Connecticut 2026 Session Status: In Committee Bipartisan · 2 D · 1 R cosponsors

SB 371 — AN ACT ESTABLISHING A PERSONAL FLOTATION DEVICE REQUIREMENT FOR CHILDREN UNDER THE AGE OF TWELVE WHILE ON PUBLIC DOCKS, WHARVES AND PIERS.

Last action — FILE NO. 299

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

This bill is in committee in the Senate. Introduced February 26, 2026. It must pass committee before a floor vote.

Next likely step: a committee vote, then a floor vote in the Senate.

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

Advancing 36% · moderate confidence

  • In Committee

    Current position in the legislative process.

  • 3 sponsors

    3 primary, 0 co-sponsors signed on.

  • Bipartisan support

    Sponsored across 2 parties (2 D · 1 R) — 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.

Bill Text

What changed in the latest version

53 added · 6 removed

Plain-language change summary

The latest version of Senate Bill 371 includes an explanation of its fiscal impact and specifies that it will incur a minimal cost of up to $10,000 for the Department of Energy and Environmental Protection in the upcoming fiscal year. This change is important because it provides transparency about the potential expenses associated with the bill, allowing lawmakers and the public to understand how it may affect state finances. The previous version did not include this detailed fiscal analysis, making it harder to gauge the bill's financial implications.

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Previous
Latest
General Assembly Raised Bill No.
Senate General Assembly File No.
371 February Session, 2026 LCO No.
299 February Session, 2026 Senate Bill No.
1745 Referred to Committee on PUBLIC SAFETY AND SECURITY Introduced by:
371 Senate, April 1, 2026 The Committee on Public Safety and Security reported through SEN.
(PS) AN ACT ESTABLISHING A PERSONAL FLOTATION DEVICE REQUIREMENT FOR CHILDREN UNDER THE AGE OF TWELVE WHILE ON PUBLIC DOCKS, WHARVES AND PIERS.
GASTON of the 23rd Dist., Chairperson of the Committee on the part of the Senate, that the bill ought to pass.
AN ACT ESTABLISHING A PERSONAL FLOTATION DEVICE REQUIREMENT FOR CHILDREN UNDER THE AGE OF TWELVE WHILE ON PUBLIC DOCKS, WHARVES AND PIERS.
Section 1 October 1, 2026 New section PS Joint Favorable LCO 1745 1 of 1
Section 1 October 1, 2026 New section PS Joint Favorable SB371 / File No.
299 1 SB371 File No.
299 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 $ Department of Energy and GF – Minimal Cost Up to $10,000 Environmental Protection Note:
GF=General Fund Municipal Impact:
None Explanation The bill will result in a minimal cost in FY 27, of up to $10,000, to the Department of Energy and Environmental Protection (DEEP).
The cost is associated with the purchase of additional personal flotation devices, to support educational programs run by DEEP.
Under the bill, personal floatation devices will be required for all children under 12 years old, while onany publicdock,wharf,or pierinthestate.
Additionally,DEEP will require new signage at public docks, wharfs and piers, to inform the public of the required change.
The Out Years There will be minimal outyear costs associated with the replacement of personal flotation devices.
SB371 / File No.
299 2 SB371 File No.
299 OLR Bill Analysis SB 371 AN ACT ESTABLISHING A PERSONAL FLOTATION DEVICE REQUIREMENT FOR CHILDREN UNDER THE AGE OF TWELVE WHILE ON PUBLIC DOCKS, WHARVES AND PIERS.
SUMMARY This bill requires all children under age 12 to wear a personal flotationdevice while onany publicdock, wharf,or pier inthestate.The bill specifies that this requirement applies regardless of any existing special act, municipal charter, or home rule ordinance provisions.
EFFECTIVE DATE:
October 1, 2026 BACKGROUND Related Bill HB 5273 (File 15), favorably reported by the Children Committee, has identical provisions.
COMMITTEE ACTION Public Safety and Security Committee Joint Favorable Yea 29 Nay 0 (03/17/2026) SB371 / File No.
299 3
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Action History

  1. FILE NO. 299

  2. SENATE CALENDAR NUMBER 209

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

  4. RPTD. OUT OF LCO

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

  6. FILED WITH LCO

  7. Joint Favorable

  8. PUBLIC HEARING 0305

  9. REF. TO JOINT COMM. ON Public Safety and Security

Sponsors

Sponsorship breakdown

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3 sponsors · 0 co-sponsors · 184 not signed on

Sponsors (3)

Co-sponsors (0)

None.

Not signed on (184)

184 members have not signed on to this bill.

Show all 184 →

"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.

Whip count is in markup. Polling the chamber and every recorded vote this session. Only the first open is slow. It’s instant for you after this. Calling the roll · Tallying · Engrossing

Subjects

public-safety
Cross-referencing the record. Reading this bill against every other bill in the corpus by meaning, not keywords. Only the first open is slow. It’s instant for you after this. Matching · Ranking · Engrossing

Frequently asked questions

Who sponsors SB 371?
SB 371 is sponsored by Herron Gaston (Democratic), Joseph P. Gresko (Democratic), and Ben McGorty (Republican).
What is the current status of SB 371?
This bill is in committee in the Senate. Introduced February 26, 2026. It must pass committee before a floor vote.
Where can I track SB 371?
Track SB 371 free on One Click Politics — get push/email alerts when it moves.

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Last checked for changes 3 months ago · updated continuously

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