The bill, Substitute House Bill No. 7051, mandates the Commissioner of Energy and Environmental Protection (DEEP) to develop and periodically revise a comprehensive black bear management plan in collaboration with the Commissioner of Emergency Services and Public Protection. The plan aims to ensure public safety, protect property, and maintain a sustainable black bear population in Connecticut. Key components of the plan include assessing the current and desired future black bear population, recommending strategies to minimize human-bear conflicts, providing public education guidelines, evaluating nonlethal deterrence methods, and establishing protocols for managing bears that pose imminent threats. The DEEP is required to submit this plan to the relevant legislative committees by July 1, 2026, and any revisions must be reported within thirty days of their completion.

Additionally, the bill empowers the DEEP commissioner to request the Governor to issue an executive order for appropriate population control measures if the black bear population is deemed a threat to public safety. The new legal language introduced in this bill includes provisions for the management plan and the authority to request executive action, while no existing legal language is deleted. The bill is expected to have no fiscal impact on the state or municipalities, as DEEP has the necessary resources to implement the plan.