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House of Representatives
HB5528 / File No. 545 1
General Assembly File No. 545
February Session, 2026 House Bill No. 5528
House of Representatives, April 9, 2026
The Committee on Government Administration and Elections
reported through REP. BLUMENTHAL of the 147th Dist.,
Chairperson of the Committee on the part of the House, that the
bill ought to pass.
AN ACT REQUIRING PUBLIC AGENCY EMPLOYEES TO ATTEND
FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT TRAINING.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General
Assembly convened:
Section 1. Subsection (e) of section 1 -205 of the general statutes is 1
repealed and the following is substituted in lieu thereof (Effective October 2
1, 2026): 3
(e) (1) The Freedom of Information Commission shall conduct 4
training sessions, at least annually, for members of public agencies for 5
the purpose of educating such members as to the requirements of this 6
section and sections [1-7 to 1-14, inclusive, 1-16 to 1-18, inclusive,] 1-200 7
to 1-202, inclusive, [1-205] 1-205a, 1-206, 1-210 to [1-217] 1-219, inclusive, 8
1-225 to 1 -232, inclusive, and 1-240 [, 1 -241 and 19a -342] to 1 -242, 9
inclusive. 10
(2) On and after October 1, 2026, each member of a public agency shall 11
complete such training. Each member employed on October 1, 2026, 12
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shall complete such training not later than March 1, 2027, and any 13
member hired after October 1, 2026, shall complete such training not less 14
than six months after commencing employment. The commission may 15
create a videorecording or digital recording for purposes of offering 16
such training. 17
This act shall take effect as follows and shall amend the following
sections:
Section 1 October 1, 2026 1-205(e)
GAE Joint Favorable
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HB5528 / File No. 545 3
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 $
Various State Agencies GF - Potential
Cost
See Below See Below
Note: GF=General Fund
Municipal Impact:
Municipalities Effect FY 27 $ FY 28 $
Various Municipalities Potential
Cost
See Below See Below
Explanation
The bill requires that all state and applicable municipal employees
complete Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) training offered by the
Freedom of Information Commission (FOIC), resulting in a potential
cost to various state agencies and municipalities beginning in FY 27.
There is a potential cost to the extent that state and applicable
municipal employees will need coverage while completing the FOIC
Training. The exact cost will depend on the number of essential
employees requiring coverage, the duration of the training, and the pay
rates for those covering them. Costs will be reduced in FY 28 as only
new employees will need to undergo training; current employees must
complete training in FY 27.
The bill additionally requires that FOIC update training standards,
which has no impact, as FOIC has sufficient expertise to adjust its
training material.
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The Out Years
The annualized ongoing fiscal impact identified above would
continue into the future subject to wage inflation.
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OLR Bill Analysis
HB 5528
AN ACT REQUIRING PUBLIC AGENCY EMPLOYEES TO ATTEND
FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT TRAINING.
SUMMARY
This bill requires that each member of a public agency take
educational training sessions that the Freedom of Information
Commission (FOIC) currently offers to members on Freedom of
Information Act - (FOIA) related topics. The bill requires a member
employed on October 1, 2026, to complete the training by March 1, 2027,
and any member hired after October 1, 2026, to do so within six months
of starting employment. The bill permits FOIC to offer the training by
video or digital recording.
Current law requires FOIC to hold annual training sessions for
members of public agencies on FOIA’s provisions (such as public record
and meeting-related requirements). The bill eliminates requirements for
FOIC to hold training on (1) physical requirements for public records
(such as standard ink) and (2) the general prohibition on smoking
indoors. It adds requirements for the commission to hold training s on
(1) contracts for the performance of a governmental function, (2)
veterans’ military records, (3) court actions involving FOIA, and (4) the
commission’s recommended budget appropriations and allotments.
By law, a “public agency” generally includes state executive and
legislative agencies and other state entities, municipalities and political
subdivisions and their agencies and other entities, judicial offices’
administrative functions, an entity that is the functional equivalent of
one of these, and certain nonprofit development corporations
designated by a municipality related to certain projects.
EFFECTIVE DATE: October 1, 2026
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BACKGROUND
Related Bill
HB 5250 (File 316), favorably reported by the Government Oversight
Committee, makes similar changes to the content of trainings given by
FOIC to conform to current practice.
COMMITTEE ACTION
Government Administration and Elections Committee
Joint Favorable
Yea 19 Nay 0 (03/23/2026)