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Senate
SB287 / File No. 78 1
General Assembly File No. 78
February Session, 2026 Senate Bill No. 287
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 REQUIRING HOME HEALTH AIDE AGENCIES TO PROVIDE
CERTAIN PERSONAL PROTECTIVE EQUIPMENT TO HOME HEALTH
AIDES.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General
Assembly convened:
Section 1. (NEW) (Effective October 1, 2026) (a) As used in this section: 1
(1) "Home health aide agency" has the same meaning as provided in 2
section 19a-490 of the general statutes, (2) "home health aide employee" 3
means a person (A) who is employed as a home health aide by a home 4
health aide agency, or (B) with whom such agency has contracted to 5
provide home health aide services on behalf of such agency, (3) "home 6
health aide services" has the same meaning as provided in section 19a -7
490 of the general statutes, and (4) "personal protective equipment" 8
includes, but is not limited to, disposable gloves, hand sanitizers, 9
aprons, gowns, foot covers, face shields, N95 masks or higher rated 10
masks certified by the National Institute for Occupational Safety and 11
Health and surgical masks. 12
(b) Each home health aide agency shall provide each home health 13
aide employee, at no cost, personal protective equipment that is 14
necessary to safely provide home health aide services to each client of a 15
SB287 File No. 78
SB287 / File No. 78 2
home health aide employee. 16
This act shall take effect as follows and shall amend the following
sections:
Section 1 October 1, 2026 New section
AGE Joint Favorable
SB287 File No. 78
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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 requires home health aide agencies to provide their
home health aide employees and contractors certain personal protective
equipment (PPE) for no cost, does not result in a fiscal impact to the
state.
The Out Years
State Impact: None
Municipal Impact: None
SB287 File No. 78
SB287 / File No. 78 4
OLR Bill Analysis
SB 287
AN ACT REQUIRING HOME HEALTH AIDE AGENCIES TO PROVIDE
CERTAIN PERSONAL PROTECTIVE EQUIPMENT TO HOME
HEALTH AIDES.
SUMMARY
This bill requires home health aide agencies to provide their home
health aide employees and contractors certain personal protective
equipment (PPE) for free. Under the bill, agencies must give these
employees and contractors PPE that is necessary for them to safely
provide home health aide services to each client and may include,
among other things, (1) disposable gloves; (2) hand sanitizer; (3) aprons,
gowns, and foot covers; and (4) face shields, surgical masks, N95 masks,
or higher -rated masks that are certified by the National Institute for
Occupational Safety and Health.
EFFECTIVE DATE: October 1, 2026
BACKGROUND
Home Health Aide Services
A home health aide agency provides supportive services in a
patient’s home or a similar environment. These services may include
assisting with personal hygiene, dressing, feeding, and incidental
household management tasks, but exclude assisting individuals with
their daily living activities when they have a chronic and stable disease
or condition. Services must be provided under the supervision of a
registered nurse.
COMMITTEE ACTION
Aging Committee
Joint Favorable
Yea 14 Nay 0 (03/05/2026)