Connecticut 2021 Regular Session

Connecticut House Bill HB06599 Compare Versions

Version 1 (Old)

Version 2 (New)

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3		-	LCO \\PRDFS1\HCOUSERS\BARRYJN\WS\2021HB-06599-R01-
4		-	HB.docx
5		-	1 of 2
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7		-	General Assembly Substitute Bill No. 6599
	4	+	LCO No. 4248 1 of 3
	5	+
	6	+	General Assembly Raised Bill No. 6599
8	7		January Session, 2021
	8	+	LCO No. 4248
	9	+
	10	+
	11	+	Referred to Committee on PUBLIC SAFETY AND SECURITY
	12	+
	13	+
	14	+	Introduced by:
	15	+	(PS)
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13		-
14		-	AN ACT EXAMINING THE MOTOR VEHICLE ACCID ENT REPORT
15		-	FORM USED BY LAW ENF ORCEMENT OFFICERS.
	20	+	AN ACT CONCERNING PO LICE REPORTS FOR MOT OR VEHICLE
	21	+	ACCIDENTS.
16	22		Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General
17	23		Assembly convened:
18	24
19		-	Section 1. (Effective from passage) (a) Not later than September 1, 2021, 1
20		-	the Department of Transportation, the Division of State Police within 2
21		-	the Department of Emergency Services and Public Protection and the 3
22		-	Police Officer Standards and Training Council shall jointly convene a 4
23		-	working group to examine the uniform investigation of accident report 5
24		-	form prescribed under subsection (a) of section 14-108a of the general 6
25		-	statutes and consider modifications to such report to address concerns 7
26		-	regarding the length of such report and the time needed by police 8
27		-	officers and other individuals investigating an accident to complete 9
28		-	such report. 10
29		-	(b) The working group shall consist of the following members, or 11
30		-	their designees, who shall be appointed by the departments and council 12
31		-	not later than sixty days after the effective date of this section: (1) An 13
32		-	employee of the Highway Safety Office within the Department of 14
33		-	Transportation, (2) an employee of the Bureau of Engineering and 15
34		-	Construction within the Department of Transportation, (3) a sworn 16
35		-	member of a municipal police department, (4) a sworn member of the 17
36		-	Division of State Police within the Department of Emergency Service 18 Substitute Bill No. 6599
	25	+	Section 1. Subsection (a) of section 14-108a of the general statutes is 1
	26	+	repealed and the following is substituted in lieu thereof (Effective from 2
	27	+	passage): 3
	28	+	(a) (1) The Commissioner of Transportation shall prescribe for the 4
	29	+	Division of State Police within the Department of Emergency Services 5
	30	+	and Public Protection and for each police department and officer and 6
	31	+	other suitable agencies or individuals a uniform investigation of 7
	32	+	accident report, in such form as the commissioner shall prescribe, which 8
	33	+	form shall be followed in filing all such reports. 9
	34	+	(2) Not later than September 30, 2021, the Departm ent of 10
	35	+	Transportation, the Division of State Police and the Police Officer 11
	36	+	Standards and Training Council, established under section 7-294b, shall 12
	37	+	jointly revise the uniform investigation of accident report form 13
	38	+	prescribed under subdivision (1) of this subsection. The revised form 14
	39	+	shall not exceed four pages in length, unless the police officer, agency or 15
	40	+	LCO No. 4248 2 of 3
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39		-	LCO {\\PRDFS1\HCOUSERS\BARRYJN\WS\2021HB-06599-
40		-	R01-HB.docx }
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43		-	and Public Protection, (5) a professor employed by an institution of 19
44		-	higher education in this state who specializes in transportation-related 20
45		-	research, (6) a police chief from a town with a population of equal to or 21
46		-	greater than forty-five thousand, (7) a police chief from a town with a 22
47		-	population of less than forty-five thousand, (8) a representative from an 23
48		-	association representing the interests of police chiefs, (9) a 24
49		-	representative of an association representing the interests of 25
50		-	municipalities, (10) the Commissioner of Motor Vehicles, and (11) any 26
51		-	other person invited by the departments and council to be a member of 27
52		-	the working group. 28
53		-	(c) Not later than January 1, 2023, the working group shall submit a 29
54		-	report on its findings and recommendations to the joint standing 30
55		-	committee of the General Assembly having cognizance of matters 31
56		-	relating to public safety and security, in accordance with the provisions 32
57		-	of section 11-4a of the general statutes. The working group shall 33
58		-	terminate on the date that it submits such report or January 1, 2023, 34
59		-	whichever is later. 35
	42	+	individual investigating the accident determines additional pages are 16
	43	+	necessary. On and after October 1, 2021, the revised form shall be used 17
	44	+	by the Division of State Police and each police department and officer 18
	45	+	and other suitable agencies or individuals in filing all such reports. 19
	46	+	[(2)] (3) In each motor vehicle accident in which any person is killed 20
	47	+	or injured or in which damage to the property of any one individual, 21
	48	+	including the operator, in excess of one thousand dollars is sustained, 22
	49	+	the police officer, agency or individual who, in the regular course of 23
	50	+	duty, investigates such accident, either at the time of or at the scene of 24
	51	+	the accident or thereafter, by interviewing the participants or witnesses, 25
	52	+	shall, not later than five days after completing such investigation, 26
	53	+	complete and forward one copy of such report to the Commissioner of 27
	54	+	Transportation. Such report shall contain all available information 28
	55	+	relating to the location and cause of the accident, the conditions then 29
	56	+	existing, the persons and vehicles involved and the names of the 30
	57	+	insurance companies issuing their automobile liability policies, as well 31
	58	+	as the enforcement action taken, if any, and, in the case of a motor 32
	59	+	vehicle accident in which any person is killed, such report shall, if 33
	60	+	possible and practicable, reach a conclusion as to the cause of the 34
	61	+	accident. If such a conclusion cannot be reached, the investigating 35
	62	+	officer, agency or individual shall refer the case to the state's attorney 36
	63	+	for the judicial district in which the accident occurred, who may refer 37
	64	+	the case to the Division of State Police within the Department of 38
	65	+	Emergency Services and Public Protection for review and further 39
	66	+	investigation. The Commissioner of Transportation shall forward to the 40
	67	+	Commissioner of Motor Vehicles one copy of each report of any accident 41
	68	+	involving a school bus. The Commissioner of Motor Vehicles may 42
	69	+	inquire into or investigate any accident reported pursuant to this 43
	70	+	subsection and may request the assistance of the Division of State Police 44
	71	+	within the Department of Emergency Services and Public Protection for 45
	72	+	such purposes. 46
60	73		This act shall take effect as follows and shall amend the following
61	74		sections:
62	75
63		-	~~Section 1 from passage New section~~
	76	+	LCO No. 4248 3 of 3
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65		-	PS Joint Favorable Subst.
	78	+	Section 1 from passage 14-108a(a)
	79	+
	80	+	Statement of Purpose:
	81	+	To require the Department of Transportation, the Division of State
	82	+	Police and the Police Officer Standards and Training Council to jointly
	83	+	revise the uniform investigation of accident report form.
	84	+	[Proposed deletions are enclosed in brackets. Proposed additions are indicated by underline, except
	85	+	that when the entire text of a bill or resolution or a section of a bill or resolution is new, it is not
	86	+	underlined.]
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