SB 414 — AN ACT CONCERNING VEGETATION MANAGEMENT GUIDELINES BY THE DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION.

Senate General Assembly SubstituteFile Bill No.

414359 February Session, 2026 ANSubstitute ACTSenate CONCERNINGBill VEGETATIONNo. MANAGEMENT GUIDELINES BY THE DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION.

414 Senate, April 2, 2026 The Committee on Transportation reported through SEN.

COHEN of the 12th Dist., Chairperson of the Committee on the part of the Senate, that the substitute bill ought to pass.

AN ACT CONCERNING VEGETATION MANAGEMENT GUIDELINES BY THE DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION.

(2) general roadside vegetation management activitiesperformed by the department,sSB414 including,/ butFile notNo. limited to, mowing, herbicide application, grassing, replanting with native species whenever practicable, limb management, tree removal and debris removal;

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359 department, including, but not limited to, mowing, herbicide application, grassing, replanting with native species whenever practicable, limb management, tree removal and debris removal;

and (5) the environmental impact of such work, including (A) preventing invasive LCOtree, 1brush or plant species' growth and impact, (B) storm water run-off, (C) erosion, (D) replanting of 3vegetation Substitutespecies Billto No.expand and improve pollinator habitats, as described in section 22-90b, and (E) reduced mowing.

414 tree, brush or plant species' growth and impact, (B) storm water run-off, (C) erosion, (D) replanting of vegetation species to expand and improve pollinator habitats, as described in section 22-90b, and (E) reduced mowing.

[The]sSB414 Such/ jointFile standingNo. committees shall hold a joint public hearing on such revised guidelines and the commissioner shall present such revised guidelines at the public hearing.

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359 [The] Such joint standing committees shall hold a joint public hearing on such revised guidelines and the commissioner shall present such revised guidelines at the public hearing.

LCO(a) 2The Department of 3Transportation Substituteshall Billprovide No.a grant from available resources to the Department of Natural Resources and the Environment at The University of Connecticut for the purpose of studying the carbon sequestration by trees and other vegetation along highways and other areas in the state.

414 (a) The Department of Transportation shall provide a grant from available resources to the Department of Natural Resources and the Environment at The University of Connecticut for the purpose of studying the carbon sequestration by trees and other vegetation along highways and other areas in the state.

Section 1 October 1, 2026 Section 1 13b-31h Sec.

-LCO LCOsSB414 3/ ofFile 3No.

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359 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:

None Municipal Impact:

None Explanation The bill, which has no fiscal impact, requires the Department of Transportation (DOT) to consider whether any revisions are needed to its vegetative management guidelines based on the results of a forthcoming UConn study and to report to the Transportation and Environment Committees, as specified in the bill.

It is anticipated that DOT has the expertise to meet the provisions of the bill within existing resources.

The Out Years State Impact:

None Municipal Impact:

None sSB414 / File No.

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359 OLR Bill Analysis sSB 414 AN ACT CONCERNING VEGETATION MANAGEMENT GUIDELINES BY THE DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION.

SUMMARY This bill delays, from July 1, 2025, to October 1, 2026, the due date for the UConn Department of Natural Resources and the Environment’s final report on its study of carbon sequestration by trees and other vegetation along highways and other areas in Connecticut.

(Under current law, its interim report was due by January 1, 2025, but, in practice, the department published that report on February 1, 2026.) Along with the final report, the bill also requires the UConn department to submit its study results and any related recommendations to the Department of Transportation (DOT), which is in addition to the Transportation and Environment committees as current law requires.

Relatedly, the bill requires the DOT commissioner, by February 1, 2027, to consider the results of UConn’s study and determine whether DOT’s vegetation management guidelines need to be accordingly revised.

If the commissioner determines that the guidelines do not need to be revised, he must report to the Transportation and Environment committees explaining why.

Alternatively, if he revises the guidelines based on UConn’s study, he must submit them to these legislative committees and the committees must hold a joint public hearing for the commissioner to present on the revised guidelines.

The bill also makes technical and conforming changes, including deleting obsolete language.

EFFECTIVE DATE:

July 1, 2026, except the DOT commissioner and legislative committee requirement provisions are effective October 1, 2026.

sSB414 / File No.

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