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HB 6866 Connecticut House · 2025 Regular Session

AN ACT IMPLEMENTING THE GOVERNOR'S BUDGET RECOMMENDATIONS FOR EDUCATION.

HB 6866 implements the governor's education budget recommendations by creating two key programs. It establishes a new "Learner Engagement and Attendance Program" providing grants to school districts with high chronic absenteeism to fund home visiting initiatives, prioritizing districts with the worst attendance rates and requiring annual reports on program effectiveness. The bill also revises policies for advanced course enrollment, requiring schools to use multiple eligibility criteria (not just past grades) and creating fee-waiver grants to help high-need students access advanced classes like AP or dual enrollment. Additionally, it allocates funds to support dual credit course expansion, particularly for "alliance districts." These changes directly affect public school districts and students, focusing on attendance and equitable access to advanced coursework.
Issues: ✓ Budget & TaxesSupports Budget & TaxesAllocates state grants for education programs (Learner Engagement Program) and implements governor's budget recommendations, directly increasing public service funding.95% confidence ✓ EducationSupports EducationCreates grant program for attendance initiatives and revises enrollment policies to expand access, directly advancing educational support through funding and policy changes.90% confidence
Bill status in committee 1 of 4 stages cleared
Introduction
Feb 2025
Committee Review
Floor Vote
Governor
Introduced Feb 6, 2025 Last action May 8, 2025
Maddy AI version diff · 2 comparisons

What changed between versions

ED Joint Favorable Substitute Change of Reference → APP Joint Favorable Substitute · 6 edits
MODERATE
The bill was substantially rewritten to replace multiple sections with new provisions. The most significant change is the addition of a new program to address chronic student absenteeism through home visiting grants, effective July 1, 2026. The bill also reorganized provisions related to advanced course eligibility and fee-waiver grants for high-need students, while removing several repealed sections that were previously included.
Scope change
The bill now includes a new Learner Engagement and Attendance Program focused on reducing chronic absenteeism, which was not present in the previous version. The scope of advanced course eligibility policies and fee-waiver grants has been restructured and expanded.
FISCAL

Added a new Learner Engagement and Attendance Program that provides grants to school districts for home visiting programs to reduce chronic absenteeism, effective July 1, 2026.

Added a fee-waiver grant program to help high-need high school students access advanced courses, with funding available starting July 1, 2027.

REQUIREMENT

Added requirements for the Department of Education to prepare biennial reports evaluating the success of the new attendance program.

ELIGIBILITY

Reorganized and clarified eligibility criteria for advanced courses, emphasizing that eligibility cannot be based exclusively on prior academic performance and must use evidence-based indicators.

SCOPE

Removed several repealed sections related to transportation grants and other funding provisions that were previously included in the bill.

TIMELINE

Changed effective dates for various provisions, with the new attendance program taking effect July 1, 2026, and advanced course policies required by July 1, 2022.

Floor votes

How they voted

No floor votes recorded yet.
Full legislative history

Actions timeline

Total actions
14
Key actions
2
Committee
3
Apr 24, 2025
Lower · Passed
Joint Favorable Substitute
lower
Mar 28, 2025
Lower · Passed
Joint Favorable Substitute Change of Reference APP
lower
Feb 6, 2025
Committee
REF. TO JOINT COMM. ON Education
lower
0 primary · 0 co-sponsors

Sponsors

No sponsor information available.