted in lieu 190
thereof (Effective from passage): 191
(c) Notwithstanding the provisions of sections 19a-495 and 19a-580d 192
and the regulations adopted thereunder, the Commissioner of Public 193
Health shall adopt regulations, in accordance with the provisions of 194
chapter 54, for the program established in accordance with this section 195
to ensure that: (1) Medical orders for life -sustaining treatment are 196
transferrable among, and recognized by, various types of health care 197
institutions subject to any limitations set forth in federal law; (2) any 198
procedures and forms developed for recording medical orders for life -199
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sustaining treatment require the signature of the patient or the patient's 200
legally authorized representative on the medical order for life -201
sustaining treatment and the patient or the patient's legally authorized 202
representative is given [the original order immediately after signing 203
such] a copy of or access to the order and a copy of such order is 204
immediately placed in the patient's medical record; (3) prior to 205
requesting the signature of the patient or the patient's legally authorized 206
representative on such order, the physician, advanced practice 207
registered nurse or physician assistant writing the medical order 208
discusses with the patient or the patient's legally authorized 209
representative the patient's goals for care and treatment and the benefits 210
and risks of various methods for documenting the patient's wishes for 211
end-of-life treatment, including medical orders for life -sustaining 212
treatment; and (4) each physician, advanced practice registered nurse or 213
physician assistant that intends to write a medical order for life -214
sustaining treatment receives training concerning: (A) The importance 215
of talking with patients about their personal treatment goals; (B) 216
methods for presenting choices for end -of-life care that elicit 217
information concerning patients' preferences and respects those 218
preferences without directing patients toward a particular option for 219
end-of-life care; (C) the importance of fully informing patients about the 220
benefits and risks of an immediately effective medical order for life -221
sustaining treatment; (D) awareness of factors that may affect the use of 222
medical orders for life -sustaining treatment, including, but not limited 223
to, advanced health care directives, race, ethnicity, age, gender, 224
socioeconomic position, immigrant status, sexual minority status, 225
language, disability, homelessness, mental illness and geographic area 226
of residence; and (E) procedures for properly completing and 227
effectuating medical orders for life-sustaining treatment. 228
(d) A medical order for life -sustaining treatment shall not be valid 229
unless it is completed on a form prescribed by the department and 230
executed in accordance with the requirements of this section and any 231
regulations adopted under this section. 232
[(d)] (e) Nothing in this section shall be construed to limit the 233
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authority of the Commissioner of Developmental Services under 234
subsection (g) of section 17a -238 concerning orders applied to persons 235
receiving services under the direction of said commissioner. 236
[(e)] (f) The Commissioner of Public Health may implement policies 237
and procedures necessary to administer the provisions of this section 238
until such time as regulations are adopted pursuant to subsection (c) of 239
this section. 240
Sec. 8. Subsection (a) of section 19a -112h of the general statutes is 241
repealed and the following is substituted in lieu thereof ( Effective from 242
passage): 243
(a) The Commissioner of Public Health shall establish and contract 244
for the administration of a state-wide human immunodeficiency virus 245
pre-exposure prophylaxis and post -exposure prophylaxis drug 246
assistance program using appropriated AIDS Services funding, 247
provided such funding is equal to or greater than twenty-five thousand 248
dollars annually. The program shall provide financial assistance to 249
individuals at risk of acquiring human immunodeficiency for (1) the 250
purchase of pre -exposure and post -exposure prophylaxis for human 251
immunodeficiency virus prescribed by a licensed physician consistent 252
with the recommendations of the National Centers for Disease Control 253
and Prevention, and (2) payment of associated laboratory testing and 254
other related costs . For the purposes of this subsection, "financial 255
assistance" includes, but need not be limited to, payments for out -of-256
pocket costs, copayments, coinsurance, and up to full cost payments 257
toward a deductible for individuals who are underinsured and for 258
whom the program is the payer of last resort. 259
This act shall take effect as follows and shall amend the following
sections:

Section 1 from passage New section
Sec. 2 from passage 7-51a(c) and (d)
Sec. 3 from passage 19a-537(a)
Sec. 4 from passage 19a-36g
Sec. 5 from passage 19a-36h(b)
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Sec. 6 from passage 19a-36b
Sec. 7 from passage 19a-580h(c) to (e)
Sec. 8 from passage 19a-112h(a)

PH 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 26 $ FY 27 $
Public Health, Dept. GF - Cost See Below See Below
Note: GF=General Fund

Municipal Impact: None
Explanation
The bill expands how AIDS Services funding may be used, resulting
in a General Fund cost beginning in FY 26 as described below. The cost
will reduce the AIDS Services account's recurring lapse. The other
provisions of the bill have no fiscal impact.
Section 8 allows the Department of Public Health's ( DPH’s)
contracted program for HIV pre- and post-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP
and PEP) drug assistance to also provide funding for associated lab
testing and related costs, resulting in a cost to DPH beginning in FY 26.
The expansion of eligible program expenditures will increase spending
in the AIDS Services account. The account has lapsed an average of
approximately $1.2 million annually over the past three fiscal years, and
additional expenditures as allowed by the bill will decrease the amount
of funding that returns to the General Fund.
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
HB 5513

AN ACT CONCERNING THE DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC HEALTH'S
RECOMMENDATIONS REGARDING VARIOUS REVISIONS TO THE
PUBLIC HEALTH STATUTES.

SUMMARY
This bill makes various changes in Department of Public Health
(DPH)-related statutes and programs. It:
1. allows DPH to appoint an embalmer to dispose of an abandoned
dead body or abandoned cremated remains after a funeral
director or embalmer has voluntarily or improperly relinquished
control of the body or remains in violation of state law (§ 1);
2. requires DPH, upon request, to issue death records electronically
regardless of when the death occurred (with the Social Security
number (SSN) generally redacted), instead of only just for deaths
since July 1, 1997, as under current law (§ 2);
3. makes minor and clarifying changes to laws related to the food
code, such as updating terminology and specifying that the DPH
commissioner’s authority to adopt regulations to implement food
code-related laws includes a law on audits of local health
department food protection programs (§§ 4-6);
4. requires that regulations for the Medical Orders for Life -
Sustaining Treatment (MOLST) program allow providers to give
patients a signed copy of the order rather than the original, and
provides that a MOLST is invalid unless it is completed on a DPH
form a nd executed in line with statutory and regulatory
requirements (see BACKGROUND) (§ 7); and
5. allows DPH’s cont racted program for HIV pre - and post -
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exposure prophylaxis (PrEP and PEP) drug assistance to also
provide funding for associated lab testing and related costs (§ 8).
It also makes other minor, technical, and conforming changes.
EFFECTIVE DATE: Upon passage
§ 1 — DISPOSAL OF ABANDONED BODIES OR REMAINS
The bill allows the DPH commissioner to appoint a willing licensed
embalmer to dispose of an abandoned dead body or abandoned
cremated remains. The embalmer may request any records needed to
identify the body or remains and must notify the commissioner, within
seven days after the disposition of the body or remains, of when and
how it was done.
Under the bill, a body or remains is deemed abandoned when a
licensed or formerly licensed funeral director or embalmer voluntarily
or improperly relinquishes custody in violation of the law’s
requirements. This includes when they stop operating a funeral home
and do not provide for the transfer or disposition of the bodies or
remains they had custody of at the time.
Existing law sets various requirements for funeral directors and
embalmers as to the disposition of dead bodies and cremated remains,
including the requirement to carry out the person’s documented wishes
or, in cases where there is a dispute as to who has the right to custody
over the remains, the probate court’s final decision.
§ 2 — ELECTRONIC DEATH RECORDS
Current law sets various requirements for death certificates,
including that (1) for deaths on or after July 1, 1997, the SSN be included
in an “administrative purposes” section of the certificate that can be
disclosed only to certain eligible parties (such as the funeral director and
surviving spouse) and (2) DPH disclose the record or (for deaths since
that date) information in it upon the request of any other person,
researcher, or state or federal agency, with the SSN redacted.
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The bill removes the 1997 start date from these provisions and
specifically requires DPH, for deaths that occurred at any time, to give
these other parties information from the death certificate in electronic
form. It requires the SSN to be redacted, removed, or omitted unless the
requester is a state or federal agency authorized by federal law to receive
it.
The bill also makes related minor and technical changes.
BACKGROUND
MOLST Program
By law, a MOLST is a medical order to carry out a patient’s request
for life-sustaining treatment when the patient is approaching the end
stage of a serious, life -limiting illness or is in a condition of advanced,
chronic progressive frailty. Patient participation is voluntary. T o agree
to participate, a patient or the patient’s legally authorized representative
must sign the MOLST form.
COMMITTEE ACTION
Public Health Committee
Joint Favorable
Yea 22 Nay 10 (03/23/2026)