SB 479 — AN ACT CONCERNING OVERSIGHT OF FEDERAL FUND APPLICATIONS BY THE DEPARTMENT OF SOCIAL SERVICES.

Senate General Assembly SubstituteFile Bill No.

479480 February Session, 2026 ANSubstitute ACTSenate CONCERNINGBill OVERSIGHTNo. OF FEDERAL FUND APPLICATIONS BY THE DEPARTMENT OF SOCIAL SERVICES.

479 Senate, April 7, 2026 The Committee on Human Services reported through SEN.

LESSER of the 9th Dist., Chairperson of the Committee on the part of the Senate, that the substitute bill ought to pass.

AN ACT CONCERNING OVERSIGHT OF FEDERAL FUND APPLICATIONS BY THE DEPARTMENT OF SOCIAL SERVICES.

(b) Not later than thirty days before submitting an application for Rural Health Transformation Program grants or for technical assistance funding, the Commissioner of Social Services shall forward such application to the joint standing committee of the General Assembly having cognizance ofmattersrelatingtohumanservices.The committee may schedule a public hearing on such application and vote on whether tosSB479 approve,/ denyFile orNo. modify the application.

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480 to approve, deny or modify the application.

If the committee votes to deny the application, the commissioner shall not LCOsubmit 1such ofapplication 2to Substitutethe Billfederal No.government.

479 submit such application to the federal government.

-LCO LCOsSB479 2/ ofFile 2No.

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480 The following Fiscal Impact Statement and Bill Analysis are prepared for the benefit of the members of the General Assembly, solely for purposes of information, summarization and explanation and do not represent the intent of the General Assembly or either chamber thereof for any purpose.

In general, fiscal impacts are based upon a variety of informational sources, including the analyst’s professional knowledge.

Whenever applicable, agency data is consulted as part of the analysis, however final products do not necessarily reflect an assessment from any specific department.

OFA Fiscal Note State Impact:

Agency Affected Fund-Effect FY 27 $ FY 28 $ Social Services, Dept.

Federal Funds - See Below See Below See Below Note:

GF=General Fund Municipal Impact:

None Explanation The bill requires the Department of Social Services (DSS) to submit any application for Rural Health Transformation Program grants or technical assistance funding to the Human Services Committee at least days before submitting it for federal approval.

DSS cannot submit the application if the committee votes to deny it, or must submit a revised application if the committee votes to modify it.

To the extent this delays or modifies funding that DSS would have otherwisereceived,thestatecouldexperience afiscalimpactthatcannot be determined at this time.

The Out Years The annualized ongoing fiscal impact identified above would continue into the future subject to certain federal grant opportunities and related committee actions.

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480 OLR Bill Analysis sSB 479 AN ACT CONCERNING OVERSIGHT OF FEDERAL FUND APPLICATIONS BY THE DEPARTMENT OF SOCIAL SERVICES.

SUMMARY This bill requires the Department of Social Services (DSS) to forward to the Human Services Committee any application for Rural Health Transformation Program (see BACKGROUND) grants or technical assistance funding at least 30 days before submitting it for federal approval.

Under the bill, “technical assistance funding” means federal grants to implement system modifications to change eligibility for certain public assistance programs, such as Medicaid.

The bill authorizes the Human Services Committee to hold a public hearing on the application and vote to approve, deny, or modify it.

If the committee does not vote on an application within 30 days after receiving it, it is deemed approved.

The bill also (1) prohibits DSS from submitting the application for federal approval if the committee votes to deny it and (2) requires DSS to modify the application before submitting it for federal approval if the committee votes to do so.

EFFECTIVE DATE:

Upon passage BACKGROUND Rural Health Transformation Program Under this program, created under 2025 federal legislation (P.L.

119- 21, § 71401), the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services is giving all states grants to implement measures intended to expand rural health care access and quality.

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480 Connecticut is receiving a first-year grant of $154 million under the program.

DSS will serve as the lead agency under the grant funding, collaborating with several other agencies to implement projects across four initiatives:

population health outcomes, workforce, data and technology, and care transformation and stability.

Related Bill sSB 93 (File 44), favorably reported by the Public Health Committee, allows the Department of Public Health (DPH), or its licensing boards or commissions, to take disciplinary action against a practitioner who fails to fulfill any obligation resulting from receiving DPH funding under the Rural Health Transformation Program.