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SB00284 • 2026

AN ACT CONCERNING EMERGENCY POWER GENERATOR REQUIREMENTS FOR CERTAIN MULTIFAMILY HOUSING PROJECTS.

AN ACT CONCERNING EMERGENCY POWER GENERATOR REQUIREMENTS FOR CERTAIN MULTIFAMILY HOUSING PROJECTS.

Healthcare Housing
Passed Legislature

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

Sponsor
Aging Committee
Last action
2026-03-19
Official status
File Number 77
Effective date
Not listed

Plain English Breakdown

The candidate explanation includes details about the bill's impact on privately owned multifamily housing projects that align closely with the official summary and text. However, some specific criteria for affected projects may not be fully supported by the provided source material.

Emergency Power Generators for Certain Housing Projects

This bill requires privately owned multifamily housing projects in certain cities to install and maintain emergency power generators.

What This Bill Does

  • Repeals the current requirement that applies only to municipalities with a population between 130,000 and 134,999.
  • Increases the upper population limit for affected municipalities from 134,999 to 139,999.
  • Requires these housing projects to have emergency power generators that can provide at least four to twelve hours of electricity.
  • Specifies that the generators must support heating, water, lighting, and critical medical equipment in each unit, as well as passenger elevators.

Who It Names or Affects

  • Privately owned multifamily housing projects with at least fifteen stories tall.
  • Projects located in municipalities with a population between 130,000 and 139,999.
  • Housing units that are age-restricted and have mortgages insured under the National Housing Act.

Terms To Know

Multifamily housing project
A building with multiple dwelling units where people live.
Emergency power generator
A device that provides electricity during a power outage.

Limits and Unknowns

  • The bill does not apply to publicly owned housing projects.
  • It only affects certain cities based on population size and specific housing project criteria.
  • There is no fiscal impact to the state or municipalities as this applies to private entities.

Bill History

  1. 2026-03-19 LCO

    Reported Out of Legislative Commissioners' Office

  2. 2026-03-19 Connecticut General Assembly

    Favorable Report, Tabled for the Calendar, Senate

  3. 2026-03-19 Connecticut General Assembly

    Senate Calendar Number 77

  4. 2026-03-19 LCO

    File Number 77

  5. 2026-03-13 LCO

    Referred to Office of Legislative Research and Office of Fiscal Analysis 03/18/26 5:00 PM

  6. 2026-03-05 AGE

    Joint Favorable

  7. 2026-03-05 LCO

    Filed with Legislative Commissioners' Office

  8. 2026-02-20 Connecticut General Assembly

    Public Hearing 02/24

  9. 2026-02-19 Connecticut General Assembly

    Referred to Joint Committee on Aging

Official Summary Text

To require certain privately owned multifamily housing projects to install and maintain one or more emergency power generators.

Current Bill Text

Read the full stored bill text
Senate
SB284 / File No. 77 1

General Assembly File No. 77
February Session, 2026 Senate Bill No. 284

Senate, March 19, 2026

The Committee on Aging reported through SEN. HOCHADEL
of the 13th Dist., Chairperson of the Committee on the part of
the Senate, that the bill ought to pass.

AN ACT CONCERNING EMERGENCY POWER GENERATOR
REQUIREMENTS FOR CERTAIN MULTIFAMILY HOUSING
PROJECTS.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General
Assembly convened:

Section 1. Section 29 -453a of the general statutes is repealed and the 1
following is substituted in lieu thereof (Effective October 1, 2026): 2
(a) Any privately owned multifamily housing project, within a 3
municipality with a population of at least one hundred thirty thousand 4
but less than one hundred [thirty-five] forty thousand, shall install and 5
maintain one or more emergency power generators capable of 6
providing a minimum of four to twelve hours of sufficient electrical 7
power to (1) each unit for heating, water, lighting and critical medical 8
equipment, and (2) each passenger elevator. 9
(b) For purposes of this section, "privately owned multifamily 10
housing project" means real property that (1) consists of, or 11
encompasses, a building not less than fifteen stories in height that 12
SB284 File No. 77

SB284 / File No. 77 2

contains dwelling units whose occupancy is restricted by age, and (2) is 13
subject, in whole or in part, to a mortgage insured under the National 14
Housing Act, 12 USC 1701 et seq. 15
This act shall take effect as follows and shall amend the following
sections:

Section 1 October 1, 2026 29-453a

AGE Joint Favorable

SB284 File No. 77

SB284 / File No. 77 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, which adjusts the requirements for which multifamily
housing projects must have at least one emergency power generator,
does not result in a fiscal impact to the state or to municipalities as this
only concerns private parties.
The Out Years
State Impact: None
Municipal Impact: None

SB284 File No. 77

SB284 / File No. 77 4

OLR Bill Analysis
SB 284

AN ACT CONCERNING EMERGENCY POWER GENERATOR
REQUIREMENTS FOR CERTAIN MULTIFAMILY HOUSING
PROJECTS.

SUMMARY
Under current law, certain privately owned, multifamily housing
projects must have at least one emergency power generator if they are
in a municipality with a population between 130,000 and 134,999. This
bill raises the upper population limit to 139,999 (see BACKGROUND).
As under existing law, this requirement applies only to a housing
project that has at least 15 stories, age -restricted dwelling units, and a
mortgage insured under the federal National Housing Act. And, as
under existing law, the emergency generators must be able to power, for
at least four to 12 hours, the building’s passenger elevators and units’
heating, water, lighting, and critical medical equipment.
EFFECTIVE DATE: October 1, 2026
BACKGROUND
According to the Department of Public Health’s 2024 annual town
and county population estimates, New Haven and Stamford have
populations between 130,00 0 and 139,999. No municipalities have
populations within the range in current law.
COMMITTEE ACTION
Aging Committee
Joint Favorable
Yea 13 Nay 1 (03/05/2026)