HB 5447

Substitute House Bill No. 5447
  Public Act No. 26-62
AN ACT IMPLEMENTING RECOMMENDATIONS OF THE
TRANSFORMING CHILDREN'S BEHAVIORAL HEALTH POLICY
AND PLANNING COMMITTEE.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General
Assembly convened:
   Section 1. (NEW) (Effective from passage) (a) The executive director of
the Commission on Women, Children, Seniors, Equity and Opportunity
shall convene two working groups. Each working group shall include
one or more members of the Transforming Children's Behavioral Health
Policy and Planning Committee and such other members as selected by
the executive director.
   (b) Not later than July 1, 2026, the executive director shall convene a
working group concerning the treatment of eating disorders. The
working group shall, in consultation with the Commissioners of Public
Health and Mental Health and Addiction Services, compile information
to be made available to the public concerning (1) providers of eating
disorder treatment services in the state, including, but not limited to,
facilities that provide such treatment, (2) details concerning the types of
services each such provider offers and the ages of persons typically
served by such providers, and (3) other resources available in the state
for persons with eating disorders. The working group shall also consult
with the Commissioner of Public Health to establish best practice
  Substitute House Bill No. 5447
guidelines for facilities in providing treatment for eating disorders.
   (c) Not later than July 1, 2026, the executive director shall convene a
working group to develop a state-wide food education roadmap and a
model school nutrition curriculum that includes, but is not limited to,
developmentally appropriate evidence-based education programs on
disordered eating behaviors, nutrition, culinary skills, growing food,
food safety and food systems.
   (d) Not later than January 1, 2028, and annually thereafter, the
executive director shall report, in accordance with the provisions of
section 11-4a of the general statutes, to the chairpersons of the
Transforming Children's Behavioral Health Policy and Planning
Committee and the joint standing committees of the General Assembly
having cognizance of matters relating to children, public health,
education and human services concerning the results of the working
groups' studies.
  Sec. 2. Section 2-137 of the 2026 supplement to the general statutes is
amended by adding subsection (o) as follows (Effective October 1, 2026):
  (NEW) (o) The committee shall annually review the progress of the
working groups concerning eating disorders and food education and
nutrition, established pursuant to section 1 of this act.
   Sec. 3. (Effective from passage) (a) The Commissioner of Social Services
shall, in collaboration with the Commissioners of Children and Families,
Developmental Services and Mental Health and Addiction Services, and
the Office of the Behavioral Health Advocate, study the feasibility of
establishing an inpatient facility to provide psychiatric treatment
services to children and young adults between the ages of fourteen and
twenty-one, inclusive, who have intellectual or developmental
disabilities.
  (b) The study shall include, but need not be limited to: (1) The
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  Substitute House Bill No. 5447
appropriate size of such facility and number of persons to be served at
one time; (2) the best treatment practices for the population; (3) the
operational costs of establishing such a facility and the feasibility of
operating the facility within available agency appropriations; (4)
appropriate sites, which may include state-owned property, on which
the facility may be built; and (5) billing options for payment of inpatient
psychiatric services for the population served, including Medicaid
billing options.
   (c) Not later than July 1, 2027, the Commissioner of Social Services
shall file a report, in accordance with the provisions of section 11-4a of
the general statutes, on the results of the study with the joint standing
committees of the General Assembly having cognizance of matters
relating to children, human services, public health and appropriations
and the budgets of state agencies.
   Sec. 4. (NEW) (Effective July 1, 2026) On and after January 1, 2027, each
school-based health center shall (1) use an evidence-based screening tool
for early identification of disordered eating behaviors, as a supplement
to existing methods used to diagnose disordered eating behaviors, and
(2) provide such screening tool to each patient who is in grades six to
twelve, inclusive, during such patient's annual health assessment,
including, but not limited to, the health assessments conducted
pursuant to section 10-206 of the general statutes.
 Governor's Action:
 Approved May 19, 2026
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