Connecticut 2025 Regular Session

Connecticut House Bill HB07010 Compare Versions

Version 1 (Old)

Version 2 (New)

Old	New		Differences
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3		-	LCO 1 of 3
	3	+	LCO No. 4565 1 of 3
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5		-	General Assembly ~~Substitute~~ Bill No. 7010
	5	+	General Assembly Raised Bill No. 7010
6	6		January Session, 2025
	7	+	LCO No. 4565
7	8
	9	+
	10	+	Referred to Committee on EDUCATION
	11	+
	12	+
	13	+	Introduced by:
	14	+	(ED)
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12	19		AN ACT CONCERNING PARAEDUCATORS.
13	20		Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General
14	21		Assembly convened:
15	22
16	23		Section 1. Section 203 of public act 23-204, as amended by section 124 1
17	24		of public act 24-81, is repealed and the following is substituted in lieu 2
18	25		thereof (Effective July 1, 2025): 3
19	26		(a) As used in this section: 4
20	27		(1) "Health benefit plan" has the same meaning as provided in section 5
21	28		38a-1080 of the general statutes, and 6
22	29		(2) "Partnership plan" has the same meaning as provided in section 3-7
23	30		123aaa of the general statutes. 8
24	31		(b) For the fiscal years ending June 30, 2024, [and June 30, 2025] to 9
25		-	June 30, ~~2027~~, inclusive, the Comptroller shall establish a program to 10
	32	+	June 30, 2026, inclusive, the Comptroller shall establish a program to 10
26	33		provide a subsidy, within available appropriations, to each 11
27	34		paraeducator who (1) opens a health savings account, pursuant to 12
28	35		Section 223 of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, or any subsequent 13
29	36		corresponding internal revenue code of the United States, as amended 14
	37	+	Raised Bill No. 7010
	38	+
	39	+
	40	+
	41	+	LCO No. 4565 2 of 3
	42	+
30	43		from time to time, or is eligible for Medicare and enrolls in a high 15
31	44		deductible health plan, and (2) is employed by a local or regional board 16
32		-	of education. Such subsidy shall be in an amount up to a certain 17 Substitute Bill No. 7010
33		-
34		-
35		-	LCO 2 of 3
36		-
	45	+	of education. Such subsidy shall be in an amount up to a certain 17
37	46		percentage, as specified by the Comptroller, of the deductible for the 18
38	47		health plan in which such paraeducator is enrolled, minus the amount 19
39	48		of any employer contributions to a health savings account or health 20
40	49		reimbursement account, and not exceeding an amount specified by the 21
41	50		Comptroller. No paraeducator may receive more than one subsidy in 22
42	51		any fiscal year pursuant to this section. The Comptroller may work with 23
43	52		the local or regional board of education that employs such paraeducator 24
44	53		to distribute such subsidy. 25
45		-	(c) For the fiscal [year] years ending June 30, 2025, to June 30, ~~2027~~, 26
46		-	~~inclusive,~~ the Comptroller shall establish a program to provide a 27
47		-	~~subsidy, from~~ any funds appropriated for such purpose, to each local or 28
48		-	~~regional board~~ of education that provides coverage to paraeducators 29
49		-	~~and their~~ dependents under a health benefit plan or a partnership plan 30
50		-	~~for such~~ fiscal year or any portion thereof. Such subsidy shall be (1) in 31
51		-	~~an amount~~ not more than ten per cent of the aggregate premium cost, 32
52		-	~~inclusive of~~ the employee and employer shares, paid by such board of 33
53		-	~~education for~~ coverage under such health benefit plan or partnership 34
54		-	~~plan, divided by~~ the number of paraeducators employed by such board 35
55		-	~~of education and~~ enrolled in health coverage, and (2) used to offset the 36
56		-	~~employee's share~~ of such premium that is deducted from the payroll 37
57		-	~~check of each~~ paraeducator employed by such board of education 38
58		-	~~during any pay~~ period during such fiscal year. The provisions of this 39
59		-	~~subsection shall~~ not apply to a local or regional board of education that 40
60		-	~~provides~~ coverage under a high deductible health plan, as that term is 41
61		-	~~used in~~ subsection (f) of section 38a-520 of the general statutes. 42
	54	+	(c) For the fiscal [year] years ending June 30, 2025, and June 30, 2026, 26
	55	+	the Comptroller shall establish a program to provide a subsidy, from 27
	56	+	any funds appropriated for such purpose, to each local or regional board 28
	57	+	of education that provides coverage to paraeducators and their 29
	58	+	dependents under a health benefit plan or a partnership plan for such 30
	59	+	fiscal year or any portion thereof. Such subsidy shall be (1) in an amount 31
	60	+	not more than ten per cent of the aggregate premium cost, inclusive of 32
	61	+	the employee and employer shares, paid by such board of education for 33
	62	+	coverage under such health benefit plan or partnership plan, divided by 34
	63	+	the number of paraeducators employed by such board of education and 35
	64	+	enrolled in health coverage, and (2) used to offset the employee's share 36
	65	+	of such premium that is deducted from the payroll check of each 37
	66	+	paraeducator employed by such board of education during any pay 38
	67	+	period during such fiscal year. The provisions of this subsection shall 39
	68	+	not apply to a local or regional board of education that provides 40
	69	+	coverage under a high deductible health plan, as that term is used in 41
	70	+	subsection (f) of section 38a-520 of the general statutes. 42
62	71		(d) The Comptroller and the Commissioner of Education shall enter 43
63	72		into a memorandum of understanding, in accordance with the 44
64	73		provisions of section 4-97b of the general statutes, to allow the 45
65	74		Comptroller to utilize the sum of $5,000,000 that is appropriated to the 46
66	75		Department of Education for assistance to paraeducators pursuant to 47
	76	+	Raised Bill No. 7010
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	79	+
	80	+	LCO No. 4565 3 of 3
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67	82		section 1 of public act 23-204 to implement the provisions of this section. 48
68	83		Sec. 2. (NEW) (Effective July 1, 2025) (a) Notwithstanding any 49
69		-	provision of the general statutes, each local and regional board of 50 Substitute Bill No. 7010
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71		-
72		-	LCO 3 of 3
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	84	+	provision of the general statutes, each local and regional board of 50
74	85		education shall pay for each paraeducator employed by such board the 51
75	86		full employee contribution required pursuant to the municipal 52
76	87		employees' retirement system or any other retirement system in which 53
77	88		such board participates, provided such payment shall not exceed the 54
78	89		amount of the full employee contribution required pursuant to the 55
79	90		municipal employees' retirement system. 56
80	91		(b) The Comptroller shall annually pay to each local or regional board 57
81	92		of education not less than fifty per cent of the cost to such board for the 58
82	93		payment of the employee contribution for retirement benefits pursuant 59
83	94		to subsection (a) of this section. 60
84	95		This act shall take effect as follows and shall amend the following
85	96		sections:
86	97
87	98		Section 1 July 1, 2025 PA 23-204, Sec. 203
88	99		Sec. 2 July 1, 2025 New section
89	100
90		-	ED Joint Favorable Subst. C/R APP
	101	+	Statement of Purpose:
	102	+	To (1) continue for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2026, the Comptroller's
	103	+	subsidy program for the health care savings account or health care
	104	+	coverage of paraeducators, (2) require boards of education to pay the
	105	+	full employee contribution to the municipal employees' retirement
	106	+	system for paraeducators, and (3) require the Comptroller to annually
	107	+	reimburse such boards fifty per cent of the amount of such payments.
	108	+
	109	+	[Proposed deletions are enclosed in brackets. Proposed additions are indicated by underline, except
	110	+	that when the entire text of a bill or resolution or a section of a bill or resolution is new, it is not
	111	+	underlined.]
91	112