SB 223 — AN ACT CONCERNING THE PARAEDUCATOR HEALTH CARE SUBSIDY PROGRAM.

Senate General Assembly RaisedFile Bill No.

223695 February Session, 2026 LCOSenate Bill No.

1394223 ReferredSenate, toApril 20, 2026 The Committee on EDUCATIONAppropriations Introducedreported by:through SEN.

(ED)OSTEN ANof ACTthe CONCERNING19th THEDist., PARAEDUCATORChairperson HEALTHof CAREthe SUBSIDYCommittee PROGRAM.on the part of the Senate, that the bill ought to pass.

AN ACT CONCERNING THE PARAEDUCATOR HEALTH CARE SUBSIDY PROGRAM.

(b) For the fiscal [years] year ending [June 30, 2024, and June 30, 2025] June 30, 2027, and each fiscal year thereafter, the Comptroller shall establish a program to provide a subsidy, within available appropriations, to each paraeducator who (1) opens a health savings account,SB223 pursuant/ toFile Section 223 of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, LCO 1394 1 of 3 Raised Bill No.

223695 or1 anySB223 subsequentFile correspondingNo. internal revenue code of the United States, as amended from time to time, or is eligible for Medicare and enrolls in a high deductible health plan, and (2) is employed [by a local or regional board of education] in a public school.

695 account, pursuant to Section 223 of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, or any subsequent corresponding internal revenue code of the United States, as amended from time to time, or is eligible for Medicare and enrolls in a high deductible health plan, and (2) is employed [by a local or regional board of education] in a public school.

[(d) The Comptroller and the Commissioner of Education shall enter intoSB223 a/ memorandumFile of understanding, in accordance with the LCO 1394 2 of 3 Raised Bill No.

223695 provisions2 ofSB223 sectionFile 4-97bNo. of the general statutes, to allow the Comptroller to utilize the sum of $5,000,000 that is appropriated to the Department of Education for assistance to paraeducators pursuant to section 1 of public act 23-204 to implement the provisions of this section.] This act shall take effect as follows and shall amend the following sections:

695 into a memorandum of understanding, in accordance with the provisions of section 4-97b of the general statutes, to allow the Comptroller to utilize the sum of $5,000,000 that is appropriated to the Department of Education for assistance to paraeducators pursuant to section 1 of public act 23-204 to implement the provisions of this section.] This act shall take effect as follows and shall amend the following sections:

203 ED Joint Favorable C/R APP APP Joint Favorable LCOSB223 1394/ 3File ofNo. 3

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695 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 $ Comptroller GF - Cost 10 million 10 million Note:

GF=General Fund Municipal Impact:

None Explanation The bill extends the paraeducator health care subsidy program within the Office of the State Comptroller (OSC) from FY 27 onwards and expands eligibility to paraeducators employed in charter schools, resulting in an annual cost of $10 million.

1 The Out Years The annualized ongoing fiscal impact identified above would continue into the future subject to inflation.

Funding for this program ranged between $5 to $10 million beginning in FY 24.

The FY 26 and 27 Budget appropriated $10 million to this program within OSC.

Subsidies were dispersed subject to fund availability.

SB223 / File No.

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695 OLR Bill Analysis SB 223 AN ACT CONCERNING THE PARAEDUCATOR HEALTH CARE SUBSIDY PROGRAM.

SUMMARY This bill makes permanent two health care subsidy programs for paraeducators employed by local or regional boards of education and expands the programs to include paraeducators at charter schools.

Under current law, the programs expired on June 30, 2025 (but the state budget included funds for the comptroller to continue the subsidies for FY 26).

One program provides subsidies for paraeducators who (1) open a health savings account (HSA) or (2) are Medicare-eligible and enroll in a highdeductible healthplan (HDHP).

The subsidy coversapercentage, determined by the comptroller, of the deductible for the paraeducator’s health plan minus the amount of any employer contributions to an HSA or health reimbursement account.

Thesecondprogramprovidessubsidiesto schoolboardsthatprovide paraeducators coverage under an employer health plan (generally, a health insurance plan) or the partnership plan (a health benefit plan the comptroller offers to nonstate public employers and certain others).

The subsidy covers upto 10% oftheaggregate premiumcost (including both the employee and employer shares), paid by the board of education for the coverage, divided by the number of paraeducators the board employs who are enrolled in the health plan.

The subsidy must be used to offset the paraeducators’ share of the premium.

The bill also eliminates an obsolete provision.

EFFECTIVE DATE:

July 1, 2026 SB223 / File No.

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695 COMMITTEE ACTION Education Committee Joint Favorable Change of Reference - APP Yea 42 Nay 2 (02/27/2026) Appropriations Committee Joint Favorable Yea 42 Nay 9 (04/01/2026) SB223 / File No.

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