SB 154

General Assembly  Substitute Bill No. 154
  February Session, 2026
 AN ACT REQUIRING CERTAIN AGENCIES TO REPORT COSTS
 ASSOCIATED WITH PROGRAMS SERVING CHILDREN AND
 FAMILIES.
 Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General
 Assembly convened:
1Section 1. (Effective from passage) Not later than January 1, 2027, the
2    Department of Social Services shall submit a report, in accordance with
3    the provisions of section 11-4a of the general statutes, to the joint
4    standing committees of the General Assembly having cognizance of
5    matters relating to children, human services and appropriations. Such
6    report shall (1) describe each program administered by the department
7    that serves children or families, where eligibility for participation in
8    such program or the sliding fee for participation in such program is
9    based on a comparison between annual family income and the federal
10    poverty level, (2) estimate the total cost associated with the
11    administration of each such program, (3) estimate the anticipated total
12    cost associated with the administration of each such program if
13    eligibility for participation was expanded to include children and
14    families with an annual family income above the federal poverty level
15    and below the ALICE Threshold of Financial Survival for the state, as
16    determined by the United Way of Connecticut, (4) estimate how many
17    additional children or families would be eligible for participation in
18    each such program if participation was expanded in the manner
19    described in subdivision (3) of this section, and (5) discuss the feasibility
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  Substitute Bill No. 154
20 of adopting the ALICE Threshold of Financial Survival in making
21 eligibility determinations for each such program.
22    Sec. 2. (Effective from passage) Not later than January 1, 2027, the
23 Department of Developmental Services shall submit a report, in
24 accordance with the provisions of section 11-4a of the general statutes,
25 to the joint standing committees of the General Assembly having
26 cognizance of matters relating to children, public health and
27 appropriations. Such report shall (1) describe each program
28 administered by the department that serves children or families, where
29 eligibility for participation in such program or the sliding fee for
30 participation in such program is based on a comparison between annual
31 family income and the federal poverty level, (2) estimate the total cost
32 associated with the administration of each such program, (3) estimate
33 the anticipated total cost associated with the administration of each such
34 program if eligibility for participation was expanded to include children
35 and families with an annual family income above the federal poverty
36 level and below the ALICE Threshold of Financial Survival for the state,
37 as determined by the United Way of Connecticut, (4) estimate how
38 many additional children or families would be eligible for participation
39 in each such program if participation was expanded in the manner
40 described in subdivision (3) of this section, and (5) discuss the feasibility
41 of adopting the ALICE Threshold of Financial Survival in making
42 eligibility determinations for each such program.
  This act shall take effect as follows and shall amend the following
  sections:
  Section 1      from passage  New section
  Sec. 2  from passage  New section
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 APP  Joint Favorable
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