HB 7204 — AN ACT CONCERNING LIGHTS ON VEHICLES, PENALTIES FOR VIOLATIONS OF CERTAIN STATUTES, STOPS AND SEARCHES, A PHLEBOTOMY PROGRAM STUDY, INSPECTIONS OF CERTAIN VEHICLES, TRAFFIC SAFETY CORRIDORS AND A PILOT PROGRAM TO EQUIP POLICE VEHICLES WITH CERTAIN DEVICES.

5926 10 of 13 Raised Bill No.7204 (c) The Department of Transportation shall post a sign at the beginning of each traffic safety corridor that shall read as follows:

(d) The Division of State Police within the Department of Emergency Services and Public Protection shall enhance the division's law enforcementsHB7204 efforts/ inFile eachNo. traffic safety corridor.

476 10 sHB7204 File No.

476 enforcement efforts in each traffic safety corridor.

Sec.This act shall take effect as follows and shall amend the following sections:

12.

Subsection (f) of section 29-6d of the general statutes is repealed andthefollowing issubstituted inlieuthereof(EffectiveOctober 1, 2025):

(f) (1) If a police officer is giving a formal statement [about the use of force] regarding an incident or if a police officer is the subject of a disciplinary investigation in which a recording from body-worn recording equipment or a dashboard camera is being considered as part LCO No.

5926 11 of 13 Raised Bill No.7204 of a review of an incident, the officer shall have the right to review (A) such recording in the presence of the officer's attorney or labor representative, and (B) recordings from other body-worn recording equipment capturing the officer's image or voice during the incident.

Not later than forty-eight hours following an officer's review of a recording under subparagraph (A) of this subdivision, or if the officer does not review the recording, not later than ninety-six hours following the initiation of such disciplinary investigation, whichever is earlier, such recording shall be disclosed, upon request, to the public, subject to the provisions of subsection (g) of this section.

Public disclosure may be delayed if the officer, due to a medical or physical response or an acute psychological stress response to the incident, is not reasonably able to review a recording under this subdivision, but in no event shall disclosure be delayed more than one hundred forty-four hours following the recorded event.

(2)Ifarequestismadeforpublicdisclosureofarecordingfrombody- worn recording equipment or a dashboard camera of an incident about which (A) a police officer has not been asked to give a formal statement about the [alleged use of force] incident, or (B) a disciplinary investigation has not been initiated, any police officer whose image or voice is captured on the recording shall have the right to review such recording in the presence of the officer's attorney or labor representative.

Not later than forty-eight hours following an officer's review of a recording under this subdivision, or if the officer does not review the recording, not later than ninety-six hours following the request for disclosure, whichever is earlier, such recording shall be disclosed to the public, subject to the provisions of subsection (g) of this section.

Public disclosure may be delayed if the officer, due to a medical or physical response or an acute psychological stress response to the incident, is not reasonably able to review a recording under this subdivision, but in no event shall disclosure be delayed more than one hundred forty-four hours following the recorded event.

LCO No.

5926 12 of 13 Raised Bill No.

7204 This act shall take effect as follows and shall amend the following sections:

8 from passage New section October 1, 2025 Sec.

9 October 1, 2025 New section Sec.

11 from passage New section Sec.PS Joint Favorable Subst.

12sHB7204 October/ 1,File 2025No. 29-6d(f) Statement of Purpose:

To476 (1)11 permitsHB7204 certainFile firstNo. responders to use steady blue or red lights and wreckers to use steady blue lights when stationary, (2) modify penalties for violations of certain statutes relating to motor vehicles, (3) eliminate certain statutory provisions relating to cannabis and stops and searches, (4) study the feasibility of a permanent law enforcement phlebotomy program, (5) require safety inspections of vehicles used by law enforcement units, (6) establish a traffic safety corridor program, (7) establisha programto equippolice vehicleswithadevice that iscapable of launching a global positioning system onto another vehicle, and (8) modify statutory provisions concerning police officer review of certain recordings by substituting references to "use of force" with "incident".

that476 whenThe thefollowing entireFiscal textImpact ofStatement aand billBill orAnalysis resolutionare orprepared afor sectionthe benefit of athe billmembers orof resolutionthe isGeneral new,Assembly, itsolely isfor purposes of information, summarization and explanation and do not underlined.]represent LCOthe No.intent of the General Assembly or either chamber thereof for any purpose.

5926In 13general, fiscal impacts are based upon a variety of 13informational 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:

Agency Affected Fund-Effect FY 26 $ FY 27 $ State Revenues Various - See Below See Below Potential Revenue Gain Correction, Dept.

GF - Potential Minimal Minimal Cost Department of Motor Vehicles TF - Potential See Below See Below Cost Department of Transportation TF - Potential See Below See Below Cost Department of Emergency GF - Cost Potential Potential Services and Public Protection Significant Significant Department of Emergency GF - Potential See Below None Services and Public Protection Cost Note:

Various=Various;

GF=General Fund;

TF=Transportation Fund Municipal Impact:

Municipalities Effect FY 26 $ FY 27 $ Various Municipal Police Potential See Below None Departments Cost Explanation Section 1 allows tow trucks to use steady blue lights under certain conditions and does not result in a fiscal impact.

Sections 2 through 6 and 10 increases the penalties for various motor vehicle related violations by (1) increasing maximum fine amounts (including doubling fines for traffic safety corridors), (2) criminalizing certain violations, and (3) requiring mandatory minimums.

This results in a potential revenue gain to the state and a potential cost to the sHB7204 / File No.

476 12 sHB7204 File No.

476 Department of Correction for incarceration.

In FY 24, the fine revenue from the associated statutes exceeded $8 million.

On average, the marginal cost to the state for incarcerating an offender for the year is $3,300.

There are currently 76 people incarcerated under these statutes.

Section 8, which does not result in a fiscal impact, requires the Department of Emergency Services and Public Protection (DESPP) and the Department of Transportation (DOT) to jointly study the feasibility of a statewide law enforcement phlebotomy program, as described in the bill.

A limited law enforcement phlebotomy program currently exists, and DOT has studied the issue in recent years, therefore this section's requirements are within both departments' current expertise.

Section 9 requires the Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV), in consultation with DESPP, to conduct safety inspections for a random selection of law enforcement vehicles.

The fiscal impact of this section depends on implementation decisions, including the number and frequencyofinspections.ItisexpectedthatDMVwouldperformatleast a limited number of inspections within existing operations.

Section 10 requires DOT, in consultation with DESPP, to establish a traffic safety corridor program.

To the extent that traffic safety corridors are designated, this section results in:

(1) costs to DOT for program administration and signage (it is typically around $1,000 to create and install a highway sign, though this can vary depending on size and location);

(2) a potential significant cost to DESPP to the extent that they commit additional resources to enforcement;

and (3) a potential revenue gain from violations.

These fiscal impacts depend on implementation decisions, including the number of designated corridors and the level of increased enforcement.

1Inmate marginal cost is based on increased consumables (e.g.

food, clothing, water, sewage, living supplies, etc.) This does not include a change in staffing costs or utility expenses because these would only be realized if a unit or facility opened.

2If, for example, the State Police commits 4 troopers to work 3 additional shifts per week, this section would cost DESPP $448,731 per year per traffic safety corridor, assuming the current average overtime rate of $89.89 per hour.

sHB7204 / File No.

476 13 sHB7204 File No.

476 Section 11, which requires DESPP to establish a one-year pilot program to allow three municipal police departments to install a device on their police vehicles that allows a police officer to launch a GPS onto another vehicle, results in a potential cost to DESPP and a potential cost to municipal police departments in FY 26.

The bill allows, but does not require, DESPP to provide grants-in-aid to implement such program at participating municipal police departments.

Should a municipal police departmentchoosetoparticipateintheprogram,thereisapotentialcost for GPS equipment, unless such equipment is reimbursed by DESPP.

3 The Out Years The annualized ongoing fiscal impact identified above would continue into the future subject to implementation and enforcement decisions, the number of violations, and inflation.

3The cost of equipping a department with such a vehicle-mounted GPS launching device is not expected to cost about $6,000 per vehicle.

The annual software subscription can cost up to $150,000 per department.

sHB7204 / File No.

476 14 sHB7204 File No.

476 OLR Bill Analysis HB 7204 AN ACT CONCERNING LIGHTS ON VEHICLES, PENALTIES FOR VIOLATIONS OF CERTAIN STATUTES, STOPS AND SEARCHES, A PHLEBOTOMY PROGRAM STUDY, INSPECTIONS OF CERTAIN VEHICLES, TRAFFIC SAFETY CORRIDORS AND A PILOT PROGRAM TO EQUIP POLICE VEHICLES WITH CERTAIN DEVICES.

TABLE OF CONTENTS:

TABLE OF CONTENTS:

SUMMARY § 1 — FLASHING AND STEADY LIGHTS Allows wreckers to use steady blue lights and any combination of steady or flashing yellow and amber lights;

limits the use of these lights to times while the wrecker is stationary;

allows fire and emergency medicalservice personnelto use steady lightsinthe colors they can use under existing law for flashing lights §§ 2-6 — INCREASED PENALTIES Increases the penalties for various motor vehicle-related violations, including by increasing the maximum fine amounts, criminalizing certain violations, and requiring mandatory minimums for others § 7 — CANNABIS ODOR Allows certain circumstances (e.g., odor of cannabis) to be used to support a stop or search of a person or motor vehicle § 8 — PHLEBOTOMY FEASIBILITY STUDY Requires the DESPP and DOT commissioners to jointly conduct a feasibility study on implementing a permanent statewide law enforcement phlebotomy program to combat impaired driving § 9 — SAFETY VEHICLE INSPECTIONS Requires the DMV to annually conduct safety inspections on vehicles used by Connecticut law enforcement units § 10 — TRAFFIC SAFETY CORRIDORS sHB7204 / File No.

476 15 sHB7204 File No.

476 Requires the (1) DOT commissioner to establish and designate parts of a highway with high rates of motor vehicle accidents as traffic safety corridors and (2) Superior Court to double the base fine of certain violations § 11 — POLICE USE OF GPS PILOT PROGRAM Requires DESPP to establish a one-year pilot program to allow three municipal police departments to install a device on their police vehicles that allows a police officer to launch a GPS onto another vehicle BACKGROUND SUMMARY This bill makes various unrelated changes to motor vehicle-related laws.

It also requires annual inspection of certain law enforcement vehicles and establishes a pilot program to allow police officers to launch a global positioning system (GPS) on another vehicle.

EFFECTIVE DATE:

October 1, 2025, unless otherwise noted § 1 — FLASHING AND STEADY LIGHTS Allows wreckers to use steady blue lights and any combination of steady or flashing yellow and amber lights;

limits the use of these lights to times while the wrecker is stationary;

allows fire and emergency medical service personnel to use steady lights in the colors they can use under existing law for flashing lights By law, registered wreckers may use steady or flashing yellow or amber lights while operating on the road or while stationary.

The bill additionallyallowsthemtouse steadybluelightsandspecifiesthatthey may use a combination of yellow and amber lights.

However, it limits the use of all of these lights (yellow, amber, and blue) to times when the vehicle is stationary.

It also allows fire and emergency medical service personnel who are authorized to use flashing blue or red lights under existing law to also use steady lights in those colors.

Under current law, only police officers and Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) inspectors operating a state or local police vehicle may use steady red, blue, or red and blue lights, visible from the vehicle’s front;

the bill eliminates this restriction.

sHB7204 / File No.

476 16 sHB7204 File No.

476 The bill also makes technical and conforming changes.

§§ 2-6 — INCREASED PENALTIES Increases the penalties for various motor vehicle-related violations, including by increasing the maximum fine amounts, criminalizing certain violations, and requiring mandatory minimums for others The bill increases the penalties for various motor vehicle-related violations.

It increases the maximum fine amounts, criminalizes certain violations, and requires mandatory minimums for others.

Obstructed or Tinted Windows (§ 2) The bill criminalizes the following violations by subjecting them to the penalties for reckless driving:

1.

operating avehiclewithanobject obstructing theoperator’sview of the road or with a tinted windshield in violation of state law;

2.

selling, offering for sale, or delivering a motor vehicle in Connecticut with a tinted windshield or window in violation of state law;

and 3.

failing to present a vehicle to DMV by July 1, 2026, to receive and put a sticker on any aftermarket tinted window to indicate compliance with the law.

The penalty for recklessdriving is(1)afine of between$100 and$300, up to 30 days imprisonment, or both, for a first offense, and (2) a fine of up to $600, up to one year imprisonment, or both, for subsequent offenses.

Under current law, these obstructed or tinted window violations are infractions.

The bill also makes technical and conforming changes.

Negligent Operation of a Vehicle (§ 3) The bill increases the maximum penalty for negligently operating a motor vehicle that causes the death of another person.

It does so by increasing the penalty from a fine of up to $3,000, up to three years imprisonment, or both, to a class C felony, which is punishable by up to sHB7204 / File No.

476 17 sHB7204 File No.

476 years imprisonment, up to a $10,000 fine, or both.

Failure to Stop for and Evading a Police Officer (§ 4) The bill also increases the maximum penalties for failing to stop for or obey a police officer and attempting to evade a police officer.

It increases, from an infraction to a class A misdemeanor (punishable byupto364daysimprisonment,uptoa$2,000fine,orboth),thepenalty for failing to stop a motor vehicle upon a uniformed officer’s signal or disobeying the officer about operating the vehicle.

It also increases, from a class A misdemeanor to a class D felony (punishable by up to five years imprisonment, up to a $5,000 fine, or both), the penalty for increasing a vehicle’s speed in an attempt to escape or elude a police officer after being signaled to stop.

Evasion of Responsibility in Operating Motor Vehicle (§ 5) Under existing law, a driver knowingly involved in an accident that causes serious physical injury to or the death of another person must immediately stop;

render necessary aid;

and give his or her name, address, and driver’s license and registration information to the injured person, a police officer, or a person who witnessed the death or serious injury.

If unable to do so for any reason, the driver must immediately report the death or serious injury and provide the required information to law enforcement along with the location and circumstances of the accident.

Under current law, anyone who violates these requirements is guilty of a class B felony, which is punishable by up to 20 years imprisonment, up to a $15,000 fine, or both.

The bill imposes a mandatory minimum sentence of five years for violations.

Existing law imposes substantially similar requirements for operators who cause any physical injury, whether or not it is serious.

Currently violations of these requirements are a class D felony.

The bill imposes a mandatory minimum sentence of two years for these violations.

sHB7204 / File No.

476 18 sHB7204 File No.

476 Misconduct with a Motor Vehicle (§6) The bill increases the penalty for misconduct with a motor vehicle from a class D felony to a class C felony, with a (1) five-year mandatory minimum sentence or (2) 10-year mandatory minimum sentence if the person causes the death of a police officer.

By law and for this provision, “police officers” are sworn members of an organized local police department or the State Police;

appointed constables who perform criminal law enforcement duties;

special police officers appointed under law (e.g., public assistance fraud investigators);

or any members of a law enforcement unit who perform police duties (CGS § 7-294a(9)).

§ 7 — CANNABIS ODOR Allows certain circumstances (e.g., odor of cannabis) to be used to support a stop or search of a person or motor vehicle The bill eliminates the provision in current law prohibiting the following circumstances from constituting probable cause or reasonable suspicion or being used as the basis to support any stop or search of a person or motor vehicle:

1.

the possession or suspected possession of up to five ounces of cannabis plant material (or an equivalent amount of cannabis products or combination of cannabis and cannabis products);

2.

the presence of cash or currency near the cannabis, unless there is evidence that the cash or currency exceeds $500;

or 3.

the odor of cannabis or burnt cannabis.

The bill retains a provision in existing law explicitly allowing law enforcement officers to conduct a test for impairment based on cannabis odor if the officer reasonably suspects that a motor vehicle’s operator or passenger is violating the impaired driving laws.

The bill also makes a conforming change.

§ 8 — PHLEBOTOMY FEASIBILITY STUDY sHB7204 / File No.

476 19 sHB7204 File No.

476 Requires the DESPP and DOT commissioners to jointly conduct a feasibility study on implementing a permanent statewide law enforcement phlebotomy program to combat impaired driving The bill requires the Department of Emergency Services and Public Protection (DESPP) and Department of Transportation (DOT) commissioners to jointly study the feasibility of implementing a permanent statewide law enforcement phlebotomy program to combat impaired driving.

The study must include an examination of:

1.

best practices for (a) making phlebotomy training available to police officers and (b) providing educational materials to and answering questions from police officers on the training and police liability;

and 2.

phlebotomy programs and procedures lawenforcementunits use in other states.

Under the bill, DESPP and DOT must report the study’s findings and any legislative recommendations to the Public Safety and Transportation committees by January 1, 2026.

§ 9 — SAFETY VEHICLE INSPECTIONS Requires the DMV to annually conduct safety inspections on vehicles used by Connecticut law enforcement units The bill requires the DMV, annually by July 1, 2026, and in consultationwithDESPP,to conduct safety inspectionsonvehiclesused by Connecticut law enforcement units to ensure each vehicle’s safety andfunctionality.DMVmustrandomlyselectlawenforcement unitsfor the inspections.

When the inspection is complete, DMV must report the inspection results to the law enforcement units whose vehicles were inspected.

By law and for this provision, a “law enforcement unit” is any state or municipal agency or department (or tribal agency or department created and governed under a memorandum of agreement) whose primary functions include enforcing criminal or traffic laws;

preserving sHB7204 / File No.

476 20 sHB7204 File No.

476 public order;

protecting life and property;

or preventing, detecting, or investigating crime (CGS § 7-294a(8)).

§ 10 — TRAFFIC SAFETY CORRIDORS Requires the (1) DOT commissioner to establish and designate parts of a highway with high rates of motor vehicle accidents as traffic safety corridors and (2) Superior Court to double the base fine of certain violations The bill requires the DOT commissioner, in consultation with the DESPP commissioner, to establish a traffic safety corridor program to (1) designate parts of a highway (i.e.

public road) with high rates of motor vehicle accidents as traffic safety corridors, and (2) coordinate motor vehicle enforcement in these corridors.

Under the bill, the Superior Court must double the base fine established or imposed for the violations listed in the table below.

Most of the violations are infractions, which carry a base fine of between $50 and$90.

Severalofthemhave base finesgreater than$1,000.The highest fine is $10,000 (for operating a school bus while impaired, or for negligent homicide with a motor vehicle, as amended by the bill).

Table:

Motor Vehicle Violations with Additional Fines Statute Brief Description 14-213 Failure to carry a driver’s license Operation of a motor vehicle without the statutorily 14-213b required car insurance 14-214 Improper instruction of an unlicensed person in motor vehicle operation Operation of a motor vehicle while registration or 14-215 license is suspended 14-216 Operation of amotorvehicleby a person under age18 without insurance 14-218a Operation at unreasonable rate of speed 14-219 Speeding 14-220 Slow speed, impeding traffic;

failure to use flashing lights Operation of a low-speed vehicle carrying passengers 14-221 for hire without a permit 14-222 Reckless driving 14-222a Negligent homicide with a motor vehicle sHB7204 / File No.

476 21 sHB7204 File No.

476 Statute Brief Description 14-223 Failure to obey signal of officer Evading responsibility after a motor vehicle accident;

14-224 operating a motor vehicle for racing contests, demonstrations of speed or skill, or street takeovers;

not moving a vehicle after an accident Evading responsibility for injury or damage when 14-225 operating other vehicles 14-227a Driving under the influence (DUI) of alcohol or drugs 14-227m DUI with a child passenger 14-227n DUI in a school bus 14-230 Failure to drive on the right Improper usage of left lane by commercial motor 14-230a vehicles, school buses, buses, or vehicles with trailers 14-231 Failure to keep to right when meeting opposing traffic 14-232 Improper passing or failure to yield to passing vehicle 14-233 Passing on right Failure to keep to right on curve or grade, or when 14-235 approaching intersection 14-236 Failuretodriveinproperlaneonmultiple-lanehighway 14-237 Driving the wrong way on divided highway Improper entry to or exit from controlled access 14-238 highway 14-238a Improper entry to limited access highway Drivingthewrongwayonone-wayhighwayorrotaries;

14-239 failure to grant right of way to vehicle in rotary 14-240 Failure to drive a reasonable distance apart Failure to drive a reasonable distance apart with intent 14-240a to harass or intimidate 14-241 Improper turn Failure to give proper signal for a turn;

failure to grant 14-242 rights of way 14-243 Unsafe starting or backing of vehicle 14-244 Improper signaling for turns or stopping 14-245 Failure to grant right of way at an intersection 14-246a Failure to grant right of way at a highway junction Failure to yield when emerging from driveway or 14-247 private road 14-247a Failure to grant right of way when emerging from alley, driveway, or building 14-248a Failure to reduce speed or stop at cattle crossing 14-249 Failure to obey signal at railroad crossing sHB7204 / File No.

476 22 sHB7204 File No.

476 Statute Brief Description Failure of commercial or public service motor vehicle 14-250 to stop at railroad crossing 14-250a Improper operation of motor vehicle on sidewalk 14-257 Improper seating of passengers Improper distance between wrecker and towed 14-261 vehicle;

improper pushing of a vehicle 14-266 Operation of a vehicle of over four tons’ capacity on restricted highway Operation of a vehicle improperly loaded or 14-271 constructed to carry load Improper seating of passengers on a vehicle for which 14-273 a passenger endorsement or passenger and school endorsement is required;

exceeding capacity of said vehicle 14-279 Improper passing of a standing school bus Operation of school bus at excessive speed;

failure to 14-281a display lighted headlamps while transporting school children 14-283(e) Failure to stop on right side of road 14-283(h) Obstruction of an emergency vehicle 14-289a Improper seating of self or passengers on motorcycle 14-289b Improper operation of a motorcycle or autocycle 14-296aa Distracted driving Under the bill, DOT must post a sign at the beginning of each traffic safety corridor stating the fines are doubled and at the end stating the corridor has ended.

The bill also requires the State Police to enhance its enforcement efforts in each corridor.

§ 11 — POLICE USE OF GPS PILOT PROGRAM Requires DESPP to establish a one-year pilot program to allow three municipal police departments to install a device on their police vehicles that allows a police officer to launch a GPS onto another vehicle By October 1, 2025, the bill requires DESPP to establish a one-year pilot program to allow three municipal police departments to install a device on their police vehicles that allows a police officer to launch a GPS (presumably, a GPS tracking device) onto another vehicle (see sHB7204 / File No.

476 23 sHB7204 File No.

476 BACKGROUND).

DESPP may provide grants-in-aid to implement the program.

Each participating police department must submit a report on the utilization of the devices to DESPP.

By January 1, 2027, DESPP must submit a report to the Public Safety and Security and Judiciary committees.

The report must include a summary of the pilot program results and any recommendations for future utilization of the device.

BACKGROUND Related Court Cases In U.S.

v.

Jones, the U.S.

Supreme Court held that placing a GPS tracking device on someone’s vehicle constitutes a “search” within the meaning of the Fourth Amendment, which prohibits unreasonable searches (565 U.S.

400 (2012)).

Although the Court in that case did not rule on whether a warrant is required for police to place a GPS on a person, the Third Circuit Court of Appeals subsequently held that law enforcement agents must have a warrant based on probable cause to attach a GPS to a car to track its movements (U.S.

v.

Katzin, 769 F.3d 163 (3d Cir.

2014)).

COMMITTEE ACTION Public Safety and Security Committee Joint Favorable Substitute Yea 29 Nay 0 (03/18/2025) sHB7204 / File No.

476 24