Law sets rules for college contracts, funeral funds, and court notices

Higher education leaders must include one of two nondiscrimination terms in certain contracts. This covers specified contracts made by the Board of Regents for Higher Education, its institutions, or the University of Connecticut. The contract must either follow the cited state contracting law and reproduce its listed protections, or include the affirmation printed in the law. This applies to contracts entered into or amended on or after the section took effect, June 4, 2026.

Property under a funeral service contract is treated as payable or distributable when the earliest listed trigger occurs. This covers property held under a funeral service contract. The contract must have been in effect on or after July 1, 2025. The death-notice trigger applies when the holder maintains an escrow account for that contract. The contract must have been in effect on or after July 1, 2025. The triggers are notice of the beneficiary's death, the date the beneficiary would turn 110, or 75 years after the contract was signed.

Conservator and guardian pay is based on services, with caps and an allowance for extraordinary work. These rules cover conservators and guardians of people supported by the state or receiving public assistance, and those managing money for veterans or other Department of Veterans Affairs beneficiaries. For people supported by the state or receiving public assistance, pay cannot exceed 5% of the estate's gross income for the accounting period and cannot be less than $50 for a period of at least a year. For veterans and other Department of Veterans Affairs beneficiaries, pay cannot exceed 5% of the money received during the accounting period. For extraordinary work, the Probate Court may approve reasonable extra pay after a petition and hearing. No pay is allowed on assets received from a prior guardian or conservator, or from liquidating loans or investments. These provisions take effect October 1, 2026.

Courts must send certified mail notice to specified family members in certain cases. This concerns the respondent in a conservatorship case and the respondent's family. This extra notice applies in involuntary representation cases under the cited law, or when notice is given by mail or publication because personal service cannot reasonably be made, the address is unknown, or the person is out of state. The court must notify children first, then parents if there are no children, then siblings or their representatives if there are no parents, and then next of kin if there are no siblings. When the listed service conditions apply, notice by mail or publication must be given at least 10 days before the hearing. These provisions take effect October 1, 2026.