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SB00426 • 2026

AN ACT CONCERNING GOVERNMENT OVERSIGHT OF ENERGY REGULATION IN THE STATE.

AN ACT CONCERNING GOVERNMENT OVERSIGHT OF ENERGY REGULATION IN THE STATE.

Energy
Passed Legislature

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

Sponsor
Government Oversight Committee
Last action
2026-04-01
Official status
File Number 310
Effective date
Not listed

Plain English Breakdown

The effective date is listed as 'from passage,' meaning the law started working when signed, though no specific signing date is provided in the text.

Study on State Energy Regulation Structure

This law requires the Department of Administrative Services to hire a consultant to study how energy regulation is organized in Connecticut and compare it with other states.

What This Bill Does

  • Requires the Department of Administrative Services to ask for proposals from consultants by October 1, 2026.
  • Sets rules for choosing a consultant based on cost, timeline, and experience.
  • Directs the selected consultant to study the structure of the Public Utilities Regulatory Authority and the Department of Energy and Environmental Protection.
  • Asks the consultant to check if past laws achieved their goals and helped meet state energy targets.
  • Requires the consultant to look at how other states handle utility regulation, including those with deregulated utilities.
  • Mandates that a report with findings and recommendations be sent to General Assembly committees by January 1, 2028.

Who It Names or Affects

  • The Department of Administrative Services
  • The Public Utilities Regulatory Authority
  • The Department of Energy and Environmental Protection
  • General Assembly committees focused on energy and government oversight

Terms To Know

Request for proposals
A formal process where an agency asks companies to submit plans and prices for a job.
Public Utilities Regulatory Authority
The state group that oversees utility companies like electric, gas, water, and telephone providers.

Limits and Unknowns

  • The law does not say what specific changes will be made to energy laws after the study finishes.
  • The final cost depends on which consultant is hired, though it cannot exceed $1.6 million.
  • The text does not list exactly which other states must be included in the comparison.

Bill History

  1. 2026-04-01 LCO

    Reported Out of Legislative Commissioners' Office

  2. 2026-04-01 Connecticut General Assembly

    Favorable Report, Tabled for the Calendar, Senate

  3. 2026-04-01 Connecticut General Assembly

    Senate Calendar Number 220

  4. 2026-04-01 LCO

    File Number 310

  5. 2026-03-26 LCO

    Referred to Office of Legislative Research and Office of Fiscal Analysis 03/31/26 5:00 PM

  6. 2026-03-17 GOS

    Joint Favorable Substitute

  7. 2026-03-17 LCO

    Filed with Legislative Commissioners' Office

  8. 2026-03-06 Connecticut General Assembly

    Public Hearing 03/10

  9. 2026-03-05 Connecticut General Assembly

    Referred to Joint Committee on Government Oversight

Official Summary Text

To require the Department of Administrative Services to issue a request for proposals for a consultant to study the existing structure of the Public Utilities Regulatory Authority.

Current Bill Text

Read the full stored bill text 
Senate
sSB426 / File No. 310 1

General Assembly File No. 310
February Session, 2026 Substitute Senate Bill No. 426

Senate, April 1, 2026

The Committee on Government Oversight reported through
SEN. GADKAR-WILCOX of the 22nd Dist., Chairperson of the
Committee on the part of the Senate, that the substitute bill
ought to pass.

AN ACT CONCERNING GOVERNMENT OVERSIGHT OF ENERGY
REGULATION IN THE STATE.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General
Assembly convened:

Section 1. (Effective from passage) (a) Not later than October 1, 2026, the 1
Department of Administrative Services shall issue a request for 2
proposals to hire a national consultant with expertise in qualitative 3
research to conduct an impartial study and make findings as outlined in 4
subsection (d) of this section. The deadline for responding to the request 5
for proposals shall be not more than seventy-five days from the date of 6
issuance of the request for proposals. 7
(b) The department shall develop criteria for evaluating proposals 8
relating to conducting such study, including, but not limited to, (1) the 9
anticipated cost of completing such a study; (2) the anticipated timeline 10
for completing such a study; and (3) the experience of the entity 11
responding to the proposal relevant to conducting and completing such 12
a study. 13
sSB426 File No. 310

sSB426 / File No. 310 2

(c) Not later than February 1, 2027, the department shall evaluate the 14
proposals submitted under subsection (b) of this section and select an 15
entity that submitted a proposal to conduct the study. 16
(d) The selected entity that conducts such study shall (1) examine the: 17
(A) Structure of the Department of Energy and Environmental 18
Protection and the Public Utilities Regulatory Authority and determine 19
if the legislative changes made in public act 11 -80 creating the 20
Department of Energy and Environmental Protection accomplished the 21
General Assembly's intended objectives, as indicated by legislative 22
history and other records, and whether such legislative changes yielded 23
benefits for the state, such as progress on the state's energy goals; and 24
(B) structure of energy policy -making and utility regulation in other 25
states, including, but not limited to, states that have deregulated 26
utilities, and (2) make any recommendations for changes to the existing 27
structure to reflect best practices in other states. 28
(e) Not later than January 1, 2028, the Department of Administrative 29
Services shall submit the findings of such study and any 30
recommendations, in accordance with the provisions of section 11-4a of 31
the general statutes, to the joint standing committees of the General 32
Assembly having cognizance of matters relating to energy and 33
government oversight. 34
This act shall take effect as follows and shall amend the following
sections:

Section 1 from passage New section

GOS Joint Favorable Subst.

sSB426 File No. 310

sSB426 / File No. 310 3

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:
Agency Affected Fund-Effect FY 27 $ FY 28 $
Department of Administrative
Services
GF - Cost Up to
1,600,000
None
Note: GF=General Fund

Municipal Impact: None
Explanation
The bill result s in a one -time cost of up to $1.6 million to the
Department of Administrative Services to conduct a study related to
energy regulation in the state. The study is required to analyze the
effectiveness of the Department of Energy and Environmental
Protection, the Public Utilities Regulatory Authority, energy policy and
regulation, and make recommendations for changes to the existing
structure to reflect best practices in other states.
The Out Years
None.

sSB426 File No. 310

sSB426 / File No. 310 4

OLR Bill Analysis
sSB 426

AN ACT CONCERNING GOVERNMENT OVERSIGHT OF ENERGY
REGULATION IN THE STATE.

SUMMARY
The Office of Legislative Research does not analyze Special Acts.
COMMITTEE ACTION
Government Oversight Committee
Joint Favorable Substitute
Yea 12 Nay 0 (03/17/2026)