Connecticut 2021 2021 Regular Session

Connecticut House Bill HB06408 Comm Sub / Bill

Filed 03/29/2021

                     
 
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General Assembly  Substitute Bill No. 6408  
January Session, 2021 
 
 
 
 
 
AN ACT REQUIRING HOU SING AUTHORITIES TO PROVIDE VOTER 
REGISTRATION APPLICA TIONS TO PROSPECTIVE TENANTS.  
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General 
Assembly convened: 
 
Section 1. Section 9-19h of the general statutes is repealed and the 1 
following is substituted in lieu thereof (Effective January 1, 2022): 2 
(a) The Department of Social Services, the Labor Department, [and] 3 
the Department of Motor Vehicles and each housing authority, as 4 
defined in section 8-39, shall make voter registration information and 5 
materials available to the public. Such information and materials shall 6 
be placed in public areas of the offices of such departments and 7 
authorities. The State Library and the libraries of the state's public 8 
institutions of higher education shall also make such information and 9 
materials available to users of the libraries. The Secretary of the State 10 
shall provide such departments, such housing authorities, such libraries 11 
and any libraries open to the public with suitable nonpartisan literature, 12 
materials and voter registration application forms authorized under 13 
sections 9-23g and 9-23h. The secretary shall also provide to the 14 
Department of Social Services, the Labor Department, [and] the 15 
Department of Motor Vehicles and each housing authority any furniture 16 
needed to display such literature, materials and forms. 17 
(b) In addition to the requirements of subsection (a) of this section, 18  Substitute Bill No. 6408 
 
 
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the Commissioner of Motor Vehicles, not later than January 1, 1994, shall 19 
include an application for the admission of an elector with each 20 
application form provided for a motor vehicle operator's license and a 21 
motor vehicle operator's license renewal, which are issued under 22 
subpart (B) of part III of chapter 246, and with each application form 23 
provided for an identity card issued under section 1-1h. Such 24 
application form for the admission of an elector (1) shall be subject to 25 
the approval of the Secretary of the State, (2) shall not include any 26 
provisions for the witnessing of the application, and (3) shall contain a 27 
statement that (A) specifies each eligibility requirement, (B) contains an 28 
attestation that the applicant meets each such requirement, and (C) 29 
requires the signature of the applicant under penalty of perjury. The 30 
Commissioner of Motor Vehicles shall accept any such completed 31 
application for admission which is submitted in person or by mail. The 32 
applicant shall state on such form, under penalty of perjury, the 33 
applicant's name, bona fide residence address, date of birth, whether the 34 
applicant is a United States citizen, party enrollment, if any, prior voting 35 
address, if registered previously, and that the applicant's privileges as 36 
an elector are not forfeited by reason of conviction of a felony. No Social 37 
Security number on any such application form for the admission of an 38 
elector filed prior to January 1, 2000, may be disclosed to the public or 39 
to any governmental agency. The commissioner shall indicate on each 40 
such form the date of receipt of such application to ensure that any 41 
eligible applicant is registered to vote in an election if it is received by 42 
the Commissioner of Motor Vehicles by the last day for registration to 43 
vote in an election. The commissioner shall provide the applicant with 44 
an application receipt, on a form approved by the Secretary of the State 45 
and on which the commissioner shall record the date that the 46 
commissioner received the application, using an official date stamp 47 
bearing the words "Department of Motor Vehicles". The commissioner 48 
shall provide such receipt whether the application was submitted in 49 
person or by mail. The commissioner shall forthwith transmit the 50 
application to the registrars of voters of the applicant's town of 51 
residence. If a registration application is accepted within five days 52 
before the last day for registration to vote in a regular election, the 53  Substitute Bill No. 6408 
 
 
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application shall be transmitted to the registrars of voters of the town of 54 
voting residence of the applicant not later than five days after the date 55 
of acceptance. The procedures in subsections (c), (d), (f) and (g) of 56 
section 9-23g which are not inconsistent with the National Voter 57 
Registration Act of 1993, P.L. 103-31, as amended from time to time, 58 
shall apply to applications made under this section. The commissioner 59 
is not an admitting official and may not restore, under the provisions of 60 
section 9-46a, electoral privileges of persons convicted of a felony. 61 
(c) On and after January 1, 2022, each housing authority shall provide, 62 
at the time an individual has been accepted for admission to a housing 63 
authority residential unit, and at the annual recertification of such 64 
individual's household, an application for admission as an elector to 65 
each member of such individual's household who is eligible to apply for 66 
admission as an elector pursuant to section 9-12. A housing authority 67 
shall assist any individual who requests assistance in completing the 68 
application form. 69 
This act shall take effect as follows and shall amend the following 
sections: 
 
Section 1 January 1, 2022 9-19h 
 
Statement of Legislative Commissioners:   
In Section 1(a), "housing authorities" was changed to "each housing 
authority" for clarity. 
 
HSG Joint Favorable Subst.