The proposed bill, Substitute House Bill No. 6830, mandates that all members and employees of inland wetlands agencies complete a comprehensive training program developed by the Department of Energy and Environmental Protection (DEEP). This replaces the current requirement that only one member or staff person from each agency must complete the training. The new law stipulates that all existing members and staff must complete their initial training by January 1, 2027, while new members or staff must complete the training within one year of their appointment or hiring. Additionally, all members and employees are required to undergo retraining every four years or once per term, whichever is less frequent.

The bill also modifies the way DEEP provides training, shifting from offering it free to one person per town to making it available online for all agency members and employees. Furthermore, it introduces an annual reporting requirement for agencies to affirm compliance with the training mandate, starting March 1, 2027. Notably, the bill maintains that failure to complete the training does not invalidate any actions taken by the agency. The effective date for these changes is set for October 1, 2025.