All Roll Calls
Yes: 339 • No: 271
ConnecticutSB 000012025 Regular SessionSenateWALLET
AN ACT INCREASING RESOURCES FOR STUDENTS, SCHOOLS AND SPECIAL EDUCATION.
Sponsored By: Education Committee
Signed by Governor
Summary
To improve the quality of education for the state's children.
education
Personalized for You
How does this bill affect your finances?
Personalize government policy and PRIA will tell you what this bill means for your household, plus every other piece of legislation we track. PRIA reads each provision against your financial profile to show you exactly what matters to your wallet.
Bill Overview
Analyzed Economic Effects
14 provisions identified: 10 benefits, 1 costs, 3 mixed.
Lower child care costs for families
Beginning July 1, 2027, families earning under $100,000 in annual gross income pay nothing for covered endowment-funded child care. Families earning $100,000 or more may pay up to 7% of annual gross income. These rules apply only to covered care at programs receiving endowment funding. Programs must report collected family payments, which reduce the state's reimbursement through reconciliation.
Health coverage help for child care workers
For fiscal year 2027, the law establishes health plan subsidies for eligible employees of licensed early care and education programs. Workers must be ineligible for Medicaid and buy a qualified plan through the Connecticut Health Insurance Exchange. They must apply for and accept available tax credits, employer contributions, and other coverage subsidies. Help goes directly toward plan costs, not to workers as cash; amounts depend on endowment funding and advisory board approval. The Office of Early Childhood must contract with community groups to help workers obtain Medicaid or subsidy coverage.
Discipline safeguards for students facing homelessness
Beginning July 1, 2025, school staff must check homelessness status with the district liaison before expulsion or covered suspension hearings. Hearing officials must consider how homelessness affected the student's behavior. A homeless student cannot be expelled without an intervention and support plan addressing that impact. A homeless student expelled a second time must also receive a meeting with the liaison.
Stronger special education staffing safeguards
Beginning July 1, 2025, private special education providers must collect applicants' conviction and pending-charge disclosures and check child-abuse registries before hiring. State and national criminal checks must finish within 30 days after hiring; specified student and adult-education exceptions apply. Regional educational service centers and private providers must report service-affecting staffing changes within five business days. Written notices go to parents, the placing school board, and the state education department, explaining service changes and mitigation plans. A staffing change lasting at least ten consecutive school days counts as long-term.
Dedicated funding for early childhood education
The law creates an early childhood education endowment managed by the state Treasurer beginning July 1, 2025. It directs up to $300 million in estimated state surplus to the fund by June 30, 2025. From fiscal year 2026 onward, estimated surplus goes there after filling budget reserves to the required 18% level. Later deficit corrections cannot take more than the relevant surplus transfer. Annual releases are capped at 12% in fiscal years 2026–2027 and 10% from fiscal year 2028 onward.
Clearer special education information for families
The state must post a special education family guide by July 1, 2026, and update it annually. It explains service timelines, missed deadlines, required planning-meeting participation, and remedies for missed in-home tutoring. By January 15, 2027, the state must post and send school boards a listing of covered special education programs. Updated at least annually, the listing includes services, locations, ages served, and approved classroom sizes.
Child care funds get spending safeguards
Endowment money must add to existing early childhood funding and cannot mix with federal child care block grant money. Unspent releases return to the endowment and do not expire. Administration is capped at 8% of releases in fiscal year 2026, 12% in 2027, and 7% from 2028 onward. After administration, health subsidies receive $300,000 in 2026 and $10 million in 2027; remaining money supports expansion and program costs. From 2028 onward, remaining funds support expansion, programs, and health subsidies; parent and provider advisory members may receive stipends when resources allow.
Grants support local special education services
Starting in fiscal year 2027, school boards can compete for grants supporting in-district or regional special education. Awards depend on available appropriations and can cover improvements, startup, planning, and operations. Grants cannot pay for services provided under contracts with third parties or private providers. Reviews prioritize access to general education and, among qualifying applicants, alliance districts.
Schools strengthen attendance planning and support
Beginning July 1, 2025, the state must review its chronic absenteeism plan twice yearly and revise it as needed. The plan must use recent disconnected-youth findings and include tools to identify students at risk of absences or disconnection. Attendance analysis must separate data by housing status and other categories. The plan may include research-based, data-driven home visits or mentoring, but districts do not have to offer them.
Schools get special education transportation contracts
The state education department must provide a model special education transportation contract to school boards by July 1, 2026. It covers transportation to and from placements outside the district. Boards do not have to use the model, and it does not set prices.
State turnaround schools face participation limits
Beginning July 1, 2025, the education commissioner cannot add eligible category four or five schools to the turnaround network. The network provision covers fiscal years through June 30, 2027. Schools participating on July 1, 2025, cannot extend their initial three-school-year term by one or two years. The commissioner must evaluate participation before the third year ends. Local boards must prepare a return-to-local-control plan with the commissioner, subject to State Board of Education approval.
Child care funding targets qualified programs
Starting in fiscal year 2026, funded child care and preschool programs must receive Early Start CT aid. They must also join the state's quality improvement system and the federal Child and Adult Care Food Program. The food-program rule allows a commissioner-approved waiver or a qualifying public preschool free or reduced-price lunch program. Beginning July 1, 2027, at least 35% of spaces in endowment-funded expansions must serve infants and toddlers.
More special education options, payment limits
Beginning July 1, 2025, school boards can contract with more types of providers for necessary special education services. Contracts must explain how fees follow the required rate schedule, which also governs specified state reimbursements. A child can remain in a nonapproved facility providing an appropriate public education when no other charging entity offers one. Under the specified payment rules, hearing-officer or court-ordered placements can receive state payment; school planning-team placements alone cannot.
School budgets get flexibility and review
Starting in fiscal year 2026, districts receiving the specified prior-year grant can exclude it from their subsequent education budget calculation. Beginning July 1, 2025, municipal authorities must recommend spending changes within ten days of receiving itemized school-maintenance estimates. Recommendations must address consolidation of noneducational services and improved efficiency. School boards rejecting suggestions must explain why in writing.
Sponsors & Cosponsors
Sponsor
Education Committee
Affiliation unavailable
Cosponsors
There are no cosponsors for this bill.
Roll Call Votes
Senate vote • 5/12/2025
APP Vote Tally Sheet (Joint Favorable)
Yes: 37 • No: 11
Senate vote • 5/6/2025
JUD Vote Tally Sheet (Joint Favorable)
Yes: 28 • No: 11
House vote • 1/13/2025
House Roll Call Vote 250 HOUSE AMD A
Yes: 45 • No: 100
Senate vote • 1/13/2025
Senate Roll Call Vote 304
Yes: 32 • No: 4
Senate vote • 1/13/2025
Senate Roll Call Vote 303
Yes: 11 • No: 25
Senate vote • 1/13/2025
Senate Roll Call Vote 302
Yes: 10 • No: 26
Senate vote • 1/13/2025
Senate Roll Call Vote 301
Yes: 11 • No: 25
Senate vote • 1/13/2025
ED Vote Tally Sheet (Vote to Draft)
Yes: 34 • No: 9
Senate vote • 1/13/2025
ED Vote Tally Sheet (Joint Favorable)
Yes: 30 • No: 15
House vote • 1/13/2025
House Roll Call Vote 251 AS AMENDED
Yes: 101 • No: 45
Actions Timeline
Signed by the Governor
6/23/2025legislatureTransmitted by Secretary of the State to Governor
6/23/2025legislatureTransmitted to the Secretary of State
6/23/2025legislaturePublic Act 25-93
6/11/2025legislatureIn Concurrence
5/31/2025legislatureHouse Passed as Amended by Senate Amendment Schedule A
5/31/2025HouseHouse Adopted Senate Amendment Schedule A
5/31/2025HouseHouse Rejected House Amendment Schedule A 10118
5/31/2025HouseHouse Calendar Number 671
5/30/2025HouseFavorable Report, Tabled for the Calendar, House
5/30/2025HouseRules Suspended, Transmitted to the House
5/30/2025HouseSenate Passed as Amended by Senate Amendment Schedule A
5/30/2025SenateSenate Rejected Senate Amendment Schedule D 9960
5/30/2025SenateSenate Rejected Senate Amendment Schedule C 10009
5/30/2025SenateSenate Rejected Senate Amendment Schedule B 9933
5/30/2025SenateSenate Adopted Senate Amendment Schedule A 9962
5/30/2025SenateFavorable Report, Tabled for the Calendar, Senate
5/13/2025SenateNo New File by Committee on Appropriations
5/13/2025legislatureReported Out of Legislative Commissioners' Office
5/13/2025legislatureFiled with Legislative Commissioners' Office
5/13/2025legislatureJoint Favorable
5/12/2025legislatureImmediate Transmittal
5/8/2025legislatureReferred by Senate to Committee on Appropriations
5/8/2025SenateFavorable Report, Tabled for the Calendar, Senate
5/7/2025SenateNo New File by Committee on Judiciary
5/7/2025legislature
Bill Text
Public Act No. 25-93
5/30/2025
File No. 637
4/10/2025
APP Joint Favorable
3/24/2025
Committee Bill
3/24/2025
ED Joint Favorable
3/24/2025
JUD Joint Favorable
3/24/2025
Proposed Bill
1/8/2025
APP Joint Fav. Rpt
APP Vote Tally Sheet (Joint Favorable)
Bill Analysis For File Copy 637
Bill Analysis for SB-1, as amended by Senate "A"
ED Joint Fav. Rpt
ED Vote Tally Sheet (Joint Favorable)
ED Vote Tally Sheet (Vote to Draft)
Fiscal Note For File Copy 637
Fiscal Note for Amendment LCO 10009 (No Fiscal Impact)
Fiscal Note for Amendment LCO 10089 (No Fiscal Impact)
Fiscal Note for Amendment LCO 10091 (No Fiscal Impact)
Fiscal Note for Amendment LCO 10092 (No Fiscal Impact)
Fiscal Note for Amendment LCO 10093 (Revenue Loss)
Fiscal Note for Amendment LCO 10111 (See Fiscal Note Details)
Fiscal Note for Amendment LCO 10118 (See Fiscal Note Details)
Fiscal Note for Amendment LCO 9838 (See Fiscal Note Details)
Fiscal Note for Amendment LCO 9892 (See Fiscal Note Details)
Fiscal Note for Amendment LCO 9895 (See Fiscal Note Details)
Fiscal Note for Amendment LCO 9896 (No Fiscal Impact)
Fiscal Note for Amendment LCO 9898 (See Fiscal Note Details)
Fiscal Note for Amendment LCO 9899 (See Fiscal Note Details)
Fiscal Note for Amendment LCO 9900 (No Fiscal Impact)
Fiscal Note for Amendment LCO 9933 (See Fiscal Note Details)
Fiscal Note for Amendment LCO 9960 (Revenue Loss)
Fiscal Note for Amendment LCO 9962 (See Fiscal Note Details)
Fiscal Note for SB-1, As Amended by Senate "A" (LCO 9962)
House LCO Amendment #10089 (R)
House LCO Amendment #10091 (R)
House LCO Amendment #10092 (R)
House LCO Amendment #10093 (R)
House LCO Amendment #10111 (R)
House Roll Call Vote 250 HOUSE AMD A
House Roll Call Vote 251 AS AMENDED
House Schedule A LCO# 10118 (R)
JUD Joint Fav. Rpt
JUD Vote Tally Sheet (Joint Favorable)
Senate LCO Amendment #9838 (D)
Senate LCO Amendment #9892 (D)
Senate LCO Amendment #9895 (R)
Senate LCO Amendment #9896 (R)
Senate LCO Amendment #9898 (R)
Senate LCO Amendment #9899 (R)
Senate LCO Amendment #9900 (R)
Senate Roll Call Vote 301
Senate Roll Call Vote 302
Senate Roll Call Vote 303
Senate Roll Call Vote 304
Senate Schedule A LCO# 9962 (D)
Senate Schedule B LCO# 9933 (R)
Senate Schedule C LCO# 10009 (R)
Senate Schedule D LCO# 9960 (R)
Summary for Public Act No. 25-93
Related Bills
HB 05013, AN ACT ADDING CERTAIN PLANTS TO THE INVASIVE PLANTS LIST.
To prohibit the sale, use and distribution of certain invasive plants in the state.
SB 01558, AN ACT CONCERNING INCOME TAXES IMPOSED BY OTHER JURISDICTIONS ON RESIDENTS OF THE STATE.
To (1) reduce a portion of the amount of the credit for income taxes paid to other states, (2) require the Attorney General to study ways to defend residents from having income tax imposed by other jurisdictions on income derived from services rendered while such resident was within this state, and (3) provide a credit to residents who file an appeal protesting the tax imposed by such other jurisdiction.
SB 01396, AN ACT CONCERNING EARNED BUT UNPAID WAGE OR SALARY INCOME ADVANCES.
To establish various requirements concerning earned but unpaid wage or salary income advances.
SB 01187, AN ACT CONCERNING FORECLOSURE, ASSIGNMENT AND OTHER ENFORCEMENT ACTIONS FOR UNPAID SEWER ASSESSMENTS AND OTHER FEES AND CHARGES.
To prohibit foreclosure, assignment and other enforcement actions for unpaid sewer assessments and other fees and charges in the case of owner-occupied real property for which the principal of such unpaid assessments, fees and charges is less than three thousand dollars unless three years have elapsed from the date any lien was filed and such lien remains unpaid.
HB 07236, AN ACT CONCERNING HUMAN TRAFFICKING AND SEXUAL ASSAULT VICTIMS.
To amend the membership of the trafficking in persons council, add victims of sexual assault and victims of trafficking in persons as protected classes for purposes of certain anti-discrimination statutes, create an affirmative defense for misdemeanor offenses for young victims of trafficking in persons and eliminate the requirement that training in identification and reporting of trafficking in persons be presented in a video format.
HB 07192, AN ACT IMPLEMENTING RECOMMENDATIONS OF THE BIPARTISAN DRUG TASK FORCE.
To implement recommendations of the bipartisan drug task force.