Connecticut 2025 Regular Session

Connecticut Senate Bill SB01114 Compare Versions

OldNewDifferences
11
22
3-LCO 3551 1 of 11
3+LCO No. 3551 1 of 11
44
55 General Assembly Raised Bill No. 1114
66 January Session, 2025
77 LCO No. 3551
88
99
1010 Referred to Committee on HIGHER EDUCATION AND
1111 EMPLOYMENT ADVANCEMENT
1212
1313
1414 Introduced by:
1515 (HED)
16+
1617
1718
1819
1920 AN ACT CONCERNING THE LEGISLATIVE COMMISSIONERS'
2021 RECOMMENDATIONS FOR TECHNICAL REVISIONS TO THE HIGHER
2122 EDUCATION STATUTES.
2223 Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General
2324 Assembly convened:
2425
2526 Section 1. Subsection (a) of section 4-124z of the general statutes is 1
2627 repealed and the following is substituted in lieu thereof (Effective July 1, 2
2728 2025): 3
2829 (a) Not later than January 1, 2022, and as necessary thereafter, the 4
2930 board of the Technical Education and Career System, in consultation 5
3031 with the Chief Workforce Officer, the Labor Commissioner, the 6
3132 Commissioners of Economic and Community Development, Education 7
3233 and Social Services, the Secretary of the Office of Policy and 8
3334 Management and the chancellor of the Connecticut State Colleges and 9
3435 Universities and one member of industry representing each of the 10
3536 economic clusters identified by the Commissioner of Economic and 11
3637 Community Development pursuant to section 32-1m shall (1) review, 12
3738 evaluate and, as necessary, recommend improvements for certification 13
38-and degree programs offered by the Technical Education and Career 14 Raised Bill No. 1114
39+and degree programs offered by the Technical Education and Career 14
40+Raised Bill No. 1114
3941
4042
41-LCO 3551 2 of 11
43+
44+LCO No. 3551 2 of 11
4245
4346 System and the community-technical college system to ensure that such 15
4447 programs meet the employment needs of business and industry, (2) 16
4548 develop strategies to strengthen the linkage between skill standards for 17
4649 education and training and the employment needs of business and 18
4750 industry, (3) assess the unmet demand from employers in the state to 19
4851 hire graduates of trade programs from technical education and career 20
4952 schools and the unmet demand from students in the state to enroll in a 21
5053 trade program at a technical education and career school, and (4) assess 22
5154 opportunities to increase utilization of technical education and career 23
5255 schools during [after school] after-school hours and on weekends. 24
5356 Sec. 2. Subsection (b) of section 4-124ff of the general statutes is 25
5457 repealed and the following is substituted in lieu thereof (Effective July 1, 26
5558 2025): 27
5659 (b) There is established a Council of Advisors on Strategies for the 28
5760 Knowledge Economy to promote the formation of university-industry 29
5861 partnerships, identify benchmarks for technology-based workforce 30
5962 innovation and competitiveness and advise the award process for (1) 31
6063 [for] innovation challenge grants to public postsecondary schools and 32
6164 their business partners, and (2) grants under section 4-124hh. The 33
6265 council shall be chaired by the Secretary of the Office of Policy and 34
6366 Management and shall include the Commissioner of Economic and 35
6467 Community Development, the chancellor of the Connecticut State 36
6568 Colleges and Universities, the Labor Commissioner, the Chief 37
6669 Workforce Officer, the chief executive officer of Connecticut 38
6770 Innovations, Incorporated and four representatives from the technology 39
6871 industry, one of whom shall be appointed by the president pro tempore 40
6972 of the Senate, one of whom shall be appointed by the speaker of the 41
7073 House of Representatives, one of whom shall be appointed by the 42
7174 minority leader of the Senate and one of whom shall be appointed by 43
7275 the minority leader of the House of Representatives. 44
7376 Sec. 3. Subsection (a) of section 10-16z of the general statutes is 45
7477 repealed and the following is substituted in lieu thereof (Effective July 1, 46
75-2025): 47 Raised Bill No. 1114
78+Raised Bill No. 1114
7679
7780
78-LCO 3551 3 of 11
7981
82+LCO No. 3551 3 of 11
83+
84+2025): 47
8085 (a) There is established the Early Childhood Cabinet. The cabinet 48
8186 shall consist of: (1) The Commissioner of Early Childhood, or the 49
8287 commissioner's designee, (2) the Commissioner of Education, or the 50
8388 commissioner's designee, (3) the Commissioner of Social Services, or the 51
8489 commissioner's designee, (4) the chancellor of the Connecticut State 52
8590 Colleges and Universities, or the chancellor's designee, (5) the 53
8691 Commissioner of Public Health, or the commissioner's designee, (6) the 54
8792 Commissioner of Developmental Services, or the commissioner's 55
8893 designee, (7) the Commissioner of Children and Families, or the 56
8994 commissioner's designee, (8) the executive director of the Commission 57
9095 on Women, Children, Seniors, Equity and Opportunity or the executive 58
9196 director's designee, (9) the project director of the Connecticut Head Start 59
9297 State Collaboration Office, (10) a parent or guardian of a child who 60
9398 attends or attended a school readiness program appointed by the 61
9499 minority leader of the House of Representatives, (11) a representative of 62
95100 a local provider of early childhood education appointed by the minority 63
96101 leader of the Senate, (12) a representative of the Connecticut Family 64
97102 Resource Center Alliance appointed by the majority leader of the House 65
98103 of Representatives, (13) a representative of a state-funded child care 66
99104 center appointed by the majority leader of the Senate, (14) two 67
100105 appointed by the speaker of the House of Representatives, one of whom 68
101106 is a member of a board of education for a town designated as an alliance 69
102107 district, as defined in section 10-262u, and one of whom is a parent who 70
103108 has a child attending a school in an educational reform district, as 71
104109 defined in section 10-262u, (15) two appointed by the president pro 72
105110 tempore of the Senate, one of whom is a representative of an association 73
106111 of early education and child care providers and one of whom is a 74
107112 representative of a public elementary school with a prekindergarten 75
108113 program, (16) ten appointed by the Governor, one of whom is a 76
109114 representative of the Connecticut Head Start Association, one of whom 77
110115 is a representative of the business community in this state, one of whom 78
111116 is a representative of the philanthropic community in this state, one of 79
117+Raised Bill No. 1114
118+
119+
120+
121+LCO No. 3551 4 of 11
122+
112123 whom is a representative of the Connecticut State Employees 80
113124 Association, one of whom is an administrator of the child care 81
114-development block grant pursuant to the Child Care and Development 82 Raised Bill No. 1114
115-
116-
117-LCO 3551 4 of 11
118-
125+development block grant pursuant to the Child Care and Development 82
119126 Block Grant Act of 1990, one of whom is responsible for administering 83
120127 grants received under [section] Section 1419 of Part B of the Individuals 84
121128 with Disabilities Education Act, 20 USC 1419, as amended from time to 85
122129 time, one of whom is responsible for administering the provisions of 86
123130 Title I of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act, 20 USC 6301 et 87
124131 seq., one of whom is responsible for coordinating education services to 88
125132 children and youth who are homeless, one of whom is a licensed family 89
126133 child care home provider and a member of a staffed family child care 90
127134 network identified by the Commissioner of Early Childhood, and one of 91
128135 whom is a parent recommended by a parent advisory group that has 92
129136 been appointed by the Commissioner of Early Childhood, (17) the 93
130137 Secretary of the Office of Policy and Management, or the secretary's 94
131138 designee, (18) the Lieutenant Governor, or the Lieutenant Governor's 95
132139 designee, (19) the Commissioner of Housing, or the commissioner's 96
133140 designee, and (20) the Commissioner of Mental Health and Addiction 97
134141 Services, or the commissioner's designee. 98
135142 Sec. 4. Subsection (c) of section 10-220q of the general statutes is 99
136143 repealed and the following is substituted in lieu thereof (Effective July 1, 100
137144 2025): 101
138145 (c) For the school year commencing July 1, 2022, and each school year 102
139146 thereafter, each local and regional board of education shall notify each 103
140147 student enrolled in his or her final year of high school, and the parent or 104
141148 guardian of such student, whether such student may be admitted to at 105
142149 least one participating institution under the Connecticut Automatic 106
143150 Admissions Program based on the academic threshold established by 107
144151 such institution pursuant to subsection (e) of section 10a-11h. 108
145152 Sec. 5. Subdivision (3) of subsection (a) of section 10-233d of the 109
146153 general statutes is repealed and the following is substituted in lieu 110
147154 thereof (Effective July 1, 2025): 111
155+Raised Bill No. 1114
156+
157+
158+
159+LCO No. 3551 5 of 11
160+
148161 (3) Unless an emergency exists, no pupil shall be expelled without a 112
149162 formal hearing held pursuant to sections 4-176e to 4-180a, inclusive, and 113
150-section 4-181a, provided whenever such pupil is a minor, the notice 114 Raised Bill No. 1114
151-
152-
153-LCO 3551 5 of 11
154-
163+section 4-181a, provided whenever such pupil is a minor, the notice 114
155164 required by section 4-177 and section 4-180 shall also be given to the 115
156165 [parents] parent or guardian of the pupil at least five business days 116
157166 before such hearing, not including the day of such hearing. If an 117
158167 emergency exists, such hearing shall be held as soon after the expulsion 118
159168 as possible. The notice shall include information concerning the parent's 119
160169 or guardian's and the pupil's legal rights and concerning legal services 120
161170 provided free of charge or at a reduced rate that are available locally and 121
162171 how to access such services. An attorney or other advocate may 122
163172 represent any pupil subject to expulsion proceedings. The parent or 123
164173 guardian of the pupil shall have the right to have the expulsion hearing 124
165174 postponed for up to one week to allow time to obtain representation, 125
166175 except that if an emergency exists, such hearing shall be held as soon 126
167176 after the expulsion as possible. 127
168177 Sec. 6. Subsection (a) of section 10-239e of the general statutes is 128
169178 repealed and the following is substituted in lieu thereof (Effective July 1, 129
170179 2025): 130
171180 (a) The demonstration board shall authorize the parents or legal 131
172181 guardian of scholarship recipients to use the demonstration 132
173182 scholarships at any public or private school in which the scholarship 133
174183 recipient is enrolled provided such public or private school: (1) Meets 134
175184 all educational, fiscal, health and safety standards required by law, (2) 135
176185 does not discriminate against the admission of students and the hiring 136
177186 of teachers on the basis of race, color or economic status and has filed a 137
178187 certificate with the State Board of Education that the school is in 138
179188 compliance with Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, (3) in no case 139
180189 levies or requires any tuition, fee or charge above the value of the 140
181190 education scholarship, (4) is free from sectarian control or influence 141
182191 except as provided in subsection (b) of this section, (5) provides public 142
183192 access to all financial and administrative records and provides to the 143
184193 parent or guardian of each eligible child in the demonstration area 144
194+Raised Bill No. 1114
195+
196+
197+
198+LCO No. 3551 6 of 11
199+
185200 comprehensive information, in written form, on the courses of study 145
186201 offered, curriculum, materials and textbooks, the qualifications of 146
187202 teachers, administrators and paraeducators, the minimum school day, 147
188-the salary schedules, financial reports of money spent per pupil and 148 Raised Bill No. 1114
189-
190-
191-LCO 3551 6 of 11
192-
203+the salary schedules, financial reports of money spent per pupil and 148
193204 such other information as may be required by the demonstration board, 149
194205 (6) provides periodic reports to the parents or legal guardians on the 150
195206 average progress of the pupils enrolled, and (7) meets any additional 151
196207 requirements established for all participating schools by the 152
197208 demonstration board. 153
198209 Sec. 7. Subsection (d) of section 10a-35b of the general statutes is 154
199210 repealed and the following is substituted in lieu thereof (Effective July 1, 155
200211 2025): 156
201212 (d) Not later than July 1, 2024, and annually thereafter, each regional 157
202213 workforce development board, community action agency, as defined in 158
203214 section 17b-885, institution of higher education, private career school, 159
204215 provider of an alternate route to certification program approved by the 160
205216 State Board of Education [,] and provider of a training program listed 161
206217 on the Labor Department's Eligible Training Provider List shall submit 162
207218 information, in the form and manner prescribed by the Commissioner 163
208219 of Higher Education, about any credential offered by such institution, 164
209220 school or provider for inclusion in the database created pursuant to 165
210221 subsection (b) of this section. Such information shall include, but need 166
211222 not be limited to, the data described in subdivisions (1) to (12), inclusive, 167
212223 of subsection (b) of this section, except an institution of higher education 168
213224 may omit the data required pursuant to subdivisions (6), (9) and (10) of 169
214225 subsection (b) of this section if such data is not applicable to a credential 170
215226 offered by such institution. 171
216227 Sec. 8. Subsection (a) of section 10a-104 of the general statutes is 172
217228 repealed and the following is substituted in lieu thereof (Effective July 1, 173
218229 2025): 174
219230 (a) The Board of Trustees of The University of Connecticut shall: (1) 175
231+Raised Bill No. 1114
232+
233+
234+
235+LCO No. 3551 7 of 11
236+
220237 Make rules for the government of the university and shall determine the 176
221238 general policies of the university, including those concerning the 177
222239 admission of students and the establishment of schools, colleges, 178
223240 divisions and departments, which policies shall be consistent with the 179
224-goals identified in section 10a-11c, and shall direct the expenditure of 180 Raised Bill No. 1114
225-
226-
227-LCO 3551 7 of 11
228-
241+goals identified in section 10a-11c, and shall direct the expenditure of 180
229242 the university's funds within the amounts available; (2) develop the 181
230243 mission statement for The University of Connecticut, and all campuses 182
231244 thereof, that shall be consistent with such goals and include, but not be 183
232245 limited to, the following elements: (A) The educational needs of and 184
233246 constituencies served by said university and campuses; (B) the degrees 185
234247 offered by said university; and (C) the role and scope of each institution 186
235248 and campus within the university system, which shall include each 187
236249 institution's and campus' particular strengths and specialties; (3) 188
237250 establish policies for the university system and for the individual 189
238251 institutions and campuses under its jurisdiction; (4) review and approve 190
239252 recommendations for the establishment of new academic programs; (5) 191
240253 report all new programs and program changes to the Office of Higher 192
241254 Education; (6) make recommendations, when appropriate, regarding 193
242255 institutional or campus mergers or closures; (7) coordinate the programs 194
243256 and services of the institutions and campuses under its jurisdiction; (8) 195
244257 be authorized to enter into agreements, consistent with the provisions 196
245258 of section 5-141d, to save harmless and indemnify sponsors of research 197
246259 grants to The University of Connecticut, provided such an agreement is 198
247260 required to receive the grant and limits liability to damages or injury 199
248261 resulting from acts or omissions related to such research by employees 200
249262 of the university; (9) promote fund-raising to assist the university and 201
250263 report to the Commissioner of Higher Education and the joint standing 202
251264 committee of the General Assembly having cognizance of matters 203
252265 relating to education by January 1, 1994, and biennially thereafter, on 204
253266 such fund-raising; (10) charge the direct costs for a building project 205
254267 under its jurisdiction to the bond fund account for such project, 206
255268 provided (A) such costs are charged in accordance with a procedure 207
256269 approved by the Treasurer, and (B) nothing in this subdivision shall 208
257270 permit the charging of working capital costs, as defined in the applicable 209
271+Raised Bill No. 1114
272+
273+
274+
275+LCO No. 3551 8 of 11
276+
258277 provisions of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, or any subsequent 210
259278 corresponding internal revenue code of the United States, as from time 211
260279 to time amended, or costs originally paid from sources other than the 212
261280 bond fund account; (11) exercise the powers delegated to it pursuant to 213
262281 section 10a-109d; and (12) establish by October 1, 1997, policies 214
263-governing the acceptance of gifts made by a foundation established 215 Raised Bill No. 1114
264-
265-
266-LCO 3551 8 of 11
267-
282+governing the acceptance of gifts made by a foundation established 215
268283 pursuant to sections 4-37e and 4-37f to the university or its employees 216
269284 for reimbursement of expenditures or payment of expenditures on 217
270285 behalf of the university or its employees. 218
271286 Sec. 9. Subsections (a) and (b) of section 10a-109f of the general 219
272287 statutes are repealed and the following is substituted in lieu thereof 220
273288 (Effective July 1, 2025): 221
274289 (a) The university may, when directed by vote of its board of trustees, 222
275290 borrow money and enter into financing transactions proceedings in 223
276291 anticipation of assured revenues, project revenues or other funding 224
277292 sources in the name of the university, on behalf of the state, and issue 225
278293 securities in connection with such proceedings, as follows: (1) To finance 226
279294 the cost of UConn 2000 or any one project thereof, or more than one, or 227
280295 any combination of projects thereof; (2) to refund securities issued 228
281296 pursuant to sections 10a-109a to 10a-109y, inclusive; and (3) to refund 229
282297 any such refunding borrowings. All securities issued in connection with 230
283298 assured revenues, project revenues [,] or other funding sources 231
284299 financing transaction proceedings entered into pursuant to this section 232
285300 shall be authorized by a resolution approved by not less than a majority 233
286301 vote of its board of trustees. Nothing in this subsection shall increase the 234
287302 annual or aggregate cap on the amount of securities the special debt 235
288303 service requirements of which are secured by the state debt service 236
289304 commitment pursuant to section 10a-109g. 237
290305 (b) The board of trustees shall submit each resolution for the issuance 238
291306 of securities, approved pursuant to subsection (a) of this section, to the 239
292307 Governor accompanied by a summary report of the estimated total 240
293308 completion costs of projects that will not be completed within the 241
309+Raised Bill No. 1114
310+
311+
312+
313+LCO No. 3551 9 of 11
314+
294315 issuance which is the subject of the resolution. The Governor may, not 242
295316 later than thirty days after such submission, disapprove such resolution 243
296317 by notifying the board in writing of his disapproval and the reasons for 244
297318 it. If the Governor does not act within such thirty-day period, the 245
298319 resolution is deemed approved. 246
299-Sec. 10. Subsection (b) of section 20-281c of the general statutes is 247 Raised Bill No. 1114
300-
301-
302-LCO 3551 9 of 11
303-
320+Sec. 10. Subsection (b) of section 20-281c of the general statutes is 247
304321 repealed and the following is substituted in lieu thereof (Effective July 1, 248
305322 2025): 249
306323 (b) [Good character] "Good character", for purposes of this section, 250
307324 means lack of a history of dishonest or felonious acts. The board may 251
308325 refuse to grant a certificate on the grounds of failure to satisfy this 252
309326 requirement only if there is a substantial connection between the lack of 253
310327 good character of the applicant and the professional responsibilities of 254
311328 a licensee and if the finding by the board of lack of good character is 255
312329 supported by clear and convincing evidence, and when based upon the 256
313330 prior conviction of a crime, is in accordance with the provisions of 257
314331 section 46a-80. When an applicant is found to be unqualified for a 258
315332 certificate because of a finding of lack of good character, the board shall 259
316333 furnish the applicant a statement containing the findings of the board 260
317334 and a complete record of the evidence upon which the determination 261
318335 was based. 262
319336 Sec. 11. Subdivision (2) of subsection (d) of section 20-195c of the 263
320337 general statutes is repealed and the following is substituted in lieu 264
321338 thereof (Effective July 1, 2025): 265
322339 (2) A license issued to a marital and family therapist associate (A) 266
323340 prior to July 1, 2023, shall expire on or before twenty-four months after 267
324341 the date on which such license was issued, and [,] (B) on or after July 1, 268
325342 2023, shall expire on or before twelve months after the date on which 269
326343 such license was issued. Such license may be renewed not more than 270
327344 two times if issued prior to July 1, 2023, and not more than three times 271
328345 if issued on or after July 1, 2023, for twelve months in accordance with 272
346+Raised Bill No. 1114
347+
348+
349+
350+LCO No. 3551 10 of 11
351+
329352 the provisions of section 19a-88. The fee for such renewal shall be one 273
330353 hundred twenty-five dollars. Each licensed marital and family therapist 274
331354 associate applying for license renewal shall furnish evidence 275
332355 satisfactory to the commissioner of having satisfied the continuing 276
333356 education requirements prescribed in subdivision (1) of this subsection. 277
334357 Sec. 12. Subdivision (1) of subsection (g) of section 31-254 of the 278
335-general statutes is repealed and the following is substituted in lieu 279 Raised Bill No. 1114
336-
337-
338-LCO 3551 10 of 11
339-
358+general statutes is repealed and the following is substituted in lieu 279
340359 thereof (Effective July 1, 2025): 280
341360 (g) (1) Notwithstanding any of the information disclosure provisions 281
342361 of this section, the administrator shall disclose information obtained 282
343362 pursuant to subsection (a) of this section to: (A) A regional workforce 283
344363 development board, established pursuant to section 31-3k, to the extent 284
345364 necessary for the effective administration of the federal Trade 285
346365 Adjustment Assistance Program of the Trade Act of 1974, as amended 286
347366 from time to time, the federal Workforce Innovation and Opportunity 287
348367 Act of 2014, as amended from time to time, and the state employment 288
349368 services program established pursuant to section 17b-688c for recipients 289
350369 of temporary family assistance, provided a regional workforce 290
351370 development board [,] enters into a written agreement with the 291
352371 administrator, pursuant to subdivision (2) of this subsection, concerning 292
353372 protection of the confidentiality of such information prior to the receipt 293
354373 of any such information; (B) a nonpublic entity that is under contract 294
355374 with the administrator or another state agency where necessary for the 295
356375 effective administration of this chapter or with the United States 296
357376 Department of Labor to administer grants which are beneficial to the 297
358377 interests of the administrator, provided such nonpublic entity enters 298
359378 into a written agreement with the administrator, pursuant to 299
360379 subdivision (2) of this subsection, concerning protection of the 300
361380 confidentiality of such information prior to the receipt of any such 301
362381 information; (C) the chancellor of the Connecticut State Colleges and 302
363382 Universities, appointed under section 10a-1a, for use in the performance 303
364383 of such chancellor's official duties to the extent necessary for evaluating 304
365384 programs at institutions of higher education governed by said board 305
385+Raised Bill No. 1114
386+
387+
388+
389+LCO No. 3551 11 of 11
390+
366391 pursuant to section 10a-1a, provided such chancellor enters into a 306
367392 written agreement with the administrator, pursuant to subdivision (2) 307
368393 of this subsection, concerning protection of the confidentiality of such 308
369394 information prior to the receipt of any such information; or (D) a third 309
370395 party pursuant to written, informed consent of the individual or 310
371-employer to whom the information pertains. 311 Raised Bill No. 1114
372-
373-
374-LCO 3551 11 of 11
375-
396+employer to whom the information pertains. 311
376397 This act shall take effect as follows and shall amend the following
377398 sections:
378399
379400 Section 1 July 1, 2025 4-124z(a)
380401 Sec. 2 July 1, 2025 4-124ff(b)
381402 Sec. 3 July 1, 2025 10-16z(a)
382403 Sec. 4 July 1, 2025 10-220q(c)
383404 Sec. 5 July 1, 2025 10-233d(a)(3)
384405 Sec. 6 July 1, 2025 10-239e(a)
385406 Sec. 7 July 1, 2025 10a-35b(d)
386407 Sec. 8 July 1, 2025 10a-104(a)
387408 Sec. 9 July 1, 2025 10a-109f(a) and (b)
388409 Sec. 10 July 1, 2025 20-281c(b)
389410 Sec. 11 July 1, 2025 20-195c(d)(2)
390411 Sec. 12 July 1, 2025 31-254(g)(1)
391412
392-HED Joint Favorable
413+Statement of Purpose:
414+To make technical revisions to the higher education statutes.
415+[Proposed deletions are enclosed in brackets. Proposed additions are indicated by underline, except
416+that when the entire text of a bill or resolution or a section of a bill or resolution is new, it is not
417+underlined.]
393418