SB 899 — AN ACT CONCERNING SENIOR SAFETY ZONES.

Senate General Assembly RaisedFile Bill No.

899187 January Session, 2021 LCOSubstitute Senate Bill No.

3510899 ReferredSenate, toMarch 29, 2021 TheCommitteeonAgingreportedthroughSEN.MILLERofthe 27th Dist., Chairperson of the Committee on AGINGthe Introducedpart by:of the Senate, that the substitute bill ought to pass.

(AGE) AN ACT CONCERNING SENIOR SAFETY ZONES.

Section 54-258 of the general statutes is repealed and the following is substituted in lieu thereof (Effective July 1, 2021):

(a) (1) Notwithstanding any other provision of the general statutes, except subdivisions (3), (4) and (5) of this subsection, the registry maintained by the Department of Emergency Services and Public Protection shall be a public record and shall be accessible to the public during normal business hours.

The Department of Emergency Services and Public Protection shall make registry information available to the public through the Internet.

Not less than once per calendar quarter, the Department of Emergency Services and Public Protection shall issue notices to all print and electronic media in the state regarding the availability and means of accessing the registry.

Each local police department and each state police troop shall keep a record of all registration information transmitted to it by the Department of Emergency Services and Public Protection, and shall make such information accessible to the public during normal business hours.

LCO No.

3510 1 of 6 Raised Bill No.899 (2) (A) Any state agency, the Judicial Department, any state police troop or any local police department may, at its discretion, notify any government agency, private organization or individual, including, but not limited to, representativesof senior centers or other facilities serving or housing senior citizens, of registration information when such agency, said department, such troop or such local police department, as the case may be, believes such notification is necessary to protect the public or any individual in any jurisdiction from any person who is subject to registration under section 54-251, 54-252, 54-253 or 54-254.

(B) (i) Whenever a registrant is released into the community, or whenever a registrant changes such registrant's address and notifies the Department of Emergency Services and Public Protection of such change pursuant to section 54-251, 54-252, 54-253 or 54-254, the Department of Emergency Services and Public Protection shall, by electronic mail, notify the superintendent of schools for the school district in which the registrant resides, or plans to reside, of such release or new address, and provide such superintendent with the same registry information for such registrant that the department makes available to the public through the Internet under subdivision (1) of this subsection.

(ii) Whenever a registrant is released into the community, or whenever a registrant changes such registrant's address and notifies the Department of Emergency Services and Public Protection of such change pursuant to section 54-251, 54-252, 54-253 or 54-254, the Department of Emergency Services and Public Protection shall, by electronic mail, notify the chief executive officer of the municipality in which the registrant resides, or plans to reside, of such release or new address, and provide such chief executive officer with the same registry information for such registrant that the department makes available to the public through the Internet under subdivision (1) of this subsection.

The chief executive officer of the municipality shall provide such information to any senior center or other facility serving or housing senior citizens located in such municipality.

LCO No.

3510 2 of 6 Raised Bill No.899 (3) Notwithstanding the provisions of subdivisions (1) and (2) of this subsection, state agencies, the Judicial Department, state police troops and local police departments shall not disclose the identity of any victim of a crime committed by a registrant or treatment information provided to the registry pursuant to sections 54-102g and 54-250 to 54-258a, inclusive, except to government agencies for bona fide law enforcement or security purposes.

(4) Notwithstanding the provisions of subdivisions (1) and (2) of this subsection, registration information the dissemination of which has been restricted by court order pursuant to section 54-255 and which is not otherwise subject to disclosure, shall not be a public record and shall be released only for law enforcement purposes until such restriction is removed by the court pursuant to said section.

(5) Notwithstanding the provisions of subdivisions (1) and (2) of this subsection, a registrant's electronic mail address, instant message address or other similar Internet communication identifier shall not be a public record, except that the Department of Emergency Services and Public Protection may release such identifier for law enforcement or security purposes in accordance with regulations adopted by the department.

The department shall adopt regulations in accordance with chapter 54 to specify the circumstances under which and the persons to whom such identifiers may be released including, but not limited to, providers of electronic communication service or remote computing service, as those terms are defined in section 54-260b, and operators of Internet web sites, and the procedure therefor.

(6)Whenanyregistrantcompletestheregistrant'stermofregistration or is otherwise released from the obligation to register under section 54- 251,54-252,54-253or54-254,theDepartmentofEmergencyServicesand Public Protection shall notify any state police troop or local police department having jurisdiction over the registrant's last reported residence address that the person is no longer a registrant, and the Department of Emergency Services and Public Protection, state police troop and local police department shall remove the registrant's name LCO No.

3510 3 of 6 Raised Bill No.899 and information from the registry.

(b) Neither the state nor any political subdivision of the state nor any officer or employee thereof, shall be held civilly liable to any registrant by reason of disclosure of any information regarding the registrant that is released or disclosed in accordance with subsection (a) of this section.

The state and any political subdivision of the state and, except in cases of wanton, reckless or malicious conduct, any officer or employee thereof, shall be immune from liability for good faith conduct in carrying out the provisions of subdivision (2) of subsection (a) of this section.

Sec.

2.

(a) The Court Support Services Division, in conjunction with state- wide experts in law enforcement, the treatment of sexual offenders and sexual assault victim services, shall, within available appropriations, develop a community response education program to be offered to neighborhoods and municipalities that have been notified pursuant to section 54-258,54-258 as amended by this act, that a person who has registered under said section is or will be residing in that community.

(b) The purpose of such program shall be to assist neighborhoods, including senior centers and other facilities serving or housing senior citizens in such neighborhoods, parents and children to learn how to better protect themselves from sexual abuse and sexual assault.

The program shall develop educational materials and community information resources onsSB899 prevention/ andFile riskNo. reduction concerning sexual abuse and sexual assault and the enforcement of requirements concerning the registration and supervision of sexual offenders and the notification of communities where such offenders reside.

187 1 sSB899 File No.

187 on prevention and risk reduction concerning sexual abuse and sexual assault and the enforcement of requirements concerning theregistration and supervision of sexual offenders and the notification of communities where such offenders reside.

(1) An initial community meeting following a community notification, sponsored by the Court Support Services Division and held LCOin No.conjunction with the chief of police, chief elected officials, the superintendent of schools and other municipal officials of the community, to discuss the implementation of the statutory requirements concerning the registration of a sexual offender and the notification of the community where such offender resides, to provide information on the crime or crimes involvedand to provide information on how the offender will be monitored by the Court Support Services Division and the specific conditions of probation applicable to the offender;

3510 4 of 6 Raised Bill No.899 in conjunction with the chief of police, chief elected officials, the superintendent of schools and other municipal officials of the community, to discuss the implementation of the statutory requirements concerning the registration of a sexual offender and the notification of the community where such offender resides, to provide information on the crime or crimes involvedand to provide information on how the offender will be monitored by the Court Support Services Division and the specific conditions of probation applicable to the offender;

(5) Resources for police departments and boards of education to use in consulting with parents on appropriate school-based classroom programs stressing safety, prevention and risk reduction and to use in developing educational programs for parents to discuss relevant issues withsSB899 their/ children;File No.

187 2 sSB899 File No.

187 with their children;

and [(6)] (7) Compilation and distribution of a list of child protective agencies, child guidance clinics and rape crisis centers for families LCOseeking No.more in-depth counseling after a community notification has occurred.

3510 5 of 6 Raised Bill No.

899 seeking more in-depth counseling after a community notification has occurred.

Section 1 July 1, 2021 54-25854-261 Sec.AGE Joint Favorable Subst.

2sSB899 July/ 1,File 2021No. 54-261 Statement of Purpose: