Connecticut 2022 Regular Session

Connecticut Senate Bill SB00123 Latest Draft

Bill / Comm Sub Version Filed 04/04/2022

                             
 
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General Assembly  Substitute Bill No. 123  
February Session, 2022 
 
 
 
 
 
AN ACT EXPANDING ELIGIBILITY FOR THE ADDRESS 
CONFIDENTIALITY PROGRAM.  
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General 
Assembly convened: 
 
Section 1. Section 54-240 of the general statutes is repealed and the 1 
following is substituted in lieu thereof (Effective July 1, 2022): 2 
As used in this chapter: 3 
(1) "Address confidentiality program" or "program" means the 4 
program established pursuant to this chapter; 5 
(2) "Agency" has the same meaning as "public agency" or "agency", as 6 
provided in section 1-200; 7 
(3) "Application assistant" means a person authorized by the 8 
Secretary of the State to assist applicants in the completion of 9 
applications for program participation; 10 
(4) "Authorized personnel" means an employee in the office of the 11 
Secretary of the State who has been designated by the Secretary of the 12 
State, or an employee of an agency who has been designated by the chief 13 
executive officer of such agency, to process and have access to records 14 
pertaining to a program participant, including, but not limited to, voter 15 
registration applications, voting records and marriage records; 16  Substitute Bill No. 123 
 
 
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(5) "Certification card" means a card issued by the Secretary of the 17 
State pursuant to section 54-240d; 18 
(6) "Confidential address" means a program participant's address or 19 
addresses as listed on such participant's application for program 20 
participation that are not to be disclosed, including such participant's 21 
residential address in this state and work and school addresses in this 22 
state, if any; 23 
(7) "Family violence" has the same meaning as provided in section 24 
46b-38a; 25 
(8) "Injury or risk of injury to a child" means any act or conduct that 26 
constitutes a violation of section 53-21; 27 
(9) "Kidnapping" means any act that constitutes a violation of section 28 
53a-92, 53a-92a, 53a-94 or 53a-94a; 29 
[(9)] (10) "Law enforcement agency" means the office of the Attorney 30 
General, the office of the Chief State's Attorney, the Division of State 31 
Police within the Department of Emergency Services and Public 32 
Protection or any municipal police department; 33 
[(10)] (11) "Marriage records" means an application for a marriage 34 
license, an issued marriage license, a license certificate or other 35 
documents related thereto; 36 
[(11)] (12) "Program address" means the post office box number and 37 
fictitious street address assigned to a program participant by the 38 
Secretary of the State; 39 
[(12)] (13) "Program participant" or "participant" means any person 40 
certified by the Secretary of the State to participate in the address 41 
confidentiality program; 42 
[(13)] (14) "Record" has the same meaning as "public records or files" 43 
as provided in section 1-200; 44  Substitute Bill No. 123 
 
 
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[(14)] (15) "Sexual assault" means any act that constitutes a violation 45 
of section 53a-70b of the general statutes, revision of 1958, revised to 46 
January 1, 2019, or section 53a-70, 53a-70a, 53a-71, 53a-72a, 53a-72b or 47 
53a-73a; [and] 48 
[(15)] (16) "Stalking" means any act that constitutes a violation of 49 
section 53a-181c, 53a-181d or 53a-181e; and 50 
(17) "Trafficking in persons" means any act that constitutes a violation 51 
of section 53a-192a. 52 
Sec. 2. Section 54-240a of the general statutes is repealed and the 53 
following is substituted in lieu thereof (Effective July 1, 2022): 54 
(a) There shall be an address confidentiality program established in 55 
the office of the Secretary of the State to provide a substitute mailing 56 
address for any person who wishes to keep such person's residential 57 
address confidential because of safety concerns and (1) has been a victim 58 
of (A) family violence, (B) injury or risk of injury to a child, (C) 59 
kidnapping, (D) sexual assault, [or] (E) stalking, [and who wishes to 60 
keep such person's residential address confidential because of safety 61 
concerns] (F) trafficking in persons, or (G) child abuse or neglect 62 
substantiated by the Department of Children and Families, or (2) filed a 63 
petition or had a petition filed on such person's behalf for the 64 
termination of parental rights that was granted pursuant to section 45a-65 
717 or 46b-129. 66 
(b) The Secretary of the State shall adopt regulations, in accordance 67 
with the provisions of chapter 54, to carry out the provisions of this 68 
chapter. Such regulations may include, but need not be limited to, 69 
provisions for applications for participation in the address 70 
confidentiality program, certification of program participants, 71 
certification cancellation, agency use of program addresses, forwarding 72 
of program participants' mail, voting by program participants and 73 
recording of vital statistics for program participants. 74 
Sec. 3. Section 54-240c of the general statutes is repealed and the 75  Substitute Bill No. 123 
 
 
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following is substituted in lieu thereof (Effective July 1, 2022): 76 
The Secretary of the State shall certify an applicant or the person on 77 
whose behalf an application is made as a program participant if the 78 
application is filed in the manner and on the application form prescribed 79 
by the Secretary of the State and includes: 80 
(1) A statement made under penalty of false statement, as provided 81 
in section 53a-157b, that [(A)] the applicant or the person on whose 82 
behalf the application is made (A) is a victim of (i) family violence, (ii) 83 
injury or risk of injury to a minor, (iii) kidnapping, (iv) sexual assault, 84 
[or] (v) stalking, (vi) trafficking in persons, or (vii) child abuse or neglect 85 
substantiated by the Department of Children and Families, or (B) filed a 86 
petition or had a petition filed on such applicant or person's behalf for 87 
the termination of parental rights that was granted pursuant to section 88 
45a-717 or 46b-129, and [(B)] (C) the applicant fears for the [applicant's 89 
safety, for the safety of the applicant's children, for the safety of the 90 
person on whose behalf the application is made, or for the safety of the 91 
children] safety of the applicant, children living in the applicant's home, 92 
the person on whose behalf the application is made or children living in 93 
the home of the person on whose behalf the application is made; 94 
(2) Documentation supporting the statement made pursuant to 95 
subdivision (1) of this section; 96 
(3) A designation of the Secretary of the State as the agent of the 97 
applicant or the person on whose behalf the application is made for 98 
service of process and for receipt of first class mail; 99 
(4) The residential address in this state, the work and school 100 
addresses in this state, if any, and the phone number or numbers, if 101 
available, that are to remain confidential, but which may be used by the 102 
Secretary of the State or authorized personnel to contact the applicant 103 
or the person on whose behalf the application is made; and 104 
(5) The application preparation date, the applicant's signature and the 105 
signature of the application assistant who assisted the applicant in 106  Substitute Bill No. 123 
 
 
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completing the application.107 
This act shall take effect as follows and shall amend the following 
sections: 
 
Section 1 July 1, 2022 54-240 
Sec. 2 July 1, 2022 54-240a 
Sec. 3 July 1, 2022 54-240c 
 
KID Joint Favorable Subst.