Connecticut 2021 2021 Regular Session

Connecticut House Bill HB06594 Comm Sub / Bill

Filed 04/22/2021

                     
 
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General Assembly  Substitute Bill No. 6594  
January Session, 2021 
 
 
 
 
 
AN ACT CONCERNING TH E CRIMINAL JUSTICE PROCESS.  
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General 
Assembly convened: 
 
Section 1. Subsection (a) of section 54-86 of the general statutes is 1 
repealed and the following is substituted in lieu thereof (Effective October 2 
1, 2021): 3 
(a) In any case involving an offense for which the punishment may 4 
be imprisonment for more than one year, the Superior Court or a judge 5 
thereof may, upon the application of the accused, or of the state in the 6 
case of a witness who is infirm and seventy-five years of age or older, 7 
order that the deposition of a witness shall be taken before a 8 
commissioner, judge or magistrate, to be designated by the court or 9 
judge, if it appears that his or her testimony will be required at trial and 10 
that, by reason of bodily infirmity, age or residence out of this state, he 11 
or she will be unable to testify at trial. 12 
Sec. 2. Section 53a-83 of the general statutes is repealed and the 13 
following is substituted in lieu thereof (Effective October 1, 2021): 14 
(a) A person is guilty of [patronizing a prostitute] soliciting sexual 15 
acts when: (1) Pursuant to a prior understanding, such person pays a fee 16 
to another person as compensation for such person or a third person 17 
having engaged in sexual conduct with such person; (2) such person 18  Substitute Bill No. 6594 
 
 
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pays or agrees to pay a fee to another person pursuant to an 19 
understanding that in return for such fee such other person or a third 20 
person will engage in sexual conduct with such person; or (3) such 21 
person solicits or requests another person to engage in sexual conduct 22 
with such person in return for a fee. 23 
(b) [Patronizing a prostitute] Soliciting sexual acts is a class A 24 
misdemeanor and any person found guilty shall be fined two thousand 25 
dollars.  26 
Sec. 3. Section 53a-84 of the general statutes is repealed and the 27 
following is substituted in lieu thereof (Effective October 1, 2021): 28 
(a) In any prosecution for prostitution in violation of section 53a-82 29 
or [patronizing a prostitute] soliciting sexual acts in violation of section 30 
53a-83, as amended by this act, the sex of the two parties or prospective 31 
parties to the sexual conduct engaged in, contemplated or solicited is 32 
immaterial, and it shall be no defense that: (1) Such persons were of the 33 
same sex; or (2) the person who received, agreed to receive or solicited 34 
a fee was a male and the person who paid or agreed or offered to pay 35 
such fee was a female. 36 
(b) In any prosecution for [patronizing a prostitute] soliciting sexual 37 
acts in violation of section 53a-83, as amended by this act, promoting 38 
prostitution in violation of section 53a-86, 53a-87 or 53a-88 or permitting 39 
prostitution in violation of section 53a-89, it shall be no defense that the 40 
person engaging or agreeing to engage in sexual conduct with another 41 
person in return for a fee could not be prosecuted for a violation of 42 
section 53a-82 on account of such person's age.  43 
Sec. 4. Section 7-22 of the general statutes is repealed and the 44 
following is substituted in lieu thereof (Effective October 1, 2021): 45 
Whenever complaint in writing is made to the [state's attorney for 46 
any judicial district] Attorney General that the town clerk of any town 47 
[in such judicial district] is guilty of misconduct, wilful and material 48 
neglect of duty or incompetence in the conduct of such town clerk's 49  Substitute Bill No. 6594 
 
 
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office, [such state's attorney] the Attorney General shall make such 50 
investigation of the charges as [such state's attorney] the Attorney 51 
General deems proper and shall, if [such state's attorney] the Attorney 52 
General is of the opinion that the evidence obtained warrants such 53 
action, prepare a statement in writing of the charges against such town 54 
clerk, together with a citation in the name of the state, commanding such 55 
town clerk to appear before a judge of the Superior Court at a date 56 
named in the citation and show cause, if any, why such town clerk 57 
should not be removed from office as provided in this section. [Such 58 
state's attorney] The Attorney General shall cause a copy of such 59 
statement and citation to be served by some proper officer upon the 60 
defendant town clerk at least ten days before the date of appearance 61 
named in such citation, and the original statement and citation, with the 62 
return of the officer thereon, shall be returned to the clerk of the superior 63 
court for the judicial district within which such town is situated. To 64 
carry into effect the proceedings authorized by this section, the [state's 65 
attorney of any judicial district] Attorney General shall have power to 66 
summon witnesses, require the production of necessary books, papers 67 
and other documents and administer oaths to witnesses; and upon the 68 
date named in such citation for the appearance of such town clerk, or 69 
upon any adjourned date fixed by the judge before whom such 70 
proceedings are pending, the [state's attorney] Attorney General shall 71 
appear and conduct the hearing on behalf of the state. If, after a full 72 
hearing of all the evidence offered by the [state's attorney] Attorney 73 
General and by and on behalf of the defendant, such judge is of the 74 
opinion that the evidence presented warrants the removal of such town 75 
clerk from office, the judge shall cause to be prepared a written order to 76 
that effect, which order shall be signed by the judge and lodged with the 77 
clerk of the superior court for the judicial district in which such 78 
defendant resides. Such clerk of the superior court shall cause a certified 79 
copy of such order to be served forthwith upon such town clerk, and 80 
upon such service the office held by such town clerk shall become vacant 81 
and the vacancy thereby created shall be filled at once in the manner 82 
provided in section 9-220. Any witnesses summoned and any officer 83 
making service under the provisions of this section shall be allowed and 84  Substitute Bill No. 6594 
 
 
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paid by the state the same fees as are allowed by law in criminal 85 
prosecutions.  86 
Sec. 5. Section 7-81 of the general statutes is repealed and the 87 
following is substituted in lieu thereof (Effective October 1, 2021): 88 
Whenever complaint in writing is made to the [state's attorney for 89 
any judicial district] Attorney General that the town treasurer of any 90 
town [in such judicial district] is guilty of misconduct, wilful and 91 
material neglect of duty or incompetence in the conduct of such town 92 
treasurer's office, [such state's attorney] the Attorney General shall make 93 
such investigation of the charges as [such state's attorney] the Attorney 94 
General deems proper, and shall, if [such state's attorney] the Attorney 95 
General is of the opinion that the evidence obtained warrants such 96 
action, prepare a statement in writing of the charges against such town 97 
treasurer, together with a citation in the name of the state, commanding 98 
such town treasurer to appear before a judge of the Superior Court at a 99 
date named in the citation and show cause, if any, why such town 100 
treasurer should not be removed from office as provided in this section. 101 
[Such state's attorney] The Attorney General shall cause a copy of such 102 
statement and citation to be served, by some proper officer, upon the 103 
defendant town treasurer at least ten days before the date of appearance 104 
named in such citation, and the original statement and citation, with the 105 
return of the officer thereon, shall be returned to the clerk of the superior 106 
court for the judicial district within which such town is situated. To 107 
carry into effect the proceedings authorized by this section, the [state's 108 
attorney of any judicial district] Attorney General shall have power to 109 
summon witnesses, require the production of necessary books, papers 110 
and other documents and administer oaths to witnesses; and, upon the 111 
date named in such citation for the appearance of such town treasurer, 112 
or upon any adjourned date fixed by the judge before whom such 113 
proceedings are pending, [such state's attorney] the Attorney General 114 
shall appear and conduct the hearing on behalf of the state. If, after a full 115 
hearing of all the evidence offered by the [state's attorney] Attorney 116 
General and by and on behalf of such defendant, such judge is of the 117  Substitute Bill No. 6594 
 
 
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opinion that the evidence presented warrants the removal of such town 118 
treasurer from office, the judge shall cause to be prepared a written 119 
order to that effect, which order shall be signed by the judge and lodged 120 
with the clerk of the superior court for the judicial district in which such 121 
defendant resides. Such clerk of the superior court shall cause a certified 122 
copy of such order to be served forthwith upon such town treasurer, 123 
and upon such service the office held by such town treasurer shall 124 
become vacant and the vacancy thereby created shall be filled at once in 125 
the manner provided in section 9-220. Any witnesses summoned and 126 
any officer making service under the provisions of this section shall be 127 
allowed and paid by the state the same fees as are allowed by law in 128 
criminal prosecutions.  129 
Sec. 6. Section 51-279b of the general statutes is repealed and the 130 
following is substituted in lieu thereof (Effective October 1, 2021): 131 
[(a)] The Chief State's Attorney shall establish a racketeering and 132 
continuing criminal activities unit within the Division of Criminal 133 
Justice. Such unit shall be available for the investigation and prosecution 134 
of criminal matters including, but not limited to, the illegal purchase and 135 
sale of controlled substances, criminal activity by gangs, fraud, 136 
corruption, illegal gambling and the recruitment of persons to carry out 137 
such illegal activities. 138 
[(b) The Chief State's Attorney shall establish a bond forfeiture unit 139 
within the Division of Criminal Justice. Such unit shall be responsible 140 
for the collection, in the name of the state, and by suit when necessary, 141 
of all forfeited bonds payable to the state. Such unit may compromise 142 
and settle forfeited bonds for less than the amount thereof without 143 
regard to the expiration of any stay of forfeiture. 144 
(c) The Chief State's Attorney shall develop uniform standards for the 145 
compromise and settlement of forfeited bonds. Such standards shall be 146 
applied on a state-wide basis.]   147 
Sec. 7. Section 54-72 of the general statutes is repealed and the 148  Substitute Bill No. 6594 
 
 
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following is substituted in lieu thereof (Effective October 1, 2021): 149 
All fines, forfeitures and penalties, unless otherwise expressly 150 
disposed of by law, if imposed on any person by the Superior Court, 151 
shall belong to the state. When a fine, penalty or forfeiture is imposed 152 
by any statute as a punishment for any offense, and any part thereof is 153 
given to the person aggrieved or to him who sues therefor and the other 154 
part to the state, all proper informing officers shall make presentment of 155 
such offense to the court having cognizance thereof; and the whole of 156 
such fine, penalty or forfeiture shall in such case belong to the state. 157 
Whenever any corporation has incurred a penalty or forfeiture or is 158 
liable to a fine, the [state's attorney in the judicial district wherein such 159 
corporation is located or has its principal place of business in this state] 160 
Attorney General may bring a civil action under the provisions of this 161 
section, in the name of the state, to recover such penalty, forfeiture or 162 
fine. The court shall render judgment, under the limitations of law, for 163 
the recovery of such penalty, forfeiture or fine, and issue execution 164 
therefor.  165 
Sec. 8. Section 54-73 of the general statutes is repealed and the 166 
following is substituted in lieu thereof (Effective October 1, 2021): 167 
The [state's attorney in the judicial district in which any forfeiture to 168 
the state accrues] Attorney General shall collect and pay [it] to the State 169 
Treasurer any forfeiture that accrues to the state; and, if in the opinion 170 
of the court the plaintiff is an improper person to collect [it] the 171 
forfeiture, a separate execution may be issued in favor of the state.  172 
Sec. 9. Subsection (f) of section 1-110a of the general statutes is 173 
repealed and the following is substituted in lieu thereof (Effective October 174 
1, 2021): 175 
(f) In all criminal proceedings in state [or federal] court in which the 176 
defendant is a public official or a state or municipal employee who is 177 
charged with a crime related to state or municipal office, the [Attorney 178 
General] state prosecutor shall notify the [prosecutor of the existence of] 179  Substitute Bill No. 6594 
 
 
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Attorney General of such proceedings and the Attorney General shall 180 
pursue remedies under the pension revocation statute, [and] including 181 
the possibility that any fine, restitution or other monetary order made 182 
by the court [may] be paid from such official's or employee's pension. 183 
Sec. 10. Section 53a-290 of the general statutes is repealed and the 184 
following is substituted in lieu thereof (Effective October 1, 2021): 185 
A person commits vendor fraud when, with intent to defraud and 186 
acting on such person's own behalf or on behalf of an entity, such person 187 
provides goods or services to a beneficiary under sections 17b-22, 17b-188 
75 to 17b-77, inclusive, 17b-79 to 17b-103, inclusive, 17b-180a, 17b-183, 189 
17b-260 to 17b-262, inclusive, 17b-264 to 17b-285, inclusive, 17b-357 to 190 
17b-361, inclusive, 17b-600 to 17b-604, inclusive, 17b-749, 17b-807 and 191 
17b-808 or provides services to a recipient under Title XIX of the Social 192 
Security Act, as amended, and, (1) presents for payment any false claim 193 
for goods or services performed; (2) accepts payment for goods or 194 
services performed, which exceeds either the amounts due for goods or 195 
services performed, or the amounts authorized by law for the cost of 196 
such goods or services; (3) solicits to perform services for or sell goods 197 
to any such beneficiary, knowing that such beneficiary is not in need of 198 
such goods or services; (4) sells goods to or performs services for any 199 
such beneficiary without prior authorization by the Department of 200 
Social Services, when prior authorization is required by said department 201 
for the buying of such goods or the performance of any service; [or] (5) 202 
accepts from any person or source other than the state an additional 203 
compensation in excess of the amount authorized by law; or (6) having 204 
knowledge of the occurrence of any event affecting (A) his or her initial 205 
or continued right to any such benefit or payment, or (B) the initial or 206 
continued right to any such benefit or payment of any other individual 207 
in whose behalf he or she has applied for or is receiving such benefit or 208 
payment, conceals or fails to disclose such event with an intent to 209 
fraudulently secure such benefit or payment either in a greater amount 210 
or quantity than is due or when no such benefit or payment is 211 
authorized.  212  Substitute Bill No. 6594 
 
 
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Sec. 11. Section 53a-181f of the general statutes is repealed and the 213 
following is substituted in lieu thereof (Effective October 1, 2021): 214 
(a) A person is guilty of electronic stalking when such person 215 
[recklessly causes another person to reasonably fear for his or her 216 
physical safety by wilfully and repeatedly using a global positioning 217 
system or similar electronic monitoring system to remotely determine 218 
or track the position or movement of such other person] with the intent 219 
to kill, injure, harass or intimidate, places under surveillance another 220 
person or otherwise uses any interactive computer service or electronic 221 
communication service, electronic communication system or electronic 222 
monitoring system to engage in a course of conduct that: (1) Places such 223 
other person in reasonable fear of the death of or serious bodily injury 224 
to (A) such person, (B) an immediate family member of such person, or 225 
(C) an intimate partner of such person; or (2) causes, attempts to cause 226 
or would be reasonably expected to cause substantial emotional distress 227 
to a person described in subparagraph (A), (B) or (C) of subdivision (1) 228 
of this subsection. 229 
(b) Electronic stalking is a class [B misdemeanor] D felony.  230 
Sec. 12. Section 53a-189c of the general statutes is repealed and the 231 
following is substituted in lieu thereof (Effective October 1, 2021): 232 
(a) A person is guilty of unlawful dissemination of an intimate image 233 
when (1) such person intentionally disseminates by electronic or other 234 
means a photograph, film, videotape or other recorded image of (A) the 235 
genitals, pubic area or buttocks of another person with less than a fully 236 
opaque covering of such body part, or the breast of such other person 237 
who is female with less than a fully opaque covering of any portion of 238 
such breast below the top of the nipple, or (B) another person engaged 239 
in sexual intercourse, as defined in section 53a-193, (2) such person 240 
disseminates such image without the consent of such other person, 241 
knowing that such other person understood that the image would not 242 
be so disseminated, and (3) such other person suffers harm as a result of 243 
such dissemination. For purposes of this subsection, "disseminate" 244  Substitute Bill No. 6594 
 
 
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means to sell, give, provide, lend, trade, mail, deliver, transfer, publish, 245 
distribute, circulate, present, exhibit, advertise or otherwise offer, and 246 
"harm" includes, but is not limited to, subjecting such other person to 247 
hatred, contempt, ridicule, physical injury, financial injury, 248 
psychological harm or serious emotional distress. 249 
(b) The provisions of subsection (a) of this subsection shall not apply 250 
to: 251 
(1) Any image described in subsection (a) of this section of such other 252 
person if such image resulted from voluntary exposure or engagement 253 
in sexual intercourse by such other person, in a public place, as defined 254 
in section 53a-181, or in a commercial setting; 255 
(2) Any image described in subsection (a) of this section of such other 256 
person, if such other person is not clearly identifiable, unless other 257 
personally identifying information is associated with or accompanies 258 
the image; or  259 
(3) Any image described in subsection (a) of this section of such other 260 
person, if the dissemination of such image serves the public interest. 261 
(c) Unlawful dissemination of an intimate image [is a class A 262 
misdemeanor] to (1) a person by any means is a class A misdemeanor, 263 
and (2) more than one person by means of an interactive computer 264 
service, as defined in 47 USC 230, an information service, as defined in 265 
47 USC 153, or a telecommunications service, as defined in section 16-266 
247a, is a class D felony.  267 
(d) Nothing in this section shall be construed to impose liability on 268 
the provider of an interactive computer service, as defined in 47 USC 269 
230, an information service, as defined in 47 USC 153, or a 270 
telecommunications service, as defined in section 16-247a, for content 271 
provided by another person.  272 
Sec. 13. Subsections (f) and (g) of section 53a-40 of the general statutes 273 
are repealed and the following is substituted in lieu thereof (Effective 274  Substitute Bill No. 6594 
 
 
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October 1, 2021): 275 
(f) A persistent offender for possession of a controlled substance is a 276 
person who (1) stands convicted of possession of a controlled substance 277 
in violation of the provisions of section 21a-279, as amended by this act, 278 
and (2) has been, at separate times prior to the commission of the present 279 
possession of a controlled substance, twice convicted of the crime of 280 
possession of a controlled substance during the ten years prior to the 281 
commission of the present violation of section 21a-279, as amended by 282 
this act. 283 
(g) A persistent felony offender is a person who (1) stands convicted 284 
of a felony other than a class D or E felony, and (2) has been, at separate 285 
times prior to the commission of the present felony, twice convicted of 286 
a felony other than a class D or E felony, if such felonies were committed 287 
during the ten years prior to the commission of the present felony. 288 
Sec. 14. Subsection (b) of section 53a-39c of the general statutes is 289 
repealed and the following is substituted in lieu thereof (Effective October 290 
1, 2021): 291 
(b) Any person who enters such program shall pay to the court a 292 
participation fee of two hundred five dollars, except that no person may 293 
be excluded from such program for inability to pay such fee, provided 294 
(1) such person files with the court an affidavit of indigency or inability 295 
to pay [, (2)] such indigency is confirmed by the Court Support Services 296 
Division [,] and [(3)] the court enters a finding thereof, or (2) the person 297 
has been determined indigent and eligible for representation by a public 298 
defender who has been appointed on behalf of such person pursuant to 299 
section 51-296. The court shall not require a person to perform 300 
community service in lieu of payment of such fee, if such fee is waived. 301 
All program fees collected under this subsection shall be deposited into 302 
the alternative incarceration program account.  303 
Sec. 15. Section 54-56e of the general statutes is repealed and the 304 
following is substituted in lieu thereof (Effective October 1, 2021): 305  Substitute Bill No. 6594 
 
 
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(a) There shall be a pretrial program for accelerated rehabilitation of 306 
persons accused of a crime or crimes or a motor vehicle violation or 307 
violations for which a sentence to a term of imprisonment may be 308 
imposed, which crimes or violations are not of a serious nature. Upon 309 
application by any such person for participation in the program, the 310 
court shall, but only as to the public, order the court file sealed. 311 
(b) The court may, in its discretion, invoke such program on motion 312 
of the defendant or on motion of a state's attorney or prosecuting 313 
attorney with respect to a defendant (1) who, the court believes, will 314 
probably not offend in the future, (2) who has no previous record of 315 
conviction of a crime or of a violation of section 14-196, subsection (c) of 316 
section 14-215, section 14-222a, subsection (a) or subdivision (1) of 317 
subsection (b) of section 14-224, section 14-227a or 14-227m or 318 
subdivision (1) or (2) of subsection (a) of section 14-227n, and (3) who 319 
states under oath, in open court or before any person designated by the 320 
clerk and duly authorized to administer oaths, under the penalties of 321 
perjury, (A) that the defendant has never had such program invoked on 322 
the defendant's behalf or that the defendant was charged with a 323 
misdemeanor or a motor vehicle violation for which a term of 324 
imprisonment of one year or less may be imposed and ten or more years 325 
have passed since the date that any charge or charges for which the 326 
program was invoked on the defendant's behalf were dismissed by the 327 
court, or (B) with respect to a defendant who is a veteran, that the 328 
defendant has not had such program invoked in the defendant's behalf 329 
more than once previously, provided the defendant shall agree thereto 330 
and provided notice has been given by the defendant, on a form 331 
prescribed by the Office of the Chief Court Administrator, to the victim 332 
or victims of such crime or motor vehicle violation, if any, by registered 333 
or certified mail and such victim or victims have an opportunity to be 334 
heard thereon. Any defendant who makes application for participation 335 
in such program shall pay to the court an application fee of thirty-five 336 
dollars, except as provided in subsection (g) of this section. No 337 
defendant shall be allowed to participate in the pretrial program for 338 
accelerated rehabilitation more than two times. For the purposes of this 339  Substitute Bill No. 6594 
 
 
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section, "veteran" means any person who was discharged or released 340 
under conditions other than dishonorable from active service in the 341 
armed forces as defined in section 27-103. 342 
(c) This section shall not be applicable: (1) To any person charged 343 
with (A) a class A felony, (B) a class B felony, except a violation of 344 
subdivision (1), (2) or (3) of subsection (a) of section 53a-122 that does 345 
not involve the use, attempted use or threatened use of physical force 346 
against another person, or a violation of subdivision (4) of subsection (a) 347 
of section 53a-122 that does not involve the use, attempted use or 348 
threatened use of physical force against another person and does not 349 
involve a violation by a person who is a public official, as defined in 350 
section 1-110, or a state or municipal employee, as defined in section 1-351 
110, or (C) a violation of section 53a-70b of the general statutes, revision 352 
of 1958, revised to January 1, 2019, or section 14-227a or 14-227m, 353 
subdivision (1) or (2) of subsection (a) of section 14-227n, subdivision (2) 354 
of subsection (a) of section 53-21 or section 53a-56b, 53a-60d, 53a-70, 53a-355 
70a, 53a-71, except as provided in subdivision (5) of this subsection, 53a-356 
72a, 53a-72b, 53a-90a, 53a-196e or 53a-196f, (2) to any person charged 357 
with a crime or motor vehicle violation who, as a result of the 358 
commission of such crime or motor vehicle violation, causes the death 359 
of another person, (3) to any person accused of a family violence crime 360 
as defined in section 46b-38a who (A) is eligible for the pretrial family 361 
violence education program established under section 46b-38c, as 362 
amended by this act, or (B) has previously had the pretrial family 363 
violence education program invoked in such person's behalf, (4) to any 364 
person charged with a violation of section 21a-267, as amended by this 365 
act, or 21a-279, as amended by this act, who (A) is eligible for the pretrial 366 
drug education and community service program established under 367 
section 54-56i, as amended by this act, or (B) has previously had the 368 
pretrial drug education program or the pretrial drug education and 369 
community service program invoked on such person's behalf, (5) unless 370 
good cause is shown, to (A) any person charged with a class C felony, 371 
or (B) any person charged with committing a violation of subdivision 372 
(1) of subsection (a) of section 53a-71 while such person was less than 373  Substitute Bill No. 6594 
 
 
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four years older than the other person, (6) to any person charged with a 374 
violation of section 9-359 or 9-359a, (7) to any person charged with a 375 
motor vehicle violation (A) while operating a commercial motor vehicle, 376 
as defined in section 14-1, or (B) who holds a commercial driver's license 377 
or commercial driver's instruction permit at the time of the violation, (8) 378 
to any person charged with a violation of subdivision (6) of subsection 379 
(a) of section 53a-60, or (9) to a health care provider or vendor 380 
participating in the state's Medicaid program charged with a violation 381 
of section 53a-122 or subdivision (4) of subsection (a) of section 53a-123. 382 
(d) Except as provided in subsection [(e)] (g) of this section, any 383 
defendant who enters such program shall pay to the court a 384 
participation fee of one hundred dollars. Any defendant who enters 385 
such program shall agree to the tolling of any statute of limitations with 386 
respect to such crime and to a waiver of the right to a speedy trial. Any 387 
such defendant shall appear in court and shall, under such conditions 388 
as the court shall order, be released to the custody of the Court Support 389 
Services Division, except that, if a criminal docket for drug-dependent 390 
persons has been established pursuant to section 51-181b in the judicial 391 
district, such defendant may be transferred, under such conditions as 392 
the court shall order, to the court handling such docket for supervision 393 
by such court. If the defendant refuses to accept, or, having accepted, 394 
violates such conditions, the defendant's case shall be brought to trial. 395 
The period of such probation or supervision, or both, shall not exceed 396 
two years. If the defendant has reached the age of sixteen years but has 397 
not reached the age of eighteen years, the court may order that as a 398 
condition of such probation the defendant be referred for services to a 399 
youth service bureau established pursuant to section 10-19m, provided 400 
the court finds, through an assessment by a youth service bureau or its 401 
designee, that the defendant is in need of and likely to benefit from such 402 
services. When determining any conditions of probation to order for a 403 
person entering such program who was charged with a misdemeanor 404 
that did not involve the use, attempted use or threatened use of physical 405 
force against another person or a motor vehicle violation, the court shall 406 
consider ordering the person to perform community service in the 407  Substitute Bill No. 6594 
 
 
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community in which the offense or violation occurred. If the court 408 
determines that community service is appropriate, such community 409 
service may be implemented by a community court established in 410 
accordance with section 51-181c if the offense or violation occurred 411 
within the jurisdiction of a community court established by said section. 412 
If the defendant is charged with a violation of section 46a-58, 53-37a, 413 
53a-181j, 53a-181k or 53a-181l, the court may order that as a condition of 414 
such probation the defendant participate in a hate crimes diversion 415 
program as provided in subsection (e) of this section. If a defendant is 416 
charged with a violation of section 53-247, the court may order that as a 417 
condition of such probation the defendant undergo psychiatric or 418 
psychological counseling or participate in an animal cruelty prevention 419 
and education program provided such a program exists and is available 420 
to the defendant. 421 
(e) If the court orders the defendant to participate in a hate crimes 422 
diversion program as a condition of probation, the defendant shall pay 423 
to the court a participation fee of four hundred twenty-five dollars, 424 
except as provided in subsection (g) of this section. [No person may be 425 
excluded from such program for inability to pay such fee, provided (1) 426 
such person files with the court an affidavit of indigency or inability to 427 
pay, (2) such indigency or inability to pay is confirmed by the Court 428 
Support Services Division, and (3) the court enters a finding thereof.] 429 
The Judicial Department shall contract with service providers, develop 430 
standards and oversee appropriate hate crimes diversion programs to 431 
meet the requirements of this section. Any defendant whose 432 
employment or residence makes it unreasonable to attend a hate crimes 433 
diversion program in this state may attend a program in another state 434 
which has standards substantially similar to, or higher than, those of this 435 
state, subject to the approval of the court and payment of the application 436 
and program fees as provided in this section. The hate crimes diversion 437 
program shall consist of an educational program and supervised 438 
community service. 439 
(f) If a defendant released to the custody of the Court Support 440  Substitute Bill No. 6594 
 
 
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Services Division satisfactorily completes such defendant's period of 441 
probation, such defendant may apply for dismissal of the charges 442 
against such defendant and the court, on finding such satisfactory 443 
completion, shall dismiss such charges. If the defendant does not apply 444 
for dismissal of the charges against such defendant after satisfactorily 445 
completing such defendant's period of probation, the court, upon 446 
receipt of a report submitted by the Court Support Services Division that 447 
the defendant satisfactorily completed such defendant's period of 448 
probation, may on its own motion make a finding of such satisfactory 449 
completion and dismiss such charges. If a defendant transferred to the 450 
court handling the criminal docket for drug-dependent persons 451 
satisfactorily completes such defendant's period of supervision, the 452 
court shall release the defendant to the custody of the Court Support 453 
Services Division under such conditions as the court shall order or shall 454 
dismiss such charges. Upon dismissal, all records of such charges shall 455 
be erased pursuant to section 54-142a. An order of the court denying a 456 
motion to dismiss the charges against a defendant who has completed 457 
such defendant's period of probation or supervision or terminating the 458 
participation of a defendant in such program shall be a final judgment 459 
for purposes of appeal. 460 
(g) The court shall waive any application or participation fee under 461 
this section for any person who (1) files with the court an affidavit of 462 
indigency or inability to pay, has such indigency confirmed by the Court 463 
Support Services Division and the court enters a finding thereof, or (2) 464 
has been determined indigent and eligible for representation by a public 465 
defender who has been appointed on behalf of such person pursuant to 466 
section 51-296. The court shall not require a person to perform 467 
community service in lieu of payment of such fee, if such fee is waived. 468 
Sec. 16. Section 54-56g of the general statutes is repealed and the 469 
following is substituted in lieu thereof (Effective October 1, 2021): 470 
(a) (1) There shall be a pretrial alcohol education program for persons 471 
charged with a violation of section 14-227a, 14-227g or 14-227m, 472 
subdivision (1) or (2) of subsection (a) of section 14-227n or section 15-473  Substitute Bill No. 6594 
 
 
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133 or 15-140n. Upon application by any such person for participation 474 
in such program, the court shall, but only as to the public, order the 475 
court file sealed, and such person shall pay to the court an application 476 
fee of one hundred dollars and a nonrefundable evaluation fee of one 477 
hundred dollars, except as provided for in subsection (i) of this section, 478 
and such person shall state under oath, in open court or before any 479 
person designated by the clerk and duly authorized to administer oaths, 480 
under penalties of perjury that: (A) If such person is charged with a 481 
violation of section 14-227a, 14-227g or 14-227m, subdivision (1) or (2) of 482 
subsection (a) of section 14-227n, subsection (d) of section 15-133 or 483 
section 15-140n, such person has not had such program invoked in such 484 
person's behalf within the preceding ten years for a violation of section 485 
14-227a, 14-227g or 14-227m, subdivision (1) or (2) of subsection (a) of 486 
section 14-227n, subsection (d) of section 15-133 or section 15-140n, (B) 487 
such person has not been convicted of a violation of section 53a-56b or 488 
53a-60d, a violation of subsection (a) of section 14-227a before, on or 489 
after October 1, 1981, a violation of subdivision (1) or (2) of subsection 490 
(a) of section 14-227a on or after October 1, 1985, a violation of section 491 
14-227g, a violation of section 14-227m or a violation of subdivision (1) 492 
or (2) of subsection (a) of section 14-227n, (C) such person has not been 493 
convicted of a violation of section 15-132a, subsection (d) of section 15-494 
133, section 15-140l or section 15-140n, (D) such person has not been 495 
convicted in any other state at any time of an offense the essential 496 
elements of which are substantially the same as section 53a-56b, 53a-60d, 497 
15-132a, 15-140l or 15-140n, subdivision (1) or (2) of subsection (a) of 498 
section 14-227a, section 14-227m, subdivision (1) or (2) of subsection (a) 499 
of section 14-227n or subsection (d) of section 15-133, and (E) notice has 500 
been given by such person, by registered or certified mail on a form 501 
prescribed by the Office of the Chief Court Administrator, to each victim 502 
who sustained a serious physical injury, as defined in section 53a-3, 503 
which was caused by such person's alleged violation, that such person 504 
has applied to participate in the pretrial alcohol education program and 505 
that such victim has an opportunity to be heard by the court on the 506 
application. 507  Substitute Bill No. 6594 
 
 
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(2) The court shall provide each such victim who sustained a serious 508 
physical injury an opportunity to be heard prior to granting an 509 
application under this section. Unless good cause is shown, a person 510 
shall be ineligible for participation in such pretrial alcohol education 511 
program if such person's alleged violation of section 14-227a, 14-227g or 512 
14-227m, subdivision (1) or (2) of subsection (a) of section 14-227n or 513 
subsection (d) of section 15-133 caused the serious physical injury, as 514 
defined in section 53a-3, of another person. 515 
(3) The application fee imposed under this subsection shall be 516 
credited to the Criminal Injuries Compensation Fund established under 517 
section 54-215. The evaluation fee imposed under this subsection shall 518 
be credited to the pretrial account established under section 54-56k. 519 
(b) The court, after consideration of the recommendation of the state's 520 
attorney, assistant state's attorney or deputy assistant state's attorney in 521 
charge of the case, may, in its discretion, grant such application. If the 522 
court grants such application, the court shall refer such person to the 523 
Court Support Services Division for assessment and confirmation of the 524 
eligibility of the applicant and to the Department of Mental Health and 525 
Addiction Services for evaluation. The Court Support Services Division, 526 
in making its assessment and confirmation, may rely on the 527 
representations made by the applicant under oath in open court with 528 
respect to convictions in other states of offenses specified in subsection 529 
(a) of this section. Upon confirmation of eligibility and receipt of the 530 
evaluation report, the defendant shall be referred to the Department of 531 
Mental Health and Addiction Services by the Court Support Services 532 
Division for placement in an appropriate alcohol intervention program 533 
for one year, or be placed in a state-licensed substance abuse treatment 534 
program. The alcohol intervention program shall include a ten-session 535 
intervention program and a fifteen-session intervention program. Any 536 
person who enters the pretrial alcohol education program shall agree: 537 
(1) To the tolling of the statute of limitations with respect to such crime, 538 
(2) to a waiver of such person's right to a speedy trial, (3) to complete 539 
ten or fifteen counseling sessions in an alcohol intervention program or 540  Substitute Bill No. 6594 
 
 
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successfully complete a substance abuse treatment program of not less 541 
than twelve sessions pursuant to this section dependent upon the 542 
evaluation report and the court order, (4) to commence participation in 543 
an alcohol intervention program or substance abuse treatment program 544 
not later than ninety days after the date of entry of the court order unless 545 
granted a delayed entry into a program by the court, (5) upon 546 
completion of participation in the alcohol intervention program, to 547 
accept placement in a substance abuse treatment program upon the 548 
recommendation of a provider under contract with the Department of 549 
Mental Health and Addiction Services pursuant to subsection (f) of this 550 
section or placement in a state-licensed substance abuse treatment 551 
program which meets standards established by the Department of 552 
Mental Health and Addiction Services, if the Court Support Services 553 
Division deems it appropriate, and (6) if ordered by the court, to 554 
participate in at least one victim impact panel. The suspension of the 555 
motor vehicle operator's license of any such person pursuant to section 556 
14-227b shall be effective during the period such person is participating 557 
in the pretrial alcohol education program, provided such person shall 558 
have the option of not commencing the participation in such program 559 
until the period of such suspension is completed. If the Court Support 560 
Services Division informs the court that the defendant is ineligible for 561 
such program and the court makes a determination of ineligibility or if 562 
the program provider certifies to the court that the defendant did not 563 
successfully complete the assigned program or is no longer amenable to 564 
treatment and such person does not request, or the court denies, 565 
program reinstatement under subsection (e) of this section, the court 566 
shall order the court file to be unsealed, enter a plea of not guilty for 567 
such defendant and immediately place the case on the trial list. If such 568 
defendant satisfactorily completes the assigned program, such 569 
defendant may apply for dismissal of the charges against such 570 
defendant and the court, on reviewing the record of the defendant's 571 
participation in such program submitted by the Court Support Services 572 
Division and on finding such satisfactory completion, shall dismiss the 573 
charges. If the defendant does not apply for dismissal of the charges 574 
against such defendant after satisfactorily completing the assigned 575  Substitute Bill No. 6594 
 
 
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program the court, upon receipt of the record of the defendant's 576 
participation in such program submitted by the Court Support Services 577 
Division, may on its own motion make a finding of such satisfactory 578 
completion and dismiss the charges. Upon motion of the defendant and 579 
a showing of good cause, the court may extend the one-year placement 580 
period for a reasonable period for the defendant to complete the 581 
assigned program. A record of participation in such program shall be 582 
retained by the Court Support Services Division for a period of ten years 583 
from the date the court grants the application for participation in such 584 
program. The Court Support Services Division shall transmit to the 585 
Department of Motor Vehicles a record of participation in such program 586 
for each person who satisfactorily completes such program. The 587 
Department of Motor Vehicles shall maintain for a period of ten years 588 
the record of a person's participation in such program as part of such 589 
person's driving record. The Court Support Services Division shall 590 
transmit to the Department of Energy and Environmental Protection the 591 
record of participation of any person who satisfactorily completes such 592 
program who has been charged with a violation of the provisions of 593 
subsection (d) of section 15-133 or section 15-140n. The Department of 594 
Energy and Environmental Protection shall maintain for a period of ten 595 
years the record of a person's participation in such program as a part of 596 
such person's boater certification record. 597 
(c) (1) At the time the court grants the application for participation in 598 
the pretrial alcohol education program, such person shall also pay to the 599 
court a nonrefundable program fee of three hundred fifty dollars if such 600 
person is ordered to participate in the ten-session intervention program 601 
and a nonrefundable program fee of five hundred dollars if such person 602 
is ordered to participate in the fifteen-session intervention program,. If 603 
the court grants the application for participation in the pretrial alcohol 604 
education program and such person is ordered to participate in a 605 
substance abuse treatment program, such person shall be responsible 606 
for the costs associated with participation in such program. No person 607 
may be excluded from either program for inability to pay such fee or 608 
cost, [provided (1) such person files with the court an affidavit of 609  Substitute Bill No. 6594 
 
 
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indigency or inability to pay, (2) such indigency or inability to pay is 610 
confirmed by the Court Support Services Division, and (3) the court 611 
enters a finding thereof] and the court shall waive any such fee or cost 612 
for any intervention program if such person is found eligible to have 613 
such fee or cost waived under subsection (i) of this section. 614 
(2) If the court finds that a person is indigent or unable to pay for a 615 
treatment program using the method for determining indigency 616 
described in subsection (i) of this section, the costs of such program shall 617 
be paid from the pretrial account established under section 54-56k. [If 618 
the court finds that a person is indigent or unable to pay for an 619 
intervention program, the court may waive all or any portion of the fee 620 
for such intervention program.] 621 
(3) If the court denies the application, such person shall not be 622 
required to pay the program fee. If the court grants the application and 623 
such person is later determined to be ineligible for participation in such 624 
pretrial alcohol education program or fails to complete the assigned 625 
program, the program fee shall not be refunded. All program fees shall 626 
be credited to the pretrial account established under section 54-56k. 627 
(d) If a person returns to court with certification from a program 628 
provider that such person did not successfully complete the assigned 629 
program or is no longer amenable to treatment, the provider, to the 630 
extent practicable, shall include a recommendation to the court as to 631 
whether a ten-session intervention program, a fifteen-session 632 
intervention program or placement in a state-licensed substance abuse 633 
treatment program would best serve such person's needs. The provider 634 
shall also indicate whether the current program referral was an initial 635 
referral or a reinstatement to the program. 636 
(e) When a person subsequently requests reinstatement into an 637 
alcohol intervention program or a substance abuse treatment program 638 
and the Court Support Services Division verifies that such person is 639 
eligible for reinstatement into such program and thereafter the court 640 
favorably acts on such request, such person shall pay a nonrefundable 641  Substitute Bill No. 6594 
 
 
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program fee of one hundred seventy-five dollars if ordered to complete 642 
a ten-session intervention program or two hundred fifty dollars if 643 
ordered to complete a fifteen-session intervention program, as the case 644 
may be, [. Unless good cause is shown, such fees shall not be waived] 645 
except as provided in subsection (i) of this section. If the court grants a 646 
person's request to be reinstated into a treatment program, such person 647 
shall be responsible for the costs, if any, associated with being reinstated 648 
into the treatment program. All program fees collected in connection 649 
with a reinstatement to an intervention program shall be credited to the 650 
pretrial account established under section 54-56k. No person shall be 651 
permitted more than two program reinstatements pursuant to this 652 
subsection. 653 
(f) The Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services shall 654 
contract with service providers, develop standards and oversee 655 
appropriate alcohol programs to meet the requirements of this section. 656 
Said department shall adopt regulations, in accordance with chapter 54, 657 
to establish standards for such alcohol programs. Any person ordered 658 
to participate in a treatment program shall do so at a state-licensed 659 
treatment program which meets the standards established by said 660 
department. Any defendant whose employment or residence makes it 661 
unreasonable to attend an alcohol intervention program or a substance 662 
abuse treatment program in this state may attend a program in another 663 
state which has standards substantially similar to, or higher than, those 664 
of this state, subject to the approval of the court and payment of the 665 
application, evaluation and program fees and treatment costs, as 666 
appropriate, as provided in this section. 667 
(g) The court may, as a condition of granting such application, require 668 
that such person participate in a victim impact panel program approved 669 
by the Court Support Services Division of the Judicial Department. Such 670 
victim impact panel program shall provide a nonconfrontational forum 671 
for the victims of alcohol-related or drug-related offenses and offenders 672 
to share experiences on the impact of alcohol-related or drug-related 673 
incidents in their lives. Such victim impact panel program shall be 674  Substitute Bill No. 6594 
 
 
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conducted by a nonprofit organization that advocates on behalf of 675 
victims of accidents caused by persons who operated a motor vehicle 676 
while under the influence of intoxicating liquor or any drug, or both. 677 
Such organization may assess a participation fee of not more than 678 
seventy-five dollars on any person required by the court to participate 679 
in such program, provided such organization shall offer a [hardship] 680 
waiver when [it has determined that the imposition of a fee would pose 681 
an economic hardship for such person] such person has been 682 
determined indigent and eligible for representation by a public 683 
defender who has been appointed on behalf of such person pursuant to 684 
section 51-296. 685 
(h) The provisions of this section shall not be applicable in the case of 686 
any person charged with a violation of section 14-227a or 14-227m or 687 
subdivision (1) or (2) of subsection (a) of section 14-227n (1) while 688 
operating a commercial motor vehicle, as defined in section 14-1, or (2) 689 
who holds a commercial driver's license or commercial driver's 690 
instruction permit at the time of the violation. 691 
(i) The court shall waive any fee or cost under subsection (a), (c) or (e) 692 
of this section for any person who (1) files with the court an affidavit of 693 
indigency or inability to pay, has such indigency confirmed by the Court 694 
Support Services Division and the court enters a finding thereof, or (2) 695 
has been determined indigent and eligible for representation by a public 696 
defender who has been appointed on behalf of such person pursuant to 697 
section 51-296. The court shall not require a person to perform 698 
community service in lieu of payment of such fee or cost, if such fee or 699 
cost is waived.  700 
Sec. 17. Section 54-56i of the general statutes is repealed and the 701 
following is substituted in lieu thereof (Effective October 1, 2021): 702 
(a) There is established a pretrial drug education and community 703 
service program for persons charged with a violation of section 21a-257, 704 
as amended by this act, 21a-267, as amended by this act, 21a-279, as 705 
amended by this act, or 21a-279a. The pretrial drug education and 706  Substitute Bill No. 6594 
 
 
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community service program shall include a fifteen-session drug 707 
education program and a substance abuse treatment program of not less 708 
than fifteen sessions, and the performance of community service. 709 
(b) Upon application by any such person for participation in such 710 
program, the court shall, but only as to the public, order the court file 711 
sealed, and such person shall pay to the court of an application fee of 712 
one hundred dollars and a nonrefundable evaluation fee of one hundred 713 
fifty dollars, except as provided in subsection (l) of this section. A person 714 
shall be ineligible for participation in such pretrial drug education and 715 
community service program if such person has twice previously 716 
participated in (1) the pretrial drug education program established 717 
under the provisions of this section in effect prior to October 1, 2013, (2) 718 
the community service labor program established under section 53a-39c, 719 
as amended by this act, (3) the pretrial drug education and community 720 
service program established under this section, or (4) any of such 721 
programs, except that the court may allow a person who has twice 722 
previously participated in such programs to participate in the pretrial 723 
drug education and community service program one additional time, 724 
for good cause shown. The evaluation and application fee imposed 725 
under this subsection shall be credited to the pretrial account 726 
established under section 54-56k. 727 
(c) The court, after consideration of the recommendation of the state's 728 
attorney, assistant state's attorney or deputy assistant state's attorney in 729 
charge of the case, may, in its discretion, grant such application. If the 730 
court grants such application, the court shall refer such person (1) to the 731 
Court Support Services Division for confirmation of the eligibility of the 732 
applicant, (2) to the Department of Mental Health and Addiction 733 
Services for evaluation and determination of an appropriate drug 734 
education or substance abuse treatment program for the first or second 735 
time such application is granted, and (3) to a state-licensed substance 736 
abuse treatment program for evaluation and determination of an 737 
appropriate substance abuse treatment program for the third time such 738 
application is granted, except that, if such person is a veteran, the court 739  Substitute Bill No. 6594 
 
 
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may refer such person to the Department of Veterans Affairs or the 740 
United States Department of Veterans Affairs, as applicable, for any 741 
such evaluation and determination. For the purposes of this subsection 742 
and subsection (d) of this section, "veteran" means any person who was 743 
discharged or released under conditions other than dishonorable from 744 
active service in the armed forces as defined in section 27-103. 745 
(d) (1) (A) Upon confirmation of eligibility and receipt of the 746 
evaluation and determination required under subsection (c) of this 747 
section, such person shall be placed in the pretrial drug education and 748 
community service program and referred by the Court Support Services 749 
Division for the purpose of receiving appropriate drug education 750 
services or substance abuse treatment program services, as 751 
recommended by the evaluation conducted pursuant to subsection (c) 752 
of this section and ordered by the court, to the Department of Mental 753 
Health and Addiction Services or to a state-licensed substance abuse 754 
treatment program for placement in the appropriate drug education or 755 
substance abuse treatment program, except that, if such person is a 756 
veteran, the division may refer such person to the Department of 757 
Veterans Affairs or the United States Department of Veterans Affairs, 758 
subject to the provisions of subdivision (2) of this subsection. 759 
(B) Persons who have been granted entry into the pretrial drug 760 
education and community service program for the first time shall 761 
participate in either a fifteen-session drug education program or a 762 
substance abuse treatment program of not less than fifteen sessions, as 763 
ordered by the court on the basis of the evaluation and determination 764 
required under subsection (c) of this section. Persons who have been 765 
granted entry into the pretrial drug education and community service 766 
program for the second time shall participate in either a fifteen-session 767 
drug education program or a substance abuse treatment program of not 768 
less than fifteen sessions, as ordered by the court based on the 769 
evaluation and determination required under subsection (c) of this 770 
section. Persons who have been granted entry into the pretrial drug 771 
education and community service program for a third time shall be 772  Substitute Bill No. 6594 
 
 
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referred to a state-licensed substance abuse program for evaluation and 773 
participation in a course of treatment as ordered by the court based on 774 
the evaluation and determination required under subsection (c) of this 775 
section. 776 
(C) Persons who have been granted entry into the pretrial drug 777 
education and community service program shall also participate in a 778 
community service program administered by the Court Support 779 
Services Division pursuant to section 53a-39c, as amended by this act. 780 
Persons who have been granted entry into the pretrial drug education 781 
and community service program for the first time shall participate in the 782 
community service program for a period of five days. Persons who have 783 
been granted entry into the pretrial drug education and community 784 
service program for the second time shall participate in the community 785 
service program for a period of fifteen days. Persons who have been 786 
granted entry into the pretrial drug education and community service 787 
program for a third or additional time shall participate in the 788 
community service program for a period of thirty days. 789 
(D) Placement in the pretrial drug education and community service 790 
program pursuant to this section shall not exceed one year. Persons 791 
receiving substance abuse treatment program services in accordance 792 
with the provisions of this section shall only receive such services at 793 
state-licensed substance abuse treatment program facilities that are in 794 
compliance with all state standards governing the operation of such 795 
facilities, except that, if such person is a veteran, such person may 796 
receive services from facilities under the supervision of the Department 797 
of Veterans Affairs or the United States Department of Veterans Affairs, 798 
subject to the provisions of subdivision (2) of this subsection. 799 
(E) Any person who enters the pretrial drug education and 800 
community service program shall agree: (i) To the tolling of the statute 801 
of limitations with respect to such crime; (ii) to a waiver of such person's 802 
right to a speedy trial; (iii) to complete participation in the pretrial drug 803 
education and community service program, as ordered by the court; (iv) 804 
to commence participation in the pretrial drug education and 805  Substitute Bill No. 6594 
 
 
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community service program not later than ninety days after the date of 806 
entry of the court order unless granted a delayed entry into the program 807 
by the court; and (v) upon completion of participation in the pretrial 808 
drug education and community service program, to accept (I) placement 809 
in a treatment program upon the recommendation of a provider under 810 
contract with the Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services 811 
or a provider under the supervision of the Department of Veterans 812 
Affairs or the United States Department of Veterans Affairs, or (II) 813 
placement in a treatment program that has standards substantially 814 
similar to, or higher than, a program of a provider under contract with 815 
the Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services, if the Court 816 
Support Services Division deems it appropriate. 817 
(2) The Court Support Services Division may only refer a veteran to 818 
the Department of Veterans Affairs or the United States Department of 819 
Veterans Affairs for the receipt of services under the program if (A) the 820 
division determines that such services will be provided in a timely 821 
manner under standards substantially similar to, or higher than, 822 
standards for services provided by the Department of Mental Health 823 
and Addiction Services under the program, and (B) the applicable 824 
department agrees to submit timely program participation and 825 
completion reports to the division in the manner required by the 826 
division. 827 
(e) If the Court Support Services Division informs the court that such 828 
person is ineligible for the program and the court makes a determination 829 
of ineligibility or if the program provider certifies to the court that such 830 
person did not successfully complete the assigned program and such 831 
person did not request, or the court denied, reinstatement in the 832 
program under subsection (i) of this section, the court shall order the 833 
court file to be unsealed, enter a plea of not guilty for such person and 834 
immediately place the case on the trial list. 835 
(f) If such person satisfactorily completes the assigned program, such 836 
person may apply for dismissal of the charges against such person and 837 
the court, on reviewing the record of such person's participation in such 838  Substitute Bill No. 6594 
 
 
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program submitted by the Court Support Services Division and on 839 
finding such satisfactory completion, shall dismiss the charges. If such 840 
person does not apply for dismissal of the charges against such person 841 
after satisfactorily completing the assigned program, the court, upon 842 
receipt of the record of such person's participation in such program 843 
submitted by the Court Support Services Division, may on its own 844 
motion make a finding of such satisfactory completion and dismiss the 845 
charges. Upon motion of such person and a showing of good cause, the 846 
court may extend the placement period for a reasonable period of time 847 
to allow such person to complete the assigned program. A record of 848 
participation in such program shall be retained by the Court Support 849 
Services Division for a period of ten years from the date the court grants 850 
the application for participation in the program. 851 
(g) At the time the court grants the application for participation in the 852 
pretrial drug education and community service program, any person 853 
ordered to participate in such drug education program shall pay to the 854 
court a nonrefundable program fee of six hundred dollars. If the court 855 
orders participation in a substance abuse treatment program, such 856 
person shall pay to the court a nonrefundable program fee of one 857 
hundred dollars and shall be responsible for the costs associated with 858 
such program. No person may be excluded from any such program for 859 
inability to pay such fee or cost, [provided (1) such person files with the 860 
court an affidavit of indigency or inability to pay, (2) such indigency or 861 
inability to pay is confirmed by the Court Support Services Division, 862 
and (3) the court enters a finding thereof. The court may waive all or any 863 
portion of such fee depending on such person's ability to pay] and the 864 
court shall waive any such fee or cost if such person is found eligible to 865 
have such fee or cost waived under subsection (l) of this section. If the 866 
court [finds that a person is indigent or unable to pay] waives the costs 867 
for a substance abuse treatment program, the costs of such program 868 
shall be paid from the pretrial account established under section 54-56k. 869 
If the court denies the application, such person shall not be required to 870 
pay the program fee. If the court grants the application, and such person 871 
is later determined to be ineligible for participation in such pretrial drug 872  Substitute Bill No. 6594 
 
 
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education and community service program or fails to complete the 873 
assigned program, the program fee shall not be refunded. All program 874 
fees shall be credited to the pretrial account established under section 875 
54-56k. 876 
(h) If a person returns to court with certification from a program 877 
provider that such person did not successfully complete the assigned 878 
program or is no longer amenable to treatment, the provider, to the 879 
extent practicable, shall include a recommendation to the court as to 880 
whether placement in a drug education program or placement in a 881 
substance abuse treatment program would best serve such person's 882 
needs. The provider shall also indicate whether the current program 883 
referral was an initial referral or a reinstatement to the program. 884 
(i) When a person subsequently requests reinstatement into a drug 885 
education program or a substance abuse treatment program and the 886 
Court Support Services Division verifies that such person is eligible for 887 
reinstatement into such program and thereafter the court favorably acts 888 
on such request, any person reinstated into such drug education 889 
program shall pay a nonrefundable program fee of two hundred fifty 890 
dollars, and any person reinstated into a substance abuse treatment 891 
program shall be responsible for the costs, if any, associated with being 892 
reinstated into the treatment program, [. Unless good cause is shown, 893 
such program fee shall not be waived] unless such person is found 894 
eligible to have such fee or costs waived under subsection (l) of this 895 
section. All program fees collected in connection with a reinstatement to 896 
a drug education program shall be credited to the pretrial account 897 
established under section 54-56k. No person shall be permitted more 898 
than two program reinstatements pursuant to this subsection. 899 
(j) The Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services shall 900 
develop standards and oversee appropriate drug education programs 901 
that it administers to meet the requirements of this section and may 902 
contract with service providers to provide such programs. The 903 
department shall adopt regulations, in accordance with chapter 54, to 904 
establish standards for such drug education programs. 905  Substitute Bill No. 6594 
 
 
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(k) Any person whose employment or residence or schooling makes 906 
it unreasonable to attend a drug education program or substance abuse 907 
treatment program in this state may attend a program in another state 908 
that has standards similar to, or higher than, those of this state, subject 909 
to the approval of the court and payment of the program fee or costs as 910 
provided in this section. 911 
(l) The court shall waive any fee or cost under subsection (b), (g) or 912 
(i) of this section for any person who (1) files with the court an affidavit 913 
of indigency or inability to pay, has such indigency confirmed by the 914 
Court Support Services Division and the court enters a finding thereof, 915 
or (2) has been determined indigent and eligible for representation by a 916 
public defender who has been appointed on behalf of such person 917 
pursuant to section 51-296. The court shall not require a person to 918 
perform community service in lieu of payment of such fee or cost, if such 919 
fee or cost is waived.  920 
Sec. 18. Subsection (f) of section 54-56j of the general statutes is 921 
repealed and the following is substituted in lieu thereof (Effective October 922 
1, 2021): 923 
(f) The cost of participation in such program shall be paid by the 924 
parent or guardian of such student, except that no student shall be 925 
excluded from such program for inability to pay such cost provided (1) 926 
the parent or guardian of such student files with the court an affidavit 927 
of indigency or inability to pay [,] and [(2)] the court enters a finding 928 
thereof, or (2) the parent or guardian of such student has been 929 
determined indigent and such student is eligible for representation by a 930 
public defender who has been appointed on behalf of such student 931 
pursuant to section 51-296. The court shall not require a person to 932 
perform community service in lieu of payment of such cost, if such cost 933 
is waived. 934 
Sec. 19. Subsection (i) of section 46b-38c of the general statutes is 935 
repealed and the following is substituted in lieu thereof (Effective October 936 
1, 2021): 937  Substitute Bill No. 6594 
 
 
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(i) A nonrefundable application fee of one hundred dollars shall be 938 
paid to the court by any person who files a motion pursuant to 939 
subdivision (1) of subsection (h) of this section to participate in the 940 
pretrial family violence education program, and a fee of three hundred 941 
dollars shall be paid to the court by any person who enters the family 942 
violence education program, except that no person shall be excluded 943 
from such program for inability to pay any such fee, provided (1) the 944 
person files with the court an affidavit of indigency or inability to pay 945 
[,] and [(2)] the court enters a finding thereof, or (2) such person has been 946 
determined indigent and eligible for representation by a public 947 
defender who has been appointed on behalf of such person pursuant to 948 
section 51-296. The court shall not require a person to perform 949 
community service in lieu of payment of such fee, if such fee is waived. 950 
All such fees shall be credited to the General Fund. 951 
Sec. 20. Section 17a-694 of the general statutes is repealed and the 952 
following is substituted in lieu thereof (Effective October 1, 2021): 953 
(a) The Commissioner of Mental Health and Addiction Services or 954 
the commissioner's designee shall appoint one or more clinical 955 
examiners to conduct examinations for alcohol or drug dependency 956 
ordered pursuant to the provisions of section 17a-693. Each examiner 957 
shall be authorized by the department to conduct independent 958 
evaluations. 959 
(b) (1) The examiner shall determine whether the person being 960 
examined was an alcohol-dependent or drug-dependent person at the 961 
time of the crime. The commissioner shall disclose to the examiner 962 
information contained in the Department of Mental Health and 963 
Addiction Service's database concerning the date that the person 964 
received treatment for alcohol or drug dependence, if at all, and the 965 
location where such treatment was provided, for the purpose of 966 
allowing the examiner to request a release of treatment information 967 
from the department for the person. 968 
(2) If such person is determined to have been dependent on alcohol 969  Substitute Bill No. 6594 
 
 
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or drugs, the examiner shall further determine (A) the history and 970 
pattern of the dependency, and (B) whether the person presently needs 971 
and is likely to benefit from treatment for the dependency. If the 972 
examiner determines that the person presently needs and is likely to 973 
benefit from treatment, the examiner shall recommend treatment and 974 
state the date when space will be available in an appropriate treatment 975 
program, provided such date shall not be more than forty-five days 976 
from the date of the examination report. A recommendation for 977 
treatment shall include provisions for appropriate placement and the 978 
type and length of treatment and may include provisions for outpatient 979 
treatment. 980 
(c) The examiner shall prepare and sign, without notarization, a 981 
written examination report and deliver it to the court, the Court Support 982 
Services Division, the state's attorney and defense counsel no later than 983 
thirty days after the examination was ordered. An examination report 984 
ordered pursuant to this section and section 17a-693 shall otherwise be 985 
confidential and not open to public inspection or subject to disclosure. 986 
(d) No statement made by the person in the course of an examination 987 
under the provisions of this section may be admitted in evidence on the 988 
issue of guilt in a criminal proceeding concerning the person. 989 
(e) No person shall be denied an examination or participation in a 990 
program under this section for inability to pay any cost or fee associated 991 
with such examination or program, provided (1) the person files with 992 
the court an affidavit of indigency or inability to pay and the court enters 993 
a finding thereof, or (2) such person has been determined indigent and 994 
eligible for representation by a public defender who has been appointed 995 
on behalf of such person pursuant to section 51-296. The court shall not 996 
require a person to perform community service in lieu of payment of 997 
such cost or fee, if such cost or fee is waived.  998 
Sec. 21. Section 17a-696 of the general statutes is repealed and the 999 
following is substituted in lieu thereof (Effective October 1, 2021): 1000  Substitute Bill No. 6594 
 
 
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(a) The provisions of this section shall not apply to any person 1001 
charged with a violation of section 14-227a, 14-227g or 14-227m, 1002 
subdivision (1) or (2) of subsection (a) of section 14-227n or section 53a-1003 
56b or 53a-60d or with a class A, B or C felony or to any person who was 1004 
twice previously ordered treated under this section, subsection (i) of 1005 
section 17-155y, section 19a-386 or section 21a-284 of the general statutes 1006 
revised to 1989, or any combination thereof. The court may waive the 1007 
ineligibility provisions of this subsection for any person, except that the 1008 
court shall not waive the ineligibility provisions of this subsection for 1009 
any person charged with a violation of section 14-227a, 14-227g, 53a-56b 1010 
or 53a-60d if, at the time of the offense, such person was operating a 1011 
commercial vehicle, as defined in section 14-1, or held a commercial 1012 
driver's license or a commercial driver's instruction permit. 1013 
(b) The court may order suspension of prosecution and order 1014 
treatment for alcohol or drug dependency as provided in this section 1015 
and sections 17a-697 and 17a-698 if it, after considering information 1016 
before it concerning the alcohol or drug dependency of the person, 1017 
including the examination report made pursuant to the provisions of 1018 
section 17a-694, as amended by this act, finds that (1) the accused person 1019 
was an alcohol-dependent or drug-dependent person at the time of the 1020 
crime, (2) the person presently needs and is likely to benefit from 1021 
treatment for the dependency, and (3) suspension of prosecution will 1022 
advance the interests of justice. Treatment may begin no earlier than the 1023 
date the clinical examiner reports under the provisions of section 17a-1024 
694, as amended by this act, that space is available in a treatment 1025 
program. Upon application by any such person for participation in a 1026 
treatment program, the court shall, but only as to the public, order the 1027 
court file sealed. 1028 
(c) A suspension of prosecution ordered under the provisions of 1029 
subsection (b) of this section may be for a period not exceeding two 1030 
years. During the period of suspension, an accused person shall be 1031 
placed in the custody of the Court Support Services Division for 1032 
treatment for alcohol or drug dependency. The court or the Court 1033  Substitute Bill No. 6594 
 
 
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Support Services Division may require that the person (1) comply with 1034 
any of the conditions specified in subsections (a) and (b) of section 53a-1035 
30, and (2) be tested for use of alcohol or drugs during the period of 1036 
suspension. The accused person shall, unless indigent, pay the cost of 1037 
treatment ordered under this section. 1038 
(d) If prosecution is suspended under the provisions of subsection (b) 1039 
of this section, (1) the statute of limitations applicable to the crime 1040 
charged shall be tolled during the period of suspension, and (2) the 1041 
accused person shall be deemed to have waived such accused person's 1042 
right to a speedy trial for the crime charged. 1043 
(e) The court shall not suspend prosecution under subsection (b) of 1044 
this section unless (1) the accused person has acknowledged that he or 1045 
she understands the consequences of the suspension of prosecution, (2) 1046 
the accused person has given notice, by registered or certified mail on a 1047 
form prescribed by the Chief Court Administrator, to the victim, if any, 1048 
of the crime of which the person is accused and of the pending motion 1049 
for suspension of prosecution, (3) such victim, if any, has been given an 1050 
opportunity to be heard on the motion for suspension of prosecution, 1051 
and (4) the accused person, unless such accused person is indigent, has 1052 
paid to the clerk of the court an administration fee of twenty-five dollars. 1053 
(f) If the prosecution is suspended, the person shall be released on a 1054 
written promise to appear or on a bond and any other bond posted in 1055 
any criminal proceeding concerning such person shall be terminated. 1056 
(g) If the court denies the motion for suspension of prosecution, the 1057 
state's attorney may proceed with prosecution of the crime. 1058 
(h) A person shall be deemed to be indigent for the purposes of this 1059 
section if the court determines the person (1) has an estate insufficient 1060 
to provide for the person's support or there is no other person legally 1061 
liable or able to support the person, or (2) the person has been 1062 
determined indigent and eligible for representation by a public 1063 
defender who has been appointed on behalf of such person pursuant to 1064  Substitute Bill No. 6594 
 
 
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section 51-296. The court shall not require a person to perform 1065 
community service in lieu of payment of any cost or fee, if a cost or fee 1066 
is waived due to indigency.  1067 
Sec. 22. Section 21a-257 of the general statutes is repealed and the 1068 
following is substituted in lieu thereof (Effective October 1, 2021): 1069 
(a) A person to whom or for whose use any narcotic drug has been 1070 
prescribed, sold or dispensed by a physician, dentist, pharmacist or 1071 
other person authorized under the provisions of section 21a-248, and the 1072 
owner of any animal for which any such drug has been prescribed, sold 1073 
or dispensed may lawfully possess it only in the container in which it 1074 
was delivered to the recipient by the person selling or dispensing the 1075 
same except as may be authorized by regulations adopted [hereunder] 1076 
in accordance with the provisions of chapter 54. 1077 
(b) Any person who fails to keep such narcotic drug in the original 1078 
container as provided in subsection (a) of this section, except as 1079 
provided in subsection (c) of this section, shall be guilty of a class D 1080 
misdemeanor. 1081 
(c) The provisions of subsection (b) of this section shall not apply to 1082 
any person who in good faith places such narcotic drug in either a (1) 1083 
pill box, case or organizer stored within such person's residence, or (2) 1084 
secured or locked pill box, case or organizer, provided such pill box, 1085 
case or organizer is accompanied by proof of such person's prescription. 1086 
Sec. 23. Section 51-164r of the general statutes is repealed and the 1087 
following is substituted in lieu thereof (Effective October 1, 2021): 1088 
(a) Any person charged with an infraction who fails to pay the fine 1089 
and any additional fee imposed or send in [his] a plea of not guilty by 1090 
the answer date or wilfully fails to appear for any scheduled court 1091 
appearance date which may be required shall be guilty of [a class C 1092 
misdemeanor] an unclassified misdemeanor and may be sentenced to a 1093 
term of imprisonment of not more than ten days. 1094  Substitute Bill No. 6594 
 
 
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(b) Any person charged with any violation specified in subsection (b) 1095 
of section 51-164n who fails to pay the fine and any additional fee 1096 
imposed or send in [his] a plea of not guilty by the answer date or 1097 
wilfully fails to appear for any scheduled court appearance date which 1098 
may be required shall be guilty of [a class A misdemeanor] an 1099 
unclassified misdemeanor and may be sentenced to a term of 1100 
imprisonment of not more than ten days.  1101 
Sec. 24. Subdivision (1) of subsection (a) of section 18-98d of the 1102 
general statutes is repealed and the following is substituted in lieu 1103 
thereof (Effective October 1, 2021): 1104 
(a) (1) (A) Any person who is confined to a community correctional 1105 
center or a correctional institution for an offense committed on or after 1106 
July 1, 1981, and prior to October 1, 2021, under a mittimus or because 1107 
such person is unable to obtain bail or is denied bail shall, if 1108 
subsequently imprisoned, earn a reduction of such person's sentence 1109 
equal to the number of days which such person spent in such facility 1110 
from the time such person was placed in presentence confinement to the 1111 
time such person began serving the term of imprisonment imposed; 1112 
provided [(A)] (i) each day of presentence confinement shall be counted 1113 
only once for the purpose of reducing all sentences imposed after such 1114 
presentence confinement; and [(B)] (ii) the provisions of this section 1115 
shall only apply to a person for whom the existence of a mittimus, an 1116 
inability to obtain bail or the denial of bail is the sole reason for such 1117 
person's presentence confinement, except that if a person is serving a 1118 
term of imprisonment at the same time such person is in presentence 1119 
confinement on another charge and the conviction for such 1120 
imprisonment is reversed on appeal, such person shall be entitled, in 1121 
any sentence subsequently imposed, to a reduction based on such 1122 
presentence confinement in accordance with the provisions of this 1123 
section. In the case of a fine, each day spent in such confinement prior 1124 
to sentencing shall be credited against the sentence at a per diem rate 1125 
equal to the average daily cost of incarceration as determined by the 1126 
Commissioner of Correction. 1127  Substitute Bill No. 6594 
 
 
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(B) Any person who is confined to a community correctional center 1128 
or a correctional institution for an offense committed on or after October 1129 
1, 2021, under a mittimus or because such person is unable to obtain bail 1130 
or is denied bail shall, if subsequently imprisoned, earn a reduction of 1131 
such person's sentence equal to the number of days which such person 1132 
spent in such facility from the time such person was placed in 1133 
presentence confinement to the time such person began serving the term 1134 
of imprisonment imposed; provided (i) each day of presentence 1135 
confinement shall be counted equally in reduction of any concurrent 1136 
sentence imposed for any offense pending at the time such sentence was 1137 
imposed; (ii) each day of presentence confinement shall be counted only 1138 
once in reduction of any consecutive sentence so imposed; and (iii) the 1139 
provisions of this section shall only apply to a person for whom the 1140 
existence of a mittimus, an inability to obtain bail or the denial of bail is 1141 
the sole reason for such person's presentence confinement, except that if 1142 
a person is serving a term of imprisonment at the same time such person 1143 
is in presentence confinement on another charge and the conviction for 1144 
which such imprisonment was imposed is reversed on appeal, such 1145 
person shall be entitled, in any sentence subsequently imposed, to a 1146 
reduction based on such presentence confinement in accordance with 1147 
the provisions of this section. In the case of a fine, each day spent in such 1148 
confinement prior to sentencing shall be credited against the sentence at 1149 
a per diem rate equal to the average daily cost of incarceration as 1150 
determined by the Commissioner of Correction. 1151 
Sec. 25. Section 21a-267 of the general statutes is repealed and the 1152 
following is substituted in lieu thereof (Effective October 1, 2021): 1153 
(a) No person shall use or possess with intent to use drug 1154 
paraphernalia, as defined in subdivision (20) of section 21a-240, to plant, 1155 
propagate, cultivate, grow, harvest, manufacture, compound, convert, 1156 
produce, process, prepare, test, analyze, pack, repack, store, contain or 1157 
conceal, or to ingest, inhale or otherwise introduce into the human body, 1158 
any controlled substance, as defined in subdivision (9) of section 21a-1159 
240, other than a cannabis-type substance in a quantity of less than one-1160  Substitute Bill No. 6594 
 
 
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half ounce. Any person who violates any provision of this subsection 1161 
shall be guilty of a class C misdemeanor. 1162 
(b) No person shall deliver, possess with intent to deliver or 1163 
manufacture with intent to deliver drug paraphernalia knowing, or 1164 
under circumstances where one reasonably should know, that it will be 1165 
used to plant, propagate, cultivate, grow, harvest, manufacture, 1166 
compound, convert, produce, process, prepare, test, analyze, pack, 1167 
repack, store, contain or conceal, or to ingest, inhale or otherwise 1168 
introduce into the human body, any controlled substance, other than a 1169 
cannabis-type substance in a quantity of less than one-half ounce. Any 1170 
person who violates any provision of this subsection shall be guilty of a 1171 
class A misdemeanor. 1172 
(c) Any person who violates subsection (a) or (b) of this section [in or 1173 
on, or within one thousand five hundred feet of,] (1) with intent to 1174 
commit such violation at a specific location that the trier of fact 1175 
determines is (A) in or on the real property comprising a public or 1176 
private elementary or secondary school, or (B) within two hundred feet 1177 
of the perimeter of the real property comprising a public or private 1178 
elementary or secondary school, and (2) who is not enrolled as a student 1179 
in such school shall be imprisoned for a term of one year which shall not 1180 
be suspended and shall be in addition and consecutive to any term of 1181 
imprisonment imposed for violation of subsection (a) or (b) of this 1182 
section. 1183 
(d) No person shall (1) use or possess with intent to use drug 1184 
paraphernalia to plant, propagate, cultivate, grow, harvest, 1185 
manufacture, compound, convert, produce, process, prepare, test, 1186 
analyze, pack, repack, store, contain or conceal, or to ingest, inhale or 1187 
otherwise introduce into the human body, less than one-half ounce of a 1188 
cannabis-type substance, or (2) deliver, possess with intent to deliver or 1189 
manufacture with intent to deliver drug paraphernalia knowing, or 1190 
under circumstances where one reasonably should know, that it will be 1191 
used to plant, propagate, cultivate, grow, harvest, manufacture, 1192 
compound, convert, produce, process, prepare, test, analyze, pack, 1193  Substitute Bill No. 6594 
 
 
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repack, store, contain or conceal, or to ingest, inhale or otherwise 1194 
introduce into the human body, less than one-half ounce of a cannabis-1195 
type substance. Any person who violates any provision of this 1196 
subsection shall have committed an infraction. 1197 
(e) The provisions of subsection (a) of this section shall not apply to 1198 
any person (1) who in good faith, seeks medical assistance for another 1199 
person who such person reasonably believes is experiencing an 1200 
overdose from the ingestion, inhalation or injection of intoxicating 1201 
liquor or any drug or substance, (2) for whom another person, in good 1202 
faith, seeks medical assistance, reasonably believing such person is 1203 
experiencing an overdose from the ingestion, inhalation or injection of 1204 
intoxicating liquor or any drug or substance, or (3) who reasonably 1205 
believes he or she is experiencing an overdose from the ingestion, 1206 
inhalation or injection of intoxicating liquor or any drug or substance 1207 
and, in good faith, seeks medical assistance for himself or herself, if 1208 
evidence of the use or possession of drug paraphernalia in violation of 1209 
said subsection was obtained as a result of the seeking of such medical 1210 
assistance. For the purposes of this subsection, "good faith" does not 1211 
include seeking medical assistance during the course of the execution of 1212 
an arrest warrant or search warrant or a lawful search.  1213 
Sec. 26. Section 21a-278a of the general statutes is repealed and the 1214 
following is substituted in lieu thereof (Effective October 1, 2021): 1215 
(a) Any person eighteen years of age or older who violates section 1216 
21a-277 or 21a-278, and who is not, at the time of such action, a drug-1217 
dependent person, by distributing, selling, prescribing, dispensing, 1218 
offering, giving or administering any controlled substance to another 1219 
person who is under eighteen years of age and is at least two years 1220 
younger than such person who is in violation of section 21a-277 or 21a-1221 
278, shall be imprisoned for a term of two years, which shall not be 1222 
suspended and shall be in addition and consecutive to any term of 1223 
imprisonment imposed for violation of section 21a-277 or 21a-278. 1224 
(b) Any person who violates section 21a-277 or 21a-278 by 1225  Substitute Bill No. 6594 
 
 
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manufacturing, distributing, selling, prescribing, dispensing, 1226 
compounding, transporting with the intent to sell or dispense, 1227 
possessing with the intent to sell or dispense, offering, giving or 1228 
administering to another person any controlled substance [in or on, or 1229 
within one thousand five hundred feet of,] with intent to commit such 1230 
violation at a specific location that the trier of fact determines is (1) in or 1231 
on the real property comprising a (A) public or private elementary or 1232 
secondary school, [a] (B) public housing project, or [a] (C) licensed child 1233 
care center, as defined in section 19a-77, that is identified as a child care 1234 
center by a sign posted in a conspicuous place, or (2) within two 1235 
hundred feet of the perimeter of the real property comprising such (A) 1236 
public or private elementary or secondary school, (B) public housing 1237 
project, or (C) licensed child care center, shall be imprisoned for a term 1238 
of three years, which shall not be suspended and shall be in addition 1239 
and consecutive to any term of imprisonment imposed for violation of 1240 
section 21a-277 or 21a-278. To constitute a violation of this subsection, 1241 
an act of transporting or possessing a controlled substance shall be with 1242 
intent to sell or dispense in or on, or within [one thousand five] two 1243 
hundred feet of the perimeter of, the real property comprising a public 1244 
or private elementary or secondary school, a public housing project or a 1245 
licensed child care center, as defined in section 19a-77, that is identified 1246 
as a child care center by a sign posted in a conspicuous place. For the 1247 
purposes of this subsection, "public housing project" means dwelling 1248 
accommodations operated as a state or federally subsidized multifamily 1249 
housing project by a housing authority, nonprofit corporation or 1250 
municipal developer, as defined in section 8-39, pursuant to chapter 128 1251 
or by the Connecticut Housing Authority pursuant to chapter 129. 1252 
(c) Any person who employs, hires, uses, persuades, induces, entices 1253 
or coerces a person under eighteen years of age to violate section 21a-1254 
277 or 21a-278 shall be imprisoned for a term of three years, which shall 1255 
not be suspended and shall be in addition and consecutive to any term 1256 
of imprisonment imposed for violation of section 21a-277 or 21a-278. 1257 
Sec. 27. Section 21a-279 of the general statutes is repealed and the 1258  Substitute Bill No. 6594 
 
 
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following is substituted in lieu thereof (Effective October 1, 2021): 1259 
(a) (1) Any person who possesses or has under such person's control 1260 
any quantity of any controlled substance, except less than one-half 1261 
ounce of a cannabis-type substance and except as authorized in this 1262 
chapter, shall be guilty of a class A misdemeanor. 1263 
(2) For a second offense of subdivision (1) of this subsection, the court 1264 
shall evaluate such person and, if the court determines such person is a 1265 
drug-dependent person, the court may suspend prosecution of such 1266 
person and order such person to undergo a substance abuse treatment 1267 
program. 1268 
(3) For any subsequent offense of subdivision (1) of this subsection, 1269 
the court may find such person to be a persistent offender for possession 1270 
of a controlled substance in accordance with section 53a-40, as amended 1271 
by this act. 1272 
(b) Any person who violates subsection (a) of this section in or on, or 1273 
within [one thousand five] two hundred feet of [,] the perimeter of the 1274 
real property comprising a (1) public or private elementary or secondary 1275 
school and who is not enrolled as a student in such school, or [a] (2) 1276 
licensed child care center, as defined in section 19a-77, that is identified 1277 
as a child care center by a sign posted in a conspicuous place, shall be 1278 
guilty of a class A misdemeanor and shall be sentenced to a term of 1279 
imprisonment and a period of probation during which such person shall 1280 
perform community service as a condition of such probation, in a 1281 
manner ordered by the court. 1282 
(c) To the extent that it is possible, medical treatment rather than 1283 
criminal sanctions shall be afforded individuals who breathe, inhale, 1284 
sniff or drink the volatile substances described in subdivision (49) of 1285 
section 21a-240. 1286 
(d) The provisions of subsection (a) of this section shall not apply to 1287 
any person (1) who in good faith, seeks medical assistance for another 1288 
person who such person reasonably believes is experiencing an 1289  Substitute Bill No. 6594 
 
 
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overdose from the ingestion, inhalation or injection of intoxicating 1290 
liquor or any drug or substance, (2) for whom another person, in good 1291 
faith, seeks medical assistance, reasonably believing such person is 1292 
experiencing an overdose from the ingestion, inhalation or injection of 1293 
intoxicating liquor or any drug or substance, or (3) who reasonably 1294 
believes he or she is experiencing an overdose from the ingestion, 1295 
inhalation or injection of intoxicating liquor or any drug or substance 1296 
and, in good faith, seeks medical assistance for himself or herself, if 1297 
evidence of the possession or control of a controlled substance in 1298 
violation of subsection (a) of this section was obtained as a result of the 1299 
seeking of such medical assistance. For the purposes of this subsection, 1300 
"good faith" does not include seeking medical assistance during the 1301 
course of the execution of an arrest warrant or search warrant or a lawful 1302 
search. 1303 
(e) No provision of this section shall be construed to alter or modify 1304 
the meaning of the provisions of section 21a-278.  1305 
Sec. 28. Section 53a-39 of the general statutes is repealed and the 1306 
following is substituted in lieu thereof (Effective from passage): 1307 
(a) [At] Except as provided in subsection (b) of this section, at any 1308 
time during [the period of a definite sentence of three years or less] an 1309 
executed period of incarceration, the sentencing court or judge may, 1310 
after hearing and for good cause shown, reduce the sentence, order the 1311 
defendant discharged, or order the defendant discharged on probation 1312 
or conditional discharge for a period not to exceed that to which the 1313 
defendant could have been originally sentenced. 1314 
(b) At any time during the period of a [definite] sentence in which a 1315 
defendant has been sentenced to an executed period of incarceration of 1316 
more than [three] seven years as a result of a plea agreement, including 1317 
an agreement in which there is an agreed upon range of sentence, upon 1318 
agreement of the defendant and the state's attorney to seek review of the 1319 
sentence, the sentencing court or judge may, after hearing and for good 1320 
cause shown, reduce the sentence, order the defendant discharged, or 1321  Substitute Bill No. 6594 
 
 
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order the defendant discharged on probation or conditional discharge 1322 
for a period not to exceed that to which the defendant could have been 1323 
originally sentenced. 1324 
(c) If, after a hearing pursuant to this section, the sentencing court or 1325 
judge denies a motion to reduce a defendant's sentence or discharge the 1326 
defendant, the defendant may not file a subsequent motion for relief 1327 
under this section until five years have elapsed from the date of the most 1328 
recent decision denying such defendant relief pursuant to this section. 1329 
[(c)] (d) The provisions of this section shall not apply to any portion 1330 
of a sentence imposed that is a mandatory minimum sentence for an 1331 
offense which may not be suspended or reduced by the court. 1332 
[(d)] (e) At a hearing held by the sentencing court or judge under this 1333 
section, such court or judge shall permit any victim of the crime to 1334 
appear before the court or judge for the purpose of making a statement 1335 
for the record concerning whether or not the sentence of the defendant 1336 
should be reduced, the defendant should be discharged or the 1337 
defendant should be discharged on probation or conditional discharge 1338 
pursuant to subsection (a) or (b) of this section. In lieu of such 1339 
appearance, the victim may submit a written statement to the court or 1340 
judge and the court or judge shall make such statement a part of the 1341 
record at the hearing. For the purposes of this subsection, "victim" 1342 
means the victim, the legal representative of the victim or a member of 1343 
the deceased victim's immediate family.  1344 
This act shall take effect as follows and shall amend the following 
sections: 
 
Section 1 October 1, 2021 54-86(a) 
Sec. 2 October 1, 2021 53a-83 
Sec. 3 October 1, 2021 53a-84 
Sec. 4 October 1, 2021 7-22 
Sec. 5 October 1, 2021 7-81 
Sec. 6 October 1, 2021 51-279b 
Sec. 7 October 1, 2021 54-72  Substitute Bill No. 6594 
 
 
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Sec. 8 October 1, 2021 54-73 
Sec. 9 October 1, 2021 1-110a(f) 
Sec. 10 October 1, 2021 53a-290 
Sec. 11 October 1, 2021 53a-181f 
Sec. 12 October 1, 2021 53a-189c 
Sec. 13 October 1, 2021 53a-40(f) and (g) 
Sec. 14 October 1, 2021 53a-39c(b) 
Sec. 15 October 1, 2021 54-56e 
Sec. 16 October 1, 2021 54-56g 
Sec. 17 October 1, 2021 54-56i 
Sec. 18 October 1, 2021 54-56j(f) 
Sec. 19 October 1, 2021 46b-38c(i) 
Sec. 20 October 1, 2021 17a-694 
Sec. 21 October 1, 2021 17a-696 
Sec. 22 October 1, 2021 21a-257 
Sec. 23 October 1, 2021 51-164r 
Sec. 24 October 1, 2021 18-98d(a)(1) 
Sec. 25 October 1, 2021 21a-267 
Sec. 26 October 1, 2021 21a-278a 
Sec. 27 October 1, 2021 21a-279 
Sec. 28 from passage 53a-39 
 
Statement of Legislative Commissioners:   
In Sections 4, 5, 7 and 8, references to the "office of the Attorney General" 
were replaced with references to the "Attorney General" for accuracy. 
 
JUD Joint Favorable Subst.