AN ACT CONCERNING THE EXPANSION OF THE CRISIS INITIATIVE PILOT PROGRAM THROUGHOUT THE STATE.

Senate
SB374 / File No. 300 1

General Assembly File No. 300
February Session, 2026 Senate Bill No. 374

Senate, April 1, 2026

The Committee on Public Safety and Security reported through
SEN. GASTON of the 23rd Dist., Chairperson of the Committee
on the part of the Senate, that the bill ought to pass.

AN ACT CONCERNING THE EXPANSION OF THE CRISIS INITIATIVE
PILOT PROGRAM THROUGHOUT THE STATE.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General
Assembly convened:

Section 1. (NEW) ( Effective from passage ) Not later than January 1, 1
2027, the Division of State Police within the Department of Emergency 2
Services and Public Protection shall, in conjunction with the Department 3
of Mental Health and Addiction Services, expand the pilot program 4
known as the CRISIS Initiative: Connection to Recovery through 5
Intervention, Support and Initiating Services throughout the state. 6
This act shall take effect as follows and shall amend the following
sections:

Section 1 from passage New section

PS Joint Favorable

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SB374 / File No. 300 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 Emergency Services and Public
Protection (DESPP), in conjunction with the Department of Mental
Health and Addiction Services, to expand the CRISIS program
statewide by January 1, 2027.
PA 25-168, the FY 26 and FY 27 Budget, provides funding for DESPP
to expand the CRISIS program statewide beginning in FY 27, therefore
the agency is expected to meet the requirements of the bill within its
anticipated resources.
The Out Years
State Impact: None
Municipal Impact: None

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SB374 / File No. 300 3

OLR Bill Analysis
SB 374

AN ACT CONCERNING THE EXPANSION OF THE CRISIS
INITIATIVE PILOT PROGRAM THROUGHOUT THE STATE.

SUMMARY
This bill requires the State Police, in conjunction with the Department
of Mental Health and Addiction Services (DMHAS), to expand the
Connection to Recovery through Intervention, Support and Initiating
Services Initiative pilot program (CRISIS Initiative) throughout the state
by January 1, 2027.
EFFECTIVE DATE: Upon passage
BACKGROUND
CRISIS Initiative Pilot Program
The CRISIS Initiative pilot program has generally established
procedures among specific State Police and DMHAS personnel for
referring and handling incidents involving people with addiction
disorders or mental health conditions as well as other crisis incidents.
The program began in 2017 with DMHAS assigning a full-time licensed
clinician social worker to State Police Troop E, which is based out of
Montville and generally covers southeast Connecticut. The 2021 budget
implementer expanded the program to Troo p D, which is based out of
Killingly and generally covers northeast Connecticut (PA 21 -2, June
Special Session, § 75).
Related Bill
sHB 5003, § 22, favorably reported by the Labor and Public
Employees Committee, also requires the expansion of the CRISIS
Initiative throughout the state, but it also requires the expanded
program to at least include the pilot program’s components that require
state police officer training, coordination between state police officers
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SB374 / File No. 300 4

and mental health professionals, and referrals to mental health services
facilities.
COMMITTEE ACTION
Public Safety and Security Committee
Joint Favorable
Yea 29 Nay 0 (03/17/2026)