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General Assembly Substitute Bill No. 1080
January Session, 2023
AN ACT CONCERNING TRANSPORTATION SERVICES FOR
PERSONS WITH INTELLECTUAL AND DEVELOPMENTAL
DISABILITIES.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General
Assembly convened:
Section 1. (NEW) (Effective from passage) (a) On and after July 1, 2023, 1
the Department of Transportation shall provide for fare-free bus public 2
transportation services for persons with intellectual or developmental 3
disabilities who receive services from the Department of 4
Developmental Services. The cost of such transportation services shall 5
be paid from the funds appropriated to the Department of 6
Transportation. The Department of Transportation, in coordination 7
with the Department of Developmental Services , shall make 8
applications for a fare-free transit identification card available to such 9
persons. Any such identification card shall include a photograph of 10
such person. 11
(b) On and after July 1, 2023, the Department of Transportation shall 12
provide for reduced fares for intrastate rail service by commuter 13
railroad systems for persons with intellectual or developmental 14
disabilities who receive services from the Department of 15
Developmental Services. Such reduced fares shall be one-half the 16
amount of the fare charged for such rail service by a commuter 17
railroad system. The cost of such reduced fares shall be paid from the 18
funds appropriated to the Department of Transportation. The 19 Substitute Bill No. 1080
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Department of Transportation, in coordination with the Department of 20
Developmental Services, shall make applications for an identification 21
card for reduced fare rail services available to such persons. Any such 22
identification card shall include a photograph of such person. 23
Sec. 2. (Effective from passage) The Commissioners of Transportation 24
and Developmental Services, in conjunction with each transit district 25
established under chapter 103a of the general statutes or any special 26
act, shall study the demand and need for state-wide and local 27
transportation services for persons with intellectual or developmental 28
disabilities. Such study shall include, but need not be limited to, (1) 29
expanding the hours of operation, including the evening hours, for rail 30
service on commuter railroad systems and state-owned or controlled 31
bus public transportation services, (2) determining the daily 32
transportation needs of such persons, including traveling to and from 33
work, educational facilities, medical appointments, stores and other 34
places in order to enjoy life's amenities, and (3) a specific analysis of 35
the transit services provided by each transit district that identifies 36
locations underserved by such transit district and specific routes for 37
possible expansion to meet the demand and needs for such transit 38
services and the costs associated with servicing such locations and 39
expanding such routes. On or before February 1, 2024, the 40
commissioners shall submit the results of such study and 41
recommendations, in accordance with the provisions of section 11-4a 42
of the general statutes, to the joint standing committees of the General 43
Assembly having cognizance of matters relating to transportation and 44
human services. 45
Sec. 3. (NEW) (Effective from passage) Not later than January 1, 2024, 46
each transit district established under chapter 103a of the general 47
statutes or any special act shall develop a process by which an 48
employer who employs at least ten employees with intellectual or 49
developmental disabilities or a provider of community-based services 50
for at least ten persons with intellectual or developmental disabilities 51
may request the district to construct and maintain a bus stop or shelter 52 Substitute Bill No. 1080
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at or near such employer's or provider's location. Each transit district 53
shall post such process in a conspicuous plan on the district's Internet 54
web site. 55
Sec. 4. (Effective from passage) On or before October 1, 2023, the 56
Department of Developmental Services shall issue a request for 57
proposals for the provision of nonmedical transportation services for 58
persons with intellectual or developmental disabilities whose 59
transportation needs are not currently served by public transportation 60
in the state. Such nonmedical transportation services shall provide 61
transportation to and from work, educational facilities, medical 62
appointments, stores and other places in order for such persons to 63
enjoy life's amenities. 64
Sec. 5. (NEW) (Effective from passage) The Department of 65
Transportation, in consultation with the Department of Developmental 66
Services, shall ensure persons with intellectual or developmental 67
disabilities who receive services from the Depa rtment of 68
Developmental Services have access to any travel training program 69
funded by the Department of Transportation that provides instruction 70
on how to safely use commuter railroad systems and bus public 71
transportation services. 72
Sec. 6. (NEW) (Effective from passage) For the purposes of this section, 73
"carrier" has the same meaning as provided in section 14-212 of the 74
general statutes and "school bus driver" has the same meaning as 75
provided in section 14-276b of the general statutes. The Department of 76
Developmental Services, in consultation with the Department of Motor 77
Vehicles, shall develop and make available to carriers and school bus 78
drivers online training resources or videos that provide instruction and 79
best practices concerning ways to appropriately interact with persons 80
with intellectual or developmental disabilities. The departments shall 81
post such training resources or videos in a conspicuous place on their 82
respective Internet web sites. 83
Sec. 7. (NEW) (Effective from passage) Not later than October 1, 2023, 84 Substitute Bill No. 1080
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the Commissioner of Motor Vehicles shall offer appointments to 85
students with disabilities, including, but not limited to, students with 86
intellectual or developmental disabilities, for the on-the-road skills test 87
portion of the examination for a motor vehicles operator's license at 88
drivers' schools, licensed in accordance with the provisions of section 89
14-69 of the general statutes. The on-the-road skills test shall be 90
administered by a motor vehicle inspector agent or an agent of the 91
commissioner and shall be made available to such students of such 92
schools who are otherwise eligible to take such test. 93
Sec. 8. Subsection (b) of section 14-253a of the general statutes is 94
repealed and the following is substituted in lieu thereof (Effective July 95
1, 2023): 96
(b) The Commissioner of Motor Vehicles shall accept applications 97
and renewal applications for removable windshield placards from (1) 98
any person who is blind, as defined in section 1-1f; (2) any person with 99
disabilities; (3) any parent or guardian of any person who is blind or 100
any person with disabilities, if such person is under eighteen years of 101
age at the time of application; (4) any parent or guardian of any person 102
who is blind or any person with disabilities, if such person is unable to 103
request or complete an application; and (5) any organization which 104
meets criteria established by the commissioner and which certifies to 105
the commissioner's satisfaction that the vehicle for which a placard is 106
requested is primarily used to transport persons who are blind or 107
persons with disabilities. Except as provided in subsection (c) of this 108
section, on and after October 1, 2011, the commissioner shall not accept 109
applications for special license plates, but shall accept renewal 110
applications for such plates that were issued prior to October 1, 2011. 111
No person shall be issued a placard in accordance with this section 112
unless such person is the holder of a valid motor vehicle operator's 113
license, or identification card issued in accordance with the provisions 114
of section 1-1h. The commissioner is authorized to adopt regulations 115
for the issuance of placards to persons who, by reason of hardship, do 116
not hold or cannot obtain an operator's license or identification card. 117 Substitute Bill No. 1080
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The commissioner shall maintain a record of each placard issued to 118
any such person. Such applications and renewal applications shall be 119
on a form prescribed by the commissioner. The application and 120
renewal application shall include: (A) Certification by a licensed 121
physician, a physician assistant, an advanced practice registered nurse 122
licensed in accordance with the provisions of chapter 378, or a member 123
of the driver training unit for persons with disabilities established 124
pursuant to section 14-11b, that the applicant meets the definition of a 125
person with a disability which limits or impairs the ability to walk, as 126
defined in 23 CFR Section 1235.2; or (B) certification by a psychiatrist 127
who is employed by, or under contract with, the United States 128
Department of Veterans Affairs that the applicant (i) is a veteran, as 129
defined in subsection (a) of section 27-103, who has post-traumatic 130
stress disorder certified as service-connected by the United States 131
Department of Veterans Affairs, and (ii) meets the definition of a 132
person with a disability which limits or impairs the ability to walk, as 133
defined in 23 CFR Section 1235.2. In the case of persons who are blind, 134
the application or renewal application shall include certification of 135
legal blindness made by the Department of Aging and Disability 136
Services, an ophthalmologist or an optometrist. Any person who 137
makes a certification required by this subsection shall sign the 138
application or renewal application under penalty of false statement 139
pursuant to section 53a-157b. The commissioner, in said 140
commissioner's discretion, may accept the discharge papers of a 141
disabled veteran, as defined in section 14-254, in lieu of such 142
certification. The Commissioner of Motor Vehicles may require 143
additional certification at the time of the original application or at any 144
time thereafter. If a person who has been requested to submit 145
additional certification fails to do so within thirty days of the request, 146
or if such additional certification is deemed by the Commissioner of 147
Motor Vehicles to be unfavorable to the applicant, the commissioner 148
may refuse to issue or, if already issued, suspend or revoke such 149
special license plate or placard. The commissioner shall not issue more 150
than one placard per applicant, except the commissioner shall issue 151
one placard to each applicant who is a parent, [or] guardian or 152 Substitute Bill No. 1080
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caregiver of any person who is blind or any person with disabilities, 153
provided no more than [two] three such placards shall be issued on 154
behalf of such person. The fee for the issuance of a temporary 155
removable windshield placard shall be five dollars. Any person whose 156
application has been denied or whose special license plate or placard 157
has been suspended or revoked shall be afforded an opportunity for a 158
hearing in accordance with the provisions of chapter 54. 159
This act shall take effect as follows and shall amend the following
sections:
Section 1 from passage New section
Sec. 2 from passage New section
Sec. 3 from passage New section
Sec. 4 from passage New section
Sec. 5 from passage New section
Sec. 6 from passage New section
Sec. 7 from passage New section
Sec. 8 July 1, 2023 14-253a(b)
Statement of Legislative Commissioners:
In Section 3, "January 1, 2023" was changed to "January 1, 2024" for
accuracy; and in Section 7, "of such schools" was added for clarity.
TRA Joint Favorable Subst. -LCO