Connecticut 2021 2021 Regular Session

Connecticut Senate Bill SB01019 Comm Sub / Bill

Filed 05/11/2021

                     
 
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General Assembly  Substitute Bill No. 1019  
January Session, 2021 
 
 
 
 
 
AN ACT CONCERNING TH E BOARD OF PARDONS A ND PAROLES, 
ERASURE OF CRIMINAL RECORDS FOR CERTAIN MISDEMEANOR 
AND FELONY OFFENSES, PROHIBITING DISCRIMINATION BASED 
ON ERASED CRIMINAL H ISTORY RECORD INFORM ATION AND 
CONCERNING THE RECOM MENDATIONS OF THE CO NNECTICUT 
SENTENCING COMMISSIO N WITH RESPECT TO MISDEMEANOR 
SENTENCES.  
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General 
Assembly convened: 
 
Section 1. Subsection (l) of section 54-124a of the general statutes is 1 
repealed and the following is substituted in lieu thereof (Effective July 1, 2 
2021): 3 
(l) The chairperson and executive director shall establish: 4 
(1) In consultation with the Department of Correction, a parole 5 
orientation program for all parole-eligible inmates upon their transfer 6 
to the custody of the Commissioner of Correction that will provide 7 
general information on the laws and policies regarding parole release, 8 
calculation of time-served standards, general conditions of release, 9 
supervision practices, revocation and rescission policies, and 10 
procedures for administrative review and panel hearings, and any other 11 
information that the board deems relevant for preparing inmates for 12 
parole; 13  Substitute Bill No. 1019 
 
 
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(2) An incremental sanctions system for parole violations including, 14 
but not limited to, reincarceration based on the type, severity and 15 
frequency of the violation and specific periods of incarceration for 16 
certain types of violations; [and] 17 
(3) A formal training program for members of the board and parole 18 
officers, to be completed annually by each member, that shall include, 19 
but not be limited to, an overview of the criminal justice system, the 20 
parole system including factors to be considered in granting parole, 21 
victim rights and services, reentry strategies, risk assessment, case 22 
management and mental health issues; [. Each member shall complete 23 
such training annually.] and 24 
(4) A formal training program to be completed annually by each 25 
member of the board on the pardons process, including information 26 
concerning collateral consequences a person with a criminal record may 27 
face due to having a criminal record, such as when applying for housing 28 
or employment. 29 
Sec. 2. Section 54-130a of the general statutes is repealed and the 30 
following is substituted in lieu thereof (Effective January 1, 2023): 31 
(a) Jurisdiction over the granting of, and the authority to grant, 32 
commutations of punishment or releases, conditioned or absolute, in the 33 
case of any person convicted of any offense against the state and 34 
commutations from the penalty of death shall be vested in the Board of 35 
Pardons and Paroles. 36 
(b) The board shall have authority to grant pardons, conditioned, 37 
provisional or absolute, or certificates of rehabilitation for any offense 38 
against the state at any time after the imposition and before or after the 39 
service of any sentence. 40 
(c) The board may accept an application for a pardon three years after 41 
an applicant's conviction of a misdemeanor or violation and five years 42 
after an applicant's conviction of a felony, except that the board, upon a 43 
finding of extraordinary circumstances, may accept an application for a 44  Substitute Bill No. 1019 
 
 
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pardon prior to such dates. 45 
(d) Whenever the board grants an absolute pardon to any person, the 46 
board shall cause notification of such pardon to be made in writing to 47 
the clerk of the court in which such person was convicted, or the Office 48 
of the Chief Court Administrator if such person was convicted in the 49 
Court of Common Pleas, the Circuit Court, a municipal court, or a trial 50 
justice court. 51 
(e) Whenever the board grants a provisional pardon or a certificate of 52 
rehabilitation to any person, the board shall cause notification of such 53 
provisional pardon or certificate of rehabilitation to be made in writing 54 
to the clerk of the court in which such person was convicted. The 55 
granting of a provisional pardon or a certificate of rehabilitation does 56 
not entitle such person to erasure of the record of the conviction of the 57 
offense or relieve such person from disclosing the existence of such 58 
conviction as may be required. 59 
(f) In the case of any person convicted of a violation for which a 60 
sentence to a term of imprisonment may be imposed, the board shall 61 
have authority to grant a pardon, conditioned, provisional or absolute, 62 
or a certificate of rehabilitation in the same manner as in the case of any 63 
person convicted of an offense against the state. 64 
(g) The board shall not deny any application for a pardon, unless the 65 
board provides a statement in writing to the applicant of the factors 66 
considered when determining whether the applicant qualified for the 67 
pardon and an explanation as to which factors were not satisfied. 68 
Sec. 3. Section 54-142a of the general statutes is repealed and the 69 
following is substituted in lieu thereof (Effective January 1, 2023): 70 
(a) Whenever in any criminal case, on or after October 1, 1969, the 71 
accused, by a final judgment, is found not guilty of the charge or the 72 
charge is dismissed, all police and court records and records of any 73 
state's attorney pertaining to such charge shall be erased upon the 74 
expiration of the time to file a writ of error or take an appeal, if an appeal 75  Substitute Bill No. 1019 
 
 
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is not taken, or upon final determination of the appeal sustaining a 76 
finding of not guilty or a dismissal, if an appeal is taken. Nothing in this 77 
subsection shall require the erasure of any record pertaining to a charge 78 
for which the defendant was found not guilty by reason of mental 79 
disease or defect or guilty but not criminally responsible by reason of 80 
mental disease or defect. 81 
(b) Whenever in any criminal case prior to October 1, 1969, the 82 
accused, by a final judgment, was found not guilty of the charge or the 83 
charge was dismissed, all police and court records and records of the 84 
state's or prosecuting attorney or the prosecuting grand juror pertaining 85 
to such charge shall be erased by operation of law and the clerk or any 86 
person charged with the retention and control of such records shall not 87 
disclose to anyone their existence or any information pertaining to any 88 
charge so erased; provided nothing in this subsection shall prohibit the 89 
arrested person or any one of his heirs from filing a petition for erasure 90 
with the court granting such not guilty judgment or dismissal, or, where 91 
the matter had been before a municipal court, a trial justice, the Circuit 92 
Court or the Court of Common Pleas [with the records center of the 93 
Judicial Department] in the Superior Court where venue would exist for 94 
criminal prosecution and thereupon all police and court records and 95 
records of the state's attorney, prosecuting attorney or prosecuting 96 
grand juror pertaining to such charge shall be erased. Nothing in this 97 
subsection shall require the erasure of any record pertaining to a charge 98 
for which the defendant was found not guilty by reason of mental 99 
disease or defect. 100 
(c) (1) Whenever any charge in a criminal case has been nolled in the 101 
Superior Court, or in the Court of Common Pleas, if at least thirteen 102 
months have elapsed since such nolle, all police and court records and 103 
records of the state's or prosecuting attorney or the prosecuting grand 104 
juror pertaining to such charge shall be erased, except that in cases of 105 
nolles entered in the Superior Court, Court of Common Pleas, Circuit 106 
Court, municipal court or by a justice of the peace prior to April 1, 1972, 107 
such records shall be deemed erased by operation of law and the clerk 108  Substitute Bill No. 1019 
 
 
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or the person charged with the retention and control of such records 109 
shall not disclose to anyone their existence or any information 110 
pertaining to any charge so erased, provided nothing in this subsection 111 
shall prohibit the arrested person or any one of his heirs from filing a 112 
petition to the court [or to the records center of the Judicial Department, 113 
as the case may be,] to have such records erased, in which case such 114 
records shall be erased. 115 
(2) Whenever any charge in a criminal case has been continued at the 116 
request of the prosecuting attorney, and a period of thirteen months has 117 
elapsed since the granting of such continuance during which period 118 
there has been no prosecution or other disposition of the matter, the 119 
charge shall be nolled upon motion of the arrested person and such 120 
erasure may thereafter be effected or a petition filed therefor, as the case 121 
may be, as provided in this subsection for nolled cases. 122 
(d) (1) Whenever prior to October 1, 1974, any person who has been 123 
convicted of an offense in any court of this state has received an absolute 124 
pardon for such offense, such person or any one of his heirs may, at any 125 
time subsequent to such pardon, file a petition with the [superior court] 126 
Superior Court at the location in which such conviction was effected, or 127 
with the [superior court] Superior Court at the location having custody 128 
of the records of such conviction or [with the records center of the 129 
Judicial Department] if such conviction was in the Court of Common 130 
Pleas, Circuit Court, municipal court or by a trial justice court, in the 131 
Superior Court where venue would exist for criminal prosecution, for 132 
an order of erasure, and the Superior Court [or records center of the 133 
Judicial Department] shall direct all police and court records and 134 
records of the state's or prosecuting attorney pertaining to such [case to] 135 
offense be erased. 136 
(2) Whenever such absolute pardon was received on or after October 137 
1, 1974, such records shall be erased. 138 
(e) (1) Except as provided in subdivision (2) of this subsection, 139 
whenever any person has been convicted in any court of this state of a 140  Substitute Bill No. 1019 
 
 
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classified or unclassified misdemeanor offense, or a class C, D or E 141 
felony or an unclassified felony offense carrying a term of imprisonment 142 
of not more than ten years, any police or court record and record of the 143 
state's or prosecuting attorney or the prosecuting grand juror pertaining 144 
to such conviction, or any record pertaining to court obligations arising 145 
from such conviction held by the Board of Pardons and Paroles shall be 146 
erased as follows: (A) For any classified or unclassified misdemeanor 147 
offense, such records shall be erased seven years from the date on which 148 
the court entered the convicted person's most recent judgment of 149 
conviction (i) by operation of law, if such offense occurred on or after 150 
January 1, 2000, or (ii) upon the filing of a petition on a form prescribed 151 
by the Office of the Chief Court Administrator, if such offense occurred 152 
prior to January 1, 2000; (B) for any class D or E felony or an unclassified 153 
felony offense carrying a term of imprisonment of not more than five 154 
years, such records shall be erased ten years from the date on which the 155 
court entered the convicted person's most recent judgment of conviction 156 
(i) by operation of law, if such offense occurred on or after January 1, 157 
2000, or (ii) upon the filing of a petition on a form prescribed by the 158 
Office of the Chief Court Administrator, if such offense occurred prior 159 
to January 1, 2000; and (C) for any class C felony or an unclassified 160 
felony offense carrying a term of imprisonment of not more than ten 161 
years, but more than five years, such records shall be erased fifteen years 162 
from the date on which the court entered the convicted person's most 163 
recent judgment of conviction (i) by operation of law, if such offense 164 
occurred on or after January 1, 2000, or (ii) upon the filing of a petition 165 
on a form prescribed by the Office of the Chief Court Administrator, if 166 
such offense occurred prior to January 1, 2000. 167 
(2) Convictions for the following offenses shall not be eligible for 168 
erasure pursuant to this subsection: 169 
(A) Any conviction designated as a family violence crime, as defined 170 
in section 46b-38a; or 171 
(B) Any offense that is a nonviolent sexual offense or a sexually 172 
violent offense, each as defined in section 54-250. 173  Substitute Bill No. 1019 
 
 
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(3) If a person has been convicted of a violation of subsection (c) of 174 
section 21a-279 prior to October 1, 2015, such conviction shall not be 175 
considered as a most recent offense when evaluating whether a 176 
sufficient period of time has elapsed for an offense to qualify for erasure 177 
pursuant to this subsection. 178 
(4) Nothing in this subsection shall limit any other procedure for 179 
erasure of criminal history record information, as defined in section 54-180 
142g, as amended by this act, or prohibit a person from participating in 181 
any such procedure, even if such person's criminal history record 182 
information has been erased pursuant to this section. 183 
(5) Nothing in this subsection shall be construed to require the 184 
Department of Motor Vehicles to erase criminal history record 185 
information on an operator's driving record. When applicable, the 186 
Department of Motor Vehicles shall make such criminal history record 187 
information available through the Commercial Driver's License 188 
Information System. 189 
(f) (1) Whenever a person was convicted of one or more 190 
misdemeanors committed while such person was under eighteen years 191 
of age, and the offense or offenses occurred on or after January 1, 2000, 192 
and before July 1, 2012, all police and court records and records of the 193 
state's or prosecuting attorney shall be (A) erased, if such record is in an 194 
electronic record other than a scanned copy of a physical document, or 195 
(B) deemed erased by operation of law if such record is a scanned copy 196 
of a physical document or another record that is not electronic. This 197 
subdivision shall not apply to a motor vehicle offense, a violation under 198 
title 14 or a violation of section 51-164r. The clerk of the court or any law 199 
enforcement agency having information contained in such erased 200 
records shall not disclose to anyone, except the subject of the record, 201 
upon submission pursuant to guidelines prescribed by the Office of the 202 
Chief Court Administrator of satisfactory proof of the subject's identity, 203 
information pertaining to any charge erased under this subdivision and 204 
such clerk shall forward a notice of such erasure to any law enforcement 205 
agency and the state's or prosecuting attorney to which he or she knows 206  Substitute Bill No. 1019 
 
 
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information concerning the arrest has been disseminated directing that 207 
all law enforcement and records of the state's or prosecuting attorney 208 
pertaining to such case to be so erased or so deemed erased by operation 209 
of law. 210 
(2) Whenever a person was convicted of one or more misdemeanors 211 
committed while such person was under eighteen years of age, and the 212 
offense or offenses occurred before January 1, 2000, such person may file 213 
a petition with the Superior Court at the location in which such 214 
conviction was effected for an order of erasure, and the Superior Court 215 
shall direct all police and court records and records of the state's or 216 
prosecuting attorney pertaining to such case to be erased. 217 
(3) Notwithstanding subsection (i) of this section, the provisions of 218 
this subsection shall not apply in cases in which there has been a 219 
conviction for any charge for which erasure would not apply arising 220 
from the same information as any erased conviction. 221 
[(e)] (g) (1) The clerk of the court [or any person charged with 222 
retention and control of such records in the records center of the Judicial 223 
Department] or any law enforcement agency having information 224 
contained in such erased records shall not disclose to anyone, except the 225 
subject of the record, upon submission pursuant to guidelines 226 
prescribed by the Office of the Chief Court Administrator of satisfactory 227 
proof of the subject's identity, information pertaining to any charge 228 
erased under any provision of this section and such clerk [or person 229 
charged with the retention and control of such records] shall forward a 230 
notice of such erasure to any law enforcement agency to which he 231 
knows information concerning the arrest has been disseminated and 232 
such disseminated information shall be erased from the records of such 233 
law enforcement agency. Such clerk [or such person, as the case may be,] 234 
shall provide adequate security measures to safeguard against 235 
unauthorized access to or dissemination of such records or upon the 236 
request of the accused cause the actual physical destruction of such 237 
records, except that such clerk [or such person] shall not cause the actual 238 
physical destruction of such records until three years have elapsed from 239  Substitute Bill No. 1019 
 
 
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the date of the final disposition of the criminal case to which such 240 
records pertain. 241 
[(2) No fee shall be charged in any court with respect to any petition 242 
under this section.] 243 
[(3)] (2) Any person who shall have been the subject of such an 244 
erasure shall be deemed to have never been arrested within the meaning 245 
of the general statutes with respect to the proceedings so erased and 246 
may so swear under oath. 247 
[(f)] (h) Upon motion properly brought, the court or a judge of such 248 
court, if such court is not in session, shall order disclosure of such 249 
records (1) to a defendant in an action for false arrest arising out of the 250 
proceedings so erased, or (2) to the prosecuting attorney and defense 251 
counsel in connection with any perjury charges which the prosecutor 252 
alleges may have arisen from the testimony elicited during the trial, or 253 
any false statement charges, or any proceeding held pursuant to section 254 
53a-40b, or (3) counsel for the petitioner and the respondent in 255 
connection with any habeas corpus or other collateral civil action in 256 
which evidence pertaining to a nolled or dismissed criminal charge may 257 
become relevant. Such disclosure of such records is subject also to any 258 
records destruction program pursuant to which the records may have 259 
been destroyed. The jury charge in connection with erased offenses may 260 
be ordered by the judge for use by the judiciary, provided the names of 261 
the accused and the witnesses are omitted therefrom. 262 
[(g)] (i) The provisions of this section shall not apply to any police or 263 
court records or the records of any state's attorney or prosecuting 264 
attorney with respect to any information or indictment containing more 265 
than one count (1) while the criminal case is pending, or (2) when the 266 
criminal case is disposed of unless and until all counts are entitled to 267 
erasure in accordance with the provisions of this section, except that 268 
when the criminal case is disposed of, electronic records or portions of 269 
electronic records released to the public that reference a charge that 270 
would otherwise be entitled to erasure under this section shall be erased 271  Substitute Bill No. 1019 
 
 
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in accordance with the provisions of this section. Nothing in this section 272 
shall require the erasure of any information contained in the registry of 273 
protective orders established pursuant to section 51-5c. For the purposes 274 
of this subsection, "electronic record" means any police or court record 275 
or the record of any state's attorney or prosecuting attorney that is an 276 
electronic record, as defined in section 1-267, or a computer printout. 277 
(j) No fee shall be charged in any court with respect to any petition 278 
under this section. 279 
[(h)] (k) For the purposes of this section, "court records" shall not 280 
include a record or transcript of the proceedings made or prepared by 281 
an official court reporter, assistant court reporter or monitor. 282 
Sec. 4. Section 54-142d of the general statutes is repealed and the 283 
following is substituted in lieu thereof (Effective January 1, 2023): 284 
Whenever any person has been convicted of an offense in any court 285 
in this state and such offense has been decriminalized subsequent to the 286 
date of such conviction, such person may file a petition with the superior 287 
court at the location in which such conviction was effected, or with the 288 
superior court at the location having custody of the records of such 289 
conviction [or with the records center of the Judicial Department] if such 290 
conviction was in the Court of Common Pleas, Circuit Court, municipal 291 
court or by a trial justice, in the Superior Court where venue would 292 
currently exist for criminal prosecution, for an order of erasure, and the 293 
Superior Court [or records center of the Judicial Department] shall 294 
immediately direct all police and court records and records of the state's 295 
or prosecuting attorney pertaining to such [case] offense to be physically 296 
destroyed. 297 
Sec. 5. (NEW) (Effective January 1, 2023) (a) The Department of 298 
Emergency Services and Public Protection, in consultation with the 299 
Judicial Branch and the Criminal Justice Information System Governing 300 
Board established pursuant to section 54-142q of the general statutes, 301 
shall develop and implement automated processes for erasure pursuant 302  Substitute Bill No. 1019 
 
 
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to section 54-142a of the general statutes, as amended by this act. 303 
(b) The department may, within available appropriations, 304 
disseminate information, including posting information on its Internet 305 
web site, regarding records that are subject to erasure under the 306 
provisions of this section. 307 
(c) Nothing in this section shall be construed to require the 308 
destruction of paper records. 309 
Sec. 6. Section 54-142e of the general statutes is repealed and the 310 
following is substituted in lieu thereof (Effective January 1, 2023): 311 
(a) Notwithstanding the provisions of subsection [(e)] (g) of section 312 
54-142a, as amended by this act, and section 54-142c, with respect to any 313 
person, including, but not limited to, a consumer reporting agency as 314 
defined in subsection (i) of section 31-51i, as amended by this act, or a 315 
background screening provider or similar data-based service or 316 
company, that purchases criminal matters of public record, as defined 317 
in said subsection (i), from the Judicial Department or any criminal 318 
justice agency pursuant to subsection (b) of section 54-142g, as amended 319 
by this act, the department shall make available to such person 320 
information concerning such criminal matters of public record that have 321 
been erased pursuant to section 54-142a, as amended by this act. Such 322 
information may include docket numbers or other information that 323 
permits the person to identify and permanently delete records that have 324 
been erased pursuant to section 54-142a, as amended by this act. 325 
(b) Each person, including, but not limited to, a consumer reporting 326 
agency or background screening provider or similar data-based service 327 
or company, that has purchased records of criminal matters of public 328 
record from the Judicial Department or any criminal justice agency 329 
shall, prior to disclosing such records, (1) purchase from the Judicial 330 
Department or such criminal justice agency, on a monthly basis or on 331 
such other schedule as the Judicial Department or such criminal justice 332 
agency may establish, any updated criminal matters of public record or 333  Substitute Bill No. 1019 
 
 
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information available for the purpose of complying with this section, 334 
and (2) update its records of criminal matters of public record to 335 
permanently delete such erased records not later than thirty calendar 336 
days after receipt of information on the erasure of criminal records 337 
pursuant to section 54-142a, as amended by this act. Such person shall 338 
not further disclose such erased records. 339 
Sec. 7. Subsection (c) of section 29-11 of the general statutes is 340 
repealed and the following is substituted in lieu thereof (Effective July 1, 341 
2021): 342 
(c) (1) The Commissioner of Emergency Services and Public 343 
Protection shall charge the following fees for the service indicated: [(1)] 344 
(A) Name search, thirty-six dollars; [(2)] (B) fingerprint search, seventy-345 
five dollars; [(3)] (C) personal record search, seventy-five dollars; [(4)] 346 
(D) letters of good conduct search, seventy-five dollars; [(5)] (E) bar 347 
association search, seventy-five dollars; [(6)] (F) fingerprinting, fifteen 348 
dollars; [(7)] and (G) criminal history record information search, 349 
seventy-five dollars. Except as provided in subsection (b) of this section, 350 
the provisions of this subsection shall not apply to any federal, state or 351 
municipal agency. 352 
(2) The commissioner may waive fees imposed under subparagraph 353 
(G) of subdivision (1) of this subsection for any applicant requesting a 354 
criminal history record information search for the purpose of applying 355 
for a pardon authorized pursuant to section 54-124a, as amended by this 356 
act, provided such applicant completes a form prescribed by the 357 
Department of Emergency Services and Public Protection representing 358 
such person's indigency. 359 
Sec. 8. Subsection (d) of section 54-142k of the general statutes is 360 
repealed and the following is substituted in lieu thereof (Effective January 361 
1, 2023): 362 
(d) Nonconviction information shall be available to the subject of the 363 
information and to the subject's attorney pursuant to this subsection and 364  Substitute Bill No. 1019 
 
 
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subsection (e) of this section. Any person shall, upon satisfactory proof 365 
of the person's identity, be entitled to inspect, for purposes of 366 
verification and correction, any nonconviction information relating to 367 
the person and upon the person's request shall be given a computer 368 
printout or photocopy of such information for which a reasonable fee 369 
may be charged, provided no erased record may be released except as 370 
provided in subsection [(f)] (h) of section 54-142a, as amended by this 371 
act. Before releasing any exact reproductions of nonconviction 372 
information to the subject of the information, the agency holding such 373 
information may remove all personal identifying information from such 374 
reproductions. 375 
Sec. 9. (NEW) (Effective January 1, 2023) For purposes of this section, 376 
sections 11, 12 and 16 to 24, inclusive, of this act and section 26 of this 377 
act, sections 8-265c and 8-315 of the general statutes, as amended by this 378 
act, subsection (b) of section 10a-6 of the general statutes, as amended 379 
by this act, and sections 31-51i, 38a-358, 38a-447, 46a-74, 46a-79, 46a-80 380 
and 46a-81 of the general statutes, as amended by this act: 381 
(1) "Commission" means the Commission on Human Rights and 382 
Opportunities created by section 46a-52 of the general statutes; 383 
(2) "Criminal history record information" means court records and 384 
information obtained from the Judicial Department or any criminal 385 
justice agency relating to arrests, releases, detentions, indictments, 386 
informations or other formal criminal charges or any events and 387 
outcomes arising from those arrests, releases, detentions, including 388 
pleas, trials, sentences, appeals, incarcerations, correctional supervision, 389 
paroles and releases, outstanding judgments and any other conviction 390 
information, as defined in section 54-142g of the general statutes, as 391 
amended by this act; 392 
(3) "Employer" includes the state and all political subdivisions of the 393 
state and means any person or employer with one or more persons in 394 
such person's or employer's employ; 395  Substitute Bill No. 1019 
 
 
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(4) "Erased criminal history record information" means (A) criminal 396 
history record information that has been erased pursuant to section 54-397 
142a of the general statutes, as amended by this act, or section 54-76o of 398 
the general statutes, or any other provision of the general statutes or 399 
other operation of law; (B) information relating to persons granted 400 
youthful offender status pursuant to section 46b-146 of the general 401 
statutes; and (C) continuances of a criminal case that are more than 402 
thirteen months old; and 403 
(5) "Place of public accommodation, resort or amusement" means any 404 
establishment that caters or offers its services or facilities or goods to the 405 
general public, including, but not limited to, any commercial property 406 
or building lot on which it is intended that a commercial building will 407 
be constructed or offered for sale or rent. 408 
Sec. 10. Subdivisions (7) and (8) of section 46a-51 of the general 409 
statutes are repealed and the following is substituted in lieu thereof 410 
(Effective January 1, 2023): 411 
(7) "Discriminatory employment practice" means any discriminatory 412 
practice specified in subsection (b), (d), (e) or (f) of section 31-51i, as 413 
amended by this act, or section 46a-60 or 46a-81c; 414 
(8) "Discriminatory practice" means a violation of section 4a-60, 4a-415 
60a, 4a-60g, 31-40y, subsection (b) of section 31-51i, as amended by this 416 
act, subsection (d), (e) or (f) of section 31-51i, as amended by this act, 417 
subparagraph (C) of subdivision (15) of section 46a-54, subdivisions (16) 418 
and (17) of section 46a-54, section 46a-58, 46a-59, 46a-60, 46a-64, 46a-64c, 419 
46a-66, 46a-68, 46a-68c to 46a-68f, inclusive, or 46a-70 to 46a-78, 420 
inclusive, subsection (a) of section 46a-80, as amended by this act, or 421 
sections 46a-81b to 46a-81o, inclusive, and sections 11, 12, 16, 17, 23, 24 422 
and section 26 of this act; 423 
Sec. 11. (NEW) (Effective October 1, 2021) On and after January 1, 2023, 424 
it shall be a discriminatory practice for any person to subject, or cause to 425 
be subjected, any other person to the deprivation of any rights, 426  Substitute Bill No. 1019 
 
 
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privileges or immunities, secured or protected by the Constitution or 427 
laws of this state or of the United States, on account of a person's erased 428 
criminal history record information. 429 
Sec. 12. (NEW) (Effective October 1, 2021) (a) On and after January 1, 430 
2023, it shall be a discriminatory practice: 431 
(1) To refuse to sell or rent after the making of a bona fide offer, or to 432 
refuse to negotiate for the sale or rental of, or otherwise make 433 
unavailable or deny, a dwelling to any person on the basis of the erased 434 
criminal history record information of (A) such buyer or renter, (B) a 435 
person residing in or intending to reside in such dwelling after it is so 436 
sold, rented or made available, or (C) any person associated with such 437 
buyer or renter; 438 
(2) To discriminate against any person in the terms, conditions or 439 
privileges of the sale or rental of a dwelling, or in the provision of 440 
services or facilities in connection therewith, on the basis of the erased 441 
criminal history record information of (A) such buyer or renter, (B) a 442 
person residing in or intending to reside in such dwelling after it is so 443 
sold, rented or made available, or (C) any person associated with such 444 
buyer or renter; 445 
(3) To make, print or publish, or cause to be made, printed or 446 
published any notice, statement or advertisement, with respect to the 447 
sale or rental of a dwelling that indicates any preference, limitation or 448 
discrimination, or to intend to make any such preference, limitation or 449 
discrimination, based on the erased criminal history record information 450 
of (A) a potential buyer or renter, (B) a person intending to reside in such 451 
dwelling after it is sold, rented or made available, or (C) any person 452 
associated with such potential buyer or renter; 453 
(4) To represent to any person that any dwelling is not available for 454 
inspection, sale or rental when such dwelling is in fact so available, on 455 
the basis of the erased criminal history record information of (A) a 456 
potential buyer or renter, (B) a person intending to reside in such 457  Substitute Bill No. 1019 
 
 
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dwelling after it is so sold, rented or made available, or (C) any person 458 
associated with such potential buyer or renter; 459 
(5) For profit, to induce or attempt to induce any person to sell or rent 460 
any dwelling by representations regarding the entry or prospective 461 
entry into the neighborhood of a person or persons with erased criminal 462 
history record information; 463 
(6) For any person or other entity engaging in residential real estate-464 
related transactions to discriminate against any person in making 465 
available such a transaction, or in the terms or conditions of such a 466 
transaction, on the basis of the erased criminal history record 467 
information of (A) the other party in the transaction, (B) a person 468 
residing in or intending to reside in a dwelling with such other party, or 469 
(C) any person associated with such other party; 470 
(7) To deny any person access to or membership or participation in 471 
any multiple-listing service, real estate brokers' organization or other 472 
service, organization or facility relating to the business of selling or 473 
renting dwellings, or to discriminate against that person in the terms or 474 
conditions of such access, membership or participation, on account of 475 
that person's erased criminal history record information; or 476 
(8) To coerce, intimidate, threaten or interfere with any person in the 477 
exercise or enjoyment of, or on account of that person having exercised 478 
or enjoyed, or on account of that person having aided or encouraged 479 
any other person in the exercise or enjoyment of, any right granted or 480 
protected by this section. 481 
(b) The provisions of this section shall not apply to (1) the rental of a 482 
room or rooms in a unit in a dwelling if the owner actually maintains 483 
and occupies part of such unit as the owner's residence, or (2) a unit in 484 
a dwelling containing not more than four units if the owner actually 485 
maintains and occupies one of such other units as the owner's residence. 486 
(c) Nothing in this section limits the applicability of any reasonable 487 
state statute or municipal ordinance restricting the maximum number 488  Substitute Bill No. 1019 
 
 
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of persons permitted to occupy a dwelling. 489 
(d) Nothing in this section prohibits a person engaged in the business 490 
of furnishing appraisals of real property to take into consideration 491 
factors other than a person's erased criminal history record. 492 
Sec. 13. Section 8-265c of the general statutes is repealed and the 493 
following is substituted in lieu thereof (Effective January 1, 2023): 494 
The authority shall require that occupancy of all housing financed or 495 
otherwise assisted under this chapter be open to all persons regardless 496 
of race, creed, color, national origin or ancestry, sex or gender identity 497 
or expression or erased criminal history record information, as defined 498 
in section 9 of this act, and that the contractors and subcontractors 499 
engaged in the construction or rehabilitation of such housing shall take 500 
affirmative action to provide equal opportunity for employment 501 
without discrimination as to race, creed, color, national origin or 502 
ancestry, sex, [or] gender identity or expression or erased criminal 503 
history record information. 504 
Sec. 14. Section 8-315 of the general statutes is repealed and the 505 
following is substituted in lieu thereof (Effective January 1, 2023): 506 
The municipality shall take all necessary steps to insure that 507 
occupancy of all housing financed or otherwise assisted pursuant to this 508 
chapter be open to all persons regardless of race, creed, color, national 509 
origin or ancestry, sex, gender identity or expression, age, [or] physical 510 
disability or erased criminal history record information, as defined in 511 
section 9 of this act. 512 
Sec. 15. Section 31-51i of the general statutes is repealed and the 513 
following is substituted in lieu thereof (Effective January 1, 2023): 514 
(a) For the purposes of this section, "employer" means [any person 515 
engaged in business who has one or more employees, including the state 516 
or any political subdivision of the state] employer, as defined in section 517 
9 of this act. 518  Substitute Bill No. 1019 
 
 
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(b) No employer shall inquire about a prospective employee's prior 519 
arrests, criminal charges or convictions on an initial employment 520 
application, unless (1) the employer is required to do so by an applicable 521 
state or federal law, or (2) a security or fidelity bond or an equivalent 522 
bond is required for the position for which the prospective employee is 523 
seeking employment. 524 
(c) No employer or employer's agent, representative or designee may 525 
require an employee or prospective employee to disclose the existence 526 
of [any arrest, criminal charge or conviction, the records of which have 527 
been erased pursuant to section 46b-146, 54-76o or 54-142a] erased 528 
criminal history record information, as defined in section 9 of this act. 529 
(d) An employment application form that contains any question 530 
concerning the criminal history of the applicant shall contain a notice, in 531 
clear and conspicuous language: (1) That the applicant is not required 532 
to disclose the existence of any [arrest, criminal charge or conviction, the 533 
records of which have been erased pursuant to section 46b-146, 54-76o 534 
or 54-142a] erased criminal history record information, (2) that [criminal 535 
records subject to erasure pursuant to section 46b-146, 54-76o or 54-142a] 536 
erased criminal history record information are records pertaining to a 537 
finding of delinquency or that a child was a member of a family with 538 
service needs, an adjudication as a youthful offender, a criminal charge 539 
that has been dismissed or nolled, a criminal charge for which the 540 
person has been found not guilty or a conviction for which the person 541 
received an absolute pardon or criminal records that are erased 542 
pursuant to statute or by other operation of law, and (3) that any person 543 
[whose criminal records have been erased pursuant to section 46b-146, 544 
54-76o or 54-142a] with erased criminal history record information shall 545 
be deemed to have never been arrested within the meaning of the 546 
general statutes with respect to the proceedings so erased and may so 547 
swear under oath. 548 
(e) No employer or employer's agent, representative or designee shall 549 
deny employment to a prospective employee solely on the basis that the 550 
prospective employee [had a prior arrest, criminal charge or conviction, 551  Substitute Bill No. 1019 
 
 
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the records of which have been erased pursuant to section 46b-146, 54-552 
76o or 54-142a] has erased criminal history record information or that 553 
the prospective employee had a prior conviction for which the 554 
prospective employee has received a provisional pardon or certificate of 555 
rehabilitation pursuant to section 54-130a, as amended by this act, or a 556 
certificate of rehabilitation pursuant to section 54-108f. 557 
(f) No employer or employer's agent, representative or designee shall 558 
discharge, or cause to be discharged, or in any manner discriminate 559 
against, any employee solely on the basis that the employee [had, prior 560 
to being employed by such employer, an arrest, criminal charge or 561 
conviction, the records of which have been erased pursuant to section 562 
46b-146, 54-76o or 54-142a] has erased criminal history record 563 
information or that the employee had, prior to being employed by such 564 
employer, a prior conviction for which the employee has received a 565 
provisional pardon or certificate of rehabilitation pursuant to section 54-566 
130a, as amended by this act, or a certificate of rehabilitation pursuant 567 
to section 54-108f. 568 
(g) The portion of an employment application form that contains 569 
information concerning the criminal history record of an applicant or 570 
employee shall only be available to the members of the personnel 571 
department of the company, firm or corporation or, if the company, firm 572 
or corporation does not have a personnel department, the person in 573 
charge of employment, and to any employee or member of the 574 
company, firm or corporation, or an agent of such employee or member, 575 
involved in the interviewing of the applicant. 576 
(h) Notwithstanding the provisions of subsection (g) of this section, 577 
the portion of an employment application form that contains 578 
information concerning the criminal history record of an applicant or 579 
employee may be made available as necessary to persons other than 580 
those specified in said subsection (g) by: 581 
(1) A broker-dealer or investment adviser registered under chapter 582 
672a in connection with (A) the possible or actual filing of, or the 583  Substitute Bill No. 1019 
 
 
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collection or retention of information contained in, a form U-4 Uniform 584 
Application for Securities Industry Registration or Transfer, (B) the 585 
compliance responsibilities of such broker-dealer or investment adviser 586 
under state or federal law, or (C) the applicable rules of self-regulatory 587 
organizations promulgated in accordance with federal law; 588 
(2) An insured depository institution in connection with (A) the 589 
management of risks related to safety and soundness, security or 590 
privacy of such institution, (B) any waiver that may possibly or actually 591 
be sought by such institution pursuant to section 19 of the Federal 592 
Deposit Insurance Act, 12 USC 1829(a), (C) the possible or actual 593 
obtaining by such institution of any security or fidelity bond, or (D) the 594 
compliance responsibilities of such institution under state or federal 595 
law; and 596 
(3) An insurance producer licensed under chapter 701a in connection 597 
with (A) the management of risks related to security or privacy of such 598 
insurance producer, or (B) the compliance responsibilities of such 599 
insurance producer under state or federal law. 600 
(i) (1) For the purposes of this subsection: (A) "Consumer reporting 601 
agency" means any person who regularly engages, in whole or in part, 602 
in the practice of assembling or preparing consumer reports for a fee, 603 
which reports compile and report items of information on consumers 604 
that are matters of public record and are likely to have an adverse effect 605 
on a consumer's ability to obtain employment, but does not include any 606 
public agency; (B) "consumer report" means any written, oral or other 607 
communication of information bearing on an individual's credit 608 
worthiness, credit standing, credit capacity, character, general 609 
reputation, personal characteristics or mode of living; and (C) "criminal 610 
matters of public record" means information obtained from the Judicial 611 
Department or any criminal justice agency, as defined in section 54-612 
142g, as amended by this act, relating to arrests, indictments, 613 
convictions, outstanding judgments [,] and any other conviction 614 
information, as defined in section 54-142g, as amended by this act. 615  Substitute Bill No. 1019 
 
 
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(2) Each consumer reporting agency that issues a consumer report 616 
that is used or is expected to be used for employment purposes and that 617 
includes in such report criminal matters of public record concerning the 618 
consumer shall: 619 
(A) At the time the consumer reporting agency issues such consumer 620 
report to a person other than the consumer who is the subject of the 621 
report, provide the consumer who is the subject of the consumer report 622 
(i) notice that the consumer reporting agency is reporting criminal 623 
matters of public record, and (ii) the name and address of the person to 624 
whom such consumer report is being issued; 625 
(B) Maintain procedures designed to ensure that any criminal matter 626 
of public record reported is complete and up-to-date as of the date the 627 
consumer report is issued, which procedures shall, at a minimum, 628 
conform to the requirements set forth in section 54-142e, as amended by 629 
this act. 630 
(3) This subsection shall not apply in the case of an agency or 631 
department of the United States government seeking to obtain and use 632 
a consumer report for employment purposes if the head of the agency 633 
or department makes a written finding pursuant to 15 USC 634 
1681b(b)(4)(A). 635 
(j) An employee or prospective employee may file a complaint with 636 
the Labor Commissioner alleging an employer's violation of subsection 637 
(a), (c), (g), (h) or (i) of this section. For any alleged violation by an 638 
employer of subsection (b), (d), (e) or (f) of this section, an employee or 639 
prospective employee may file a complaint with the Commission on 640 
Human Rights and Opportunities pursuant to section 46a-82 or may 641 
bring an action in the Superior Court against the employer for violating 642 
this section for declaratory or injunctive relief, damages or any other 643 
remedy available under law, at the sole election of the employee or 644 
prospective employee. 645 
Sec. 16. (NEW) (Effective October 1, 2021) On and after January 1, 2023, 646  Substitute Bill No. 1019 
 
 
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it shall be a discriminatory practice for: (1) An employer or employer's 647 
agent, representative or designee to discriminate against that person in 648 
compensation or in terms, conditions or privileges of employment on 649 
the basis of that person's erased criminal history record information, (2) 650 
any employment agency to fail or refuse to classify properly or refer for 651 
employment or otherwise to discriminate against any person on the 652 
basis of that person's erased criminal history record information, (3) a 653 
labor organization, on the basis of the erased criminal history record 654 
information of any person, to exclude from full membership rights or to 655 
expel from its membership that person or to discriminate in any way 656 
against any of its members or against any employer or any individual 657 
employed by an employer, or (4) any person, employer, employment 658 
agency or labor organization, to advertise employment opportunities in 659 
such a manner as to restrict such employment so as to discriminate 660 
against persons on the basis of their erased criminal history record 661 
information. 662 
Sec. 17. (NEW) (Effective October 1, 2021) (a) On and after January 1, 663 
2023, it shall be a discriminatory practice for any association, board or 664 
other organization the principal purpose of which is the furtherance of 665 
the professional or occupational interests of its members, whose 666 
profession, trade or occupation requires a state license, to refuse to 667 
accept a person as a member of such association, board or organization 668 
solely on the basis of that person's erased criminal history record 669 
information. 670 
(b) Any association, board or other organization that violates the 671 
provisions of this section shall be fined not less than one hundred 672 
dollars or more than five hundred dollars. 673 
Sec. 18. (NEW) (Effective October 1, 2021) On and after January 1, 2023, 674 
state officials and supervisory personnel shall recruit, appoint, assign, 675 
train, evaluate and promote state personnel on the basis of merit and 676 
qualifications, without regard for erased criminal history record 677 
information. 678  Substitute Bill No. 1019 
 
 
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Sec. 19. (NEW) (Effective October 1, 2021) On and after January 1, 2023, 679 
no state department, board or agency may grant, deny or revoke the 680 
license or charter of any person on the basis of that person's erased 681 
criminal history record information, except that the Department of 682 
Motor Vehicles may consider erased criminal history record 683 
information to the extent required by 49 CFR 384, as amended from time 684 
to time. 685 
Sec. 20. (NEW) (Effective October 1, 2021) On and after January 1, 2023, 686 
all educational, counseling and vocational guidance programs and all 687 
apprenticeship and on-the-job training programs of state agencies, or in 688 
which state agencies participate, shall be open to all qualified persons, 689 
without regard to a person's erased criminal history record information. 690 
Sec. 21. (NEW) (Effective October 1, 2021) On and after January 1, 2023, 691 
erased criminal history record information shall not be considered as a 692 
limiting factor in state-administered programs involving the 693 
distribution of funds to qualify applicants for benefits authorized by 694 
law. 695 
Sec. 22. (NEW) (Effective October 1, 2021) On and after January 1, 2023, 696 
services of every state agency shall be performed without 697 
discrimination on the basis of erased criminal history record 698 
information. 699 
Sec. 23. (NEW) (Effective October 1, 2021) On and after January 1, 2023, 700 
it shall be a discriminatory practice to: 701 
(1) Deny any person within the jurisdiction of this state full and equal 702 
accommodations in any place of public accommodation, resort or 703 
amusement on the basis of that person's erased criminal history record 704 
information, subject only to the conditions and limitations established 705 
by law and applicable alike to all persons; or 706 
(2) Discriminate, segregate or separate on account of erased criminal 707 
history record information. 708  Substitute Bill No. 1019 
 
 
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Sec. 24. (NEW) (Effective October 1, 2021) On and after January 1, 2023, 709 
it shall be a discriminatory practice for the state system of higher 710 
education to deny a person the opportunity for higher education on the 711 
basis of erased criminal history record information. 712 
Sec. 25. Subsection (b) of section 10a-6 of the general statutes is 713 
repealed and the following is substituted in lieu thereof (Effective January 714 
1, 2023): 715 
(b) Within the limits of authorized expenditures, the policies of the 716 
state system of higher education shall be consistent with (1) the 717 
following goals: (A) To ensure that no qualified person be denied the 718 
opportunity for higher education on the basis of age, sex, gender 719 
identity or expression, ethnic background or social, physical or 720 
economic condition, or erased criminal history record information, as 721 
defined in section 9 of this act, (B) to protect academic freedom, (C) to 722 
provide opportunities for education and training related to the 723 
economic, cultural and educational development of the state, (D) to 724 
assure the fullest possible use of available resources in public and 725 
private institutions of higher education, (E) to maintain standards of 726 
quality ensuring a position of national leadership for state institutions 727 
of higher education, (F) to apply the resources of higher education to the 728 
problems of society, and (G) to foster flexibility in the policies and 729 
institutions of higher education to enable the system to respond to 730 
changes in the economy, society, technology and student interests; and 731 
(2) the goals for higher education in the state identified in section 10a-732 
11c. Said board shall review recent studies of the need for higher 733 
education services, with special attention to those completed pursuant 734 
to legislative action, and to meet such needs shall initiate additional 735 
programs or services through one or more of the constituent units. 736 
Sec. 26. (NEW) (Effective October 1, 2021) On and after January 1, 2023, 737 
it shall be a discriminatory practice for any creditor to discriminate on 738 
the basis of erased criminal record history information, against any 739 
person eighteen years of age or over in any credit transaction. 740  Substitute Bill No. 1019 
 
 
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Sec. 27. Section 38a-358 of the general statutes is repealed and the 741 
following is substituted in lieu thereof (Effective January 1, 2023): 742 
The declination, cancellation or nonrenewal of a policy for private 743 
passenger nonfleet automobile insurance is prohibited if the declination, 744 
cancellation or nonrenewal is based: (1) On the race, religion, nationality 745 
or ethnicity of the applicant or named insured; (2) solely on the lawful 746 
occupation or profession of the applicant or named insured, except that 747 
this provision shall not apply to any insurer which limits its market to 748 
one lawful occupation or profession or to several related lawful 749 
occupations or professions; (3) on the principal location of the insured 750 
motor vehicle unless such decision is for a business purpose which is 751 
not a mere pretext for unfair discrimination; (4) solely on the age, sex, 752 
gender identity or expression, [or] marital status or erased criminal 753 
history record information, as defined in section 9 of this act, of an 754 
applicant or an insured, except that this subdivision shall not apply to 755 
an insurer in an insurer group if one or more other insurers in the group 756 
would not decline an application for essentially similar coverage based 757 
upon such reasons; (5) on the fact that the applicant or named insured 758 
previously obtained insurance coverage through a residual market; (6) 759 
on the fact that another insurer previously declined to insure the 760 
applicant or terminated an existing policy in which the applicant was 761 
the named insured; (7) the first or second accident within the current 762 
experience period in relation to which the applicant or insured was not 763 
convicted of a moving traffic violation and was not at fault; or (8) solely 764 
on information contained in an insured's or applicant's credit history or 765 
credit rating or solely on an applicant's lack of credit history. For the 766 
purposes of subdivision (8) of this section, an insurer shall not be 767 
deemed to have declined, cancelled or nonrenewed a policy if coverage 768 
is available through an affiliated insurer. 769 
Sec. 28. Section 38a-447 of the general statutes is repealed and the 770 
following is substituted in lieu thereof (Effective January 1, 2023): 771 
No life insurance company doing business in this state may: (1) Make 772 
any distinction or discrimination between persons on the basis of race 773  Substitute Bill No. 1019 
 
 
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or erased criminal history record information, as defined in section 9 of 774 
this act, as to the premiums or rates charged for policies upon the lives 775 
of such persons; (2) demand or require greater premiums from persons 776 
of one race than such as are at that time required by that company from 777 
persons of another race of the same age, sex, general condition of health 778 
and hope of longevity; (3) demand or require greater premiums from 779 
persons with erased criminal history record information than such as 780 
are at that time required by that company from persons without erased 781 
criminal history record information of the same age, sex, general 782 
conditions of health and hope of longevity; or [(3)] (4) make or require 783 
any rebate, diminution or discount on the basis of race or erased 784 
criminal history record information upon the sum to be paid on any 785 
policy in case of the death of any person insured, nor insert in the policy 786 
any condition, nor make any stipulation whereby such person insured 787 
shall bind himself, his heirs, executors, administrators or assigns to 788 
accept any sum less than the full value or amount of such policy, in case 789 
of a claim accruing thereon by reason of the death of such person 790 
insured, other than such as are imposed upon all persons in similar 791 
cases; and each such stipulation or condition so made or inserted shall 792 
be void. 793 
Sec. 29. Section 46a-74 of the general statutes is repealed and the 794 
following is substituted in lieu thereof (Effective January 1, 2023): 795 
No state department, board or agency may permit any 796 
discriminatory practice in violation of section 46a-59, 46a-64, [or] 46a-797 
64c or section 11, 12, 16, 17, 23, 24 or 26 of this act. 798 
Sec. 30. Section 46a-79 of the general statutes is repealed and the 799 
following is substituted in lieu thereof (Effective January 1, 2023): 800 
The General Assembly finds that the public is best protected when 801 
criminal offenders are rehabilitated and returned to society prepared to 802 
take their places as productive citizens and that the ability of returned 803 
offenders to find meaningful employment is directly related to their 804 
normal functioning in the community. It is therefore the policy of this 805  Substitute Bill No. 1019 
 
 
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state to encourage all employers to give favorable consideration to 806 
providing jobs to qualified individuals, including those who may have 807 
[criminal conviction records] conviction information, as defined in 808 
section 54-142g, as amended by this act. Nothing in this section shall be 809 
construed to permit any employer to refuse to hire or employ or to bar 810 
or to discharge from employment or to discriminate against an 811 
individual in compensation or in terms on the basis of that person's 812 
erased criminal history record information, as defined in section 9 of this 813 
act. 814 
Sec. 31. Section 46a-80 of the general statutes is repealed and the 815 
following is substituted in lieu thereof (Effective January 1, 2023): 816 
(a) Except as provided in subsection (c) of this section, subsection (b) 817 
of section 46a-81, as amended by this act, and section 36a-489, and 818 
notwithstanding any other provisions of law to the contrary, a person 819 
shall not be disqualified from employment by the state or any of its 820 
agencies, nor shall a person be disqualified to practice, pursue or engage 821 
in any occupation, trade, vocation, profession or business for which a 822 
license, permit, certificate or registration is required to be issued by the 823 
state or any of its agencies solely [because of a prior conviction of a 824 
crime] on the basis of that person's conviction information, as defined in 825 
section 54-142g, as amended by this act. 826 
(b) Except for a position for which any provision of the general 827 
statutes specifically disqualifies a person from employment by the state 828 
or any of its agencies [because of a prior conviction of a crime] on the 829 
basis of that person's conviction information, no employer, as defined in 830 
section [5-270] 9 of this act, shall inquire about a prospective employee's 831 
[past convictions] conviction information until such prospective 832 
employee has been deemed otherwise qualified for the position in 833 
accordance with the provisions of section 31-51i, as amended by this act. 834 
(c) A person may be denied employment by the state or any of its 835 
agencies, or a person may be denied a license, permit, certificate or 836 
registration to pursue, practice or engage in an occupation, trade, 837  Substitute Bill No. 1019 
 
 
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vocation, profession or business [by reason of the prior conviction of a 838 
crime] on the basis of that person's conviction information if, after 839 
considering (1) the nature of the crime and its relationship to the job for 840 
which the person has applied; (2) information pertaining to the degree 841 
of rehabilitation of the convicted person; and (3) the time elapsed since 842 
the conviction or release, the state or any of its agencies determines that 843 
the applicant is not suitable for the position of employment sought or 844 
the specific occupation, trade, vocation, profession or business for which 845 
the license, permit, certificate or registration is sought. In making a 846 
determination under this subsection, the state or any of its agencies shall 847 
give consideration to a provisional pardon issued pursuant to section 848 
54-130e, or a certificate of rehabilitation issued pursuant to section 54-849 
108f or 54-130e, and such provisional pardon or certificate of 850 
rehabilitation shall establish a presumption that such applicant has been 851 
rehabilitated. If an application is denied based on [a] conviction 852 
information for which the applicant has received a provisional pardon 853 
or certificate of rehabilitation, the state or any of its agencies, as the case 854 
may be, shall provide a written statement to the applicant of its reasons 855 
for such denial. 856 
(d) If [a conviction of a crime] conviction information is used as a 857 
basis for rejection of an applicant, such rejection shall be in writing and 858 
specifically state the evidence presented and reasons for rejection. A 859 
copy of such rejection shall be sent by registered mail to the applicant. 860 
(e) In no case may [records of arrest, which are not followed by a 861 
conviction, or records of convictions, which have been erased] erased 862 
criminal history record information, as defined in section 9 of this act, 863 
nonconviction information, as defined in section 54-142g, as amended 864 
by this act, or criminal history record information, as defined in section 865 
54-142g, as amended by this act, apart from conviction information, be 866 
used, distributed or disseminated by the state or any of its agencies in 867 
connection with an application for employment or for a permit, license, 868 
certificate or registration. 869 
(f) Nothing in this section shall permit any employer to discriminate 870  Substitute Bill No. 1019 
 
 
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on the basis of erased criminal history record information in violation of 871 
section 31-51i, as amended by this act, or section 17 of this act. 872 
Sec. 32. Subsection (a) of section 46a-81 of the general statutes is 873 
repealed and the following is substituted in lieu thereof (Effective January 874 
1, 2023): 875 
(a) Except as provided in section 36a-489, the provisions of sections 876 
46a-79 to 46a-81, inclusive, as amended by this act, shall prevail over any 877 
other provisions of law which purport to govern the denial of licenses, 878 
permits, certificates, registrations, or other means to engage in an 879 
occupation, trade, vocation, business or profession, on the grounds of a 880 
lack of good moral character, or which purport to govern the suspension 881 
or revocation of a license, permit, certificate or registration on the 882 
grounds of conviction [of a crime] information, as defined in section 54-883 
142g, as amended by this act. 884 
Sec. 33. Subsection (b) of section 54-142g of the general statutes is 885 
repealed and the following is substituted in lieu thereof (Effective January 886 
1, 2023): 887 
(b) "Criminal justice agency" means any court with criminal 888 
jurisdiction, the Department of Motor Vehicles or any other 889 
governmental agency created by statute which is authorized by law and 890 
engages, in fact, as its principal function in activities constituting the 891 
administration of criminal justice, including, but not limited to, 892 
organized municipal police departments, the Division of Criminal 893 
Justice, the Department of Emergency Services and Public Protection, 894 
including the Division of State Police, the Department of Correction, the 895 
Court Support Services Division, the Office of Policy and Management, 896 
the state's attorneys, assistant state's attorneys and deputy assistant 897 
state's attorneys, the Board of Pardons and Paroles, the Chief Medical 898 
Examiner and the Office of the Victim Advocate. "Criminal justice 899 
agency" includes any component of a public, noncriminal justice agency 900 
if such component is created by statute and is authorized by law and, in 901 
fact, engages in activities constituting the administration of criminal 902  Substitute Bill No. 1019 
 
 
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justice as its principal function. 903 
Sec. 34. Section 52-180b of the general statutes is repealed and the 904 
following is substituted in lieu thereof (Effective January 1, 2023): 905 
There shall be a rebuttable presumption against admission of 906 
evidence of the prior criminal conviction of an applicant or employee in 907 
an action alleging that an employer has been negligent in hiring an 908 
applicant or retaining an employee, or in supervising the employer's 909 
agent, representative or designee with respect to hiring an applicant or 910 
retaining an employee, if the applicant or employee held a valid 911 
provisional pardon or certificate of rehabilitation at the time such 912 
alleged negligence occurred and a party establishes, by a preponderance 913 
of the evidence, that the employer knew that the applicant or employee 914 
held a valid provisional pardon or certificate of rehabilitation at the time 915 
such alleged negligence occurred. For the purposes of this section, 916 
"employer" has the same meaning as provided in section [31-51i] 9 of 917 
this act. 918 
Sec. 35. (NEW) (Effective October 1, 2021) (a) Notwithstanding any 919 
provision of the general statutes, any offense which constitutes a breach 920 
of any law of this state for which a person may be sentenced to a term 921 
of imprisonment of up to but not exceeding one year shall be punishable 922 
by imprisonment for a period not to exceed three hundred sixty-four 923 
days. A misdemeanor conviction for which a person was sentenced to a 924 
term of imprisonment of one year shall continue to be deemed a 925 
misdemeanor conviction after the maximum term of imprisonment is 926 
reduced pursuant to this section. 927 
(b) The provisions of this section apply to any term of imprisonment 928 
for which a person was sentenced to before, on or after October 1, 2021. 929 
(c) Any person sentenced to a term of imprisonment of one year, prior 930 
to October 1, 2021, for any offense previously punishable by a term of 931 
imprisonment of up to but not exceeding one year, may apply to the 932 
court that entered the judgment of conviction to have the term of 933  Substitute Bill No. 1019 
 
 
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sentence modified to the maximum term of imprisonment for a period 934 
not to exceed three hundred sixty-four days. Any such application may 935 
be filed at any time and the court shall issue such modification 936 
regardless of the date of conviction, provided the record of such 937 
sentence has not been destroyed. 938 
This act shall take effect as follows and shall amend the following 
sections: 
 
Section 1 July 1, 2021 54-124a(l) 
Sec. 2 January 1, 2023 54-130a 
Sec. 3 January 1, 2023 54-142a 
Sec. 4 January 1, 2023 54-142d 
Sec. 5 January 1, 2023 New section 
Sec. 6 January 1, 2023 54-142e 
Sec. 7 July 1, 2021 29-11(c) 
Sec. 8 January 1, 2023 54-142k(d) 
Sec. 9 January 1, 2023 New section 
Sec. 10 January 1, 2023 46a-51(7) and (8) 
Sec. 11 October 1, 2021 New section 
Sec. 12 October 1, 2021 New section 
Sec. 13 January 1, 2023 8-265c 
Sec. 14 January 1, 2023 8-315 
Sec. 15 January 1, 2023 31-51i 
Sec. 16 October 1, 2021 New section 
Sec. 17 October 1, 2021 New section 
Sec. 18 October 1, 2021 New section 
Sec. 19 October 1, 2021 New section 
Sec. 20 October 1, 2021 New section 
Sec. 21 October 1, 2021 New section 
Sec. 22 October 1, 2021 New section 
Sec. 23 October 1, 2021 New section 
Sec. 24 October 1, 2021 New section 
Sec. 25 January 1, 2023 10a-6(b) 
Sec. 26 October 1, 2021 New section 
Sec. 27 January 1, 2023 38a-358 
Sec. 28 January 1, 2023 38a-447 
Sec. 29 January 1, 2023 46a-74 
Sec. 30 January 1, 2023 46a-79  Substitute Bill No. 1019 
 
 
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Sec. 31 January 1, 2023 46a-80 
Sec. 32 January 1, 2023 46a-81(a) 
Sec. 33 January 1, 2023 54-142g(b) 
Sec. 34 January 1, 2023 52-180b 
Sec. 35 October 1, 2021 New section 
 
 
JUD Joint Favorable Subst.  
APP Joint Favorable