The civic record
Read. Follow. Verify.Connecticut requires children under twelve to wear life jackets on public docks and piers starting October 2026
Last action · April 1, 2026: File Number 299Sponsors: Ben McGorty and 2 others
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What This Bill Proposed
Children under the age of 12 must wear a while on any public dock, wharf, or pier in Connecticut, beginning October 1, 2026. This state-level requirement supersedes any conflicting municipal charters, special acts, or s.
- State legislatures frequently adopt specific safety gear mandates for children participating in aquatic and water-adjacent recreation to reduce drowning hazards. context
- The Public Safety and Security Committee evaluates legislative measures dealing with emergency services, public safety standards, and state regulatory oversight in Connecticut. context
Who It Would Have Affected
Groups the bill's text would have affected, as described in the record. Being affected is not a position for or against it.
Children under the age of twelve
Children under 12 must wear a personal flotation device at all times while on public docks, wharfs, or piers.
Department of Energy and Environmental Protection
The department incurs minimal costs up to $10,000 for purchasing educational flotation devices and posting new public signage.
Key Facts
You don't have to trust us. Each fact below is taken straight from the official document - click any one to see the exact passage, highlighted in the original.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who must wear a personal flotation device under this bill?
When does this new requirement start?
What else do you want to know?
News Coverage
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Votes, people, money & the original sourceWhere This Stands
This bill did not become law - Died at adjournment · on the Senate floor.
Procedural history
9 actions- Apr 1, 2026Connecticut General AssemblyFile Number 299
- Apr 1, 2026SenateSenate Calendar Number 209
- Apr 1, 2026SenateFavorable Report, Tabled for the Calendar, Senate
- Apr 1, 2026Connecticut General AssemblyReported Out of Legislative Commissioners' Office
- Mar 26, 2026Connecticut General AssemblyReferred to Office of Legislative Research and Office of Fiscal Analysis 03/31/26 5:00 PM
- Mar 17, 2026Connecticut General AssemblyFiled with Legislative Commissioners' Office
Show 3 earlier actions
- Mar 17, 2026Connecticut General AssemblyJoint Favorable
- Feb 27, 2026Connecticut General AssemblyPublic Hearing 03/05
- Feb 26, 2026Connecticut General AssemblyCommitteeReferred to Joint Committee on Public Safety and Security
Version history
Only one version on file - nothing to compare yet. As later stages (committee substitute, engrossed, enrolled) are captured, the redline appears here.
View official text →Lobbying Activity
No state lobbying filings in our records match this bill. Federal lobbying reports (LDA) cover Congress, so they are not listed on state bills.
Full breakdown
Who this bill affects and the strongest case for and against it, written only from the bill’s own text.
Sponsors
Discoveries
Patterns POLISCOPE noticed across the record. These are observations to investigate, not conclusions.
Identical Companion Bill
HB 5273 was favorably reported by the Children Committee with identical provisions to SB 371.
Connected Entities
Sources
cga.ct.gov
Analysis Score
0–100- Significance20Lowered because this bill did not pass (its text scored 45)
- Controversy10Intensity of disagreement among stakeholders
- Entertainment5Compellingness for a non-policy-wonk reader
- Buzz25Current news / social attention level
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