SB 154 — AN ACT REQUIRING CERTAIN AGENCIES TO REPORT COSTS ASSOCIATED WITH PROGRAMS SERVING CHILDREN AND FAMILIES.

Senate General Assembly FileSubstitute Bill No.

8154 February Session, 2026 SubstituteAN SenateACT BillREQUIRING No.CERTAIN AGENCIES TO REPORT COSTS ASSOCIATED WITH PROGRAMS SERVING CHILDREN AND FAMILIES.

154 Senate, March 10, 2026 The Committee on Children reported through SEN.

MAHER, C.

of the 26th Dist., Chairperson of the Committee on the part of the Senate, that the substitute bill ought to pass.

AN ACT REQUIRING CERTAIN AGENCIES TO REPORT COSTS ASSOCIATED WITH PROGRAMS SERVING CHILDREN AND FAMILIES.

Such report shall (1) describe each program administered by the department that serves children or families, where eligibility for participation in such program or the sliding fee for participation in such program is based on a comparison between annual family income and the federal poverty level, (2) estimate the total cost associated with the administration of each such program, (3) estimate the anticipated total cost associated with the administration of each such program if eligibility for participation was expanded to include children and families with an annual family income above the federal poverty level sSB154and /below Filethe ALICE Threshold of Financial Survival for the state, as determined by the United Way of Connecticut, (4) estimate how many additional children or families would be eligible for participation in each such program if participation was expanded in the manner described in subdivision (3) of this section, and (5) discuss the feasibility LCO 1 of 2 Substitute Bill No.

8154 1of sSB154adopting Filethe No.ALICE Threshold of Financial Survival in making eligibility determinations for each such program.

8 and below the ALICE Threshold of Financial Survival for the state, as determined by the United Way of Connecticut, (4) estimate how many additional children or families would be eligible for participation in each such program if participation was expanded in the manner described in subdivision (3) of this section, and (5) discuss the feasibility of adopting the ALICE Threshold of Financial Survival in making eligibility determinations for each such program.

2 from passage New section sSB154KID /Joint FileFavorable No.Subst.

8-LCO 2APP sSB154Joint FileFavorable No.LCO 2 of 2

8 Statement of Legislative Commissioners:

In Section1(2), (3)and(4)andSection2(2),(3) and(4),"list"waschanged to "estimate" for clarity.

KID Joint Favorable Subst.

-LCO sSB154 / File No.

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8 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 $ Social Services, Dept.

GF - Cost Up to $150,000 Department of Developmental Services GF - Cost Up to $150,000 Note:

GF=General Fund Municipal Impact:

None Explanation The bill will result in a cost to the Departments of Social Services (DSS) and Developmental Services (DDS) of up to $150,000 per agency in FY 27 to require a report related to agency programs serving children or families.

The bill requires the agencies to detail each program administered by the departments that (1) serves children or families, (2) uses a sliding fee scale or is no cost to clients, and (3) bases eligibility on a comparison between annual family income and the federal poverty level.

The report must assess thecostsof expanding programeligibility to meet thestate's ALICE Threshold of Financial Survival, including estimates of the additional children or families served and the overall feasibility of adopting this threshold as a standard for assistance.

Given the data and analysis required in the report, the agencies will need temporary or contracted staff to complete the report by January 1, 2027.

For reference, the starting salary for a Social Services Program Manger is $98,695 with associated fringe benefit costs of $41,274.

sSB154 / File No.

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8 The Out Years The bill has no fiscal impact in the out years because the report is due by January 1, 2027.

Sources:

State of Connecticut Job Classes Website sSB154 / File No.

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8 OLR Bill Analysis sSB 154 AN ACT REQUIRING CERTAIN AGENCIES TO REPORT COSTS ASSOCIATED WITH PROGRAMS SERVING CHILDREN AND FAMILIES.

SUMMARY The Office of Legislative Research does not analyze Special Acts.

COMMITTEE ACTION Committee on Children Joint Favorable Yea 17 Nay 0 (02/24/2026) sSB154 / File No.

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