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General Assembly Substitute Bill No. 5519
February Session, 2026
AN ACT CONCERNING THE DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC HEALTH'S
RECOMMENDATIONS REGARDING ON-SITE WASTEWATER
SPECIALISTS AND WATER OPERATOR APPRENTICES.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General
Assembly convened:
Section 1. (NEW) (Effective from passage) (a) As used in this section: 1
(1) "Agent of the local director of health" means a person who holds 2
an approval to investigate, inspect and approve plans relating to 3
subsurface sewage disposal systems pursuant to section 19 -13-B103e of 4
the regulations of Connecticut state agencies; 5
(2) "Central subsurface sewage disposal system" or "central system" 6
means a subsurface sewage disposal system serving (A) a residential 7
building and one or more outbuildings, (B) a residential building and 8
one or more nonresidential buildings, (C) two or more nonresidential 9
buildings, or (D) two or more outbuildings; 10
(3) "Commissioner" means the Commissioner of Public Health; 11
(4) "Department" means the Department of Public Health; 12
(5) "Local director of health" means a director of a (A) municipal 13
health department, appointed pursuant to section 19a-200 of the general 14
statutes, or (B) district health department, appointed pursuant to section 15
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19a-242 of the general statutes; 16
(6) "On-site wastewater specialist" means a person who has obtained 17
certification from the commissioner to (A) review and approve plans, 18
(B) conduct regulatory inspections, (C) investigate complaints relating 19
to subsurface sewage disposal systems within the jurisdiction of a local 20
director of health, and (D) perform any other related duties as 21
prescribed by the commissioner; 22
(7) "Phase I on -site wastewater specialist" means an on -site 23
wastewater specialist certified by the commissioner to act as an on -site 24
wastewater specialist for a subsurface sewage disposal system serving 25
a building with a design flow of less than two thousand gallons per day, 26
except subsurface sewage disposal systems serving such buildings 27
designed by a professional engineer licensed or registered in the state, 28
centralized sewage disposal systems and small community sewerage 29
systems; 30
(8) "Phase II on -site wastewater specialist" means an on -site 31
wastewater specialist certified by the commissioner to act as an on -site 32
wastewater specialist for a subsurface sewage disposal system serving 33
a building with a design flow between two thousand and ten thousand 34
gallons per day; 35
(9) "Phase III on -site wastewater specialist" means an on -site 36
wastewater specialist certified by the commissioner to act as an on -site 37
wastewater specialist for an alternative on-site sewage treatment system 38
serving a building with a design flow of ten thousand gallons per day 39
or less; and 40
(10) "Small community sewerage system" means any subsurface 41
sewage disposal system (A) serving two or more residential buildings 42
or residential institutions located on the same lot, and (B) that is not 43
connected to a municipal sewerage system. "Small community sewerage 44
system" does not include any subsurface sewage disposal system 45
serving only a principal dwelling unit and an accessory apartment, as 46
defined in section 8-1a of the general statutes, or a central subsurface 47
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sewage disposal system. 48
(b) (1) On and after October 1, 2026, no person, including a licensed 49
environmental health specialist, as defined in section 20 -358 of the 50
general statutes, shall perform the duties of an on -site wastewater 51
specialist unless such person is (A) certified by the commissioner 52
pursuant to the provisions of this section, and (B) appointed by a local 53
director of health to perform the duties of an on -site wastewater 54
specialist as an employee or contractor of the municipal health 55
department or health district. The local director of health shall maintain 56
records of such appointments and provide the department a copy of, or 57
access to, such records upon the commissioner's request. 58
(2) Notwithstanding the provisions of this subsection, an agent of the 59
local director of health may perform the duties of an on-site wastewater 60
specialist for a local director of health without obtaining certification 61
pursuant to the provisions of this section, provided such agent applies 62
for an initial certification as an on-site wastewater specialist pursuant to 63
the provisions of this section not later than October 1, 2027. 64
(c) (1) An agent of the local director of health, approved pursuant to 65
section 19 -13-B103e(b)(2)(A) of the regulations of Connecticut state 66
agencies, shall seek initial certification as a Phase I on -site wastewater 67
specialist and an agent of the local director of health, approved pursuant 68
to section 19 -13-B103e(b)(2)(B) of the regulations of Connecticut state 69
agencies, shall seek initial certification as a Phase II on -site wastewater 70
specialist. After receiving initial certification, such certification shall be 71
renewed in accordance with the provisions of subsection (e) of this 72
section. On and after the date on which the commissioner begins issuing 73
certifications pursuant to the provisions of this section, the 74
commissioner shall not grant any approval of an agent of the local 75
director of health pursuant to section 19 -13-B103e of the regulations of 76
Connecticut state agencies. 77
(2) Employees or contractors of the department may conduct 78
regulatory inspections and investigate complaints concerning 79
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subsurface sewage disposal systems on behalf of the department 80
without obtaining certification as an on -site wastewater specialist 81
pursuant to the provisions of this section. 82
(3) An applicant for certification as an on -site wastewater specialist 83
may perform the duties of an on -site wastewater specialist as part of a 84
practical component of a training course, as described in subsection (i) 85
of this section, developed by the department that is taught by 86
department staff or an approved training provider holding a 87
certification for the certification level sought. 88
(d) Except as provided in subdivision (2) of subsection (b) of this 89
section, a person may apply, in a form and manner prescribed by the 90
commissioner, for an initial certification after (1) completing a training 91
course prescribed by the commissioner, and (2) receiving a passing score 92
on an examination prescribed by the commissioner for the on -site 93
wastewater specialist certification level the applicant seeks. No person 94
may apply for certification as a Phase III on -site wastewater specialist 95
earlier than the date on which minimum requirements for alternative 96
on-site sewage treatment systems are established in accordance with the 97
provisions of section 19a-35a of the general statutes. 98
(e) There shall be no fee to apply for an initial on -site wastewater 99
specialist certification or to renew such certification. A certification shall 100
be renewed in accordance with the provisions of section 19a -88 of the 101
general statutes, as amended by this act. 102
(f) The commissioner may require on -site wastewater specialists to 103
attend conferences to provide information and updates regarding on -104
site sewage treatment systems, which may include, but need not be 105
limited to, a review of the department's technical standards for the 106
siting, design and installation requirements of a subsurface sewage 107
disposal system. The commissioner may conduct such conferences in 108
person, online or by prerecorded online presentations. The 109
commissioner shall not conduct more than two such conferences in any 110
one calendar year. 111
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(g) An on-site wastewater specialist shall only hold a certification as 112
a Phase I, Phase II or Phase III on -site wastewater specialist and shall 113
not hold more than one such certification at one time. A Phase I on -site 114
wastewater specialist shall only perform activities associated with a 115
Phase I on -site wastewater specialist certification. A Phase II on -site 116
wastewater specialist may perform activities associated with a Phase I 117
and Phase II on -site wastewater specialist certification. A Phase III on -118
site wastewater specialist may perform activities associated with Phase 119
I and Phase II on -site wastewater specialist certification and activities 120
associated with alternative on -site sewage treatment systems. No 121
person shall apply for certification as a Phase II on -site wastewater 122
specialist without having previously obtained certification as a Phase I 123
on-site wastewater specialist or served as an agent of a local director of 124
health prior to October 1, 2026. No person shall apply for certification as 125
a Phase III on -site wastewater specialist without having previously 126
obtained certification as a Phase II on-site wastewater specialist. 127
(h) The commissioner shall develop the following initial certification 128
applications: (1) Phase I or Phase II on -site wastewater specialist for 129
agents of local directors of health approved prior to October 1, 2026, 130
which shall include an attestation of such approval prior to October 1, 131
2026, (2) Phase I on -site wastewater specialist, (3) Phase II on -site 132
wastewater specialist, and (4) Phase III on -site wastewater specialist. 133
The commissioner shall also develop a renewal certification application 134
and an application for training providers seeking the commissioner's 135
approval to provide on -site wastewater specialist training courses 136
pursuant to the provisions of subsection (i) of this section. 137
(i) The commissioner shall develop training courses and 138
corresponding examinations for Phase I, Phase II and Phase III on -site 139
wastewater specialists. The training courses may include a practical 140
component, plan reviews and homework. The commissioner may 141
approve training providers to teach the courses. To be approved, a 142
training provider shall demonstrate, in a form and manner prescribed 143
by the commissioner, that the training course and its materials are 144
consistent with the department's technical standards for the siting, 145
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design and installation of subsurface sewage disposal systems. Any 146
approval granted pursuant to the provisions of this subsection shall 147
expire three years after the date of such approval. The commissioner 148
may administer or contract with a testing center to administer training 149
courses or certification examinations. 150
(j) The commissioner may adopt regulations concerning the 151
certification of on -site wastewater specialists, in accordance with the 152
provisions of chapter 54 of the general statutes, that shall include, but 153
need not be limited to: (1) The scope of duties performed by each 154
certification of on -site wastewater specialist; (2) requirements and 155
procedures for the issuance of an initial certification; (3) requirements 156
and procedures to renew certification, in accordance with section 19 -88 157
of the general statutes; (4) standards and procedures for certification 158
examinations administered by the commissioner or a testing center; (5) 159
training standards required for initial and renewal certification; and (6) 160
standards and procedures for the commissioner's approval of training 161
providers and courses of study offered by training providers. The 162
commissioner may implement policies and procedures necessary to 163
implement the provisions of this section while in the process of adopting 164
such policies and procedures as regulations, provided the commissioner 165
publishes notice of intent to adopt regulations on the eRegulations 166
System not later than twenty days after the date of implementation of 167
such policies and procedures. Policies and procedures implemented 168
pursuant to this subsection shall be valid until final regulations are 169
adopted in accordance with the provisions of chapter 54 of the general 170
statutes. 171
(k) (1) The commissioner may take any disciplinary action against an 172
on-site wastewater specialist permitted under section 19a -17 of the 173
general statutes, except for the assessment of a civil penalty, for any of 174
the following reasons: (A) Fraud or material deception in obtaining 175
initial certification or renewal certification or the reinstatement of a 176
certificate; (B) fraudulent practices including, but not limited to, 177
acceptance of bribes in the performance of the on -site wastewater 178
specialist's professional activities; (C) incompetent, negligent or illegal 179
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performance of the on -site wastewater specialist's professional duties; 180
(D) conviction of the on -site wastewater specialist for a felony; or (E) 181
failure of the on -site wastewater specialist to complete the mandatory 182
training or attend mandatory conferences. 183
(2) The commissioner may take any disciplinary action against a 184
training provider permitted under section 19a-17 of the general statutes, 185
except for the assessment of a civil penalty, if the commissioner 186
determines that (A) a training course's hours or materials were not 187
consistent with the department's technical standards for the siting, 188
design and installation of subsurface sewage disposal systems; or (B) the 189
training provider engaged in incompetent, negligent or illegal activities 190
in the provision of training courses. 191
Sec. 2. Subsection (c) of section 19a -14 of the 2026 supplement to the 192
general statutes is repealed and the following is substituted in lieu 193
thereof (Effective from passage): 194
(c) No board shall exist for the following professions that are licensed 195
or otherwise regulated by the Department of Public Health: 196
(1) Speech and language pathologist and audiologist; 197
(2) Hearing instrument specialist; 198
(3) Nursing home administrator; 199
(4) Environmental health specialist; 200
(5) Subsurface sewage system installer or cleaner; 201
(6) Marital and family therapist and marriage and family therapist 202
associate; 203
(7) Nurse-midwife; 204
(8) Licensed clinical social worker; 205
(9) Respiratory care practitioner; 206
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(10) Asbestos contractor, asbestos consultant and asbestos training 207
provider; 208
(11) Massage therapist; 209
(12) Registered nurse's aide; 210
(13) Radiographer; 211
(14) Dental hygienist; 212
(15) Dietitian-Nutritionist; 213
(16) Asbestos abatement worker; 214
(17) Asbestos abatement site supervisor; 215
(18) Licensed or certified alcohol and drug counselor; 216
(19) Professional counselor and professional counselor associate; 217
(20) Acupuncturist; 218
(21) Occupational therapist and occupational therapist assistant; 219
(22) Lead abatement contractor, lead consultant contractor, lead 220
consultant, lead abatement supervisor, lead abatement worker, lead 221
training provider, lead inspector, lead inspector risk assessor and lead 222
planner-project designer; 223
(23) Emergency medical technician, advanced emergency medical 224
technician, emergency medical responder and emergency medical 225
services instructor; 226
(24) Paramedic; 227
(25) Athletic trainer; 228
(26) Perfusionist; 229
(27) Master social worker subject to the provisions of section 20-195v; 230
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(28) Radiologist assistant, subject to the provisions of section 20-74tt; 231
(29) Homeopathic physician; 232
(30) Certified water treatment plant operator, certified distribution 233
system operator, certified small water system operator, certified 234
backflow prevention device tester and certified cross connection survey 235
inspector, including certified limited operators, certified conditional 236
operators and certified operators in training; 237
(31) Tattoo technician; 238
(32) Genetic counselor; 239
(33) Behavior analyst; 240
(34) Art therapist; 241
(35) Esthetician; 242
(36) Eyelash technician; [and] 243
(37) Nail technician; and 244
(38) On-site wastewater specialist. 245
The department shall assume all powers and duties normally vested 246
with a board in administering regulatory jurisdiction over such 247
professions. The uniform provisions of this chapter and chapters 368v, 248
369 to 381a, inclusive, 383 to 388, inclusive, 393a, 395, 398, 399, 400a and 249
400c, including, but not limited to, standards for entry and renewal; 250
grounds for professional discipline; receiving and processing 251
complaints; and disciplinary sanctions, shall apply, except as otherwise 252
provided by law, to the professions listed in this subsection. 253
Sec. 3. Subsection (c) of section 19a-14 of the 2026 supplement to the 254
general statutes, as amended by section 196 of public act 25 -168, is 255
repealed and the following is substituted in lieu thereof (Effective July 1, 256
2026): 257
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(c) No board shall exist for the following professions that are licensed 258
or otherwise regulated by the Department of Public Health: 259
(1) Speech and language pathologist and audiologist; 260
(2) Hearing instrument specialist; 261
(3) Nursing home administrator; 262
(4) Environmental health specialist; 263
(5) Subsurface sewage system installer or cleaner; 264
(6) Marital and family therapist and marriage and family therapist 265
associate; 266
(7) Nurse-midwife; 267
(8) Licensed clinical social worker; 268
(9) Respiratory care practitioner; 269
(10) Asbestos contractor, asbestos consultant and asbestos training 270
provider; 271
(11) Massage therapist; 272
(12) Registered nurse's aide; 273
(13) Radiographer; 274
(14) Dental hygienist; 275
(15) Dietitian-Nutritionist; 276
(16) Asbestos abatement worker; 277
(17) Asbestos abatement site supervisor; 278
(18) Licensed or certified alcohol and drug counselor; 279
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(19) Professional counselor and professional counselor associate; 280
(20) Acupuncturist; 281
(21) Occupational therapist and occupational therapist assistant; 282
(22) Lead abatement contractor, lead consultant contractor, lead 283
consultant, lead abatement supervisor, lead abatement worker, lead 284
training provider, lead inspector, lead inspector risk assessor and lead 285
planner-project designer; 286
(23) Emergency medical technician, advanced emergency medical 287
technician, emergency medical responder and emergency medical 288
services instructor; 289
(24) Paramedic; 290
(25) Athletic trainer; 291
(26) Perfusionist; 292
(27) Master social worker subject to the provisions of section 20-195v; 293
(28) Radiologist assistant, subject to the provisions of section 20-74tt; 294
(29) Homeopathic physician; 295
(30) Certified water treatment plant operator, certified distribution 296
system operator, certified small water system operator, certified 297
backflow prevention device tester and certified cross connection survey 298
inspector, including certified limited operators, certified conditional 299
operators and certified operators in training; 300
(31) Tattoo technician; 301
(32) Genetic counselor; 302
(33) Behavior analyst; 303
(34) Art therapist; 304
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(35) Esthetician; 305
(36) Eyelash technician; 306
(37) Nail technician; [and] 307
(38) On-site wastewater specialist; and 308
[(38)] (39) Lactation consultant. 309
The department shall assume all powers and duties normally vested 310
with a board in administering regulatory jurisdiction over such 311
professions. The uniform provisions of this chapter and chapters 368v, 312
369 to 381a, inclusive, 382e to 388, inclusive, 393a, 395, 398, 399, 400a and 313
400c, including, but not limited to, standards for entry and renewal; 314
grounds for professional discipline; receiving and processing 315
complaints; and disciplinary sanctions, shall apply, except as otherwise 316
provided by law, to the professions listed in this subsection. 317
Sec. 4. Subsection (e) of section 19a -88 of the 2026 supplement to the 318
general statutes is repealed and the following is substituted in lieu 319
thereof (Effective from passage): 320
(e) (1) Each person holding a license or certificate issued under 321
section 19a-514, 20-65k, 20-74s, 20-185k, 20-185l, 20-195cc or 20-206ll and 322
chapters 370 to 373, inclusive, 375, 378 to 381a, inclusive, 383 to 383c, 323
inclusive, 383g, 384, 384a, 384b, 385, 393a, 395, 399 or 400a and section 324
20-206n or 20-206o shall, annually, or, in the case of a person holding a 325
license as a marital and family therapist associate under section 20-195c 326
on or before twenty -four months after the date of initial licensure, 327
during the month of such person's birth, apply for renewal of such 328
license or certificate to the Department of Public Health, giving such 329
person's name in full, such person's residence and business address and 330
such other information as the department requests. 331
(2) Each person holding a license or certificate issued under section 332
19a-514, and chapters 384a, 384c, 384d, 386, 387, 388 and 398 shall apply 333
for renewal of such license or certificate once every two years, during 334
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the month of such person's birth, giving such person's name in full, such 335
person's residence and business address and such other information as 336
the department requests. 337
(3) Each person holding a certificate issued under section 20 -195ttt 338
shall apply for renewal of such certificate once every three years, during 339
the month of such person's birth, giving such person's name in full, such 340
person's residence and business address and such other information as 341
the department requests. 342
(4) Each person holding a license or certificate issued pursuant to 343
chapter 400c shall, annually, during the month of such person's birth, 344
apply for renewal of such license or certificate to the department. Each 345
lead training provider certified pursuant to chapter 400c and each 346
asbestos training provider certified pursuant to chapter 400a shall, 347
annually, during the anniversary month of such training provider's 348
initial certification, apply for renewal of such certificate to the 349
department. 350
(5) Each entity holding a license issued pursuant to section 20 -475 351
shall, annually, during the anniversary month of initial licensure, apply 352
for renewal of such license or certificate to the department. 353
(6) Each person holding a license issued pursuant to section 20-162bb 354
shall, annually, during the month of such person's birth, apply for 355
renewal of such license to the Department of Public Health, upon 356
payment of a fee of three hundred twenty dollars, giving such person's 357
name in full, such person's residence and business address and such 358
other information as the department requests. 359
(7) Each person holding a license issued pursuant to section 20 -278h 360
shall, once every two years, during the anniversary month of initial 361
licensure, apply for renewal of such license to the department. 362
(8) Each person holding a certificate pursuant to section 1 of this act 363
shall, on or before three years after the date of issuance of an initial or 364
renewal certification, apply for renewal of such certificate to the 365
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department. 366
Sec. 5. Subsection (e) of section 19a -88 of the 2026 supplement to the 367
general statutes , as amended by section 197 of public act 25 -168, is 368
repealed and the following is substituted in lieu thereof (Effective July 1, 369
2026): 370
(e) (1) Each person holding a license or certificate issued under 371
section 19a-514, 20-65k, 20-74s, 20-185k, 20-185l, 20-195cc or 20-206ll and 372
chapters 370 to 373, inclusive, 375, 378 to 381a, inclusive, 383 to 383c, 373
inclusive, 383g, 384, 384a, 384b, 385, 393a, 395, 399 or 400a and section 374
20-206n or 20-206o shall, annually, or, in the case of a person holding a 375
license as a marital and family therapist associate under section 20-195c 376
on or before twenty -four months after the date of initial licensure, 377
during the month of such person's birth, apply for renewal of such 378
license or certificate to the Department of Public Health, giving such 379
person's name in full, such person's residence and business address and 380
such other information as the department requests. 381
(2) Each person holding a license or certificate issued under section 382
19a-514, and chapters 382e, 384a, 384c, 384d, 386, 387, 388 and 398 shall 383
apply for renewal of such license or certificate once every two years, 384
during the month of such person's birth, giving such person's name in 385
full, such person's residence and business address and such other 386
information as the department requests. 387
(3) Each person holding a certificate issued under section 20 -195ttt 388
shall apply for renewal of such certificate once every three years, during 389
the month of such person's birth, giving such person's name in full, such 390
person's residence and business address and such other information as 391
the department requests. 392
(4) Each person holding a license or certificate issued pursuant to 393
chapter 400c shall, annually, during the month of such person's birth, 394
apply for renewal of such license or certificate to the department. Each 395
lead training provider certified pursuant to chapter 400c and each 396
asbestos training provider certified pursuant to chapter 400a shall, 397
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annually, during the anniversary month of such training provider's 398
initial certification, apply for renewal of such certificate to the 399
department. 400
(5) Each entity holding a license issued pursuant to section 20 -475 401
shall, annually, during the anniversary month of initial licensure, apply 402
for renewal of such license or certificate to the department. 403
(6) Each person holding a license issued pursuant to section 20-162bb 404
shall, annually, during the month of such person's birth, apply for 405
renewal of such license to the Department of Public Health, upon 406
payment of a fee of three hundred twenty dollars, giving such person's 407
name in full, such person's residence and business address and such 408
other information as the department requests. 409
(7) Each person holding a license issued pursuant to section 20 -278h 410
shall, once every two years, during the anniversary month of initial 411
licensure, apply for renewal of such license to the department. 412
(8) Each person holding a certificate pursuant to section 1 of this act 413
shall, on or before three years after the date of issuance of an initial or 414
renewal certification, apply for renewal of such certificate to the 415
department. 416
Sec. 6. Subsection (n) of section 25 -32 of the general statutes is 417
repealed and the following is substituted in lieu thereof (Effective July 1, 418
2026): 419
(n) (1) On and after the effective date of regulations adopted under 420
this subsection, no person shall operate any water treatment plant, 421
water distribution system or small water system that treats or supplies 422
water used or intended for use by the public, test any backflow 423
prevention device, perform a cross connection survey without a 424
certificate issued by the commissioner under this subsection or operate 425
any water treatment plant or water distribution system as an operator -426
in-training unless such person is issued a certificate by the 427
commissioner under this subsection. The commissioner shall adopt 428
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regulations, in accordance with chapter 54, to provide: (A) Standards for 429
the operation of such water treatment plants, water distribution systems 430
and small water systems; (B) standards and procedures for the issuance 431
of certificates to operators and operators -in-training of such water 432
treatment plants and water distribution systems and operators of small 433
water systems, including, but not limited to, standards and procedures 434
for the department's approval of third parties to administer certification 435
examinations to such operators and operators -in-training; (C) 436
procedures for the renewal of such certificates to operators every three 437
years; (D) standards for training required for the issuance or renewal of 438
a certificate; (E) standards and procedures for the department's 439
approval of course providers and courses of study as they relate to 440
certified operators and certified operators-in-training of water treatment 441
plants and water distribution systems and certified operators of small 442
water systems and certified persons who test backflow prevention 443
devices or perform cross connection surveys for initial and renewal 444
applications; and (F) standards and procedures for the issuance and 445
renewal of certificates to persons who test backflow prevention devices 446
or perform cross connection surveys. Such regulations shall be 447
consistent with applicable federal law and guidelines for operator 448
certification programs promulgated by the United States Environmental 449
Protection Agency. For purposes of this subsection, "small water 450
system" means a public water system, as defined in section 25-33d, that 451
serves less than one thousand persons and has no treatment or has only 452
treatment that does not require any chemical treatment, process 453
adjustment, backwashing or media regeneration by an operator. 454
(2) The commissioner may take any disciplinary action set forth in 455
section 19a -17, except for the assessment of a civil penalty under 456
subdivision (7) of subsection (a) of section 19a -17, against an operator, 457
an operator-in-training, a person who tests backflow prevention devices 458
or a person who performs cross connection surveys holding a certificate 459
issued under this subsection for any of the following reasons: (A) Fraud 460
or material deception in procuring a certificate, the renewal of a 461
certificate or the reinstatement of a certificate; (B) fraud or material 462
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deception in the performance of the certified operator's or certified 463
operator-in-training's professional activities; (C) incompetent, negligent 464
or illegal performance of the certified operator's or certified operator-in-465
training's professional activities; (D) conviction of the certified operator 466
or certified operator-in-training for a felony; or (E) failure of the certified 467
operator or certified operator -in-training to complete the training 468
required under subdivision (1) of this subsection. 469
(3) The commissioner may issue an initial certificate to perform a 470
function set forth in subdivision (1) of this subsection upon receipt of a 471
completed application, in a form prescribed by the commissioner, 472
together with an application fee as follows: (A) For a water treatment 473
plant, water distribution system or small water system operator 474
certificate, or operator-in-training certificate for a water treatment plant 475
or water distribution system, two hundred twenty -four dollars, except 476
there shall be no such application fee required for a student enrolled in 477
an accredited high school small water system operator certification 478
course; (B) for a backflow prevention device tester certificate, one 479
hundred fifty -four dollars; and (C) for a cross -connection survey 480
inspector certificate, one hundred fifty-four dollars. A certificate issued 481
pursuant to this subdivision shall expire three years from the date of 482
issuance unless renewed by the certificate holder prior to such 483
expiration date, except a certificate issued for an operator -in-training 484
pursuant to this section shall expire six years from the date of issuance 485
and shall not be renewable. The commissioner may renew a certificate, 486
other than a certificate for an operator -in-training, for an additional 487
three years upon receipt of a completed renewal application, in a form 488
prescribed by the commissioner, together with a renewal application fee 489
as follows: (i) For a water treatment plant, water distribution system or 490
small water system operator certificate, ninety -eight dollars; (ii) for a 491
backflow prevention device tester certificate, sixty-nine dollars; and (iii) 492
for a cross-connection survey inspector certificate, sixty-nine dollars. 493
(4) (A) Notwithstanding the provisions of subdivisions (1) and (3) of 494
this subsection, the commissioner may issue a certification to an 495
applicant for water treatment plant operator, water distribution system 496
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operator or small water system operator under this subsection upon 497
receiving such applicant's written application, in a form and manner 498
prescribed by the commissioner, if the applicant (i) is an apprentice 499
registered with the Labor Department, (ii) has successfully completed 500
an apprenticeship approved by the Labor Department and conducted in 501
accordance with sections 31 -22m to 31 -22u, inclusive, for the type of 502
system for which the apprentice is seeking certification, and (iii) has 503
passed a written examination prescribed in the regulations of 504
Connecticut state agencies after completion of an approved registered 505
apprenticeship program for the classification level sought for 506
certification. An apprentice shall provide written notification to the 507
department not later than ten days before participating in such 508
apprenticeship program. Such written notification shall be in a form and 509
manner prescribed by the commissioner and shall include, but need not 510
be limited to, information regarding the entity providing the 511
apprenticeship program and the certified water operator or operators 512
directly supervising such program. A registered apprentice shall be 513
under direct supervision of a certified water operator of the type of 514
system for which the apprentice is seeking certification but shall not 515
make any process and system integrity decisions concerning the quality 516
and quantity of water that affects public health. Failure of a certified 517
water operator to provide the supervision or training required under 518
this section shall be grounds for disciplinary action against the certified 519
water operator pursuant to the provisions of this section. 520
(B) The commissioner, in consultation with the Labor Commissioner 521
and an international nonprofit association dedicated to the 522
improvement of drinking water and supply, shall develop and 523
implement an apprenticeship program for the purpose of implementing 524
the provisions of this subdivision. 525
This act shall take effect as follows and shall amend the following
sections:
Section 1 from passage New section
Sec. 2 from passage 19a-14(c)
Substitute Bill No. 5519
LCO 19 of 19
Sec. 3 July 1, 2026 19a-14(c)
Sec. 4 from passage 19a-88(e)
Sec. 5 July 1, 2026 19a-88(e)
Sec. 6 July 1, 2026 25-32(n)
PH Joint Favorable Subst.
APP Joint Favorable