AN ACT CONCERNING JURISDICTION OVER FARMING OCCURRING ON CERTAIN STATE LANDS.

Plain English Breakdown

Checked against official source text during the last sync.

Moving Oversight of Farming on State Lands to Agriculture Department

This law moves the responsibility for managing farming activities on state-owned land from the Department of Energy and Environmental Protection to the Department of Agriculture.

What This Bill Does

• Transfers oversight of farming on state property, including lands managed by the Department of Energy and Environmental Protection, to the Department of Agriculture.
• Applies this change even if other laws say something different about who manages these lands.
• Requires new lease agreements for farming to be signed between farmers and the Department of Agriculture when current leases are renewed.

Who It Names or Affects

• The Department of Energy and Environmental Protection
• The Department of Agriculture
• Farmers who hold or renew leases on state-owned land

Terms To Know

Oversight

The power to manage, watch over, and make rules for an activity.

Lease agreement

A written contract that allows someone to use land owned by another person or group for a set time.

Limits and Unknowns

• The law only changes who manages farming on state lands; it does not change rules about what can be grown.
• This rule takes effect starting July 1, 2026.

Official Summary Text

To transfer oversight of farming occurring on certain state lands from the Department of Energy and Environmental Protection to the Department of Agriculture.

Current Bill Text

LCO No. 2420 1 of 2

General Assembly Raised Bill No. 455
February Session, 2026 LCO No. 2420

Referred to Committee on ENVIRONMENT

Introduced by:
(ENV)

AN ACT CONCERNING JURISDICTION OVER FARMING OCCURRING
ON CERTAIN STATE LANDS.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General
Assembly convened:

Section 1. (NEW) ( Effective July 1, 2026 ) Notwithstanding any 1
provision of the general statutes, any farming that occurs on any state -2
owned property, including, but not limited to, any property under the 3
care, custody or control of the Department of Energy and 4
Environmental Protection, shall be overseen by the Department of 5
Agriculture. Any lease agreement for any such farming shall, upon 6
renewal of such lease agreement, be entered into between the 7
Department of Agriculture and the respective lessor. 8
This act shall take effect as follows and shall amend the following
sections:

Section 1 July 1, 2026 New section

Raised Bill No. 455

LCO No. 2420 2 of 2

Statement of Purpose:
To transfer oversight of farming occurring on certain state lands from
the Department of Energy and Environmental Protection to the
Department of Agriculture.

[Proposed deletions are enclosed in brackets. Proposed additions are indicated by underline, except
that when the entire text of a bill or resolution or a section of a bill or resolution is new, it is not
underlined.]