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General Assembly Substitute Bill No. 1251
January Session, 2025
AN ACT IMPLEMENTING THE GOVERNOR'S RECOMMENDATIONS
CONCERNING A DRIVER TRAINING PROGRAM FOR PERSONS WITH
DISABILITIES, LEGISLATIVE OVERSIGHT OF MEDICAID STATE
PLAN AMENDMENTS AND PENALTIES FOR VIOLATING TIMELY
WHEELCHAIR REPAIR STANDARDS.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General
Assembly convened:
Section 1. Section 14-11b of the general statutes is repealed and the 1
following is substituted in lieu thereof (Effective July 1, 2025): 2
(a) There shall be within the Department of [Aging and Disability 3
Services] Motor Vehicles a unit for the purpose of evaluating and 4
training persons with disabilities in the operation of motor vehicles. 5
There shall be assigned to the driver training unit for persons with 6
disabilities such staff as is necessary for the orderly administration of 7
the driver training program for persons with disabilities. The personnel 8
assigned to the driver training unit for persons with disabilities shall, 9
while engaged in the evaluation, [or] instruction or examination of a 10
person with disabilities, have the authority and immunities with respect 11
to such activities as are granted under the general statutes to motor 12
vehicle inspectors. Said Commissioner of Motor Vehicles may permit a 13
person whose license has been withdrawn as a result of a condition that 14
makes such person eligible for evaluation and training under this 15
section to operate a motor vehicle while accompanied by personnel 16 Substitute Bill No. 1251
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assigned to the driver training unit for persons with disabilities. [When 17
a person with disabilities has successfully completed the driver training 18
program for persons with disabilities, the Department of Aging and 19
Disability Services shall certify such completion in writing to the 20
Commissioner of Motor Vehicles and shall recommend any license 21
restrictions or limitations to be placed on the license of such person. The 22
Commissioner of Motor Vehicles may accept such certification in lieu of 23
the driving skills portion of the examination prescribed under 24
subsection (e) of section 14-36. If such person with disabilities has met 25
all other requirements for obtaining a license, the Commissioner of 26
Motor Vehicles shall issue a license with such restrictions recommended 27
by the Department of Aging and Disability Services.] 28
(b) Any resident of this state who has a serious physical or mental 29
disability which does not render the resident incapable of operating a 30
motor vehicle and who must utilize special equipment in order to 31
operate a motor vehicle and who cannot obtain instruction in the 32
operation of a motor vehicle through any alternate program, including, 33
but not limited to, other state, federal or privately operated drivers' 34
schools shall be eligible for instruction under the Department of [Aging 35
and Disability Services] Motor Vehicles driver training program for 36
persons with disabilities. 37
Sec. 2. Section 17b-8 of the general statutes is amended by adding 38
subsection (e) as follows (Effective July 1, 2025): 39
(NEW) (e) Notwithstanding the provisions of subsection (a) of this 40
section, the Commissioner of Social Services shall submit any Medicaid 41
state plan amendment not subject to the legislative approval process of 42
subsection (a) of this section to the joint standing committees of the 43
General Assembly having cognizance of matters relating to 44
appropriations and the budgets of state agencies and human services 45
not later than thirty days prior to the commissioner's submission of such 46
amendment for federal approval. Said committees may schedule a 47
hearing on such state plan amendment in accordance with subsection 48
(a) of this section not later than thirty days after receipt of such 49 Substitute Bill No. 1251
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amendment. If the committees schedule such hearing, the commissioner 50
shall not submit such state plan amendment for federal approval unless 51
the committees vote to approve the state plan amendment in accordance 52
with subsection (a) of this section. If the committees approve such state 53
plan amendment with amendments, the commissioner shall submit 54
such state plan amendment as amended by the committees. 55
Sec. 3. (NEW) (Effective July 1, 2025) The Commissioner of Social 56
Services shall submit any Medicaid state plan amendment subject to the 57
provisions of subsection (e) of section 17b-8 of the general statutes, as 58
amended by this act, for review to the Council on Medical Assistance 59
Program Oversight, established pursuant to section 17b-28 of the 60
general statutes, not later than thirty days prior to the commissioner's 61
submission of such amendment for federal approval. 62
Sec. 4. (NEW) (Effective November 1, 2025) (a) As used in this section, 63
(1) "authorized wheelchair dealer", "timely repair" and "wheelchair" 64
have the same meanings as provided in section 42-337 of the general 65
statutes; and (2) "systemic noncompliance" means the failure by an 66
authorized wheelchair dealer to meet timely repair requirements in 67
accordance with section 42-338 of the general statutes for more than five 68
per cent of repair requests in a thirty-day period. 69
(b) On and after November 1, 2025, it shall be an unfair or deceptive 70
act or practice pursuant to subsection (a) of section 42-110b of the 71
general statutes for an authorized wheelchair dealer whose repair 72
record meets the definition of systemic noncompliance to fail to comply 73
with timely repair requirements in accordance with section 42-338 of the 74
general statutes. 75
This act shall take effect as follows and shall amend the following
sections:
Section 1 July 1, 2025 14-11b
Sec. 2 July 1, 2025 17b-8(e)
Sec. 3 July 1, 2025 New section
Sec. 4 November 1, 2025 New section Substitute Bill No. 1251
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Statement of Legislative Commissioners:
The title was changed; in Section 2(e), "schedule a vote" and "schedule
such vote" were changed to "schedule a hearing" and "schedule such
hearing" for consistency with the general statutes, and "it" was changed
to "the state plan amendment in accordance with subsection (a) of this
section" for clarity.
HS Joint Favorable Subst.