An omnibus bill containing recommendations from the Department of Consumer Protection (DCP) would fix a change to the state’s cannabis enforcement board that exempted its quarterly meetings and associated documents from Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) disclosure.
Under the new language of HB 5222, the board’s meetings will still generally be subject to FOIA disclosure. The bill specifies that the board may enter executive session to discuss the sale of illegal cannabis and controlled substances.
When the House passed a strike all amendment replacing HB 5350 on April 23, it approved several changes to the State-Wide Cannabis and Hemp Enforcement Policy Board, created in 2025. In addition to exempting the board’s meetings from FOIA disclosure, the bill changed the makeup of the board, removing designees from the Department of Public Health (DPH) and the Social Equity Council as members. The bill also changed the name of the board to the State-Wide Cannabis, Hemp and Controlled Substances Enforcement Board.
But a substitute version of HB 5222, passed during the penultimate day of the session, undid several of the changes in HB 5350. A section of HB 5222 struck the language of HB 5350 and substituted language re-adding the executive director of the Social Equity Council to the board. It also eliminated the change to the board’s name.
Under the new language, the board will be allowed to enter executive session to discuss “identified areas of need and enforcement opportunities concerning illegal cannabis and controlled substance sales.”
“No records related to such executive session shall be available to the public or subject to inspection or disclosure under [FOIA].” the bill states.
HB 5222 also further alters several other cannabis related changes passed by the House as part of HB 5350, including changes to the Social Equity Council’s criteria for evaluating ownership and control of equity joint ventures. The newest language, among other changes, limits how individuals who have a stake in equity joint ventures can enter into consulting agreements.
Language removed from HB 5350 by the strike all amendment passed by the House in April that would have made material changes to cannabis ownership subject to FOIA disclosure was not included in HB 5222. The current law, exempting them from public view, remains in place.
The cannabis provisions were not originally part of HB 5222. The bill passed out of committee made a number of DCP-recommended changes to licensing programs it administers, including doubling the licensing period for professional engineers and land surveyors from one to two years, and minor changes to other state statutes affecting DCP, including requiring public charity donation bins to include the charity’s DCP registration number.
The strike all amendment added over 100 pages to the bill and incorporated several other pieces of legislation in addition to HB 5350, including additional changes to SB 4, a sweeping consumer privacy bill.
Rep. Roland Lamar, D-New Haven, said in introductory remarks on the bill that it made minor corrections to a number of pieces of legislation that had already passed in addition to the DCP-recommended changes.
Rep. David Rutigliano, R-Trumbull, added that the changes were made through a collaborative process and also had the support of Republicans. There was no debate.
HB 5222 passed the House by a vote of 145 to five.
HB 5350 was previously passed by both chambers in April and signed into law by Gov. Ned Lamont on May 4. At time of publication, the Senate had not taken any action on HB 5222.
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