# Connecticut SB 00294: AN ACT CONCERNING TRADE NAMES, FRAUDULENT FILINGS, IMPERMISSIBLE BUSINESS SOLICITATIONS, DISSOLUTION OF CORPORATIONS, THE ISSUANCE OF AN APOSTILLE AND FEES CHARGED BY A NOTARY.

Connecticut SB 00294, AN ACT CONCERNING TRADE NAMES, FRAUDULENT FILINGS, IMPERMISSIBLE BUSINESS SOLICITATIONS, DISSOLUTION OF CORPORATIONS, THE ISSUANCE OF AN APOSTILLE AND FEES CHARGED BY A NOTARY., is a 2026 Regular Session Senate bill sponsored by Judiciary Committee; status signed, last action 2026-05-26 (Signed by the Governor); PRIA reads it as touching household money (as of 2026-11-01).

- Canonical: https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/CT-SB00294-2026
- As of: 2026-11-01
- Plain-text twin of the page above; the HTML and this file carry the same facts.

## Facts
- Bill: Connecticut SB 00294
- State: Connecticut
- Session: 2026 Regular Session
- Title: AN ACT CONCERNING TRADE NAMES, FRAUDULENT FILINGS, IMPERMISSIBLE BUSINESS SOLICITATIONS, DISSOLUTION OF CORPORATIONS, THE ISSUANCE OF AN APOSTILLE AND FEES CHARGED BY A NOTARY.
- Status: signed
- Chamber: Senate
- Introduced: 2026-02-25
- Last action: 2026-05-26, Signed by the Governor
- Sponsor: Judiciary Committee
- Cosponsors: 2
- Subjects: judiciary
- Touches household money: yes
- Roll calls: 3 (0 yes, 0 no in all)
- Economic provisions PRIA read: 8

## Summary

To: (1) Revise processes related to applications for, and issuance of, trade name certificates, (2) provide the Secretary of the State with additional authority to take actions with respect to fraudulent filings, deceptive business solicitations and the dissolution of corporations that fail to comply with state law, (3) revise provisions relating to the issuance of an apostille, and (4) increase permissible fees that may be charged by a notary.

## Bill overview: provisions PRIA read

- Clearer warnings on paid filing offers: benefit, low. Beginning January 1, 2027, private paid filing and state-record offers must say they are ads, not government notices. They must say no payment or action is required, explain direct filing or record access, and list the sender's name and physical address—not a P.O. box. Written disclosures must appe…
- Businesses gain tools against unauthorized filings: benefit, low. Beginning October 1, 2026, the Secretary of the State may redact unverifiable names or addresses from a registry finding. For unauthorized filings involving legitimate businesses, the Secretary may flag the filing to warn the public. The Secretary may also restore the business registry information…
- Notary customers face higher maximum fees: cost, low. Beginning July 1, 2026, Connecticut notaries may charge up to $10 per act, up from $5. Notaries may also charge for travel, but the per-mile rate cannot exceed the IRS business standard mileage rate.
- Businesses face tighter naming and advertising rules: cost, low. Beginning October 1, 2026, new trade names cannot contain terms such as “corporation,” “LLC,” “LLP,” “limited,” or “statutory trust.” A trade name containing a banned term is void, and the Secretary may void its registry record. Printed ads using assumed business names cannot use “company” to false…
- Document certifications get fees and electronic options: mixed, low. Effective from passage, Connecticut charges $40 per document for an apostille or official authentication. The fee is $15 per document when connected with a child's adoption. The Secretary of the State may issue these certificates electronically unless federal law or the Hague Convention prohibits i…
- Business trade names need five-year renewals: mixed, low. Beginning October 1, 2026, trade name certificates last five years from issuance or acceptance of renewal. Certificates recorded before January 1, 2025, expire December 31, 2029, but can be renewed. Renewal requires the same information as an original application and replaces the prior certificate.…
- Overdue corporations get mailed dissolution warnings: mixed, low. Effective from passage, domestic corporations more than two years behind on annual reports can receive mailed warnings before state dissolution. This option applies when no annual report has been filed or no email address is on record. The Secretary may send first-class mail to an incorporator list…
- Statewide trade name filings for businesses: mixed, low. Connecticut creates a statewide electronic trade name registry for filings and public searches. Beginning January 1, 2026, the Secretary of the State may require town clerks to use it. Beginning October 1, 2026, businesses using assumed names must get a certificate through the clerk where they main…

## Sponsors and cosponsors

- Sponsor: Judiciary Committee
- Cosponsor: Craig C. Fishbein (Republican), House
- Cosponsor: Steven J. Stafstrom (Democratic), House

## Roll call votes

| Date | Chamber | Motion | Result | Yes | No | Other |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 2026-03-30 | Senate | JUD Vote Tally Sheet (Joint Favorable Substitute) | pass |   |   |   |
| 2026-03-30 | House | House Roll Call Vote 245 | pass |   |   |   |
| 2026-03-30 | Senate | Senate Roll Call Vote 195 | pass |   |   |   |

## Bill text

- Public Act No. 26-81, 2026-04-29: [PDF](https://www.cga.ct.gov/2026/ACT/PA/PDF/2026PA-00081-R00SB-00294-PA.PDF)
- File No. 615, 2026-04-14: [PDF](https://www.cga.ct.gov/2026/FC/PDF/2026SB-00294-R000615-FC.PDF)
- JUD Joint Favorable Substitute, 2026-03-30: [PDF](https://www.cga.ct.gov/2026/TOB/S/PDF/2026SB-00294-R01-SB.PDF)
- Raised Bill, 2026-02-25: [PDF](https://www.cga.ct.gov/2026/TOB/S/PDF/2026SB-00294-R00-SB.PDF)
- Bill Analysis For File Copy 615: [PDF](https://www.cga.ct.gov/2026/BA/PDF/2026SB-00294-R000615-BA.PDF)
- Fiscal Note For File Copy 615: [PDF](https://www.cga.ct.gov/2026/FN/PDF/2026SB-00294-R000615-FN.PDF)
- House Roll Call Vote 245: [PDF](https://www.cga.ct.gov/2026/VOTE/H/PDF/2026HV-00245-R00SB00294-HV.PDF)
- JUD Joint Fav. Rpt: [PDF](https://www.cga.ct.gov/2026/JFR/S/PDF/2026SB-00294-R00JUD-JFR.PDF)
- JUD Vote Tally Sheet (Joint Favorable Substitute): [PDF](https://www.cga.ct.gov/2026/TS/S/PDF/2026SB-00294-R00JUD-CV108-TS.PDF)
- Senate Roll Call Vote 195: [PDF](https://www.cga.ct.gov/2026/VOTE/S/PDF/2026SV-00195-R00SB00294-SV.PDF)
- Summary for Public Act No. 26-81: [PDF](https://www.cga.ct.gov/2026/SUM/PDF/2026SUM00081-R01SB-00294-SUM.PDF)

## Related bills

- SB 00247: AN ACT IMPLEMENTING THE RECOMMENDATIONS OF THE AUDITORS OF PUBLIC ACCOUNTS. (signed)
- SB 00220: AN ACT CONCERNING STUDENT LITERACY, ASPIRING EDUCATORS, AMERICAN SIGN LANGUAGE AS PART OF THE WORLD LANGUAGES CURRICULUM AND THE PARAEDUCATOR HEALTH BENEFIT PL… (signed)
- SB 00191: AN ACT CONCERNING THE PSYCHEDELIC-ASSISTED THERAPY PILOT PROGRAM. (signed)
- SB 00137: AN ACT IMPLEMENTING THE RECOMMENDATIONS OF THE OFFICE OF EARLY CHILDHOOD. (signed)
- HB 05563: AN ACT CONCERNING VARIOUS CRIMINAL LAW AND CRIMINAL JUSTICE PROPOSALS, CERTIFICATES OF APPROVAL FOR AIRPORTS, HELIPORTS, VERTIPORTS, RESTRICTED LANDING AREAS A… (signed)
- HB 05509: AN ACT CONCERNING JUSTICES OF THE PEACE. (signed)

## Sources
- [Public Act No. 26-81 (PDF)](https://www.cga.ct.gov/2026/ACT/PA/PDF/2026PA-00081-R00SB-00294-PA.PDF)
- [File No. 615 (PDF)](https://www.cga.ct.gov/2026/FC/PDF/2026SB-00294-R000615-FC.PDF)
- [JUD Joint Favorable Substitute (PDF)](https://www.cga.ct.gov/2026/TOB/S/PDF/2026SB-00294-R01-SB.PDF)
- [Raised Bill (PDF)](https://www.cga.ct.gov/2026/TOB/S/PDF/2026SB-00294-R00-SB.PDF)
- [Bill Analysis For File Copy 615 (PDF)](https://www.cga.ct.gov/2026/BA/PDF/2026SB-00294-R000615-BA.PDF)
- [Fiscal Note For File Copy 615 (PDF)](https://www.cga.ct.gov/2026/FN/PDF/2026SB-00294-R000615-FN.PDF)
- [House Roll Call Vote 245 (PDF)](https://www.cga.ct.gov/2026/VOTE/H/PDF/2026HV-00245-R00SB00294-HV.PDF)
- [JUD Joint Fav. Rpt (PDF)](https://www.cga.ct.gov/2026/JFR/S/PDF/2026SB-00294-R00JUD-JFR.PDF)
- [JUD Vote Tally Sheet (Joint Favorable Substitute) (PDF)](https://www.cga.ct.gov/2026/TS/S/PDF/2026SB-00294-R00JUD-CV108-TS.PDF)
- [Senate Roll Call Vote 195 (PDF)](https://www.cga.ct.gov/2026/VOTE/S/PDF/2026SV-00195-R00SB00294-SV.PDF)
- [Summary for Public Act No. 26-81 (PDF)](https://www.cga.ct.gov/2026/SUM/PDF/2026SUM00081-R01SB-00294-SUM.PDF)

## Related
- [SB 00247: AN ACT IMPLEMENTING THE RECOMMENDATIONS OF THE AUDITORS OF PUBLIC ACCOUNTS.](https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/CT-SB00247-2026)
- [SB 00220: AN ACT CONCERNING STUDENT LITERACY, ASPIRING EDUCATORS, AMERICAN SIGN LANGUAGE…](https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/CT-SB00220-2026)
- [SB 00191: AN ACT CONCERNING THE PSYCHEDELIC-ASSISTED THERAPY PILOT PROGRAM.](https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/CT-SB00191-2026)
- [SB 00137: AN ACT IMPLEMENTING THE RECOMMENDATIONS OF THE OFFICE OF EARLY CHILDHOOD.](https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/CT-SB00137-2026)
- [HB 05563: AN ACT CONCERNING VARIOUS CRIMINAL LAW AND CRIMINAL JUSTICE PROPOSALS, CERTIFIC…](https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/CT-HB05563-2026)
- [HB 05509: AN ACT CONCERNING JUSTICES OF THE PEACE.](https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/CT-HB05509-2026)
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Source: PRIA, https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/CT-SB00294-2026 (as of 2026-11-01).