AN ACT CONCERNING THE TITLING OF BILLS.

Senate
sSB385 / File No. 562 1

General Assembly File No. 562
February Session, 2026 Substitute Senate Bill No. 385

Senate, April 9, 2026

The Committee on Government Administration and Elections
reported through SEN. FLEXER of the 29th Dist., Chairperson
of the Committee on the part of the Senate, that the substitute
bill ought to pass.

AN ACT CONCERNING THE TITLING OF BILLS.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General
Assembly convened:

Section 1. Section 2 -56 of the general statutes is repealed and the 1
following is substituted in lieu thereof (Effective October 1, 2026): 2
(a) The legislative commissioners shall: 3
[(a)] (1) Collect and compare the laws of this and other states 4
pertaining to any subject upon which they are requested to report by the 5
Governor or any committee or member of the General Assembly; 6
[(b)] (2) Collect upon request of the General Assembly all available 7
information relating to any matter which is the subject of proposed 8
legislation by the General Assembly; 9
[(c)] (3) Prepare or advise in the preparation of any bill or resolution 10
when requested to do so by the Governor or any member of the General 11
Assembly; 12
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[(d)] (4) Upon request of the Governor, advise the Governor 13
concerning any bill which has been passed by the General Assembly and 14
has been or is to be presented to the Governor for his approval or 15
disapproval; 16
[(e) Before any bill is favorably reported to either branch of the 17
General Assembly, either commissioner shall approve its form and note 18
his certification to such effect on such bill. If such commissioner 19
disapproves of the form of any bill submitted to him, he shall return 20
such bill to the committee from which it was received with his 21
disapproval and the reasons therefor noted thereon. Either 22
commissioner shall, on request of the member introducing an 23
amendment, examine the same as to form and return it to the member 24
with his approval, or with his disapproval with the reasons therefor 25
noted thereon. After all amendments to any bill have been adopted by 26
either house of the General Assembly before final passage, such bill and 27
the amendments shall be immediately turned over to either 28
commissioner by the clerk of such house. Such commissioner shall 29
examine such bill, as amended, as to its form, shall cause the amended 30
sections of it to be reprinted as amended, unless reprinting is waived by 31
the majority and minority leaders of such house, and shall return it to 32
such clerk with his approval or disapproval, with the reasons therefor, 33
noted thereon. If such bill, as amended, is disapproved as to form, such 34
clerk shall call such disapproval to the attention of the General 35
Assembly. If any bill is amended during the last five session days, it 36
shall be so submitted to either commissioner but the amended sections 37
of it need not be reprinted. This subsection shall not apply to any 38
amendment adopted solely for the correction of clerical errors or errors 39
as to form or dates, except that a copy of any such amendment shall be 40
immediately transmitted to either commissioner by the clerk of the 41
house in which it is first adopted;] 42
[(f)] (5) Render such research and advisory services to the Joint 43
Committee on Legislative Management as said committee requests; and 44
[(g)] (6) Consolidate and codify all the statutes and public acts of the 45
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state, and arrange and codify the same under chapter and sections with 46
headnotes, annotations and references to original text and to any 47
decisions of the Supreme Court interpreting the same, and revise such 48
volumes thereof as have become obsolete by reason of the number of 49
amendments thereto or related legislation subsequently enacted. One 50
copy of such consolidation and codification and of each revised volume 51
shall be filed in the office of the Secretary of the State. 52
(b) The legislative commissioners shall choose an appropriate title for 53
all bills. In the case of a bill to be favorably reported by a committee of 54
the General Assembly, any member of the committee may object to the 55
title of the bill prior to a committee vote to favorably report the bill, and 56
if the member and the legislative commissioners cannot agree on the bill 57
title, the title shall be "An Act Concerning Matters Related To" followed 58
by the name of the committee of cognizance. In the case of a bill on the 59
calendar of either house of the General Assembly, any member of such 60
house may object to the title of the bill prior to voting on the bill, and if 61
the member and the legislative commissioners cannot agree on the bill 62
title, the title shall be "An Act Concerning Matters Related To" followed 63
by the name of the committee of cognizance. 64
(c) Before any bill is favorably reported to either house of the General 65
Assembly, either commissioner shall approve its form and note the 66
commissioner's certification to such effect on such bill. If such 67
commissioner disapproves of the form of any bill submitted to such 68
commissioner, the commissioner shall return such bill to the committee 69
from which it was received with the commissioner's disapproval and 70
the reasons therefor noted thereon. Either commissioner shall, on 71
request of the member introducing an amendment, examine the same as 72
to form and return it to the member with the commissioner's approval 73
or disapproval, and in the case of a disapproval, with the reasons 74
therefor noted thereon. After all amendments to any bill have been 75
adopted by either house of the General Assembly before final passage, 76
such bill and the amendments shall be immediately turned over to either 77
commissioner by the clerk of such house. Such commissioner shall 78
examine such bill, as amended, as to its form, shall cause the amended 79
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sections of it to be reprinted as amended, unless reprinting is waived by 80
the majority and minority leaders of such house, and shall return it to 81
such clerk with the commissioner's approval or disapproval, with the 82
reasons therefor, noted thereon. If such bill, as amended, is disapproved 83
as to form, such clerk shall call such disapproval to the attention of the 84
General Assembly. If any bill is amended during the last five session 85
days, it shall be so submitted to either commissioner but the amended 86
sections of it need not be reprinted. This subsection shall not apply to 87
any amendment adopted solely for the correction of clerical errors or 88
errors as to form or dates, except that a copy of any such amendment 89
shall be immediately transmitted to either commissioner by the clerk of 90
the house in which it is first adopted. 91
This act shall take effect as follows and shall amend the following
sections:

Section 1 October 1, 2026 2-56

GAE 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 alters the process for the titling of bills and does not result in
a fiscal impact to the state.
The Out Years
State Impact: None
Municipal Impact: None

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OLR Bill Analysis
sSB 385

AN ACT CONCERNING THE TITLING OF BILLS.

SUMMARY
This bill requires the legislative commissioners to choose an
appropriate title for all bills. The bill authorizes a committee member,
prior to a vote to favorably report a bill, and a member of either house,
prior to voting on a bill on the calendar of either house, to object to the
bill title. If the member and the legislative commissioners cannot agree
on the bill title, the bill requires the title to be “An Act Concerning
Matters Related To” followed by the name of the committee of
cognizance.
It is unclear whether the bill’s provisions apply to budget, deficiency,
and other appropriations bills, which by law must have certain titles (see
CGS § 2-34).
The bill also makes minor technical changes.
EFFECTIVE DATE: October 1, 2026
COMMITTEE ACTION
Government Administration and Elections Committee
Joint Favorable Substitute
Yea 19 Nay 0 (03/23/2026)