An Act Requiring Home Health Aide Agencies To Provide Certain Personal Protective Equipment To Home Health Aides.
Summary
SB 287 creates a new statutory requirement, effective October 1, 2026, that home health aide agencies provide personal protective equipment (PPE) at no cost to the home health aide employees who work for them or are contracted to provide services on the agency’s behalf. The bill defines PPE broadly to include items such as disposable gloves, hand sanitizer, aprons, gowns, foot covers, face shields, N95 or higher-rated respirators certified by NIOSH, and surgical masks.
The bill is narrowly focused on the working conditions of home health aides and the safety of the clients they serve. It applies to agencies as defined in existing law and ties the new obligation to the PPE needed to safely provide home health aide services to each client. The measure would add a new section to the general statutes rather than amend an existing one, creating a direct employer-side equipment mandate for this segment of the home care industry.
Impact
If enacted, the bill would impose a new compliance obligation on home health aide agencies in Connecticut by requiring them to furnish necessary PPE without charging employees. It would not create a new licensing scheme or alter the definition of home health aide services, but it would expand the statutory duties of agencies under the public health and aging-related regulatory framework. The practical effect would be to shift the cost of safety equipment from individual aides to agencies and to standardize access to infection-control and protective supplies for home-based care workers.
Sentiment
The available legislative history suggests the bill was received favorably in committee, as reflected by the 14-0 joint favorable vote in the Aging Committee. No committee transcript excerpts are available, but the unanimous vote indicates broad support and little visible opposition at the committee stage. Overall, the bill appears to have been viewed as a worker-safety and patient-safety measure rather than a controversial policy change.
Contention
No specific objections are documented in the provided materials, but the likely policy tension is between improving safety for home health aides and the added operating costs for home health aide agencies. Supporters would be expected to emphasize infection control, workplace safety, and continuity of care, while any critics might focus on the financial and administrative burden on agencies, especially smaller providers. Because no transcripts are provided, there is no recorded disagreement to attribute to any particular legislator, agency, or stakeholder group.