Select Committee votes to send HB 5001 to Education amid members' process concerns

The Select Committee on Special Education voted on Jan. 15 to change the reference of House Bill 5001 — the bill described during the meeting as concerning the quality and delivery of special education services in Connecticut — to the Education Committee, even as several members pressed for clarity on process and fiscal implications.

The committee’s chair moved the item and after discussion the panel held a roll-call vote that recorded multiple yes and no votes; the motion carried. During debate several members said they were uncomfortable advancing a "blank" bill to another committee without substantive language or an accompanying fiscal note.

"I have to start with a confession. I, I'm confused," Representative Mitch Balinski said, arguing he was accustomed to drafting bills before advancing them and questioning why the select committee would send an empty bill onward. "Why would we not work the bill and then refer it as opposed to approving something that we don't know for that change of reference?"

Senator Austin, defending the procedural approach, called the meeting "an organizational meeting" and urged members to move the item so the committee could continue its work on concepts. "Let's get this over to education. Let's vote on the next 2 and then bring back all of our questions and maybe have on the next agenda information on the setup of this particular committee," Austin said.

Co-chair Sen. Sujata Gadkar Wilcox — who introduced herself earlier in the meeting as an educator and said she wants the committee to address both "immediate short-term funding needs" and "long term structural solutions" — reiterated that the committee will develop concepts here that can be placed into HB 5001 and its Senate companion, SB 1.

Several members raised procedural questions the committee agreed to address at the next meeting. Representative Leslie Zepkes asked whether the select committee would be placing bills on the floor or referring content to the Education Committee; other members asked whether fiscal notes would accompany any JF (joint favor) referral and whether the committee would hold public hearings prior to JF.

The clerk conducted a roll-call vote with individual members recorded as voting yes or no; members who spoke against the procedural move included Rep. Tina Corpus and Rep. Mitch Balinski, while supporters included members who said they preferred to proceed with organizational steps and return with clarifying information at a later date. The clerk announced votes would be held open until 4 p.m., and the chair recessed the meeting until that time.

The committee also approved by voice vote two concepts the chairs offered to raise: an act concerning the provision of special education in Connecticut and an act concerning resources for special education. Committee members asked staff to provide a briefing on committee rules, deadlines, and fiscal procedures at the next meeting so members could better assess timing and jurisdictional implications.

The select committee’s action moves the formal reference for HB 5001 to the Education Committee. Committee members emphasized that the select committee intends to produce the substantive concepts and content that could be inserted into HB 5001 and SB 1, but several members said the process as implemented left outstanding questions about timing, fiscal analysis and transparency.

The meeting recessed with votes held open until 4 p.m. and with a plan to return at a later date with additional procedural information for members.