Substitute Senate Bill No. 5
Public Act No. 24-74
AN ACT CONCERNING SCHOOL RESOURCES.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General
Assembly convened:
Section 1. Subsections (a) to (c), inclusive, of section 17b-749 of the
2024 supplement to the general statutes are repealed and the following
is substituted in lieu thereof (Effective July 1, 2024):
(a) The Commissioner of Early Childhood shall establish and operate
a child care subsidy program to increase the availability, affordability
and quality of child care services for families with a parent or caretaker
who (1) is (A) working or attending high school, or (B) subject to the
provisions of subsection (d) of this section, is enrolled or participating
in (i) a public or independent institution of higher education, (ii) a
private career school authorized pursuant to sections 10a-22a to 10a-22o,
inclusive, (iii) a job training or employment program administered by a
regional workforce development board, (iv) an apprenticeship program
administered by the Labor Department's office of apprenticeship
training, (v) an alternate route to certification program approved by the
State Board of Education, (vi) an adult education program pursuant to
section 10-69 or other high school equivalency program, or (vii) a local
Even Start program or other adult education program approved by the
Commissioner of Early Childhood; [or] (2) receives cash assistance
under the temporary family assistance program from the Department of Substitute Senate Bill No. 5
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Social Services and is participating in an education, training or other job
preparation activity approved pursuant to subsection (b) of section 17b-
688i or subsection (b) of section 17b-689d; or (3) is the parent or legal
guardian of a child who is enrolled in Medicaid. Services available
under the child care subsidy program shall include the provision of
child care subsidies for children under the age of thirteen or children
under the age of nineteen with special needs. The Commissioner of
Early Childhood may institute a protective service class in which the
commissioner may waive eligibility requirements for at -risk
populations that meet the guidelines prescribed by the commissioner,
and subject to review by the Secretary of the Office of Policy and
Management. Such at-risk populations are children placed in a foster
home by the Department of Children and Families and for whom the
parent or legal guardian receives foster care payments, adopted children
for one year from the date of adoption and homeless children and
youths, as defined in 42 USC 11434a, as amended from time to time. The
Office of Early Childhood shall open and maintain enrollment for the
child care subsidy program and shall administer such program within
the existing budgetary resources available. The office shall issue a notice
on the office's Internet web site any time the office closes the program to
new applications, changes eligibility requirements, changes program
benefits or makes any other change to the program's status or terms,
except the office shall not be required to issue such notice when the
office expands program eligibility. Any change in the office's acceptance
of new applications, eligibility requirements, program benefits or any
other change to the program's status or terms for which the office is
required to give notice pursuant to this subsection, shall not be effective
until thirty days after the office issues such notice.
(b) The commissioner shall establish income standards for applicants
and recipients at a level to include a family with gross income up to fifty
per cent of the state-wide median income, except the commissioner: (1)
[may] May increase the income level up to the maximum level allowed Substitute Senate Bill No. 5
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under federal law, (2) upon the request of the Commissioner of Children
and Families, may waive the income standards for adoptive families so
that children adopted on or after October 1, 1999, from the Department
of Children and Families are eligible for the child care subsidy program,
and (3) shall establish a two-tiered income eligibility threshold in
accordance with 45 CFR 98.21(b), as amended from time to time. The
commissioner may adopt regulations in accordance with chapter 54 to
establish income criteria and durational requirements for such waiver
of income standards.
(c) The commissioner, in consultation with the Commissioner of
Social Services, shall establish eligibility and program standards
including, but not limited to: (1) A priority intake and eligibility system
with preference given to serving (A) recipients of temporary family
assistance who are employed or engaged in employment activities
under the Department of Social Services' "Jobs First" program, (B)
working families whose temporary family assistance was discontinued
not more than five years prior to the date of application for the child care
subsidy program, (C) teen parents, (D) low-income working families,
(E) adoptive families of children who were adopted from the
Department of Children and Families and who are granted a waiver of
income standards under subdivision (2) of subsection (b) of this section,
(F) working families who are at risk of welfare dependency, (G) parents
or caretakers participating in an apprenticeship program administered
by the Labor Department's office of apprenticeship training, (H) parents
or caretakers enrolled in an adult education program pursuant to
section 10-69 or other high school equivalency program, (I) parents or
caretakers participating in a job training or employment program
administered by a regional workforce development board, [and] (J)
parents or caretakers enrolled in a public or independent institution of
higher education, and (K) parents or legal guardians of children
enrolled in Medicaid; (2) health and safety standards for child care
providers not required to be licensed; (3) a reimbursement system for Substitute Senate Bill No. 5
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child care services which account for differences in the age of the child,
number of children in the family, the geographic region and type of care
provided by licensed and unlicensed caregivers, the cost and type of
services provided by licensed and unlicensed caregivers, successful
completion of fifteen hours of annual in-service training or credentialing
of child care directors and administrators, and program accreditation;
(4) supplemental payment for special needs of the child and extended
nontraditional hours; (5) an annual rate review process for providers
which assures that reimbursement rates are maintained at levels which
permit equal access to a variety of child care settings; (6) a sliding
reimbursement scale for participating families; (7) an administrative
appeals process; (8) an administrative hearing process to adjudicate
cases of alleged fraud and abuse and to impose sanctions and recover
overpayments; (9) an extended period of program and payment
eligibility when a parent who is receiving a child care subsidy
experiences a temporary interruption in employment or other approved
activity; and (10) a waiting list for the child care subsidy program that
(A) allows the commissioner to exercise discretion in prioritizing within
and between existing priority groups, including, but not limited to,
children described in 45 CFR 98.46, as amended from time to time, and
households with an infant or toddler, and (B) reflects the priority and
eligibility system set forth in subdivision (1) of this subsection, which is
reviewed periodically, with the inclusion of this information in the
annual report required to be issued annually by the office to the
Governor and the General Assembly in accordance with section 17b-733.
Such action will include, but not be limited to, family income, age of
child, region of state and length of time on such waiting list.
Sec. 2. Subsection (c) of section 10-266aa of the 2024 supplement to
the general statutes is repealed and the following is substituted in lieu
thereof (Effective July 1, 2024):
(c) The program shall be phased in as provided in this subsection. (1) Substitute Senate Bill No. 5
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For the school year commencing in 1998, and for each school year
thereafter, the program shall be in operation in the Hartford, New
Haven and Bridgeport regions. The Hartford program shall operate as
a continuation of the program described in section 10-266j. Students
who reside in Hartford, New Haven or Bridgeport may attend school in
another school district in the region and students who reside in such
other school districts may attend school in Hartford, New Haven or
Bridgeport, provided, beginning with the 2001-2002 school year, the
proportion of students who are not minority students to the total
number of students leaving Hartford, Bridgeport or New Haven to
participate in the program shall not be greater than the proportion of
students who were not minority students in the prior school year to the
total number of students enrolled in Hartford, Bridgeport or New
Haven in the prior school year. The regional educational service center
operating the program shall make program participation decisions in
accordance with the requirements of this subdivision. (2) For the school
year commencing in 2000, and for each school year thereafter, the
program shall be in operation in New London, provided beginning with
the 2001-2002 school year, the proportion of students who are not
minority students to the total number of students leaving New London
to participate in the program shall not be greater than the proportion of
students who were not minority students in the prior year to the total
number of students enrolled in New London in the prior school year.
The regional educational service center operating the program shall
make program participation decisions in accordance with this
subdivision. (3) The Department of Education may provide, within
available appropriations, grants for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2003,
to the remaining regional educational service centers to assist school
districts in planning for a voluntary program of student enrollment in
every priority school district, pursuant to section 10-266p, which is
interested in participating in accordance with this subdivision. For the
school year commencing in 2003, and for each school year thereafter, the
voluntary enrollment program may be in operation in every priority Substitute Senate Bill No. 5
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school district in the state. Students from other school districts in the
area of a priority school district, as determined by the regional
educational service center pursuant to subsection (d) of this section, may
attend school in the priority school district, provided such students
bring racial, ethnic and economic diversity to the priority school district
and do not increase the racial, ethnic and economic isolation in the
priority school district. (4) For the school year commencing July 1, [2022]
2024, and each school year thereafter, there shall be a pilot program in
operation in Danbury and Norwalk. The pilot program shall serve (A)
up to fifty students who reside in Danbury, and such students may
attend school in the school districts for the towns of New Fairfield,
Brookfield, Bethel, Ridgefield and Redding, and (B) up to fifty students
who (i) reside in Norwalk, and such students may attend school in the
school districts for the towns of Darien, New Canaan, Wilton, Weston
and Westport, and (ii) reside in Darien, New Canaan, Wilton, Weston
and Westport, and such students may attend school in the school district
for the town of Norwalk. School districts which receive students [from
Danbury and Norwalk] under this subdivision as part of the pilot
program [during the school year commencing July 1, 2022,] shall allow
such students to attend school in the district until they graduate from
high school. (5) For the school year commencing July 1, 2022, and each
school year thereafter, the town of Guilford shall be eligible to
participate in the program as a receiving district and a sending district
with New Haven.
Sec. 3. Subdivision (3) of subsection (g) of section 10-266aa of the 2024
supplement to the general statutes is repealed and the following is
substituted in lieu thereof (Effective July 1, 2024):
(3) [(A) For the fiscal year ending June 30, 2023, the department shall
provide a grant to the local or regional board of education for each
receiving district described in subdivision (4) of subsection (c) of this
section in an amount of four thousand dollars for each out-of-district Substitute Senate Bill No. 5
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student who resides in Danbury or Norwalk and attends school in the
receiving district under the pilot program.]
[(B)] (A) For the fiscal year ending June 30, [2024] 2025, and each fiscal
year thereafter, the department shall provide an annual grant to the
local or regional board of education for each receiving district described
in subdivision (4) of subsection (c) of this section for each out-of-district
student who [resides in Danbury or Norwalk and] attends school in the
receiving district under the pilot program in accordance with the
provisions of subdivisions (1) and (2) of this subsection.
[(C)] (B) Not later than January 1, 2025, the department shall submit
a report on the pilot program in operation in Danbury and Norwalk,
pursuant to subdivision (4) of subsection (c) of this section, to the joint
standing committees of the General Assembly having cognizance of
matters relating to education and appropriations, in accordance with the
provisions of section 11-4a. Such report shall include, but need not be
limited to, the total number of students participating in the pilot
program, the number of students from each town participating in the
pilot program, the total amount of the grant paid under the pilot
program and the amount of the grant paid to each town participating in
the pilot program.
Sec. 4. (Effective July 1, 2024) Not later than January 1, 2026, the
Commissioner of Social Services and the Commissioner of Early
Childhood shall enter into a memorandum of understanding for the
purpose of sharing, to the extent permissible under federal law,
Medicaid enrollment data between the Department of Social Services
and the Office of Early Childhood for individuals enrolled in Medicaid
and seeking enrollment in the child care subsidy program established
pursuant to section 17b-749 of the general statutes, as amended by this
act. Such Medicaid enrollment data shall be used by the Office of Early
Childhood for the limited purpose of assisting such individuals in the
application process for the child care subsidy program by minimizing Substitute Senate Bill No. 5
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the amount of information that such individuals are required to submit
to the Office of Early Childhood during such application process.
Sec. 5. Section 6 of public act 23-167 is repealed and the following is
substituted in lieu there (Effective July 1, 2024):
(a) For the fiscal years ending June 30, [2024] 2025, to June 30, [2026]
2027, inclusive, the Department of Education shall administer a
wholesome school meals pilot program that awards a grant to an
alliance district, as defined in section 10-262u of the general statutes, as
amended by [this act] public act 23-167, for the purpose of embedding a
professional chef in such alliance district to assist school meal programs
in building the capacity of food service staff, improving school meal
quality, increasing diner satisfaction, streamlining operations and
establishing a financially viable school meal program. [The department
shall partner with an organization that specializes in the placement of
chefs for the purposes described in this subsection.]
(b) [Not later than October 1, 2023, a] A local or regional board of
education for a town designated as an alliance district may apply to the
department, in a form and manner prescribed by the department, for a
grant under this section.
(c) The department shall review each application submitted under
subsection (b) of this section and award up to five grants under this
section. Each grant recipient shall receive an annual grant of one
hundred fifty thousand dollars in each year of the pilot program. Such
grant shall be expended for the purposes described in subsection (a) of
this section.
(d) Not later than January 1, [2027] 2028, the department shall submit
a report on the wholesome school meals pilot program to the joint
standing committees of the General Assembly having cognizance of
matters relating to education and appropriations, in accordance with the Substitute Senate Bill No. 5
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provisions of section 11-4a of the general statutes.
Sec. 6. Section 370 of public act 22-118, as amended by section 42 of
public act 23-167, is repealed and the following is substituted in lieu
thereof (Effective from passage):
(a) There is established a working group to study and make
recommendations related to indoor air quality within school buildings.
Such recommendations shall include, but need not be limited to:
(1) The optimal humidity and temperature ranges to ensure healthy
air and promote student learning;
(2) Threshold school air quality emergency conditions warranting
temporary school closures based on the presence of insufficient heat, an
excessive combination of indoor temperature and humidity levels, or
some other thresholds;
(3) Criteria for rating the priority of heating, ventilation and air
conditioning repair and remediation needs, including the public health
condition and needs of the students attending a school;
(4) Optimal heating, ventilation and air conditioning system
performance benchmarks for minimizing the spread of infectious
disease;
(5) Protocols to be used by school districts to receive, investigate and
address complaints or evidence of mold, pest infestation, hazardous
odors or chemicals and poor indoor air-quality;
(6) The frequency with which local and regional boards of education
should be providing for a uniform inspection and evaluation program
of the indoor air quality within school buildings, such as the
Environmental Protection Agency's Indoor Air Quality Tools for
Schools Program, and whether such program should be provided for at Substitute Senate Bill No. 5
Public Act No. 24-74 10 of 16
all schools or only at those constructed before or after a certain date;
(7) Best practices and guidance for (A) the proper maintenance of
heating, ventilation and air conditions systems in school buildings,
including the frequency and scope of such maintenance, (B) conducting
the uniform inspection and evaluation of such systems pursuant to
subdivision (3) of subsection (d) of section 10-220 of the general statutes,
as amended by this act, including (i) the addition of appropriate
professionals who may perform such uniform inspection and
evaluation, (ii) which professionals may perform certain portions of
such uniform inspection and evaluation, and (iii) the timing and manner
of how such uniform inspection and evaluation may be performed, and
(C) the procurement of services for such uniform inspection and
evaluation;
(8) A system of equitable distribution of funds, based on need, under
the heating, ventilation and air conditioning system grant program
pursuant to section 10-265r of the general statutes, as amended by this
act;
(9) Ways to make the reports and results of the uniform inspections
and evaluations of the indoor air quality and heating, ventilation and
air conditioning systems of school buildings, conducted pursuant to
section 10-220 of the general statutes, as amended by this act, as
amended by public act 22-118 and this act, accessible and searchable;
(10) A model request for proposals that local and regional boards of
education may use when procuring services for the uniform inspection
and evaluation of such systems pursuant to subdivision (3) of
subsection (d) of section 10-220 of the general statutes, as amended by
this act;
[(10)] (11) Any other criteria affecting school indoor air quality; and
[(11)] (12) Proposals for legislation to carry out any of the Substitute Senate Bill No. 5
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recommendations of the working group.
(b) The working group shall consist of the following members:
(1) Three appointed by the president pro tempore of the Senate, one
of whom is a representative of ConnectiCOSH, one of whom is a
representative of the [Associated Sheet Metal and Roofing Contractors
of Connecticut] Connecticut Chapter of the Sheet Metal and Air
Conditioning Contractors' National Association, and one of whom is a
member of the Senate;
(2) Three appointed by the speaker of the House of Representatives,
one of whom is a specialist in the field of children's health, one of whom
is a representative of the Connecticut State Building Trades Council, and
one of whom is a member of the House of Representatives;
(3) [Two] Three appointed by the majority leader of the Senate, one
of whom is a representative of the American Federation of Teachers-
Connecticut, [and] one of whom is a representative of the Connecticut
Association of Public School Superintendents and one of whom is a
school building official with experience in operations and finance,
infrastructure renewal and project management;
(4) [Two] Three appointed by the majority leader of the House of
Representatives, one of whom is a representative of the Connecticut
Education Association, [and] one of whom is a representative of the
Connecticut Association of Boards of Education and one of whom is a
representative of the Capitol Region Council of Governments;
(5) Two appointed by the minority leader of the Senate, one of whom
is a specialist in the field of medicine on respiratory health and one of
whom is a representative of the Council of Small Towns;
(6) Two appointed by the minority leader of the House, one of whom
is an industrial hygienist from The University of Connecticut Health Substitute Senate Bill No. 5
Public Act No. 24-74 12 of 16
Center and one of whom is a representative of the Mechanical
Contractors Association of Connecticut;
(7) Two appointed by the Governor, one of whom is a school nurse
and one of whom is a representative of the Connecticut Conference of
Municipalities;
(8) The Secretary of the Office of Policy and Management, or the
Secretary's designee;
(9) The Commissioner of Education, or the commissioner's designee;
(10) The Commissioner of Administrative Services, or the
commissioner's designee;
(11) The Labor Commissioner, or the commissioner's designee;
(12) The Commissioner of Public Health, or the commissioner's
designee;
(13) The Commissioner of Consumer Protection, or the
commissioner's designee; and
(14) The Commissioner of Energy and Environmental Protection, or
the commissioner's designee.
(c) All appointments to the working group shall be made not later
than sixty days after the effective date of this section. Any vacancy shall
be filled by the appointing authority.
(d) The member of the Senate appointed by the president pro
tempore of the Senate pursuant to subdivision (1) of subsection (b) of
this section and the member of the House of Representatives appointed
by the speaker of the House of Representatives pursuant to subdivision
(2) of subsection (b) of this section shall serve as the chairpersons of the
working group. Such chairpersons shall schedule the first meeting of the Substitute Senate Bill No. 5
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working group, which shall be held not later than sixty days after the
effective date of this section.
(e) (1) Not later than [July 1, 2024] January 1, 2025, and annually
thereafter until January 1, 2030, the working group shall submit [a] an
interim report on its findings and recommendations to the Governor
and the joint standing committees of the General Assembly having
cognizance of matters relating to education, labor and public health, in
accordance with the provisions of section 11-4a of the general statutes.
(2) Not later than January 1, 2031, the working group shall submit a
final report on its findings and recommendations to the Governor and
the joint standing committees of the General Assembly having
cognizance of matters relating to education, labor and public health, in
accordance with the provisions of section 11-4a of the general statutes.
(3) The working group shall terminate on July 1, [2024] 2030, or on
the submission of the final report, whichever is later.
Sec. 7. Subdivision (3) of subsection (d) of section 10-220 of the 2024
supplement to the general statutes is repealed and the following is
substituted in lieu thereof (Effective July 1, 2024):
(3) [Prior to January 1, 2025, and every five years thereafter, a] (A) For
the period commencing July 1, 2026, and ending and including June 30,
2031, each local or regional board of education shall provide for a
uniform inspection and evaluation of the heating, ventilation and air
conditioning system within each school building under its jurisdiction.
During such period, the board shall provide such inspection for at least
twenty per cent of the schools under its jurisdiction in each year until
each such school has been inspected. Each such school shall be so
inspected every five years thereafter. The Department of Administrative
Services may, upon request of a local or regional board of education,
grant a waiver of the provisions of this subparagraph if the department Substitute Senate Bill No. 5
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finds that (i) there is an insufficient number of certified testing, adjusting
and balancing technicians, industrial hygienists certified by the
American Board of Industrial Hygiene or the Board for Global EHS
Credentialing, or mechanical engineers to perform such inspection and
evaluation, or (ii) such board has scheduled such inspection and
evaluation for a date in the subsequent year. Such waiver shall be valid
for a period not to exceed one year.
(B) Such inspection and evaluation shall be performed by a certified
testing, adjusting and balancing technician, an industrial hygienist
certified by the American Board of Industrial Hygiene or the Board for
Global EHS Credentialing, or a mechanical engineer. Such heating,
ventilation and air conditioning systems inspection and evaluation shall
include, but need not be limited to: [(A)] (i) Testing for maximum filter
efficiency, [(B)] (ii) physical measurements of outside air delivery rate,
[(C)] (iii) verification of the appropriate condition and operation of
ventilation components, [(D)] (iv) measurement of air distribution
through all system inlets and outlets, [(E)] (v) verification of unit
operation and that required maintenance has been performed in
accordance with the most recent indoor ventilation standards
promulgated by the American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and
Air-Conditioning Engineers, [(F)] (vi) verification of control sequences,
[(G)] (vii) verification of carbon dioxide sensors and acceptable carbon
dioxide concentrations indoors, and [(H)] (viii) collection of field data
for the installation of mechanical ventilation if none exist. The
ventilation systems inspection and evaluation shall identify to what
extent each school's current ventilation system components, including
any existing central or noncentral mechanical ventilation system, are
operating in such a manner as to provide appropriate ventilation to the
school building in accordance with most recent indoor ventilation
standards promulgated by the American Society of Heating,
Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers. The inspection and
evaluation shall result in a written report, and such report shall include Substitute Senate Bill No. 5
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any corrective actions necessary to be performed to the mechanical
ventilation system or the heating, ventilation and air conditioning
infrastructure, including installation of filters meeting the most optimal
level of filtration available for a given heating, ventilation and air
conditioning system, installation of carbon dioxide sensors and
additional maintenance, repairs, upgrades or replacement. Any such
corrective actions shall be performed, where appropriate, by a
contractor, who is licensed in accordance with chapter 393. Any local or
regional board of education conducting an inspection and evaluations
pursuant to this subsection shall [(i)] (I) make available for public
inspection the results of such inspection and evaluation at a regularly
scheduled meeting of such board and on the Internet web site of such
board and on the Internet web site, if any, of each individual school, and
[(ii)] (II) submit the report and results of such inspection and evaluation
to the Department of Administrative Services using the form developed
pursuant to section 10-231h. A local or regional board of education shall
not be required to provide for a uniform inspection and evaluation
under this subdivision for any school building that will cease to be used
as a school building within the three years from when such inspection
and evaluation is to be performed. Any local or regional board of
education that has provided for an inspection that was performed in a
different format, but is deemed equivalent by the department, may use
such inspection in lieu of a uniform inspection and evaluation under this
subdivision. [The Department of Administrative Services may, upon
request of a local or regional board of education, grant a waiver of the
January 1, 2025, deadline for the provision of a uniform inspection and
evaluation under this subdivision if the department finds that (I) there
is an insufficient number of certified testing, adjusting and balancing
technicians, industrial hygienists certified by the American Board of
Industrial Hygiene or the Board for Global EHS Credentialing or
mechanical engineers to perform such inspection and evaluation, or (II)
such board has scheduled such inspection and evaluation for a date after
January 1, 2025. Such waiver shall be valid for one year.] Substitute Senate Bill No. 5
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Sec. 8. Subdivision (3) of subsection (b) of section 10-265r of the 2024
supplement to the general statutes is repealed and the following is
substituted in lieu thereof (Effective July 1, 2024):
(3) The commissioner shall not award a grant under the program to
any applicant that, on or after July 1, [2024] 2026, has not certified
compliance with the uniform inspection and evaluation of an existing
heating, ventilation and air conditioning system pursuant to subsection
(d) of section 10-220, as amended by this act.