Substitute Senate GeneralBill Assembly File No.

369452 FebruaryPublic Session,Act 2026 Substitute Senate Bill No.

45226-90 Senate,AN AprilACT 2,CONCERNING 2026THE TheRELEASE CommitteeOF onLIGHTER-THAN-AIR EnvironmentBALLOONS. reported through SEN.

LOPES of the 6th Dist., Chairperson of the Committee on the part of the Senate, that the substitute bill ought to pass.

AN ACT CONCERNING THE RELEASE OF LIGHTER-THAN-AIR BALLOONS.

(a) No person, nonprofit organization, firm or corporation, including the state and its political subdivisions, shall knowingly release, organize the release of or intentionally cause to be released into the atmosphere [within a twenty-four-hour period ten or more] any helium or other lighter-than-air gas balloons[balloons] filled balloon in the state.

(b)Any(b) retailerAny thatviolation sellsorof offersfor[subsection sale(a) anyof] heliumorthis othersection lighter- than-air gas balloon in the state to any consumer shall notbe providean suchinfraction. balloon to a consumer unless a weight is attached to such balloon that is sufficient to prevent such balloon from rising into the atmosphere.

[(b)]Sec. (c) Any violation of [subsection (a) of] this section shall be an sSB452 / File No.

3692. 1 sSB452 File No.

369(NEW) infraction.(Effective October 1, 2026) (a) On and after January 1, 2027, any retailer that sells or offers for sale any helium or other lighter- than-air gas filled balloon in the state to any consumer shall not provide such filled balloon to a consumer unless a weight is attached to such filled balloon that is sufficient to prevent such filled balloon from rising into the atmosphere.

This(b) actAny shallretailer takewho effectviolates asthe followsprovisions andof shallsubsection amend(a) theof followingthis sections:Substitute Senate Bill No.

Section452 1section Octobershall 1,be 2026subject 26-25cto ENVa Jointcivil Favorablepenalty Subst.imposed by the Department of Consumer Protection in the amount of twenty dollars per violation.

sSB452(c) /For Filepurposes No.of this section, "retailer" means any firm, partnership, association or corporation that utilizes universal product coding in totaling a retailer customer's purchase.

369"Retailer" 2does sSB452not Fileinclude No.any carnival, as defined in section 29-133 of the general statutes.

369Governor's TheAction: 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.

InApproved general,May fiscal27, impacts2026 arePublic basedAct uponNo. a variety of informational sources, including the analyst’s professional knowledge.

Whenever26-90 applicable,2 agency data is consulted as part of the2 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 $ Resources of the General Fund GF - Potential Minimal Minimal Revenue Gain Note:

GF=General Fund Municipal Impact:

None Explanation The bill, which (1) prohibits the release of helium or other lighter- than-air gas balloons into the atmosphere and (2) requires retailers that sell these balloons to attach weights to them, results in a minimal potential revenue to the state to the extent new offenses are committed and fines are collected.

1 The Out Years The annualized ongoing fiscal impact identified above would continue into the future subject to the number of offenses and fines collected.

1Between FY 22 and FY 25, no offenses were recorded under CGS § 26-25c.

sSB452 / File No.

369 3 sSB452 File No.

369 OLR Bill Analysis sSB 452 AN ACT CONCERNING THE RELEASE OF LIGHTER-THAN-AIR BALLOONS.

SUMMARY The bill prohibits knowingly releasing, organizing the release of, or intentionally causing the release of any number of helium or other lighter-than-air gas balloons into the atmosphere.

Under current law, releases of less than 10 balloons within a 24-hour period are allowed.

The bill also requires retailers that sell these balloons to attach weights to them so they cannot rise into the atmosphere.

The bill makes violations of both provisions infractions.

Under current law, therelease of 10 or more helium or lighter-than-air balloons in a 24-hour period is an infraction.

EFFECTIVE DATE:

October 1, 2026.

BACKGROUND Fines Infractions are punishable by fines, usually set by Superior Court judges, of between $35 and $90, plus a $20 or $35 surcharge and an additional fee based on the amount of the fine.

The total current fine for the illegal release of balloons is $75.

COMMITTEE ACTION Environment Committee Joint Favorable Substitute Yea 34 Nay 0 (03/18/2026) sSB452 / File No.

369 4