SB 319 — AN ACT CONCERNING BATTERY-POWERED LAWN EQUIPMENT FUNDING FOR MUNICIPALITIES, REGIONAL SCHOOLS AND COMMERCIAL LANDSCAPERS.

Senate General Assembly RaisedFile Bill No.

319458 February Session, 2026 LCOSubstitute Senate Bill No.

2288319 ReferredSenate, toApril 7, 2026 The Committee on ENVIRONMENTEnvironment Introducedreported by:through SEN.

(ENV)LOPES ANof ACTthe CONCERNING6th THEDist., USEChairperson OFof BATTERY-POWEREDthe LEAFCommittee BLOWERSon ANDthe SIMILARpart EQUIPMENTof BYthe THESenate, STATEthat ANDthe MUNICIPALITIES.substitute bill ought to pass.

AN ACT CONCERNING BATTERY-POWERED LAWN EQUIPMENT FUNDING FOR MUNICIPALITIES, REGIONAL SCHOOLS AND COMMERCIAL LANDSCAPERS.

Section1.Section 1.

(NEW)(EffectiveOctober1,2026)(a)(NEW) Onandafter(Effective SeptemberOctober 1, 2027,2027) theThe DepartmentsDepartment of Administrative Services, Energy and Environmental Protection andshall Transportationreactivate shall,the within2010 availableLawn appropriations,Equipment purchase,Exchange leaseFund orfor acquiremunicipalities electric hand-held or push lawn mowers, leaf blowers and lawnregional trimmersschool fordistricts. state agencies for landscaping services on state-owned property whenever such existing gas-powered equipment reaches the end of its useful life.

(b) On andafter September 1, 2029, the Departments of Administrative Services, Energy and Environmental Protection and Transportation shall, within available appropriations, prepare bidding documents for contractors who seek to perform maintenance or landscaping work on state properties in order to require such bidders to use electric hand-held or push lawn mowers, leaf blowers and lawn trimmers in the performance of such work.

LCO No.

2288 1 of 5 Raised Bill No.319 (c) On and after September 1, 2030, the use of gas-powered hand-held or backpack leaf blowers shall be prohibited on state owned or leased properties.

(d) Notwithstanding the provisions of this section, said commissioners may make an exception to such purchase, lease and acquisitionrequirementsiffiscalresourcesoragencyoperationsdepend on the utilization of specific equipment, including, but not limited to, the following operations:

(1) Abating or preventing damage during a declared emergency or for equipment used by first responders to provide emergency services, (2) conducting fire hazard reduction and post-fire recovery activities, (3) managing riparian, forest or grassland areas, or (4) maintaining public safety.

(NEW) (Effective October 1, 2026) (a)Not Thelater Departmentthan ofJanuary Energy31, and2028, Environmentthe ProtectionConnecticut Green Bank shall reactivatecreate thea 2010loan Lawnprogram Equipmentor Exchangeloan Fundproducts forthat municipalitiesare andtailored regionalto schools.assist Connecticut registered commercial landscapers with the purchase or lease of battery-operated lawn equipment.

(b) For the calendar years 2026 to 2030, inclusive, the Department of Energy and Environment Protection shall hold product demonstrations for state and municipal agencies to assist with the transition to battery- operated technology, including ensuring the safe and proper upgrades to any needed charging and storage infrastructure, the sharing of best practices among agencies and assisting municipalities with buy-back implementation programs for residents and commercial lawn care companies.

Sec.

3.

(NEW) (Effective October 1, 2026) Not later than January 31, 2027, the Connecticut Green Bank shall create a loan program or loan products that are tailored to assist Connecticut registered commercial landscapers with the purchase or lease of battery-operated lawn equipment.

Sec.sSB319 / File No.

4.458 1 sSB319 File No.

Subsection458 (a)This ofact sectionshall 16-245ltake ofeffect theas generalfollows statutesand isshall LCOamend No.the following sections:

2288Section 21 ofOctober 51, Raised2027 BillNew No.319section repealedSec. andthefollowing issubstituted inlieuthereof(EffectiveOctober 1, 2026):

(a)2 TheOctober Public1, Utilities2026 RegulatoryNew Authoritysection shallStatement establish and each electric distribution company shall collect a systems benefits charge to be imposed against all end use customers of eachLegislative electricCommissioners: distribution company beginning January 1, 2000.

TheIn authoritySection shall1, hold"regional aschools" hearingwas thatchanged shall be conducted as a contested case in accordance with chapter 54 to establish"regional theschool amountdistricts", offor theaccuracy. systems benefits charge.

TheENV authorityJoint mayFavorable reviseSubst. the systems benefits charge or any element of said charge as the need arises.

CommencingsSB319 on/ JulyFile 1,No. 2015, and annually thereafter, the sum of two million one hundred thousand dollars shall be transferred from the systems benefits charge to Operation Fuel, Incorporated, for energy assistance, provided two hundred thousand dollars of such sum may be used for administrative purposes.

The458 systems2 benefitssSB319 chargeFile shall also be used to fund (1) the expenses of the public education outreach program developed under section 16-244d other than expenses for authority staff, (2) the cost of hardship protection measures under sections 16-262c and 16-262d and other hardship protections, including, but not limited to, electric service bill payment programs, funding and technical support for energy assistance, fuel bank and weatherization programs and weatherization services, (3) the payment program to offset tax losses described in section 12-94d, (4) any sums paid to a resource recovery authority pursuant to subsection (b) of section 16-243e, (5) low income conservation programs approved by the Public Utilities Regulatory Authority, (6) displaced worker protection costs, (7) unfunded storage and disposal costs for spent nuclear fuel generated before January 1, 2000, approved by the appropriate regulatory agencies, (8) postretirement safe shutdown and site protection costs that are incurred in preparation for decommissioning, (9) decommissioning fund contributions, (10) costs associated with the Connecticut electric efficiency partner program established pursuant to section 16-243v, (11) reinvestments and investments in energy efficiency programs and LCO No.

2288458 3The offollowing 5Fiscal RaisedImpact BillStatement No.319and technologiesBill pursuantAnalysis toare sectionprepared 16a-38l,for costs associated with the electricitybenefit conservation incentive program established pursuant to section 119 of public act 07-242, (12) legal, appraisal and purchase costs of a conservation or land use restriction and other related costs as the authoritymembers in its discretion deems appropriate, incurred by a municipality on or before January 1, 2000, to ensure the environmental, recreational and scenic preservation of any reservoir located within this state created by a pump storage hydroelectric generating facility, [and] (13) the residentialGeneral furnaceAssembly, andsolely boilerfor replacementpurposes program pursuant to subsection (k) of sectioninformation, 16-243v,summarization and (14)explanation electrification of lawn and gardenequipmentforthecalendaryears2026to2030,inclusive.Asuseddo innot thisrepresent subsection, "displaced worker protection costs" means the reasonableintent costs incurred, prior to January 1, 2008, (A) by an electric supplier, exempt wholesale generator, electric company, an operator of a nuclear power generating facility in this state or a generation entity or affiliate arising from the dislocationGeneral ofAssembly any employee other than an officer, provided such dislocation is a result of (i) restructuring of the electric generation market and such dislocation occurs on or after July 1, 1998, or (ii) the closing of a Title IV source or an exempt wholesale generator, as defined in 15 USC 79z-5a, on or after January 1, 2004, as a result of such source's failure to meet requirements imposed as a result of sections 22a-197 and 22a-198 and this section or those Regulations of Connecticut State Agencies adopted by the Department of Energy and Environmental Protection, as amended from time to time, in accordance withExecutive OrderNumber 19,issued on May 17,2000,andprovided further such costs result from either thechamber executionthereof of agreements reached through collective bargaining for unionany employeespurpose. or from the company's or entity's or affiliate's programs and policies for nonunion employees, and (B) by an electric distribution company or an exempt wholesale generator arising from the retraining of a former employee of an unaffiliated exempt wholesale generator, which employee was involuntarilydislocated onor afterJanuary 1,2004,fromsuchwholesale generator, except for cause.

"DisplacedIn workergeneral, protectionfiscal costs"impacts includesare costsbased incurredupon ora projectedvariety forof severance,informational retraining,sources, earlyincluding LCOthe No.analyst’s professional knowledge.

2288Whenever 4applicable, agency data is consulted as part of 5the Raisedanalysis, Billhowever No.final products do not necessarily reflect an assessment from any specific department.

319OFA retirement,Fiscal outplacement,Note coverageState forImpact: surviving spouse insurance benefits and related expenses.

Sec.Agency Affected Fund-Effect FY 27 $ FY 28 $ Green Bank Clean Energy Fund None Indeterminate Note:

5.GF=General Fund Municipal Impact:

(NEW)None (EffectiveExplanation OctoberSection 1,1 2026)of Onthe andbill afterrequires Januarythe 1,Department 2029,of noEnergy personand shallEnvironmental sellProtection or(DEEP), offerby forOctober sale1, any2027, gas-poweredto handheldreactivate orthe backpackLawn leafEquipment blower.Exchange Fund.

Sec.This does not result in a cost to DEEP as there is a zero balance within this account.

6.Section 2 requires the Connecticut Green Bank, by January 31, 2028, to create a loan program or loan products to assist Connecticut registeredcommerciallandscaperswiththepurchaseorleaseofbattery- operated lawn equipment.

(NEW)This (Effectiveis Octoberanticipated 1,to 2026)result Onin anda aftercost Septemberto 1,the 2030,Connecticut noGreen personBank, shallwhich useis anya gas-poweredquasi-public handheld,green orbank. backpack leaf blower.

ThisThe actlevel shallof takefunding effectassociated aswith followsthe new loan program or products is indeterminate and shallnot amendspecified in the followingbill. sections:

SectionThe 1Out OctoberYears 1,The 2026annualized Newongoing sectionfiscal Sec.impact identified above would continue into the future subject to inflation.

2sSB319 October/ 1,File 2026No. New section Sec.

458 3 OctobersSB319 1,File 2026No. New section Sec.