HB 5330 — AN ACT CONCERNING CERTAIN WILDLIFE ACTION PLANS.

House of Representatives General Assembly RaisedFile Bill No.

5330191 February Session, 2026 LCOSubstitute House Bill No.

14395330 ReferredHouse toof Representatives, March 26, 2026 The Committee on ENVIRONMENTEnvironment Introducedreported by:through REP.

(ENV)PARKER ANof ACTthe CONCERNING101st CERTAINDist., WILDLIFEChairperson ACTIONof PLANS.the Committee on the part of the House, that the substitute bill ought to pass.

AN ACT CONCERNING CERTAIN WILDLIFE ACTION PLANS.

Subsection (b) of section 26-107f of the general statutes is repealed andthefollowing issubstitutedis substituted inlieuthereof(EffectiveOctober 1, 2026):

(b) The Commissioner of Energy and Environmental Protection shall establishestablisha aconservationprogramfor conservationspeciesnot program for species not traditionally harvestedharvested, which shall include, but not be limited to, provisions for the following:

Such conservation program shall provide for a wildlife veterinarian to assist in the oversight and implementation of such conservation LCOsHB5330 / File No.

1439191 1 ofsHB5330 4File RaisedNo. Bill No.5330 program.

191 program.

[On or before February first, annually, the Commissioner of Energy and Environmental Protection shall submit to the joint standing committee of the General Assembly having cognizance of matters relating to the environment a report on the progress of the program established under section 26-107f, the purposes for which any funds allocated to said program were expended and the future of the program.] (a) There is established a working group within the legislature to identify how the conservation programprogramestablished established in section 26-107f, as amended by this act, should be funded and implemented.

(1) One representative of the Department of Energy and Environmental Protection, the Department of Transportation and the Office of Policy and Management, (2) two representatives of conservation advocacy organizations that work on wildlife-related issues, one of whom shall have fisheries aquatic expertise, (3) one representative of a land conservation organization, (4) two members of the faculty of a state college or university, as recommended by the chief of the Bureau of Natural Resources of the Department of Energy and Environmental Protection, (5) one representative from a council of governments, (6) a representative of the water utilities, (7) a representative of an organization that representstherepresents LCOthe marine trades in sHB5330 / File No.

1439191 2 ofsHB5330 4File Raised Bill No.

5330191 marine trades in the state, (8) a representative of the Connecticut Farm Bureau, or its designee, and (9) a certified forester in this state.

2 October 1, 2026 26-107h October 1, 2026 Sec.

3 October26-107i 1,ENV 2026Joint 26-107iFavorable LCOSubst. No.

1439sHB5330 3/ ofFile 4 Raised Bill No.

5330191 Statement3 ofsHB5330 Purpose:File No.

To191 establishThe afollowing workingFiscal groupImpact toStatement developand aBill planAnalysis are prepared for fundingthe benefit of the state'smembers conservationof programthe General Assembly, solely for wildlifepurposes of information, summarization and explanation and do not usuallyrepresent harvested.the intent of the General Assembly or either chamber thereof for any purpose.

[ProposedIn deletionsgeneral, fiscal impacts are enclosedbased inupon brackets.a variety of informational sources, including the analyst’s professional knowledge.

ProposedWhenever additionsapplicable, areagency indicateddata byis underline,consulted exceptas thatpart whenof the entireanalysis, texthowever offinal aproducts billdo ornot resolutionnecessarily orreflect aan sectionassessment offrom aany billspecific ordepartment. resolution is new, it is not underlined.] LCO No.

1439OFA 4Fiscal ofNote 4State Impact:

Agency Affected Fund-Effect FY 27 $ FY 28 $ Department of Energy and GF - Cost 133,960 133,960 Environmental Protection State Comptroller - Fringe GF - Cost 56,022 56,022 Benefits Note:

GF=General Fund Municipal Impact:

None Explanation The bill makes various changes to the Department of Energy and Environmental Protection’s (DEEP) non-harvested species wildlife diversity program.

Section 1 results in a cost to the state of $189,982, beginning in FY 27, associated with hiring a wildlife veterinarian to assist in overseeing the wildlife program, whichisanexpandedrequirement ofthebill.The cost includes an annual salary of $133,960 and corresponding fringe benefits of $56,022.

Section 2 establishes the non-harvested species conservation program working group and does not result in a fiscal impact as DEEP has the expertise necessary to staff the working group.

Section3 clarifieshow donationsto thenon-harvestedprogrammust be deposited and allocated and does not result in a fiscal impact.

The fringe benefit costs for most state employees are budgeted centrally in accounts administered by the Comptroller.

The estimated active employee fringe benefit cost associated with most personnel changes is 41.82% of payroll in FY 27.

sHB5330 / File No.

191 4 sHB5330 File No.

191 The Out Years The annualized ongoing fiscal impact identified above would continue into the future subject to inflation.

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191 5 sHB5330 File No.

191 OLR Bill Analysis sHB 5330 AN ACT CONCERNING CERTAIN WILDLIFE ACTION PLANS.

SUMMARY This bill expands the Department of Energy and Environmental Protection’s (DEEP) traditionally nonharvested species conservation program by requiring the program to (1) implement the state’s most recent federally approvedwildlife actionplan(see BACKGROUND),(2) include conservation action tracker measures in the resource inventory conducted under the program, and (3) monitor climate change impacts.

The bill also requires the program to include a wildlife veterinarian to assist in its oversight and implementation.

The bill eliminates a requirement for the DEEP commissioner to annually report to the Environment Committee on the conservation program and instead creates a working group to determine how the program should be funded and implemented.

Lastly, the bill requires any money donated to the state for the conservation program to be deposited into the General Fund and allocated to the program, as is required under existing law for any revenue from DEEP’s program to sell wildlife stamps and other artwork or publications.