Connecticut 2011 Regular Session

Connecticut Senate Bill SB01029 Compare Versions

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11 General Assembly Raised Bill No. 1029
22 January Session, 2011 LCO No. 3268
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44 Referred to Committee on Judiciary
55 Introduced by:
66 (JUD)
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88 General Assembly
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1010 Raised Bill No. 1029
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1212 January Session, 2011
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1414 LCO No. 3268
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1818 Referred to Committee on Judiciary
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2020 Introduced by:
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2222 (JUD)
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2424 AN ACT CONCERNING VICTIM IMPACT STATEMENTS IN CAPITAL MURDER CASES.
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2626 Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General Assembly convened:
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2828 Section 1. Section 53a-46d of the general statutes is repealed and the following is substituted in lieu thereof (Effective October 1, 2011):
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3030 [A victim impact statement prepared with the assistance of a victim advocate to be placed in court files in accordance with subdivision (2) of subsection (a) of section 54-220 may be read in court prior to imposition of sentence upon a defendant found guilty of a crime punishable by death.]
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3232 (a) If a defendant is convicted of or pleads guilty to a capital felony, a family member of the murder victim or his or her legal representative may appear personally before the jury or, if there is no jury, the court to present a victim impact statement prior to the jury or the court returning a special verdict pursuant to subsection (e) of section 53a-46a.
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3434 (b) The victim impact statement may include information presented in the form of a narrative, photographs or a video recording that describes the victim's general life history, family and social relationships and accomplishments and the physical, emotional, psychological and economic impact on the surviving family members and the community of the victim's murder by the defendant.
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3636 (c) The court shall review the victim impact statement prior to its presentation and may limit its content and the manner of its presentation to ensure that there is no violation of any provision of the general statutes, the Constitution of the state or the Constitution of the United States.
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4141 This act shall take effect as follows and shall amend the following sections:
4242 Section 1 October 1, 2011 53a-46d
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4444 This act shall take effect as follows and shall amend the following sections:
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4646 Section 1
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4848 October 1, 2011
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5050 53a-46d
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52+Statement of Purpose:
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54+To provide equal rights to victims in death penalty cases by clarifying the right of surviving family members or their legal representatives to present a victim impact statement during the sentencing phase of capital felony proceedings.
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54-JUD Joint Favorable
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56-JUD
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58-Joint Favorable
56+[Proposed deletions are enclosed in brackets. Proposed additions are indicated by underline, except that when the entire text of a bill or resolution or a section of a bill or resolution is new, it is not underlined.]