HB 5447 — AN ACT IMPLEMENTING RECOMMENDATIONS OF THE TRANSFORMING CHILDREN'S BEHAVIORAL HEALTH POLICY AND PLANNING COMMITTEE.

Substitute House ofBill Representatives General Assembly File No.

6425447 FebruaryPublic Session,Act 2026 Substitute House Bill No.

544726-62 HouseAN ofACT Representatives,IMPLEMENTING AprilRECOMMENDATIONS 15,OF 2026THE TheTRANSFORMING CommitteeCHILDREN'S onBEHAVIORAL AppropriationsHEALTH reportedPOLICY throughAND REP.PLANNING COMMITTEE.

WALKER of the 93rd Dist., Chairperson of the Committee on the part of the House, that the substitute bill ought to pass.

AN ACT IMPLEMENTING RECOMMENDATIONS OF THE TRANSFORMING CHILDREN'S BEHAVIORAL HEALTH POLICY AND PLANNING COMMITTEE AND CONCERNING TEMPORARY FAMILY ASSISTANCE BENEFITS.

The working group shall, in consultation with the Commissioners of Public Health and Mental Health and Addiction Services, compile information to be made available to the public concerning (1) providers of eating disorder treatment services in the state, including, but not limited to, sHB5447facilities /that Fileprovide No.such treatment, (2) details concerning the types of services each such provider offers and the ages of persons typically served by such providers, and (3) other resources available in the state for persons with eating disorders.

642The 1working sHB5447group Fileshall also consult with the Commissioner of Public Health to establish best practice Substitute House Bill No.

6425447 facilitiesguidelines thatfor providefacilities such treatment, (2) details concerning the types of services each such provider offers and the ages of persons typically served by such providers, and (3) other resources available in theproviding statetreatment for persons with eating disorders.

The working group shall also consult withtheCommissionerofPublicHealthto(A)develop,withinavailable appropriations, one or more questions on the subject of eating disorder behaviors to be included on the Connecticut School Health Survey questionnaire, and (B) establish best practice guidelines for facilities in providing treatment for eating disorders.

(Effective from passage) (a) The Commissioner of ChildrenSocial andServices Familiesshall,incollaborationwiththeCommissionersofChildrenandFamilies, shall,DevelopmentalServicesandMentalHealthandAddictionServices,and in collaboration with the CommissionersOffice of Developmentalthe ServicesBehavioral and Mental Health andAdvocate, Addiction Services, study the feasibility of establishing an inpatient facility to provide sHB5447psychiatric /treatment Fileservices No.to children and young adults between the ages of fourteen and twenty-one, inclusive, who have intellectual or developmental disabilities.

642(b) 2The sHB5447study Fileshall No.include, but need not be limited to:

642(1) childrenThe andPublic youngAct adultsNo. between the ages of fourteen and twenty- one, inclusive, who have intellectual or developmental disabilities with psychiatric treatment services.

Such26-62 study2 shallof include:3 Substitute House Bill No.

(1)5447 The appropriate size of thesuch facility and number of persons to be served at one time;

(c) Not later than JanuaryJuly 1, 2027, the Commissioner of ChildrenSocial andServices Families shall file a report, in accordance with the provisions of section 11-4a of the general statutes, toon the results of the study with the joint standing committees of theGeneralAssemblythe General Assembly having cognizance ofmattersrelatingof matters relating to children, human services, public health and appropriations and the budgets of state agenciesagencies. on the results of the study.

(b) Not later than February 1, 2027, the Commissioner of Children and Families shall request information from one or more providers of mental health services in the state concerning the establishment of an inpatient facility in the state, as described in subsection (a) of this section.

The request for information shall contain provisions inquiring about the ability of such provider to:

(1) Establish such facility;

and (2) implement best practices for psychiatric treatment services to meet the needs of the population described in subsection (a) of this section.

On or before July 1, 2027, the Commissioner of Children and Families shall submit, in accordance with section 11-4a of the general statutes, a summary oftheresponsesto therequest for information,along withany recommendations, to the Governor andthe joint standing committees of theGeneralAssembly having cognizance ofmattersrelating to children, human services, public health and appropriations and the budgets of state agencies.

Subsection(NEW) (g)(Effective ofJuly section1,2026)Onandafter 17b-112January 1,2027,each school-basedhealthcentershall(1)useanevidence-basedscreeningtool for early identification of thedisordered 2026eating behaviors, as a supplement to theexisting generalmethods statutesused isto repealeddiagnose disordered eating behaviors, and the(2) followingprovide issuch substitutedscreening tool to each patient who is in lieugrades thereofsix (Effectiveto fromtwelve, passage):inclusive, during such patient's annual health assessment, including, but not limited to, the health assessments conducted pursuant to section 10-206 of the general statutes.

sHB5447Governor's /Action: File No.

642Approved 3May sHB544719, File2026 Public Act No.

64226-62 (g)3 On and after July 1, 2026, the monthly cash benefit for a family shall be not less than fifty-five per cent of the3 monthly federal poverty level for such family.

Notwithstanding section 17b-104, commencing on July1,2023,theCommissionerofSocialServicesshallprovideanannual cost-of-living adjustment in temporary family assistance benefits equal to the most recent percentage increase in the consumer price index for urban consumers whenever funds appropriated for temporary family assistance lapse at the close of any fiscal year and such adjustment has not otherwise been included in the budget for the assistance program, provided the increase would not create a budget deficiency in succeeding years.

The commissioner shall provide a prorated benefit increase from such available lapsed funds in any fiscal year when such funds are not sufficient to cover a cost-of-living adjustment in accordance with this subsection.

This act shall take effect as follows and shall amend the following sections:

Section 1 from passage New section Sec.

2 October 1, 2026 2-137(o) Sec.

3 from passage New section Sec.

4 from passage 17b-112(g) Statement of Legislative Commissioners:

In Section 2, "food insecurity and the benefits of providing a holistic diet" was changed to "food education and nutrition" for consistency with the provisions of Section 1.

APP Joint Favorable Subst.

sHB5447 / File No.

642 4 sHB5447 File No.

642 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 $ Social Services, Dept.