Committee advances UConn police and fire staffing bill to House floor

The Higher Education Employment Advancement Committee voted to advance a substitute for House Bill 5455 to the House floor after a brief question-and-answer session about bargaining and fiscal implications.

The bill, described to the committee as a measure concerning the University of Connecticut’s special police force and fire department, would let the university president design a package of pay and benefits intended to attract and retain public-safety personnel on campus. Representative Eckert asked whether the proposal only allows the president to create such a package rather than mandating new positions. “This allows the president to come up with a package that would entice ... public safety individuals to come and work at the University of Connecticut and to fill the vacancies that they have now,” Eckert said.

The committee’s chair, speaking for the panel, placed the bill in historical context, saying the Legislature passed a 2014 law that allowed UConn to hire outside the Department of Administrative Services’ (DAS) standard hiring rules. The chair said UConn previously proposed reclassifying officer job descriptions to permit higher pay, but DAS has not accepted those changes. “They’re constantly trying to ... rehire to fill vacancies,” the chair said, describing short tenures and recruitment gaps that have left campus public-safety staffing below authorized levels.

Committee members pressed on benefits and budget questions. Representative Eckert asked whether the affected classification receives tuition waivers; the chair confirmed it does not. Representative Case, who participated online, asked whether any costs would fall to the university or the state budget; the chair said the bill primarily sets up negotiations and that any fiscal impact would likely occur in a future fiscal year and come before the Appropriations Committee.

Representative Bridal said he sympathized with recruitment problems but questioned the Legislature’s role in what he described as union negotiations and indicated he would likely vote no in committee. Representative Weir said the chair’s explanation clarified the issue for her and that she would probably support the bill in committee while seeking additional detail ahead of the House debate.

The motion to advance the substitute was seconded by Representative Ackert and a roll-call vote was initiated. The chair said the committee would hold the vote open until 1:00 p.m. to allow colleagues time to cast ballots and then recessed. Multiple members later confirmed by audio or chat that they would record “yes” on HB5455. The committee chair reported the bill was advanced to the floor for further consideration.

The committee did not adopt any immediate amendments; members asked staff and sponsors for additional information to inform the floor debate and any future bargaining implications.