KLS Keeping Law Simple Legislation in plain English

Straight-ahead summaries built from the official bill text. We keep the source links front and center and leave the decision up to you.

Back to Connecticut

SB00445 • 2026

AN ACT CONCERNING THE ADVISORY COMMISSION ON INTERGOVERNMENTAL RELATIONS AND REPORTS CONCERNING STATE MANDATES.

AN ACT CONCERNING THE ADVISORY COMMISSION ON INTERGOVERNMENTAL RELATIONS AND REPORTS CONCERNING STATE MANDATES.

Education
Passed Legislature

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

Sponsor
Planning and Development Committee
Last action
2026-04-23
Official status
Moved to Foot of the Calendar, Senate
Effective date
Not listed

Plain English Breakdown

The official source does not provide details on cost implications or compliance penalties, leaving these points as unknowns.

A Law About State Mandates on the Web

This law requires a special group to keep information about state rules that affect local governments on their website instead of sending reports every four years.

What This Bill Does

  • Changes how the Advisory Commission on Intergovernmental Relations shares information about state mandates.
  • Requires the commission to maintain an online record of all existing state mandates affecting municipalities and school districts.
  • Directs the commission to select at least three specific mandates every two years, analyze their impact on local finances and operations, and recommend any modifications or repeal.

Who It Names or Affects

  • The Advisory Commission on Intergovernmental Relations
  • Local governments and school districts affected by state mandates

Terms To Know

Advisory Commission on Intergovernmental Relations
A group that advises on issues between different levels of government.
State Mandates
Rules or requirements set by the state that local governments must follow.

Limits and Unknowns

  • The bill does not specify how much it will cost to implement these changes.
  • It is unclear if there are any specific penalties for failing to comply with this law.

Bill History

  1. 2026-04-23 Connecticut General Assembly

    Moved to Foot of the Calendar, Senate

  2. 2026-03-30 LCO

    Reported Out of Legislative Commissioners' Office

  3. 2026-03-30 Connecticut General Assembly

    Favorable Report, Tabled for the Calendar, Senate

  4. 2026-03-30 Connecticut General Assembly

    Senate Calendar Number 184

  5. 2026-03-30 LCO

    File Number 229

  6. 2026-03-23 LCO

    Referred to Office of Legislative Research and Office of Fiscal Analysis 03/30/26 12:00 PM

  7. 2026-03-16 LCO

    Filed with Legislative Commissioners' Office

  8. 2026-03-13 PD

    Joint Favorable Substitute

  9. 2026-03-06 Connecticut General Assembly

    Public Hearing 03/11

  10. 2026-03-05 Connecticut General Assembly

    Referred to Joint Committee on Planning and Development

Official Summary Text

To require the Advisory Commission on Intergovernmental Relations to maintain certain information and recommendations concerning state mandates on the commission's Internet web site.

Current Bill Text

Read the full stored bill text 
Senate
sSB445 / File No. 229 1

General Assembly File No. 229
February Session, 2026 Substitute Senate Bill No. 445

Senate, March 30, 2026

The Committee on Planning and Development reported
through SEN. RAHMAN of the 4th Dist., Chairperson of the
Committee on the part of the Senate, that the substitute bill
ought to pass.

AN ACT CONCERNING THE ADVISORY COMMISSION ON
INTERGOVERNMENTAL RELATIONS AND REPORTS CONCERNING
STATE MANDATES.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General
Assembly convened:

Section 1. Subsections (c) and (d) of section 2 -79a of the general 1
statutes are repealed and the following is substituted in lieu thereof 2
(Effective from passage): 3
(c) [On or before the second Wednesday after the convening of the 4
regular session of the General Assembly in 2020 , and every four years 5
thereafter on such second Wednesday, the commission shall submit to 6
the General Assembly a report which lists ] The commission shall 7
maintain on the commission's Internet web site a record of each existing 8
state mandate, as defined in subsection (a) of section 2-32b. [, and which 9
(1) categorizes ] Such record shall categorize each mandate as 10
constitutional, statutory or executive, and [(2) describes] describe the 11
potential impacts on local governments implementing the mandate. [In 12
sSB445 File No. 229

sSB445 / File No. 229 2

each report the commission may also make recommendations on state 13
mandates for consideration by the commission. On and after October 1, 14
1996, the report shall be submitted to the joint standing committee of the 15
General Assembly having cognizance of matters relating to 16
appropriations and budgets of state agencies, to any other joint standing 17
committee of the General Assembly having cognizance and, upon 18
request, to any member of the General Assembly. A summary of the 19
report shall be submitted to each member of the General Assembly if the 20
summary is two pages or less and a notification of the report shall be 21
submitted to each member if the summary is more than two pages. 22
Submission shall be by mailing the report, summary or notification to 23
the legislative address of each member of the committees or the General 24
Assembly, as applicable. The provisions of this subsection shall not be 25
construed to prevent the commission from making more frequent 26
recommendations on state mandates.] 27
(d) [Commencing on or before January 15, 1997, and every year] Not 28
later than January 15, 2027, and not less than every two years thereafter, 29
[except a year in which a report is filed pursuant to subsection (c) of this 30
section,] the commission shall [submit to the General Assembly a 31
supplement to the report required in said subsection identifying any 32
new mandates adopted and any mandates changed in the previous 33
year] select not fewer than three state mandates, as defined in section 2-34
32b, from the record maintained pursuant to subsection (c) of this 35
section, pertaining to municipalities or school districts, and create a 36
report (1) analyzing the net additional cost or savings to municipalities 37
or school districts realized as a result of each such mandate, (2) 38
describing any efficiencies or difficulties arising from each such 39
mandate, and (3) recommending any modifications to or the repeal of 40
each such mandate, as applicable. The commission shall publish such 41
report on the commission's Internet web site. The provisions of this 42
subsection shall not be construed to prevent the commission from 43
making more frequent recommendations concerning state mandates. 44
sSB445 File No. 229

sSB445 / File No. 229 3

This act shall take effect as follows and shall amend the following
sections:

Section 1 from passage 2-79a(c) and (d)

PD Joint Favorable Subst.

sSB445 File No. 229

sSB445 / File No. 229 4

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 places various reporting requirements on the Advisory
Commission on Intergovernmental Relations (ACIR) which is staffed by
the Office of Policy and Management (OPM). This does not result in a
fiscal impact to the state as OPM has the expertise and resources
necessary to meet these requirements.
The Out Years
State Impact: None
Municipal Impact: None

sSB445 File No. 229

sSB445 / File No. 229 5

OLR Bill Analysis
sSB 445

AN ACT CONCERNING THE ADVISORY COMMISSION ON
INTERGOVERNMENTAL RELATIONS AND REPORTS
CONCERNING STATE MANDATES.

SUMMARY
This bill requires the Advisory Commission on Intergovernmental
Relations (ACIR) to a keep a record on its website of every state mandate
that impacts municipalities, rather than requiring it to publish a report
with this information every four years , as current law requires . It also
creates a new reporting requirement that focuses on three mandates
every two years.
By law, ACIR must report on state mandate s (including those in the
constitution, in statute, or from the executive branch) that require
municipalities to spend their local revenue and describe each mandate’s
potential impact on them. Under current law, i t must do so at least
every four years and then (1) mail each legislator a copy, a summary, or
notice of the report and (2) submit the full report to the Appropriations
Committee. In other years, it must compile a supplement covering any
new or changed mandates.
Under the bill, ACIR must instead keep this information updated on
its website. And, instead of the supplement, ACIR must select at least
three mandates impacting municipalities or school districts and , for
each, report on: (1) municipalities’ or districts’ n et costs or savings due
to the mandate, (2) any efficiencies or difficulties it caused, and (3) any
recommendations ACIR has to change the mandate, which could
include repealing it. ACIR must do this report at least every two years,
with the first due by January 15, 2027, and post it on its website.
EFFECTIVE DATE: Upon passage
sSB445 File No. 229

sSB445 / File No. 229 6

BACKGROUND
Related Bill
sHB 5324, favorably reported by the Education Committee, requires
the Education Mandate Review Advisory Council to annually review
each education mandate passed in the previous legislative session and
at least 10 existing ones.
COMMITTEE ACTION
Planning and Development Committee
Joint Favorable Substitute
Yea 21 Nay 0 (03/13/2026)