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HB05535 • 2026

AN ACT CONCERNING REVIEW OF WRONGFUL INCARCERATION AWARDS BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY.

AN ACT CONCERNING REVIEW OF WRONGFUL INCARCERATION AWARDS BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY.

Passed Legislature

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

Sponsor
Judiciary Committee
Last action
2026-04-14
Official status
File Number 631
Effective date
Not listed

Plain English Breakdown

The official source material does not provide specific details on how smaller claims will be handled by the Claims Commissioner without further review.

Act About Reviewing Wrongful Incarceration Awards

This act changes the time limit for the General Assembly to review wrongful incarceration compensation awards from 45 days to 60 days and allows smaller claims up to $15,000 to be decided by the Claims Commissioner.

What This Bill Does

  • Extends the period for the General Assembly to review wrongful incarceration compensation awards from 45 days to 60 days.
  • Allows the Claims Commissioner to decide claims for money damages not exceeding fifteen thousand dollars without needing further review by the General Assembly.

Who It Names or Affects

  • Claimants seeking compensation for wrongful incarceration.
  • The Office of the Claims Commissioner.
  • The Connecticut General Assembly.

Terms To Know

Claims Commissioner
An official who decides claims for money damages in cases of wrongful incarceration.
General Assembly
The legislative body of the state that reviews and can confirm or deny compensation awards for wrongful incarceration.

Limits and Unknowns

  • Does not specify what happens if the General Assembly does not act on an award within the new 60-day period.
  • Does not provide details about how smaller claims will be handled by the Claims Commissioner without further review.

Bill History

  1. 2026-04-14 LCO

    Reported Out of Legislative Commissioners' Office

  2. 2026-04-14 Connecticut General Assembly

    Favorable Report, Tabled for the Calendar, House

  3. 2026-04-14 Connecticut General Assembly

    House Calendar Number 423

  4. 2026-04-14 LCO

    File Number 631

  5. 2026-04-08 LCO

    Referred to Office of Legislative Research and Office of Fiscal Analysis 04/13/26 5:00 PM

  6. 2026-03-30 JUD

    Joint Favorable Substitute

  7. 2026-03-30 LCO

    Filed with Legislative Commissioners' Office

  8. 2026-03-12 Connecticut General Assembly

    Public Hearing 03/16

  9. 2026-03-10 Connecticut General Assembly

    Referred to Joint Committee on Judiciary

Official Summary Text

To (1) permit the Office of the Claims Commissioner to hear and decide certain claims for money damages not in excess of fifteen thousand dollars, and (2) extend the time period for review of wrongful incarceration awards by the General Assembly.

Current Bill Text

Read the full stored bill text
House of Representatives
sHB5535 / File No. 631 1

General Assembly File No. 631
February Session, 2026 Substitute House Bill No. 5535

House of Representatives, April 14, 2026

The Committee on Judiciary reported through REP.
STAFSTROM of the 129th Dist., Chairperson of the Committee
on the part of the House, that the substitute bill ought to pass.

AN ACT CONCERNING REVIEW OF WRONGFUL INCARCERATION
AWARDS BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General
Assembly convened:

Section 1. Subdivision (1) of subsection (d) of section 54-102uu of the 1
2026 supplement to the general statutes is repealed and the following is 2
substituted in lieu thereof (Effective from passage): 3
(d) (1) If the Claims Commissioner determines that such claimant has 4
established such claimant's eligibility under subsection (a) of this section 5
by a preponderance of the evidence, the Claims Commissioner shall 6
order the immediate payment to such claimant of compensation for 7
such wrongful incarceration in an amount determined pursuant to 8
subdivision (2) of this subsection, unless (A) such compensation award 9
is in an amount exceeding thirty -five thousand dollars, or (B) such 10
claimant requests, in accordance with section 4 -158, that the General 11
Assembly review such compensation award. The Claims Commissioner 12
shall submit any such compensation award described in subparagraph 13
(A) or (B) of this subdivision or an agreed to or stipulated award 14
sHB5535 File No. 631

sHB5535 / File No. 631 2

pursuant to subsection (f) of this section in an amount greater than one 15
million five hundred thousand dollars, and the claim from which such 16
award arose to the General Assembly in the same manner as provided 17
under section 4 -159, not later than five business days after the 18
commissioner issues such award determination or receives such request 19
for review, whichever is sooner. The General Assembly shall review any 20
such compensation award and the claim from which such award arose 21
not later than [forty-five] sixty days after such award and claim is 22
submitted to the General Assembly and may deny or confirm such 23
compensation award, or remand the claim to the Office of the Claims 24
Commissioner for such further proceedings as the General Assembly 25
may direct. If the General Assembly takes no action on such 26
compensation award, the determination made by the Claims 27
Commissioner shall be deemed confirmed. 28
This act shall take effect as follows and shall amend the following
sections:

Section 1 from passage 54-102uu(d)(1)

JUD Joint Favorable Subst.

sHB5535 File No. 631

sHB5535 / File No. 631 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: None
Municipal Impact: None
Explanation
The bill extends the time period (from 45 to 60 days) that the General
Assembly has to review wrongful incarceration compensation awards
and results in no fiscal impact to the state.
The Out Years
State Impact: None
Municipal Impact: None

sHB5535 File No. 631

sHB5535 / File No. 631 4

OLR Bill Analysis
sHB 5535

AN ACT CONCERNING REVIEW OF WRONGFUL INCARCERATION
AWARDS BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY.

SUMMARY
This bill extends the time period for the General Assembly to review
wrongful incarceration compensation awards and their associated
claims.
By law, the General Assembly must review a wrongful incarceration
compensation award from the claims commissioner if (1) the claimant
requests the review; (2) the award exceeds $35,000; or (3) it involves an
agreed to or stipulated award exceeding $1.5 mil lion. (The latter are
awards initially negotiated by the attorney general.) The General
Assembly may deny or confirm the award or remand the claim to the
claims commissioner for further proceedings.
Under current law, if the General Assembly does not act on an award
within 45 days after its submission, the claims commissioner’s
determination is deemed confirmed. The bill extends this window for
consideration to 60 days.
Under existing law, unchanged by the bill, submissions that occur
when the General Assembly is not in a regular session or too close to the
end of a regular session to be acted on are deemed submitted on the first
day of the next regular session.
EFFECTIVE DATE: Upon passage
COMMITTEE ACTION
Judiciary Committee
Joint Favorable Substitute
Yea 41 Nay 0 (03/30/2026)