Connecticut 2026 Session Status: Enacted Bipartisan · 45 D · 10 R cosponsors

HB 5143 — AN ACT REQUIRING TRAINING FOR HOMEMAKER-COMPANION AGENCY EMPLOYEES.

Last action — SIGNED BY GOVERNOR

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

This bill has been enacted into law. Introduced February 11, 2026. Enacted.

Signed by Governor Ned Lamont (Democratic) on May 20, 2026.

Odds of enactment

High chance

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

Upgrade to see the exact probability and what's driving it.

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

Prognosis

Likely to advance 78% · moderate confidence

  • Enacted

    Current position in the legislative process.

  • 55 sponsors

    55 primary, 0 co-sponsors signed on.

  • Bipartisan support

    Sponsored across 2 parties (45 D · 10 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.

In plain language

This bill requires homemaker-companion agencies to provide training for their employees.

Starting January 1, 2027, homemaker-companion agencies must give new employees at least eight hours of training within 90 days and ongoing annual education. The bill outlines specific training topics and includes measures for compliance and reporting.

What this means for you
  • Workers: This means workers in homemaker-companion agencies will receive mandated training to better prepare them for their roles.

Bill Text

What changed in the latest version

123 added · 285 removed

Plain-language change summary

The bill now specifies that starting January 1, 2027, every homemaker-companion agency must provide at least eight hours of paid training to new employees within their first 90 days, along with annual continuing education. Additionally, if a new employee has previous training from a different agency within the last three years, that training can count toward the initial training requirement. This change matters because it ensures that employees are better prepared to support clients, particularly those with Alzheimer's or dementia, which can lead to improved care and service quality.

→
Previous
Latest
House of Representatives File No.
Substitute House Bill No.
734 General Assembly February Session, 2026Reprint of File No.
5143 Public Act No.
85) Substitute House Bill No.
26-50 AN ACT REQUIRING TRAINING FOR HOMEMAKER-COMPANION AGENCY EMPLOYEES.
5143 As Amended by House Amendment Schedule "A" Approved by the Legislative Commissioner April 28, 2026 AN ACT REQUIRING TRAINING FOR HOMEMAKER-COMPANION AGENCY EMPLOYEES.
(NEW) (Effective from passage) (a) (1) On and after January 1, 2027, each homemaker-companion agency, as defined in section 20- 670 of the general statutes, shall provide not less than eight paid hours of:
(NEW) (Effective from passage) (a) (1) On and after January 1, 2027, each homemaker-companion agency, as defined in section 20- of the general statutes, shall provide not less than eight paid hours of:
and (B) Annual continuing education to each employee, which shall be comprised of programs on the list of approved homemaker-companion sHB5143 / File No.
and (B) Annual continuing education to each employee, which shall be comprised of programs on the list of approved homemaker-companion agency employee training programs developed pursuant to subsection (b) of this section.
734 sHB5143 File No.
(2) If an employee of a homemaker-companion agency has received initial training in accordance with the provisions of subparagraph (A) of subdivision (1) of this subsection while employed by a different Substitute House Bill No.
734 agency employee training programs developed pursuant to subsection (b) of this section.
5143 homemaker-companion agency within the three years preceding the employee's date of hire, such training shall satisfy the initial training requirements of said subparagraph, provided the employee furnishes proof of such initial training by providing the form described in subsection (c) of this section.
(2) If an employee of a homemaker-companion agency has received initial training in accordance with the provisions of subparagraph (A) of subdivision (1) of this subsection while employed by a different homemaker-companion agency within the three years preceding the employee's date of hire, such training shall satisfy the initial training requirements of said subparagraph, provided the employee furnishes proof of such initial training by providing the form described in subsection (c) of this section.
The list of approved homemaker-companion agency employee training programs shall be limited to programs concerning (1) communication, (2) maintenance of a clean and safe environment, including, but not limited to, best practices relating to dressing, bathing and toileting sHB5143 / File No.
The list of approved homemaker-companion agency employee training programs shall be limited to programs concerning (1) communication, (2) maintenance of a clean and safe environment, including, but not limited to, best practices relating to dressing, bathing and toileting assistance, (3) identification and reporting of abuse and neglect, (4) identification and reporting of changes in a homemaker-companion agency client's condition and service needs, (5) differentiation between Public Act No.
734 sHB5143 File No.
26-50 2 of 5 Substitute House Bill No.
734 assistance, (3) identification and reporting of abuse and neglect, (4) identification and reporting of changes in a homemaker-companion agency client's condition and service needs, (5) differentiation between medical and nonmedical care, (6) providing nonmedical services to a person with Alzheimer's disease or dementia, and (7) any other topic deemed appropriate by the Commissioner of Consumer Protection, in consultation with the Commissioners of Public Health, Social Services, DevelopmentalServicesandMentalHealthandAddictionServices.The Commissioner of Consumer Protection shall publish the list of approved homemaker-companion agency employee training programs on the Department of Consumer Protection's Internet web site.
5143 medical and nonmedical care, (6) providing nonmedical services to a person with Alzheimer's disease or dementia, and (7) any other topic deemed appropriate by the Commissioner of Consumer Protection, in consultation with the Commissioners of Public Health, Social Services, DevelopmentalServicesandMentalHealthandAddictionServices.The Commissioner of Consumer Protection shall publish the list of approved homemaker-companion agency employee training programs on the Department of Consumer Protection's Internet web site.
(e) Not later than January 1, 2027, and annually thereafter, each homemaker-companion agency shall submit to the Department of sHB5143 / File No.
(e) Not later than January 1, 2027, and annually thereafter, each homemaker-companion agency shall submit to the Department of Consumer Protection, in a form and manner prescribed by the Public Act No.
734 sHB5143 File No.
26-50 3 of 5 Substitute House Bill No.
734 Consumer Protection, in a form and manner prescribed by the commissioner, an attestation in which such homemaker-companion agency agrees to adhere to the training requirements described in this section.
5143 commissioner, an attestation in which such homemaker-companion agency agrees to adhere to the training requirements described in this section.
(2) A homemaker-companion agency may include in its advertising (A) words that accurately describe, as determined by the commissioner, that such agency has employees who are trained to provide homemaker services to individuals experiencing memory difficulties, provided the agency details the type of training and number of hours each employee wastrained to providesuch services,or (B) a statement that suchagency complies with all state training requirements relating to homemaker- sHB5143 / File No.
(2) A homemaker-companion agency may include in its advertising (A) words that accurately describe, as determined by the commissioner, that such agency has employees who are trained to provide homemaker services to individuals experiencing memory difficulties, provided the agency details the type of training and number of hours each employee wastrained to providesuch services,or (B) a statement that suchagency Public Act No.
734 sHB5143 File No.
26-50 4 of 5 Substitute House Bill No.
734 companion agencies, which may include references to specific homemaker-companion agency employee training program topics as described in subsection (b) of section 1 of this act.
5143 complies with all state training requirements relating to homemaker- companion agencies, which may include references to specific homemaker-companion agency employee training program topics as described in subsection (b) of section 1 of this act.
This act shall take effect as follows and shall amend the following sections:
Governor's Action:
Section 1 from passage New section Sec.
Approved May 20, 2026 Public Act No.
2 January 1, 2027 20-677(g) sHB5143 / File No.
26-50 5 of 5
734 5 sHB5143 File No.
734 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 $ Consumer Protection, Dept.
GF - Cost 81,606 77,606 State Comptroller - Fringe GF - Cost 30,427 30,427 Benefits1 Note:
GF=General Fund Municipal Impact:
None Explanation The bill requires the Department of Consumer Protection (DCP) to create a list of trainings for homemaker companion agency (HCA) employeesandenforce thenew training requirementsresulting ina cost to the state.
To meet the requirements of the bill DCP will need to hire one special investigator for a salary and other expenses cost of $81,606 in FY 27 and $77,606 in FY 28, along with corresponding fringe benefit costs of $30,427 in FY 27 and FY 28.
The special investigator is required to ensure compliance with the new trainings and to investigate complaints.
There are over 1,000 HCAs in the state.
House "A" strikes the underlying bill and its associated fiscal impact resulting in the impact described above.
The Out Years The annualized ongoing fiscal impact identified above would continue into the future subject to employee wage increases and 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.
sHB5143 / File No.
734 sHB5143 File No.
734 inflation.
sHB5143 / File No.
Show all 88 changed rows (48 more)
Previous
Latest
734 sHB5143 File No.
734 OLR Bill Analysis sHB 5143 (as amended by House "A")* AN ACT REQUIRING TRAINING FOR HOMEMAKER-COMPANION AGENCY EMPLOYEES.
SUMMARY Beginning January 1, 2027, this bill requires homemaker-companion agencies to annually provide at least eight hours of paid training to both their new and current employees, other than employees who are exempt, asdescribed below.The training must be oncertaintopics(such as identifying abuse and best practices in personal hygiene) from a list of training programs approved by the Department of Consumer Protection (DCP) commissioner.
The bill requires each homemaker-companion agency to attest to DCP, by January 1, 2027, and as the commissioner directs, that it will adhere to thetraining requirements.
It also allows them to advertise that they comply with state-mandated training requirements and include specific topics that are covered.
Additionally, the bill requires each homemaker-companion registry (see BACKGROUND) to ensure that anyone it refers or supplies to, or placeswith,a consumerhascompletedeverytrainingatleastonceevery two years.
* House Amendment “A” addsthe(1)requirementsthat (a)DCPpost a list of approved training programs on its website and (b) registries ensure individuals meet training requirements and (2) provision allowing agencies to advertise compliance with training requirements.
EFFECTIVE DATE:
Upon passage, except the provision allowing agencies to advertise training requirement compliance is effective sHB5143 / File No.
734 8 sHB5143 File No.
734 January 1, 2027.
HOMEMAKER-COMPANION TRAININGS DCP-Approved List of Trainings The bill requires the DCP commissioner, by October 1, 2026, to develop a list of approved homemaker-companion agency employee training programs, limited to the topics listed below.
In doing so, he must consult with the commissioners of public health, social services, developmental services, and mental health and addiction services.
DCP must post the list on its website.
New Hire and Continuing Education Trainings Under the bill, new employees must take at least the following trainingswithin90daysafterstartingwork(unlessexempt,asdescribed below):
1.
maintaining a clean and safe environment, including best practices for dressing, bathing, and toileting assistance;
2.
identifying and reporting abuse and neglect;
3.
identifying and reporting changes in a client’s condition and service needs;
and 4.
if the employee will be attending to clients with Alzheimer’s disease or dementia, providing nonmedical services to them.
Employees must also take annual continuing education training (unless they are exempt, as described below), which includes the above- listed trainings as well as:
1.
communication, 2.
differentiating between medical and nonmedical care, and 3.
any other topic the commissioners deem appropriate.
The bill requires agencies to make sure each employee takes each sHB5143 / File No.
734 9 sHB5143 File No.
734 class at least once every two years.
Exempt Employees The bill exempts new employees from the initial trainings if, within three years before being hired, they took them while employed by a different homemaker-companion agency.
To be exempt, the employee must provide the form described below, showing he or she already completed these trainings.
The bill also exempts from the training requirements any employee who is a registered nurse’s aide, a home health aide, a personal care attendant, or employed in a position (administrative, for example) that does not provide homemaker or companion services (see BACKGROUND).
Under the bill, a home health aide is someone employed by a home health aide agency, which generally provides supportive services, like assistance with dressing and feeding, in the patient’s home under a registered nurse’s supervision.
These services exclude assisting people who have chronic and stable diseases or conditions.
Training Records After an employee completes a training required by the bill, the agency and employee must complete a form attesting to this, as directed by the DCP commissioner.
The form must indicate the training and the date it was completed, include the agency’s and employee’s names, and be signed by both parties.
Thebillrequirestheagencytokeeppaperorelectroniccopiesofthese forms in employees’ personnel files.
The agency must also keep a list of all training programs it used and a summary of their content.
BACKGROUND Homemaker-Companion Agencies, Registries, and Services By law, a “homemaker-companion agency” is generally an organization that either employs or refers people to provide companion sHB5143 / File No.
734 10 sHB5143 File No.
734 or homemaker services to consumers.
“Registries” supply, refer, or place anindependent contractor withaconsumer,who directly paysthe contractor, to provide these services.
“Homemaker services” are nonmedical and supportive services such as cooking, cleaning, and personal hygiene.
“Companion services” are nonmedical, basic supervision services that ensure a healthy and safe environment for a person in his or her home (CGS §§ 20-670 & -679a).
COMMITTEE ACTION Aging Committee Joint Favorable Substitute Yea 14 Nay 0 (03/05/2026) Appropriations Committee Joint Favorable Yea 37 Nay 12 (04/14/2026) sHB5143 / File No.
734 11
⬇ Download PDF
View plain text versions (6)

Action History

  1. SIGNED BY GOVERNOR

  2. TRANSMITTED BY SECRETARY OF THE STATE TO GOVERNOR

  3. TRANSMITTED TO SECRETARY OF THE STATE

  4. PUBLIC ACT 26-50

  5. IN CONCURRENCE

  6. SEN. PASSED, HO. AMEND. SCH. A

  7. SEN. ADOPTED HO. AMEND. SCH. A

  8. FILE NO. 734

  9. SENATE CALENDAR NUMBER 470

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

  11. IMMEDIATE TRANSMITTAL TO THE SENATE

  12. HOUSE PASSED, HOUSE AMEND. SCH. A

  13. HOUSE ADOPTED HOUSE AMEND. SCH. A

  14. TABLED FOR HOUSE CALENDAR

  15. NO NEW FILE BY COMM. ON Appropriations

  16. RPTD. OUT OF LCO

  17. FILED WITH LCO

  18. Joint Favorable

  19. REF. BY HOUSE TO COMMITTEE ON Appropriations

  20. FILE NO. 85

  21. HOUSE CALENDAR NUMBER 77

  22. FAV. RPT., TABLED FOR HOUSE CALENDAR

  23. RPTD. OUT OF LCO

  24. REFERRED TO Office of Legislative Research AND Office of Fiscal Analysis 03/18/26

  25. FILED WITH LCO

  26. Joint Favorable Substitute

  27. PUBLIC HEARING 0219

  28. REF. TO JOINT COMM. ON Aging

Sponsors

Sponsorship breakdown

Export CSV (upgrade) →

55 sponsors · 0 co-sponsors · 132 not signed on

Sponsors (55)

Co-sponsors (0)

None.

Not signed on (132)

132 members have not signed on to this bill.

Show all 132 →

"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

healthcare labor
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 HB 5143?
HB 5143 is sponsored by Irene M. Haines (Republican), Kenneth Gucker (Democratic), Jaime S. Foster (Democratic), Hilda E. Santiago (Democratic), Gregory Haddad (Democratic), Devin R. Carney (Republican), Nick Gauthier (Democratic), Bobby G. Gibson (Democratic), Mike Demicco (Democratic), Christopher Rosario (Democratic), Gary A. Turco (Democratic), Kate Farrar (Democratic), John Santanella (Democratic), Sarah Keitt (Democratic), Robin E. Comey (Democratic), Tami Zawistowski (Republican), Christopher Poulos (Democratic), Michael "MJ" Shannon (Democratic), Jason Perillo (Republican), Joseph P. Gresko (Democratic), Paul Honig (Democratic), Saud Anwar (Democratic), Henry J. Genga (Democratic), Aimee Berger-Girvalo (Democratic), Kerry S. Wood (Democratic), Lucy Dathan (Democratic), Tom Delnicki (Republican), Kara Rochelle (Democratic), Mary Welander (Democratic), Jorge Cabrera (Democratic), Ronald A. Napoli (Democratic), Savet Constantine (Democratic), Ceci Maher (Democratic), Josh Elliott (Democratic), Jonathan Steinberg (Democratic), Jillian Gilchrest (Democratic), Mary Fortier (Democratic), Steven Winter (Democratic), Laurie Sweet (Democratic), Anthony L. Nolan (Democratic), Greg S. Howard (Republican), Kevin Brown (Democratic), Eleni Kavros DeGraw (Democratic), Mitch Bolinsky (Republican), Anne M. Hughes (Democratic), Jan Hochadel (Democratic), Jane M. Garibay (Democratic), Nicholas Menapace (Democratic), Martha Marx (Democratic), Dominique Johnson (Democratic), John A. Kissel (Republican), Julie Kushner (Democratic), Martin Foncello (Republican), William Pizzuto (Republican), and Cristin McCarthy Vahey (Democratic).
What is the current status of HB 5143?
This bill has been enacted into law. Introduced February 11, 2026. Enacted.
Where can I track HB 5143?
Track HB 5143 free on One Click Politics — get push/email alerts when it moves.

Make your voice heard on HB 5143

Find the representatives who decide this bill and tell them where you stand — for yourself, or mobilize your whole list in one click with One Click Politics advocacy software.

Find my representatives → Run a campaign

Stay ahead of HB 5143

Last checked for changes 2 months ago · updated continuously

One Click Politics tracks every bill in Congress and all 50 states.

Track this bill →