Connecticut 2026 Session Status: In Committee Bipartisan · 5 D · 1 R cosponsors

HB 5301 — AN ACT EXCLUDING SPOUSAL INCOME FROM CERTAIN RENT, FEE AND COST-SHARING CALCULATIONS RELATING TO HOME AND COMMUNITY-BASED SERVICES.

Last action — TABLED FOR HOUSE CALENDAR

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  1. ✓
    Introduced
  2. 2
    In Committee
  3. 3
    Passed House
  4. 4
    Passed Senate
  5. 5
    To Executive
  6. 6
    Enacted

This bill is in committee in the House. Introduced February 19, 2026. It must pass committee before a floor vote.

Next likely step: a committee vote, then a floor vote in the House.

Prognosis

Advancing 42% · moderate confidence

Where this bill stands today.

Odds of enactment

Low

How often bills like it became law.

  • In Committee

    Current position in the legislative process.

  • 6 sponsors

    6 primary, 0 co-sponsors signed on.

  • Bipartisan support

    Sponsored across 2 parties (5 D · 1 R) — cross-party backing.

Prognosis reads this bill's own signals — stage, sponsorship breadth, committee status, recorded votes and cross-state momentum. Odds come from a model trained on which bills have become law.

Bill Text

What changed in the latest version

12 added · 75 removed

Plain-language change summary

The updated version of Bill HB 5301 removes some administrative references and focuses solely on the main proposal, which is to exclude spousal income from calculations related to home and community-based services. This change matters because it streamlines the bill, making it clearer and more direct about its intention to support individuals who rely on these services by not counting their spouse's income against them, potentially making these services more accessible for those in need.

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Previous
Latest
House of Representatives General Assembly File No.
General Assembly Raised Bill No.
94 February Session, 2026 House Bill No.
5301 February Session, 2026 LCO No.
5301 House of Representatives, March 19, 2026 The Committee on Aging reported through REP.
1453 Referred to Committee on Aging Introduced by:
GARIBAY of the 60th Dist., Chairperson of the Committee on the part of the House, that the bill ought to pass.
(AGE) AN ACT EXCLUDING SPOUSAL INCOME FROM CERTAIN RENT, FEE AND COST-SHARING CALCULATIONS RELATING TO HOME AND COMMUNITY-BASED SERVICES.
AN ACT EXCLUDING SPOUSAL INCOME FROM CERTAIN RENT, FEE AND COST-SHARING CALCULATIONS RELATING TO HOME AND COMMUNITY-BASED SERVICES.
Section 1 October 1, 2026 New section AGE Joint Favorable HB5301 / File No.
Section 1 October 1, 2026 New section AGE Joint Favorable LCO 1453 1 of 2 Raised Bill No.
94 1 HB5301 File No.
5301 HS Joint Favorable LCO 1453 2 of 2
94 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.
GF - Potential See Below See Below Cost Note:
GF=General Fund Municipal Impact:
None Explanation The bill results in a potential cost to the Department of Social Services (DSS) by requiring the agency to disregard earned income for spousal caregivers who provide at least 25% of daily care for partners receiving Medicaid-funded home- and community-based services (HCBS).
Currently, when someone applies for HCBS under a Medicaid waiver, DSS does not consider the applicant spouse's income when determining eligibility for the program.
However, to the extent DSS determines that an individual must contribute to their cost of care once eligible, the state may incur a potential cost related to an increased Community Spouse Allowance (CSA) deduction because of not counting the spouse's income in the calculation.
The cost to the state is dependent upon 1) how many HCBS individuals must contribute to their cost of care, and 2) how many of these individuals have spouses who provide at least 25% of their daily care.
HB5301 / File No.
94 2 HB5301 File No.
94 The Out Years The annualized ongoing fiscal impact identified above would continue into the future subject to inflation and shifts in Medicaid enrollment.
HB5301 / File No.
94 3 HB5301 File No.
94 OLR Bill Analysis HB 5301 AN ACT EXCLUDING SPOUSAL INCOME FROM CERTAIN RENT, FEE AND COST-SHARING CALCULATIONS RELATING TO HOME AND COMMUNITY-BASED SERVICES.
SUMMARY This bill requires the Department of Social Services (DSS) commissioner to seek a federal Medicaid waiver or amend the state Medicaid plan to exclude from any income-based eligibility determinations income earned by a person who provides more than 25% of daily care for his or her spouse, if that spouse has applied for or is receiving home and community-based services under a Medicaid waiver program.
The bill specifies the commissioner must only do so if allowed by federal law and to the extent a waiver or amendment is needed.
Currently, when someone receives home- and community-based services under a Medicaid waiver, DSS does not consider the person’s spouse’s income available for the person’s care (Uniform Policy Manual (UPM) 5020.75).
EFFECTIVE DATE:
October 1, 2026 COMMITTEE ACTION Aging Committee Joint Favorable Yea 14 Nay 0 (03/05/2026) HB5301 / File No.
94 4
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Action History

  1. TABLED FOR HOUSE CALENDAR

  2. NO NEW FILE BY COMM. ON Human Services

  3. RPTD. OUT OF LCO

  4. FILED WITH LCO

  5. Joint Favorable

  6. REF. BY HOUSE TO COMMITTEE ON Human Services

  7. FILE NO. 94

  8. HOUSE CALENDAR NUMBER 86

  9. FAV. RPT., TABLED FOR HOUSE CALENDAR

  10. RPTD. OUT OF LCO

  11. REFERRED TO Office of Legislative Research AND Office of Fiscal Analysis 03/18/26

  12. FILED WITH LCO

  13. Joint Favorable

  14. PUBLIC HEARING 0224

  15. REF. TO JOINT COMM. ON Aging

Sponsors

Sponsorship breakdown

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6 sponsors · 0 co-sponsors · 181 not signed on

Sponsors (6)

Co-sponsors (0)

None.

Not signed on (181)

181 members have not signed on to this bill.

Show all 181 →

"Not signed on" means a member has not sponsored or co-sponsored this bill — it does not imply opposition. Members flagged Voted No have a recorded No vote on this bill.

Whip count is in markup. Polling the chamber and every recorded vote this session. Only the first open is slow. It’s instant for you after this. Calling the roll · Tallying · Engrossing

Subjects

housing healthcare
Cross-referencing the record. Reading this bill against every other bill in the corpus by meaning, not keywords. Only the first open is slow. It’s instant for you after this. Matching · Ranking · Engrossing

Frequently asked questions

Who sponsors HB 5301?
HB 5301 is sponsored by Jaime S. Foster (Democratic), Mitch Bolinsky (Republican), Anne M. Hughes (Democratic), Jan Hochadel (Democratic), Mary Fortier (Democratic), and Jane M. Garibay (Democratic).
What is the current status of HB 5301?
This bill is in committee in the House. Introduced February 19, 2026. It must pass committee before a floor vote.
Where can I track HB 5301?
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