HB 6601 — AN ACT DECLARING HOMELESSNESS A PUBLIC HEALTH CRISIS.

House of Representatives General Assembly RaisedFile Bill No.

660156 January Session, 2023 LCOHouse Bill No.

35136601 ReferredHouse toof Representatives, March 14, 2023 The Committee on PUBLICPublic HEALTHHealth Introducedreported by:through REP.

(PH)MCCARTHY ANVAHEY ACTof DECLARINGthe HOMELESSNESS133rd ADist., PUBLICChairperson HEALTHof CRISIS.the Committee on the part of the House, that the bill ought to pass.

AN ACT DECLARING HOMELESSNESS A PUBLIC HEALTH CRISIS.

(a) There is created a Homeless Person's Bill of Rights to guarantee thatthattherights,privacyandpropertyofhomelesspersonsareadequately the rights, privacy and property of homeless persons are adequately safeguarded and protected under the laws of this state.

The rights afforded homeless persons to ensure that their person, privacy and property are safeguarded and protected, as set forth in subsection (b) of this section, are available only insofar as they are implemented in accordanceHB6601 with/ otherFile parts of the general statutes, state rules and LCO 3513 \\PRDFS1\HCOUSERS\BARRYJN\WS\2023HB-06601-R011 of 2 HB.docx Bill No.

660156 regulations,1 federalHB6601 law,File theNo. state Constitution and the United States Constitution.

56 accordance with other parts of the general statutes, state rules and regulations, federal law, the state Constitution and the United States Constitution.

Section 1 from passage New section from passage Sec.

2 from passage 1-500 PH Joint Favorable LCOHB6601 3513/ {\\PRDFS1\HCOUSERS\BARRYJN\WS\2023HB-06601-File 2No. of 2 R01-HB.docx }

56 2 HB6601 File No.

56 The following Fiscal Impact Statement and Bill Analysis are prepared for the benefit of the members of the General Assembly, solely for purposes of information, summarization and explanation and do not represent the intent of the General Assembly or either chamber thereof for any purpose.

In general, fiscal impacts are based upon a variety of informational sources, including the analyst’s professional knowledge.

Whenever applicable, agency data is consulted as part of the analysis, however final products do not necessarily reflect an assessment from any specific department.

OFA Fiscal Note State Impact:

None Municipal Impact:

None Explanation Thebill,whichdeclaresthathomelessnessisapublichealth crisisand makes changes to the Homeless Person's Bill of Rights, does not result in a fiscal impact to the State or municipalities.

The Out Years State Impact:

None Municipal Impact:

None HB6601 / File No.

56 3 HB6601 File No.

56 OLR Bill Analysis HB 6601 AN ACT DECLARING HOMELESSNESS A PUBLIC HEALTH CRISIS.

SUMMARY This bill declares homelessness a public health crisis that will continue until the right of homeless persons to receive essential medical and mental health care services (the bill does not define these terms) is adequately safeguarded and protected.

It also makes a corresponding change to the homeless person’s bill of rights to specify that a person has the right to receive essential medical and mental health care services instead of emergency medical services, as under current law.

Under the bill of rights, each homeless person also has the right to:

1.

move freely in public spaces in the same way as other people, without harassment or intimidation by law enforcement officers;

2.

have equal employment opportunities;

3.

register to vote and vote;

4.

have their personal information protected and a reasonable expectation of privacy in their personal property;

and 5.

receive equal treatment by state and municipal agencies.

EFFECTIVE DATE:

Upon passage BACKGROUND Definition of Homelessness Under the homeless person’s bill of rights, a homeless person or HB6601 / File No.

56 4 HB6601 File No.

56 family (1) has no fixed, regular, adequate nighttime residence;