Connecticut 2026 Session Status: In Committee 1 R cosponsors

HB 5255 — AN ACT IMPLEMENTING THE RECOMMENDATIONS OF THE AUDITORS OF PUBLIC ACCOUNTS CONCERNING OVERSIGHT OF STATE AGENCY GRANTS.

Last action — REF. BY HOUSE TO COMMITTEE ON Appropriations

  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.

Odds of enactment

Low chance

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

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

Prognosis

Stalled 16% · moderate confidence

  • In Committee

    Current position in the legislative process.

  • 1 sponsor

    1 primary, 0 co-sponsors signed on.

  • Single-party support

    Sponsorship is currently within one party (1 R).

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

Bill Text

What changed in the latest version

174 added · 7 removed

Plain-language change summary

The updated version of Bill HB 5255 includes a specific fiscal impact statement, detailing expected costs associated with the bill. It highlights that the bill will cost the state approximately $92,900 in the first year and $90,770 in the second year, along with additional costs for employee benefits. This information is important because it helps lawmakers and the public understand the financial implications of the bill and ensures there is transparency in how state funds will be affected.

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General Assembly Substitute Bill No.
House of Representatives General Assembly File No.
5255 February Session, 2026 AN ACT IMPLEMENTING THE RECOMMENDATIONS OF THE AUDITORS OF PUBLIC ACCOUNTS CONCERNING OVERSIGHT OF STATE AGENCY GRANTS.
321 February Session, 2026 Substitute House Bill No.
5255 House of Representatives, April 1, 2026 The Committee on Government Oversight reported through REP.
DATHAN of the 142nd Dist., Chairperson of the Committee on the part of the House, that the substitute bill ought to pass.
AN ACT IMPLEMENTING THE RECOMMENDATIONS OF THE AUDITORS OF PUBLIC ACCOUNTS CONCERNING OVERSIGHT OF STATE AGENCY GRANTS.
and (4) "State agency" means any department, board, council, commission, institution or other executive branch agency of state government, including, but not limited to, each constituent unit.
and sHB5255 / File No.
321 1 sHB5255 File No.
321 (4) "State agency" means any department, board, council, commission, institution or other executive branch agency of state government, including, but not limited to, each constituent unit.
(1) A standard contract template for legislatively earmarked grant awards, including, but not limited to, LCO 1 of 3 Substitute Bill No.
(1) A standard contract template for legislatively earmarked grant awards, including, but not limited to, audit specifications and required terms for subawards, (2) general requirements for recipients of legislatively earmarked grant awards that provide a subaward using such legislatively earmarked grant awards, including, but not limited to, verifying that the subrecipient is not suspended, disbarred or otherwise not eligible to receive a legislatively earmarked grant award and obtaining an authorization for the state agency or other pass-through entity to access relevant records, financial statements and performance reports for purposes of monitoring the use of the legislatively earmarked grant award to ensure that the subaward was used for authorized purposes and such use complied with any terms and conditions of the subaward and achieved the performance goals associated with the legislatively earmarked grant award, and (3) a general training program for state agencies in best practices concerning legislatively earmarked grant awards and subawards, including on using the applicable template and the requirements developed under this subsection.
5255 audit specifications and required terms for subawards, (2) general requirements for recipients of legislatively earmarked grant awards that provide a subaward using such legislatively earmarked grant awards, including, but not limited to, verifying that the subrecipient is not suspended, disbarred or otherwise not eligible to receive a legislatively earmarked grant award and obtaining an authorization for the state agency or other pass-through entity to access relevant records, financial statements and performance reports for purposes of monitoring the use of the legislatively earmarked grant award to ensure that the subaward was used for authorized purposes and such use complied with any terms and conditions of the subaward and achieved the performance goals associated with the legislatively earmarked grant award, and (3) a general training program for state agencies in best practices concerning legislatively earmarked grant awards and subawards, including on using the applicable template and the requirements developed under this subsection.
Such report shall include any evaluations conducted by the state agency of the recipient or subrecipients of such awards or subawards and any concerns the state agency has concerning such recipients or subrecipients and may include any requests of the state agency for additional staffing or resources for purposes of complying with the monitoring requirements of this section.
Such report shall include any sHB5255 / File No.
Not later than January 1, 2028, and annually thereafter, the secretary shall compile such reports into a summary of all such awards LCO 2 of 3 Substitute Bill No.
321 2 sHB5255 File No.
5255 and subawards categorized by agency and shall submit such summary, inaccordancewiththeprovisionsofsection11-4aofthegeneralstatutes, to the joint standing committees of the General Assembly having cognizanceofmattersrelatingtoappropriationsandthebudgetsofstate agencies, finance, revenue and bonding and government oversight.
321 evaluations conducted by the state agency of the recipient or subrecipients of such awards or subawards and any concerns the state agency has concerning such recipients or subrecipients and may include any requests of the state agency for additional staffing or resources for purposes of complying with the monitoring requirements of this section.
Not later than January 1, 2028, and annually thereafter, the secretary shall compile such reports into a summary of all such awards and subawards categorized by agency and shall submit such summary, inaccordancewiththeprovisionsofsection11-4aofthegeneralstatutes, to the joint standing committees of the General Assembly having cognizanceofmattersrelatingtoappropriationsandthebudgetsofstate agencies, finance, revenue and bonding and government oversight.
-LCO LCO 3 of 3
-LCO sHB5255 / File No.
321 3 sHB5255 File No.
321 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 $ Policy & Mgmt., Off.
GF - Cost 92,900 90,770 State Comptroller - Fringe GF - Cost 37,700 37,700 Benefits1 Note:
GF=General Fund Municipal Impact:
None Explanation Explanation The bill requires the Office of Policy and Management (OPM) to meet certainrequirementsassociatedwithlegislatively directedfunds(LEGs) which results in a cost of $92,900 in FY 27 and an annual cost of $90,770 beginning in FY 28 to OPM and corresponding fringe benefit costs of $37,700 to the Office of the State Comptroller beginning in FY 27 for a Fiscal Administrative Officer.
This position will develop a contract template, create requirements for certain grantees of LEGs, develop a best practices training program for state agencies, require state agencies to annually report to OPM, and compile a summary of the agency reports as required in the bill.
Background on OPM Policy on Legislatively Directed Funds 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.
sHB5255 / File No.
321 4 sHB5255 File No.
321 The bill is similar to the recently announced, statewide executive branch policy on legislatively-directed or earmarked funds (LDFs).
There are potential fiscal impacts associated with that policy which are noted below.
The implementation of the policy may increase an agency's administration workload based on (1) the volume of LDFs, (2) the complexity of any particular LDF, and (3) agency resources already dedicated to managing LDFs.
Some additional staffing (e.g., temporary, part-time or full-time) may be required by certain agencies to accommodate this workload.
For context, PA 25-168, the FY 26 and FY 27 budget, includes 321 LDFs across sixteen executive branch agencies totaling approximately $89 million in FY 27.
The number of LDFs each such agency administers in FY 27 ranges from one to 200 administered by the Department of Economic and Community Development (DECD).
2 To the extent that some designated recipients are unwilling or unable to comply with the new requirements under the policy, some LDF appropriations in FY 27 and beyond may go unspent and lapse.
The Out Years The annualized ongoing fiscal impact identified above would continue into the future subject to inflation.
The Governor's recommended revised FY 27 budget includes three additional positions within the DECD to enhance oversight of LDF grants and contracts.
sHB5255 / File No.
321 5 sHB5255 File No.
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321 OLR Bill Analysis sHB 5255 AN ACT IMPLEMENTING THE RECOMMENDATIONS OF THE AUDITORS OF PUBLIC ACCOUNTS CONCERNING OVERSIGHT OF STATE AGENCY GRANTS.
SUMMARY This bill addresses the management and oversight of legislatively earmarked grants (LEGs) by creating requirements for LEG recipients and subrecipients (those that receive a LEG award from a state agency or other pass-through entity), state agencies (executive branch entities, including constituent unitsofhigher education),andtheOffice ofPolicy and Management (OPM).
The bill defines LEGs as grants of state funds specifically authorized by the General Assembly in a special or public act, including appropriated and bond funds.
Specifically, the bill requires OPM to:
1.
develop a contract template, which state agencies must begin using on January 1, 2027;
2.
create requirements for grantees who provide a LEG subaward (a LEG awarded through a pass-through entity to a subrecipient for the same goals for which the funds were authorized), including verifying subrecipients’ eligibilityand getting authorization to access records and financial statements to monitor and ensure compliance;
3.
develop a best practices training program for state agencies;
4.
require state agencies to annually report to the OPM secretary on LEG awards and subawards;
and sHB5255 / File No.
321 6 sHB5255 File No.
321 5.
compile the agency reports and send a summary of them to the Appropriations;
Finance, Revenue and Bonding;
and Government Oversight committees.
EFFECTIVE DATE:
October 1, 2026 OPM POLICIES AND PROCEDURES OPM Template The bill requires OPM, by December 1, 2026, to develop a standard contract template for LEGs that includes audit specifications and required terms for subawards.
On or after January 1, 2027, the bill requires state agencies to use the template for all LEG awards.
OPM Training Program The bill also requires OPM to create a training program for state agencies on LEG best practices, use of the contract template, and any other grant requirements.
The training program must be developed by December 1, 2026, and state agencies must ensure that any employee responsible for awarding LEGs attends the training on or after January 1, 2027.
OPM must provide the training at least quarterly.
Requirements for Grantees The bill requires OPM,by December 1, 2026,to developrequirements for grantees that provide a LEG subaward, including (1) verifying the subrecipient is eligible to receive the grant;
(2) receiving authorization from the state agency or pass-through entity to access records, financial statements, and performance reports;
and (3) using those documents to monitor the grant to ensure it was used for authorized purposes, complies with any terms and conditions, and achieves any associated performance goals.
REPORTING REQUIREMENTS State Agency Annual Report The bill requires state agencies to submit annual reports beginning by December 1, 2027, detailing all LEG awards and subawards they disbursed in the past year, in a form and manner set by the secretary.
sHB5255 / File No.
321 7 sHB5255 File No.
321 The report must include state agency evaluations of the recipient or subrecipient and any state agency concerns, and may include any state agency requests for additional staffing or resources.
OPM Annual Summary Report Under the bill, the OPM secretary must compile all the state agency reports into a summary and submit it annually, beginning by January 1, 2028, to the Appropriations;
Finance, Revenue and Bonding;
and Government Oversight committees.
BACKGROUND OPM Policy on Legislatively Directed Funds OPM published a General Letter on January 20, 2026, titled “Legislatively Directed Funds Administration Policy.” It addresses legislatively directed funds (LDFs), a concept similar to legislatively earmarked grants.
The letter addresses LDF administration, state and federal compliance requirements, best practices, communication, and risk mitigation.
The policy requires agencies to, among other things:
1.
request information, if not already included in a public act, from legislative leadership about the legislative intent of the LDF, whether a subaward is permitted, and the name and address of the recipient and any subawardee;
2.
document information on an intake form about the recipient or subawardee for state agency review, including general recipient information, the intended use of the LDF, the budget related to theLDF, organizationdocuments,risk assessment,andany other necessary information;
3.
conduct an internal review and approval process, including management and fiscal office validation, issuing final grant approval letters, and withholding LDFs if the recipient or subawardee fails to comply with various policies;
4.
use a standard process for making payments on an invoice basis;
and sHB5255 / File No.
321 8 sHB5255 File No.
321 5.
follow other OPM best practices for LDFs.
Related Bill HB 5039 (File 66) contains similar provisions addressing the management of LDFs by creating requirements for LDF recipients, administering agencies, and OPM.
COMMITTEE ACTION Government Oversight Committee Joint Favorable Yea 12 Nay 0 (03/17/2026) sHB5255 / File No.
321 9
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Action History

  1. REF. BY HOUSE TO COMMITTEE ON Appropriations

  2. FILE NO. 321

  3. HOUSE CALENDAR NUMBER 240

  4. FAV. RPT., TABLED FOR HOUSE CALENDAR

  5. RPTD. OUT OF LCO

  6. REFERRED TO Office of Legislative Research AND Office of Fiscal Analysis 03/31/26

  7. FILED WITH LCO

  8. Joint Favorable

  9. PUBLIC HEARING 0303

  10. REF. TO JOINT COMM. ON Government Oversight

Sponsors

Sponsorship breakdown

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1 sponsors · 0 co-sponsors · 186 not signed on

Sponsors (1)

Co-sponsors (0)

None.

Not signed on (186)

186 members have not signed on to this bill.

Show all 186 →

"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 HB 5255?
HB 5255 is sponsored by Rob Sampson (Republican).
What is the current status of HB 5255?
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 5255?
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