STATE REP. MARYAM KHAN LEADS HOUSE PASSAGE OF CAUCUS PRIORITY BILL ON SPECIAL EDUCATION 

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STATE REP. MARYAM KHAN LEADS HOUSE PASSAGE OF CAUCUS PRIORITY BILL ON SPECIAL EDUCATION  

Legislation focuses on investments in students, access to services, and more 

  

HARTFORD – On Thursday, the Connecticut State House of Representatives passed HB 5001: An Act Concerning the Quality and Delivery of Special Education Services in Connecticut – a top priority for the House Democratic Caucus. 

 

The bill – led by Rep. Maryam Khan (D-Hartford), House Chair of the Select Committee on Special Education – makes historic investments for students in special education, delivers better access to services, and provides cost controls and greater transparency. 

 

The bill passed in the House by a vote of 148-0. 

 

“This bill makes significant and necessary reforms to our special education system, ensuring our students have access to the services they need close to home, and I was so proud to advocate for it on the House floor,” Rep. Khan said. “Members of this committee held listening sessions across Connecticut, where we had the privilege of hearing from students, teachers, and parents who did not always have the time to come to Hartford to talk about the real issues affecting them every day. Thank you to all of my legislative colleagues, advocates, and stakeholders who worked so hard to give our students the respect and opportunities they deserve.”  

 

Key provisions of the bill include: 

  • Historic investment in our students, including the $30 million Special Education Expansion and Development (SEED) grant program to help build capacity to serve students closer to home. 

  • Prioritizing better access to services through enhanced development screenings, behavioral assessment and intervention plans, access to remedial classes in higher education, and involvement of parents and local school districts before a student is moved from their school. 

  • Reining in costs by regulating third party rate processes and developing new billing and licensing standards. 

  • Increasing oversight through on-site compliance visits and detailed system-wide reporting to reduce unpredictability and improve accountability. 

"For far too long, Connecticut’s special education system has been stretched thin — with rising costs, limited local capacity, and too many students sent out of district for the services they need,” Rep. Chris Poulos, Vice Chair of the Select Committee on Special Education, said. “This is a historic commitment to our most vulnerable students: to ensure they are supported in their home communities, to give educators the resources they need, and to bring greater predictability, accountability and transparency across the system. This overhaul isn’t just about funding — it’s about fairness, access, and building a future where every child, regardless of need, has the opportunity to thrive right here in Connecticut." 

"All our students deserve access to a greater education without having to leave their community,” Speaker of the House Matt Ritter said. “This bill makes important updates to our special education system that keeps kids close to home, lowers costs, and enhances services. Thank you to Rep. Khan and the members of the committee for spearheading this bill.” 

“Our educational system thrives when educators are equipped with the tools they need to meet the unique needs of every child. This significant investment, coupled with fully funding the state’s commitment to our local districts, is not only the right thing to do—it’s a smart investment in Connecticut’s long-term prosperity. I am deeply grateful to House Chair of the Select Committee on Special Education, Representative Maryam Khan, for her unwavering dedication and tireless advocacy for children’s education and the educators who support them and look forward to the positive and lasting impact this initiative will have on students across our state,” Majority Leader Jason Rojas said. 

“This legislation marks a step forward in our ongoing efforts to bring quality, successful outcomes, and transparency to the delivery of special education services in Connecticut. We had three goals for this Bill. First and most important: to ensure that we are achieving successful educational outcomes for the special education students of this stat. Essentially - are we serving the kids to reach their full educational and personal potential? Goal number 2: to make sure our funding model is working. And third:  To ensure accountability in our system, for both educational outcomes and taxpayer dollars. The bill makes progress on each of those goals," said Rep. Tina Courpas, R-Greenwich, the Ranking Member of the Select Committee on Special Education.  

  

"But let me be clear – this is not the finish line.  Where we could, we made changes to take effect right away, such as preventing private providers to change tuition mid-year to provide more certainty to school districts and providing a new SEED grant to fund in-district special education services. In other cases, such as establishing a rate framework and outcomes measurement for Connecticut, more work and more data is required. In those instances, we established a path for getting that work done in a thoughtful way. We are committed to continuing this work over the next 2-3 years and look forward to further progress." 

 

Rep. Khan is currently a Special Education teacher at East Hartford Public Schools and represents the 5th District, which includes Hartford, South Windsor, and Windsor. 

  

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