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SB00264 • 2026

AN ACT CONCERNING CHILDREN'S WELL-BEING.

AN ACT CONCERNING CHILDREN'S WELL-BEING.

Children
Passed Legislature

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

Sponsor
Committee on Children
Last action
2026-03-11
Official status
File Number 18
Effective date
Not listed

Plain English Breakdown

The fiscal note states there is no anticipated state or municipal impact, but this does not guarantee zero cost in practice.

Study to Improve Well-Being of Children in State Care

This law requires the Commissioner of Children and Families to study if policy or procedural changes could help children under state care.

What This Bill Does

  • Requires a study on whether policy and procedural changes can improve child well-being.
  • Focuses specifically on changes within the Department of Children and Families.
  • Targets improvements for children currently in the care or custody of the commissioner.
  • Mandates that findings be reported to the General Assembly committee handling children's matters by January 1, 2027.

Who It Names or Affects

  • The Commissioner of Children and Families
  • Children in the care and custody of the Department of Children and Families
  • The joint standing committee of the General Assembly with oversight over children's issues

Terms To Know

Commissioner of Children and Families
The official who leads the state agency responsible for child welfare services.
Care and custody
When a child is legally placed under the supervision or control of the state department instead of their parents.

Limits and Unknowns

  • The law does not specify which policies must be changed, only that they should be studied.
  • No specific funding amount is listed for conducting this study in the provided text.
  • While a report deadline of January 1, 2027, is set, no effective date for new rules is established yet.

Bill History

  1. 2026-03-11 LCO

    Reported Out of Legislative Commissioners' Office

  2. 2026-03-11 Connecticut General Assembly

    Favorable Report, Tabled for the Calendar, Senate

  3. 2026-03-11 Connecticut General Assembly

    Senate Calendar Number 46

  4. 2026-03-11 LCO

    File Number 18

  5. 2026-03-05 LCO

    Referred to Office of Legislative Research and Office of Fiscal Analysis 03/10/26 5:00 PM

  6. 2026-03-04 LCO

    Filed with Legislative Commissioners' Office

  7. 2026-03-03 KID

    Joint Favorable

  8. 2026-02-20 Connecticut General Assembly

    Public Hearing 02/24

  9. 2026-02-19 Connecticut General Assembly

    Referred to Joint Committee on Children

Official Summary Text

To require the Commissioner of Children and Families to conduct a study to determine whether policy and procedural changes within the Department of Children and Families may improve the well-being of children.

Current Bill Text

Read the full stored bill text 
Senate
SB264 / File No. 18 1

General Assembly File No. 18
February Session, 2026 Senate Bill No. 264

Senate, March 11, 2026

The Committee on Children reported through SEN. MAHER,
C. of the 26th Dist., Chairperson of the Committee on the part
of the Senate, that the bill ought to pass.

AN ACT CONCERNING CHILDREN'S WELL-BEING.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General
Assembly convened:

Section 1. (Effective from passage) The Commissioner of Children and 1
Families shall conduct a study to determine whether policy and 2
procedural changes within the Department of Children and Families 3
may improve the well -being of children in the care and custody of the 4
commissioner. The commissioner shall report, in accordance with the 5
provisions of section 11 -4a of the general statutes, the findings of such 6
study to the joint standing committee of the General Assembly having 7
cognizance of matters relating to children on or before January 1, 2027. 8
This act shall take effect as follows and shall amend the following
sections:

Section 1 from passage New section

KID Joint Favorable

SB264 File No. 18

SB264 / File No. 18 2

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 requires the Department of Children and Families (DCF) to
conduct a study which results in no fiscal impact, as it is anticipated
DCF has the necessary expertise to do so.

SB264 File No. 18

SB264 / File No. 18 3

OLR Bill Analysis
SB 264

AN ACT CONCERNING CHILDREN'S WELL-BEING.

SUMMARY
The Office of Legislative Research does not analyze Special Acts.
COMMITTEE ACTION
Committee on Children
Joint Favorable
Yea 12 Nay 5 (03/03/2026)