SB00357 • 2026

AN ACT CONCERNING UNEMPLOYMENT DEPENDENCY ALLOWANCE.

Children Labor

Passed Legislature

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

Sponsor: Labor and Public Employees Committee
Last action: 2026-04-20
Official status: Favorable Report, Tabled for the Calendar, Senate
Effective date: Not listed

Plain English Breakdown

The official source material does not provide details on specific limits regarding the number of dependents or adjustments if more dependents are acquired during the benefit year. These statements were removed as they are not supported by the provided text.

Unemployment Dependency Allowance Increase

This act increases the dependency allowance for individuals eligible to receive unemployment benefits.

What This Bill Does

Changes the amount of money an individual receives as a dependency allowance from $15 to $45 per week.

Who It Names or Affects

Individuals who are eligible to receive unemployment benefits and have dependents living in the same household.

Terms To Know

Dependency allowance: Extra money given to someone receiving unemployment benefits if they support a spouse or children financially.
Benefit year: A period of one year used by the government to determine eligibility for unemployment benefits and dependency allowances.

Limits and Unknowns

The act does not specify how the increase in allowance will be funded.
It is unclear what happens if an individual's total support exceeds $100% of their unemployment benefit rate.

Bill History

2026-04-20 LCO
Filed with Legislative Commissioners' Office
2026-04-20 LCO
Reported Out of Legislative Commissioners' Office
2026-04-20 Connecticut General Assembly
No New File by Committee on Appropriations
2026-04-20 Connecticut General Assembly
Favorable Report, Tabled for the Calendar, Senate
2026-04-17 APP
Joint Favorable
2026-04-15 Connecticut General Assembly
Senate Adopted Senate Amendment Schedule A 4165
2026-04-15 Connecticut General Assembly
Referred by Senate to Committee on Appropriations
2026-04-15 Connecticut General Assembly
Immediate Transmittal
2026-04-07 LCO
Reported Out of Legislative Commissioners' Office
2026-04-07 Connecticut General Assembly
Favorable Report, Tabled for the Calendar, Senate
2026-04-07 Connecticut General Assembly
Senate Calendar Number 276
2026-04-07 LCO
File Number 464
2026-03-30 LCO
Referred to Office of Legislative Research and Office of Fiscal Analysis 04/07/26 12:00 PM
2026-03-19 LAB
Joint Favorable
2026-03-19 LCO
Filed with Legislative Commissioners' Office
2026-03-06 Connecticut General Assembly
Public Hearing 03/10
2026-02-26 Connecticut General Assembly
Referred to Joint Committee on Labor and Public Employees

Official Summary Text

To increase the amount an individual, who is eligible to receive benefits for unemployment, receives in dependency allowance.

Current Bill Text

Read the full stored bill text

LCO 2126 1 of 2

General Assembly Raised Bill No. 357
February Session, 2026 LCO No. 2126

Referred to Committee on LABOR AND PUBLIC
EMPLOYEES

Introduced by:
(LAB)

AN ACT CONCERNING UNEMPLOYMENT DEPENDENCY
ALLOWANCE.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General
Assembly convened:

Section 1. Section 31 -234 of the general statutes is repealed and the 1
following is substituted in lieu thereof (Effective July 1, 2028): 2
Each individual who is eligible to receive benefits for unemployment 3
with respect to any week shall be paid with respect to such week a 4
dependency allowance of [fifteen] forty-five dollars for such 5
individual's nonworking spouse, as defined by regulation, living in the 6
same household with such individual and for each of such individual's 7
children or stepchildren who at the beginning of the individual's current 8
benefit year were being wholly or mainly supported by such individual 9
and were under eighteen years of age or under twenty-one years of age 10
and in full-time attendance in a secondary school, a technical school, a 11
college, or state accredited job training program, or who at the 12
beginning of the individual's benefit year were mentally or physically 13
handicapped and because of such handicap were being wholly or 14
Raised Bill No. 357

LCO 2126 2 of 2

mainly supported by such individual, but in no event shall such 15
allowances exceed the number of whole dollars in one hundred per cent 16
of the total unemployment benefit rate of such individual or be paid 17
with respect to more than five dependents. If the individual acquires 18
any additional dependents in the course of a benefit year, the 19
dependency allowance shall be adjusted accordingly during the next 20
following complete calendar week. Dependency allowances shall be in 21
addition to the unemployment benefits otherwise payable and shall not 22
be considered part of an individual's total unemployment benefit rate 23
and no dependency allowance shall be payable with respect to any week 24
unless an unemployment benefit is also payable with respect to such 25
week. If both spouses receive benefits with respect to a week of 26
unemployment, neither shall be entitled to a dependency allowance 27
with respect to the other and only one of them shall be entitled to a 28
dependency allowance with respect to any child or stepchild. 29
This act shall take effect as follows and shall amend the following
sections:

Section 1 July 1, 2028 31-234

LAB Joint Favorable
APP Joint Favorable