Connecticut 2026 Session Status: Enacted Bipartisan · 8 R · 4 D cosponsors

SB 423 — AN ACT CONCERNING OVERSIGHT OVER HIGHER EDUCATION.

Last action — SIGNED BY GOVERNOR

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

This bill has been enacted into law. Introduced March 05, 2026. Enacted.

Signed by Governor Ned Lamont (Democratic) on May 19, 2026.

Odds of enactment

High chance

Based on the sponsor, cosponsors, and committee posture, this bill has a high chance of becoming law.

Upgrade to see the exact probability and what's driving it.

A statistical estimate from our own model of past outcomes — an insight, not a guarantee. Policymaking is volatile.

Prognosis

Likely to advance 78% · moderate confidence

  • Enacted

    Current position in the legislative process.

  • 12 sponsors

    12 primary, 0 co-sponsors signed on.

  • Bipartisan support

    Sponsored across 2 parties (8 R · 4 D) — cross-party backing.

Based on stage, sponsorship breadth, committee status, recorded votes, and cross-state momentum — a description of the observable signals, not a prediction.

In plain language

The bill requires reports on the effects of consolidating community colleges in Connecticut.

This legislation mandates the Connecticut Board of Regents for Higher Education to report annually on the performance and financial impact of consolidating regional community-technical colleges into the Connecticut State Community College, starting from August 1, 2026.

Bill Text

What changed in the latest version

130 added · 291 removed

Plain-language change summary

The amendment to Bill SB 423 changes the timeline for the Board of Regents for Higher Education to submit their report on the consolidation of community colleges. The deadline has been pushed from July 1, 2024, to August 1, 2026, and this report will continue annually until July 1, 2030. Additionally, the starting date for comparing student performance metrics has shifted from July 1, 2023, to July 1, 2019. These changes highlight the need for more time to evaluate the outcomes of the consolidation and ensure that the necessary data is collected for a comprehensive assessment.

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Previous
Latest
Senate General Assembly File No.
Substitute Senate Bill No.
360 February Session, 2026 Substitute Senate Bill No.
423 Public Act No.
423 Senate, April 2, 2026 The Committee on Government Oversight reported through SEN.
26-49 AN ACT CONCERNING OVERSIGHT OVER HIGHER EDUCATION.
GADKAR-WILCOX of the 22nd Dist., Chairperson of the Committee on the part of the Senate, that the substitute bill ought to pass.
AN ACT CONCERNING OVERSIGHT OVER HIGHER EDUCATION.
(a)NotlaterthanJuly1,[2024]2026,andannuallythereafteruntiland including July 1, 2030, the Board of Regents for Higher Education shall submit a report, in accordance with the provisions of section 11-4a, to the joint standing [committee] committees of the General Assembly having cognizance of matters relating to higher education and employment advancement and government oversight concerning the results achieved from the consolidation of the regional community- technical colleges into the Connecticut State Community College.
(a) Not later than [July 1, 2024] August 1, 2026, and annually thereafter until and including July 1, 2030, the Board of Regents for Higher Education shall submit a report, in accordance with the provisionsofsection11-4a,tothejoint standing [committee]committees oftheGeneralAssembly having cognizance ofmattersrelatingto higher education and employment advancement and government oversight concerning the results achieved from the consolidation of the regional community-technical colleges into the Connecticut State Community College.
Such report shall include, but need not be limited to, a comparison of the following performance metrics from July 1, [2023] 2019, to the date of such report:
Such report shall include, but need not be limited to, a comparison of the following performance metrics from July 1, [2023] 2019, to [the date] July first of the year of such report:
sSB423 / File No.
(1) Percentage of students enrolled for the first time in credit-bearing courses who:
360 1 sSB423 File No.
(A) [complete] Complete introductory math and English course Substitute Senate Bill No.
360 (1) Percentage of students enrolled for the first time in credit-bearing courses who:
423 requirements not later than one year after enrollment;
(A) [complete] Complete introductory math and English course requirements not later than one year after enrollment;
and [(4) the] (5) The number of personnel by location or functional area at each campus and type of position including, but not limited to, faculty, direct student support staff,building operations, clerical or administrative staff and executive positions.
and [(4) the] (5) The number of personnel by location or functional area at each campus and type of position including, but not limited to, faculty, direct student support staff, building operations, clerical or administrative staff and executive positions.
(b) On and after July 1, 2026, such report shall also provide additional information concerning the effects of the consolidation, and shall:
(b) On and after August 1, 2026, such report shall also provide additional information concerning the effects of the consolidation, and shall:
(1) Detail the financial impact of the consolidation and whether it has saved money or resulted in additional costs, including, but not limited to, the average per student costs of the admission department, financial sSB423 / File No.
(1) Detail the financial impact of the consolidation and whether it has saved money or resulted in additional costs, including, but not limited to, the average per student costs of the admission department, financial Public Act No.
360 2 sSB423 File No.
26-49 2 of 5 Substitute Senate Bill No.
360 aid departments, student registration process and student records process, from July 1, 2019, to the year preceding the report;
423 aid departments, student registration process and student records process, from July 1, 2019, to the year preceding the report;
(c) As used in this section, "executive position" includes any [(A)] (1) person with a title such as president, director or chief executive officer, [(B)] (2) administrative head of an office or department, [(C)] (3) deputy sSB423 / File No.
Public Act No.
360 3 sSB423 File No.
26-49 3 of 5 Substitute Senate Bill No.
360 to an administrative head, [(D)] (4) executive or personal secretary of such person, administrative head or deputy, and [(E)] (5) other person in an equivalent position.
423 (c) As used in this section, "executive position" includes any [(A)] (1) person with a title such as president, director or chief executive officer, [(B)] (2) administrative head of an office or department, [(C)] (3) deputy to an administrative head, [(D)] (4) executive or personal secretary of such person, administrative head or deputy, and [(E)] (5) other person in an equivalent position.
(d) Not later than September 1, 2025, the commission shall submit a preliminary report on the development of the update of the higher education strategic master plan and, not later than December 1, 2025, the commission shall submit the higher education strategic master plan, including specific goals and benchmarks for the years ending 2026 and 2030, together with any recommendations for appropriate legislation and funding to the Governor and the joint standing committees of the General Assembly having cognizance of matters relating to higher education and employment advancement, education, commerce, labor and appropriations and the budgets of state agencies, in accordance sSB423 / File No.
(d) Not later than September 1, 2025, the commission shall submit a preliminary report on the development of the update of the higher education strategic master plan and, not later than December 1, 2025, the commission shall submit the higher education strategic master plan, including specific goals and benchmarks for the years ending 2026 and Public Act No.
360 4 sSB423 File No.
26-49 4 of 5 Substitute Senate Bill No.
360 with the provisions of section 11-4a.
423 2030, together with any recommendations for appropriate legislation and funding to the Governor and the joint standing committees of the General Assembly having cognizance of matters relating to higher education and employment advancement, education, commerce, labor and appropriations and the budgets of state agencies, in accordance with the provisions of section 11-4a.
This act shall take effect as follows and shall amend the following sections:
Governor's Action:
from passage Section 1 10a-78a Sec.
Approved May 19, 2026 Public Act No.
2 from passage New section Sec.
26-49 5 of 5
3 from passage 10a-11b(d) and (e) Statement of Legislative Commissioners:
In Section 1(a), "[(2) ratios]" was moved for consistency with standard drafting conventions.
GOS Joint Favorable Subst.
-LCO sSB423 / File No.
360 5 sSB423 File No.
360 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 has no fiscal impact.
It expands an existing reporting requirement of the Connecticut State Colleges and Universities (CSCU) and establishes a new reporting requirement.It is anticipated CSCU can fulfill these duties with existing resources.
The Out Years State Impact:
None Municipal Impact:
None sSB423 / File No.
Show all 118 changed rows (78 more)
Previous
Latest
360 6 sSB423 File No.
360 OLR Bill Analysis sSB 423 AN ACT CONCERNING OVERSIGHT OVER HIGHER EDUCATION.
SUMMARY This bill makes several changes to reporting requirements related to the public higher education system.
Beginning with the report due by July 1, 2026, the bill changes existing requirements and adds new ones for the Board of Regents for Higher Education’s (BOR) annual report on consolidating the community colleges into Connecticut State Community College.
By December 31, 2026, the bill requiresthe Connecticut State Colleges and Universities (CSCU) chancellor to report to the Government Oversight and Higher Education and Employment Advancement committees on a comparison of the number of certain CSCU personnel on June 30, 2011, June 30, 2019, and June 30, 2026.
The bill also adds the Government Oversight Committee to the list of legislative committees that must receive the Planning Commission for Higher Education’s updated higher education strategic master plan and its annual reports on the plan’s progress.
EFFECTIVE DATE:
Upon passage § 1 — REPORT ON CONSOLIDATING COMMUNITY COLLEGES The community-technical colleges merged into Connecticut State Community College in 2023.
The law requires BOR to annually report certain information on the consolidation’s results through July 1, 2030.
Beginning with the report due by July 1, 2026, the bill changes existing requirements and adds new ones for the annual reports.
It also requires submitting this report to the Government Oversight Committee, in sSB423 / File No.
360 7 sSB423 File No.
360 addition to the Higher Education and Employment Advancement Committee as currently required.
Changes to Current Report Requirements Currently, the report must compare the following performance metrics from July 1, 2023, to the report’s date:
1.
percentage of students enrolled for the first time in courses for credit who (a) complete introductory math and English requirements within a year of enrollment;
(b) enroll for a full semester and reenroll the following semester or the next fall or spring semester, or graduate;
and (c) after three years’ enrollment, graduate, transfer to a four year institution, or are still enrolled;
2.
ratios of students to (a) student-counselors or advisors, (b) full- time faculty, and (c) part-time or adjunct faculty;
3.
number of executive positions at each campus;
and 4.
number of personnel by location or functional area for each campus and type of position.
The bill requires comparing the performance metrics to July 1, 2019, instead of July 1, 2023, and adds that the report address the percentage of students:
1.
enrolled for the first time in courses for credit who (a) enroll for more than six credits their first semester and (b) complete more than 24 credits during their first year, and 2.
who attend multiple campuses.
Italsorequirescategorizingthedatacurrentlyrequiredaboutstudent outcomes within three years of enrollment by demographic.
New Report Requirements For reports beginning on July 1, 2026, the bill also requires:
sSB423 / File No.
360 8 sSB423 File No.
360 1.
details on the financial impact of consolidation and whether it saved money or added costs from July 1, 2019, to the year prior to the report, including information on the average per student cost of the admissions and financial aid departments and the student registration and records process;
2.
whether any administrative service cannot be efficiently redistributed;
3.
a cost-benefit analysisofeliminating thecentraloffice andhaving an administrative office on each campus;
4.
acomparisonofthenumber offaculty anddirect student support staff prior to consolidation and at the time of the report;
5.
the percentage change in administrative positions, faculty, and direct student support staff since consolidation;
6.
the results of a new annual survey of (a) students about the impact on their ability to take classes needed for their major and (b) faculty about the impact on their ability to teach classes;
7.
details on how consolidation has or has not created a seamless transition from the region-technical community colleges to the Connecticut State University System (CSUS);
8.
an analysis of the consolidation’s impact, with an explanation of it, on the missions of two- and four-year colleges;
9.
adetailedcomparisonof CSUS budgetscompared to theseparate regional community-technical colleges before and after consolidation;
and 10.
a comparison of student outcomes at CSUS and UConn.
§ 2 — REPORT ON CSCU PERSONNEL The bill requires the CSCU chancellor, by December 31, 2026, to report to the Government Oversight and Higher Education and sSB423 / File No.
360 9 sSB423 File No.
360 Employment Advancement Committees information comparing the number of certain CSCU personnel on June 30, 2011, June 30, 2019, and June 30, 2026.
The comparison must address full- and part-time staff at the CSCU system office, the Connecticut State Community College central office, and each regional community-technical college campus performing the following functions:
1.
academic and student affairs, 2.
accounting, 3.
board affairs, 4.
finance and budget, 5.
compliance and audit, 6.
chancellor’s office, 7.
external affairs, 8.
facilities, 9.
human resources and labor relations, 10.
decision support and institutional research, 11.
information technology, 12.
legal, and 13.
business services and procurement.
§ 3 — HIGHER EDUCATION STRATEGIC MASTER PLAN The law requires the Planning Commission for Higher Education to revise the 2015 higher education strategic master plan and submit an updated plan with goals and benchmarks for 2026 and 2030 to the governor and various legislative committees by December 1, 2025 (the plan does not appear to have been submitted).
Beginning by January 1, 2027, the commission must annually report on the plan’s sSB423 / File No.
360 10 sSB423 File No.
360 implementation and goal progression to these recipients.
Under current law, the legislative recipients are the Appropriations, Commerce, Education, Higher Education and Employment Advancement, and Labor committees.
The bill additionally requires the commissiontosubmittheplantotheGovernmentOversightCommittee by July 1, 2026, and also give it the annual updates.
COMMITTEE ACTION Government Oversight Committee Joint Favorable Yea 12 Nay 0 (03/17/2026) sSB423 / File No.
360 11
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Action History

  1. SIGNED BY GOVERNOR

  2. TRANSMITTED BY SECRETARY OF THE STATE TO GOVERNOR

  3. TRANSMITTED TO SECRETARY OF THE STATE

  4. PUBLIC ACT 26-49

  5. IN CONCURRENCE

  6. HOUSE PASSED, SEN. AMEND. SCH. A

  7. HOUSE ADOPTED SEN. AMEND. SCH. A

  8. HOUSE CALENDAR NUMBER 384

  9. FAV. RPT., TABLED FOR HOUSE CALENDAR

  10. SEN. PASSED, SEN. AMEND. SCH. A

  11. SEN. REJ. SEN. AMEND. SCH. B

  12. SEN. ADOPTED SEN. AMEND. SCH. A

  13. FILE NO. 360

  14. SENATE CALENDAR NUMBER 247

  15. FAV. RPT., TAB. FOR CAL., SEN.

  16. RPTD. OUT OF LCO

  17. REFERRED TO Office of Legislative Research AND Office of Fiscal Analysis 04/01/26

  18. FILED WITH LCO

  19. Joint Favorable

  20. PUBLIC HEARING 0310

  21. REF. TO JOINT COMM. ON Government Oversight

Sponsors

Sponsorship breakdown

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12 sponsors · 0 co-sponsors · 175 not signed on

Sponsors (12)

Co-sponsors (0)

None.

Not signed on (175)

175 members have not signed on to this bill.

Show all 175 →

"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.

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Frequently asked questions

Who sponsors SB 423?
SB 423 is sponsored by Stephen G. Harding (Republican), Paul Cicarella (Republican), Heather S. Somers (Republican), Eric C. Berthel (Republican), Laurie Sweet (Democratic), Kenneth Gucker (Democratic), Tom Delnicki (Republican), Patrick E. Callahan (Republican), Gale L. Mastrofrancesco (Republican), Lucy Dathan (Democratic), Saud Anwar (Democratic), and Rob Sampson (Republican).
What is the current status of SB 423?
This bill has been enacted into law. Introduced March 05, 2026. Enacted.
Where can I track SB 423?
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