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sSB312 / File No. 652 1
General Assembly File No. 652
February Session, 2026 Substitute Senate Bill No. 312
Senate, April 16, 2026
The Committee on Appropriations reported through SEN.
OSTEN of the 19th Dist., Chairperson of the Committee on the
part of the Senate, that the substitute bill ought to pass.
AN ACT ESTABLISHING AN AMERICAN SIGN LANGUAGE
EDUCATION WORKING GROUP AND CONCERNING CURRICULUM
GUIDANCE FOR AMERICAN SIGN LANGUAGE INSTRUCTION.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General
Assembly convened:
Section 1. (NEW) ( Effective January 1, 2027 ) (a) The Department of 1
Education shall establish an American Sign Language education 2
working group that consists of (1) a representative from each of the 3
following: The Departments of Education and Aging and Disability 4
Services, the Labor Department, the Office of Higher Education, the 5
Connecticut Council of Language Teachers, the American School for the 6
Deaf and the Connecticut Association of the Deaf, and (2) at least one 7
American Sign Language instructor who teaches in a public school in 8
the state. 9
(b) The working group shall provide recommendations to the 10
Department of Education regarding the following: 11
(1) Curriculum guidance for American Sign Language instruction 12
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that includes, but is not limited to, aligning such curriculum with 13
nationally recognized proficiency frameworks; 14
(2) Teacher certification standards based on standards established by 15
the American Sign Language Teachers Association and the American 16
Sign Language Proficiency Interview that include, at a minimum, (A) 17
establishment of a proficiency benchmark, (B) recognition of an 18
alternative certification pathway for native American Sign Language 19
users and interpreters, and (C) reciprocity with American Sign 20
Language teaching certifications from other states; and 21
(3) Guidance to educator preparation programs in the state 22
concerning, but not limited to, the (A) expansion of American Sign 23
Language and interpretation education programs, (B) creation of 24
educational incentives, such as tuition support, credit enhancement or 25
alternative route programs, and (C) establishment of bridge, 26
endorsement or alternative programs for native American Sign 27
Language users and certified interpreters seeking teacher certification. 28
(c) Not later than January 1, 2028, and annually thereafter, the 29
Department of Education shall submit a progress report, in accordance 30
with the provisions of section 11 -4a of the general statutes, to the joint 31
standing committee of the General Assembly having cognizance of 32
matters relating to education concerning the work of the American Sign 33
Language education working group. 34
Sec. 2. (NEW) ( Effective July 1, 2026 ) Not later than July 1, 2030, the 35
Department of Education shall issue to each local and regional board of 36
education the guidance developed pursuant to subdivision (1) of 37
subsection (b) of section 1 of this act to ensure consistent 38
implementation of the American Sign Language portion of the world 39
languages curriculum required pursuant to section 10-16b of the general 40
statutes. 41
This act shall take effect as follows and shall amend the following
sections:
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Section 1 January 1, 2027 New section
Sec. 2 July 1, 2026 New section
Statement of Legislative Commissioners:
In Section 1(a), "which shall consist" was changed to "that consists" and
in Section 1(b)(2), "includes, but is not limited to" was changed to
"include, at a minimum" for clarity.
ED Joint Favorable Subst. C/R APP
APP Joint Favorable Subst.
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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 establishes an American Sign Language working
group, has no fiscal impact as the working group has the necessary
expertise to carry out the requirements of the bill.
The Out Years
State Impact: None
Municipal Impact: None
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OLR Bill Analysis
sSB 312
AN ACT ESTABLISHING AN AMERICAN SIGN LANGUAGE
EDUCATION WORKING GROUP AND CONCERNING CURRICULUM
GUIDANCE FOR AMERICAN SIGN LANGUAGE INSTRUCTION.
SUMMARY
This bill requires the State Department of Education (SDE) to
establish the American Sign Language (ASL) education working group
with at least eight members to make recommendations to SDE on (1)
curriculum guidance for ASL instruction, (2) teacher certification
standards based on standards set by the ASL Teachers Association and
the ASL Proficiency Interview, and (3) guidance to educator preparation
programs in the state for (a) expanding ASL and interpretation
education programs and (b) incentives to become an ASL educator.
The working group must have a representative from (1) SDE, (2) the
Aging and Disability Services Department, (3) the Labor Department,
(4) the Office of Higher Education, (5) the Connecticut Council of
Language Teachers, (6) the American School for the Deaf , and (7) the
Connecticut Association of the Deaf . It must also include at least one
ASL instructor who teaches in a public school in the state.
Starting by January 1, 2028, SDE must annually report to the
Education Committee on the working group’s progress.
By July 1, 2030, SDE must issue the ASL instruction curriculum
guidance described in the bill to each local and regional board of
education to ensure consistent implementation of ASL as part of the
world languages curriculum required under state law . By law, world
languages includes ASL if it is taught by a qualified instructor who is
supervised by a certified teacher.
EFFECTIVE DATE: January 1, 2027, except the requirement to issue
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curriculum guidance is effective July 1, 2026.
WORKING GROUP DUTIES
The bill requires the working group’s recommendations to address:
1. ASL instruction curriculum guidance that includes aligning the
curriculum with nationally recognized proficiency frameworks;
2. teacher certification standards based on standards set by the ASL
Teachers Association and the ASL Proficiency Interview ,
including (a) establishing a proficiency benchmark, ( b)
recognizing an alternative certification pathway for native ASL
users and interpreters, and ( c) reciprocity with ASL teaching
certifications from other states; and
3. guidance for educator preparation programs in the state on (a)
expanding ASL and interpretation education programs ; (b)
creating educational incentives, such as tuition support, credit
enhancement, or alternative route programs; and (c) establishing
bridge, endorsement , or alternative programs for native ASL
users and certified interpreters seeking teacher certification.
COMMITTEE ACTION
Education Committee
Joint Favorable Substitute Change of Reference - APP
Yea 45 Nay 0 (03/16/2026)
Appropriations Committee
Joint Favorable Substitute
Yea 51 Nay 0 (04/01/2026)