Connecticut 2017 Regular Session

Connecticut Senate Bill SB00856 Compare Versions

Only one version of the bill is available at this time.
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11 General Assembly Raised Bill No. 856
22 January Session, 2017 LCO No. 3990
33 *03990_______VA_*
44 Referred to Committee on VETERANS' AFFAIRS
55 Introduced by:
66 (VA)
77
88 General Assembly
99
1010 Raised Bill No. 856
1111
1212 January Session, 2017
1313
1414 LCO No. 3990
1515
1616 *03990_______VA_*
1717
1818 Referred to Committee on VETERANS' AFFAIRS
1919
2020 Introduced by:
2121
2222 (VA)
2323
2424 AN ACT CONCERNING FEDERAL RECORDS ACCESSIBLE TO OR MAINTAINED BY THE CONNECTICUT NATIONAL GUARD.
2525
2626 Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General Assembly convened:
2727
2828 Section 1. Subsection (b) of section 1-210 of the general statutes is repealed and the following is substituted in lieu thereof (Effective July 1, 2017):
2929
3030 (b) Nothing in the Freedom of Information Act shall be construed to require disclosure of:
3131
3232 (1) Preliminary drafts or notes provided the public agency has determined that the public interest in withholding such documents clearly outweighs the public interest in disclosure;
3333
3434 (2) Personnel or medical files and similar files the disclosure of which would constitute an invasion of personal privacy;
3535
3636 (3) Records of law enforcement agencies not otherwise available to the public which records were compiled in connection with the detection or investigation of crime, if the disclosure of said records would not be in the public interest because it would result in the disclosure of (A) the identity of informants not otherwise known or the identity of witnesses not otherwise known whose safety would be endangered or who would be subject to threat or intimidation if their identity was made known, (B) the identity of minor witnesses, (C) signed statements of witnesses, (D) information to be used in a prospective law enforcement action if prejudicial to such action, (E) investigatory techniques not otherwise known to the general public, (F) arrest records of a juvenile, which shall also include any investigatory files, concerning the arrest of such juvenile, compiled for law enforcement purposes, (G) the name and address of the victim of a sexual assault under section 53a-70, 53a-70a, 53a-71, 53a-72a, 53a-72b or 53a-73a, voyeurism under section 53a-189a, or injury or risk of injury, or impairing of morals under section 53-21, or of an attempt thereof, or (H) uncorroborated allegations subject to destruction pursuant to section 1-216;
3737
3838 (4) Records pertaining to strategy and negotiations with respect to pending claims or pending litigation to which the public agency is a party until such litigation or claim has been finally adjudicated or otherwise settled;
3939
4040 (5) (A) Trade secrets, which for purposes of the Freedom of Information Act, are defined as information, including formulas, patterns, compilations, programs, devices, methods, techniques, processes, drawings, cost data, customer lists, film or television scripts or detailed production budgets that (i) derive independent economic value, actual or potential, from not being generally known to, and not being readily ascertainable by proper means by, other persons who can obtain economic value from their disclosure or use, and (ii) are the subject of efforts that are reasonable under the circumstances to maintain secrecy; and
4141
4242 (B) Commercial or financial information given in confidence, not required by statute;
4343
4444 (6) Test questions, scoring keys and other examination data used to administer a licensing examination, examination for employment or academic examinations;
4545
4646 (7) The contents of real estate appraisals, engineering or feasibility estimates and evaluations made for or by an agency relative to the acquisition of property or to prospective public supply and construction contracts, until such time as all of the property has been acquired or all proceedings or transactions have been terminated or abandoned, provided the law of eminent domain shall not be affected by this provision;
4747
4848 (8) Statements of personal worth or personal financial data required by a licensing agency and filed by an applicant with such licensing agency to establish the applicant's personal qualification for the license, certificate or permit applied for;
4949
5050 (9) Records, reports and statements of strategy or negotiations with respect to collective bargaining;
5151
5252 (10) Records, tax returns, reports and statements exempted by federal law or the general statutes or communications privileged by the attorney-client relationship, marital relationship, clergy-penitent relationship, doctor-patient relationship, therapist-patient relationship or any other privilege established by the common law or the general statutes, including any such records, tax returns, reports or communications that were created or made prior to the establishment of the applicable privilege under the common law or the general statutes;
5353
5454 (11) Names or addresses of students enrolled in any public school or college without the consent of each student whose name or address is to be disclosed who is eighteen years of age or older and a parent or guardian of each such student who is younger than eighteen years of age, provided this subdivision shall not be construed as prohibiting the disclosure of the names or addresses of students enrolled in any public school in a regional school district to the board of selectmen or town board of finance, as the case may be, of the town wherein the student resides for the purpose of verifying tuition payments made to such school;
5555
5656 (12) Any information obtained by the use of illegal means;
5757
5858 (13) Records of an investigation or the name of an employee providing information under the provisions of section 4-61dd or sections 4-276 to 4-280, inclusive;
5959
6060 (14) Adoption records and information provided for in sections 45a-746, 45a-750 and 45a-751;
6161
6262 (15) Any page of a primary petition, nominating petition, referendum petition or petition for a town meeting submitted under any provision of the general statutes or of any special act, municipal charter or ordinance, until the required processing and certification of such page has been completed by the official or officials charged with such duty after which time disclosure of such page shall be required;
6363
6464 (16) Records of complaints, including information compiled in the investigation thereof, brought to a municipal health authority pursuant to chapter 368e or a district department of health pursuant to chapter 368f, until such time as the investigation is concluded or thirty days from the date of receipt of the complaint, whichever occurs first;
6565
6666 (17) Educational records which are not subject to disclosure under the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act, 20 USC 1232g;
6767
6868 (18) Records, the disclosure of which the Commissioner of Correction, or as it applies to Whiting Forensic Division facilities of the Connecticut Valley Hospital, the Commissioner of Mental Health and Addiction Services, has reasonable grounds to believe may result in a safety risk, including the risk of harm to any person or the risk of an escape from, or a disorder in, a correctional institution or facility under the supervision of the Department of Correction or Whiting Forensic Division facilities. Such records shall include, but are not limited to:
6969
7070 (A) Security manuals, including emergency plans contained or referred to in such security manuals;
7171
7272 (B) Engineering and architectural drawings of correctional institutions or facilities or Whiting Forensic Division facilities;
7373
7474 (C) Operational specifications of security systems utilized by the Department of Correction at any correctional institution or facility or Whiting Forensic Division facilities, except that a general description of any such security system and the cost and quality of such system may be disclosed;
7575
7676 (D) Training manuals prepared for correctional institutions and facilities or Whiting Forensic Division facilities that describe, in any manner, security procedures, emergency plans or security equipment;
7777
7878 (E) Internal security audits of correctional institutions and facilities or Whiting Forensic Division facilities;
7979
8080 (F) Minutes or recordings of staff meetings of the Department of Correction or Whiting Forensic Division facilities, or portions of such minutes or recordings, that contain or reveal information relating to security or other records otherwise exempt from disclosure under this subdivision;
8181
8282 (G) Logs or other documents that contain information on the movement or assignment of inmates or staff at correctional institutions or facilities; and
8383
8484 (H) Records that contain information on contacts between inmates, as defined in section 18-84, and law enforcement officers;
8585
8686 (19) Records when there are reasonable grounds to believe disclosure may result in a safety risk, including the risk of harm to any person, any government-owned or leased institution or facility or any fixture or appurtenance and equipment attached to, or contained in, such institution or facility, except that such records shall be disclosed to a law enforcement agency upon the request of the law enforcement agency. Such reasonable grounds shall be determined (A) (i) by the Commissioner of Administrative Services, after consultation with the chief executive officer of an executive branch state agency, with respect to records concerning such agency; and (ii) by the Commissioner of Emergency Services and Public Protection, after consultation with the chief executive officer of a municipal, district or regional agency, with respect to records concerning such agency; (B) by the Chief Court Administrator with respect to records concerning the Judicial Department; and (C) by the executive director of the Joint Committee on Legislative Management, with respect to records concerning the Legislative Department. As used in this section, "government-owned or leased institution or facility" includes, but is not limited to, an institution or facility owned or leased by a public service company, as defined in section 16-1, a certified telecommunications provider, as defined in section 16-1, a water company, as defined in section 25-32a, or a municipal utility that furnishes electric, gas or water service, but does not include an institution or facility owned or leased by the federal government, and "chief executive officer" includes, but is not limited to, an agency head, department head, executive director or chief executive officer. Such records include, but are not limited to:
8787
8888 (i) Security manuals or reports;
8989
9090 (ii) Engineering and architectural drawings of government-owned or leased institutions or facilities;
9191
9292 (iii) Operational specifications of security systems utilized at any government-owned or leased institution or facility, except that a general description of any such security system and the cost and quality of such system, may be disclosed;
9393
9494 (iv) Training manuals prepared for government-owned or leased institutions or facilities that describe, in any manner, security procedures, emergency plans or security equipment;
9595
9696 (v) Internal security audits of government-owned or leased institutions or facilities;
9797
9898 (vi) Minutes or records of meetings, or portions of such minutes or records, that contain or reveal information relating to security or other records otherwise exempt from disclosure under this subdivision;
9999
100100 (vii) Logs or other documents that contain information on the movement or assignment of security personnel;
101101
102102 (viii) Emergency plans and emergency preparedness, response, recovery and mitigation plans, including plans provided by a person to a state agency or a local emergency management agency or official; and
103103
104104 (ix) With respect to a water company, as defined in section 25-32a, that provides water service: Vulnerability assessments and risk management plans, operational plans, portions of water supply plans submitted pursuant to section 25-32d that contain or reveal information the disclosure of which may result in a security risk to a water company, inspection reports, technical specifications and other materials that depict or specifically describe critical water company operating facilities, collection and distribution systems or sources of supply;
105105
106106 (20) Records of standards, procedures, processes, software and codes, not otherwise available to the public, the disclosure of which would compromise the security or integrity of an information technology system;
107107
108108 (21) The residential, work or school address of any participant in the address confidentiality program established pursuant to sections 54-240 to 54-240o, inclusive;
109109
110110 (22) The electronic mail address of any person that is obtained by the Department of Transportation in connection with the implementation or administration of any plan to inform individuals about significant highway or railway incidents;
111111
112112 (23) The name or address of any minor enrolled in any parks and recreation program administered or sponsored by any public agency;
113113
114114 (24) Responses to any request for proposals or bid solicitation issued by a public agency or any record or file made by a public agency in connection with the contract award process, until such contract is executed or negotiations for the award of such contract have ended, whichever occurs earlier, provided the chief executive officer of such public agency certifies that the public interest in the disclosure of such responses, record or file is outweighed by the public interest in the confidentiality of such responses, record or file;
115115
116116 (25) The name, address, telephone number or electronic mail address of any person enrolled in any senior center program or any member of a senior center administered or sponsored by any public agency;
117117
118118 (26) All records obtained during the course of inspection, investigation, examination and audit activities of an institution, as defined in section 19a-490, that are confidential pursuant to a contract between the Department of Public Health and the United States Department of Health and Human Services relating to the Medicare and Medicaid programs;
119119
120120 (27) Any record created by a law enforcement agency or other federal, state, or municipal governmental agency consisting of a photograph, film, video or digital or other visual image depicting the victim of a homicide, to the extent that such record could reasonably be expected to constitute an unwarranted invasion of the personal privacy of the victim or the victim's surviving family members;
121121
122122 (28) Any documentation provided to or obtained by an executive branch agency, including documentation provided or obtained prior to May 25, 2016, relating to claims of faulty or failing concrete foundations in residential buildings by the owners of such residential buildings, and documents prepared by an executive branch agency relating to such documentation, for seven years after the date of receipt of the documentation or seven years after May 25, 2016, whichever is later;
123123
124124 (29) Any record accessible to or maintained by the Connecticut National Guard (A) pursuant to federal law and subject to federal supervision by the National Guard Bureau in the United States Department of Defense, and (B) that may be requested and disclosed pursuant to the federal Freedom of Information Act of 1976, 5 USC 552, as amended from time to time.
125125
126126
127127
128128
129129 This act shall take effect as follows and shall amend the following sections:
130130 Section 1 July 1, 2017 1-210(b)
131131
132132 This act shall take effect as follows and shall amend the following sections:
133133
134134 Section 1
135135
136136 July 1, 2017
137137
138138 1-210(b)
139139
140140 Statement of Purpose:
141141
142142 To specify that records of the Connecticut National Guard maintained for federal purposes are exempt under Connecticut's Freedom of Information Act and may instead be requested under the federal Freedom of Information Act.
143143
144144 [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.]