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General Assembly Substitute Bill No. 5414
February Session, 2024
AN ACT CONCERNING ADDITIONAL LEGAL PROTECTIONS UNDER
THE COMMISSION ON HUMAN RIGHTS AND OPPORTUNITIES
STATUTES FOR VICTIMS OF SEXUAL ASSAULT, TRAFFICKING IN
PERSONS AND STALKING.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General
Assembly convened:
Section 1. Section 46a-51 of the 2024 supplement to the general 1
statutes is repealed and the following is substituted in lieu thereof 2
(Effective October 1, 2024): 3
As used in section 4a-60a and this chapter: 4
(1) "Blind" refers to an individual whose central visual acuity does 5
not exceed 20/200 in the better eye with correcting lenses, or whose 6
visual acuity is greater than 20/200 but is accompanied by a limitation 7
in the fields of vision such that the widest diameter of the visual field 8
subtends an angle no greater than twenty degrees; 9
(2) "Commission" means the Commission on Human Rights and 10
Opportunities created by section 46a-52; 11
(3) "Commission legal counsel" means a member of the legal staff 12
employed by the commission pursuant to section 46a-54, as amended 13
by this act; 14 Substitute Bill No. 5414
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(4) "Commissioner" means a member of the commission; 15
(5) "Court" means the Superior Court or any judge of said court; 16
(6) "Discrimination" includes segregation and separation; 17
(7) "Discriminatory employment practice" means any discriminatory 18
practice specified in subsection (b), (d), (e) or (f) of section 31-51i or 19
section 46a-60, as amended by this act, or 46a-81c; 20
(8) "Discriminatory practice" means a violation of section 4a-60, as 21
amended by this act, 4a-60a, 4a-60g, 31-40y, subsection (b), (d), (e) or (f) 22
of section 31-51i, subparagraph (C) of subdivision (15) of section 46a-54, 23
subdivisions (16) and (17) of section 46a-54, section 46a-58, as amended 24
by this act, 46a-59, as amended by this act, 46a-60, as amended by this 25
act, 46a-64, as amended by this act, 46a-64c, as amended by this act, 46a-26
66, as amended by this act, 46a-68, 46a-68c to 46a-68f, inclusive, or 46a-27
70 to 46a-78, inclusive, as amended by this act, subsection (a) of section 28
46a-80 or sections 46a-81b to 46a-81o, inclusive, and sections 46a-80b to 29
46a-80e, inclusive, and sections 46a-80k to 46a-80m, inclusive; 30
(9) "Employee" means any person employed by an employer but shall 31
not include any individual employed by such individual's parents, 32
spouse or child. "Employee" includes any elected or appointed official 33
of a municipality, board, commission, counsel or other governmental 34
body; 35
(10) "Employer" includes the state and all political subdivisions 36
thereof and means any person or employer with one or more persons in 37
such person's or employer's employ; 38
(11) "Employment agency" means any person undertaking with or 39
without compensation to procure employees or opportunities to work; 40
(12) "Labor organization" means any organization which exists for the 41
purpose, in whole or in part, of collective bargaining or of dealing with 42
employers concerning grievances, terms or conditions of employment, 43
or of other mutual aid or protection in connection with employment; 44 Substitute Bill No. 5414
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(13) "Intellectual disability" means intellectual disability as defined in 45
section 1-1g; 46
(14) "Person" means one or more individuals, partnerships, 47
associations, corporations, limited liability companies, legal 48
representatives, trustees, trustees in bankruptcy, receivers and the state 49
and all political subdivisions and agencies thereof; 50
(15) "Physically disabled" refers to any individual who has any 51
chronic physical handicap, infirmity or impairment, whether congenital 52
or resulting from bodily injury, organic processes or changes or from 53
illness, including, but not limited to, epilepsy, deafness or being hard of 54
hearing or reliance on a wheelchair or other remedial appliance or 55
device; 56
(16) "Respondent" means any person alleged in a complaint filed 57
pursuant to section 46a-82 to have committed a discriminatory practice; 58
(17) "Discrimination on the basis of sex" includes but is not limited to 59
discrimination related to pregnancy, child-bearing capacity, 60
sterilization, fertility or related medical conditions; 61
(18) "Discrimination on the basis of religious creed" includes but is 62
not limited to discrimination related to all aspects of religious 63
observances and practice as well as belief, unless an employer 64
demonstrates that the employer is unable to reasonably accommodate 65
to an employee's or prospective employee's religious observance or 66
practice without undue hardship on the conduct of the employer's 67
business; 68
(19) "Learning disability" refers to an individual who exhibits a severe 69
discrepancy between educational performance and measured 70
intellectual ability and who exhibits a disorder in one or more of the 71
basic psychological processes involved in understanding or in using 72
language, spoken or written, which may manifest itself in a diminished 73
ability to listen, speak, read, write, spell or to do mathematical 74
calculations; 75 Substitute Bill No. 5414
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(20) "Mental disability" refers to an individual who has a record of, or 76
is regarded as having one or more mental disorders, as defined in the 77
most recent edition of the American Psychiatric Association's 78
"Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders"; [and] 79
(21) "Gender identity or expression" means a person's gender-related 80
identity, appearance or behavior, whether or not that gender-related 81
identity, appearance or behavior is different from that traditionally 82
associated with the person's physiology or assigned sex at birth, which 83
gender-related identity can be shown by providing evidence including, 84
but not limited to, medical history, care or treatment of the gender-85
related identity, consistent and uniform assertion of the gender-related 86
identity or any other evidence that the gender-related identity is 87
sincerely held, part of a person's core identity or not being asserted for 88
an improper purpose; 89
(22) "Veteran" means veteran as defined in subsection (a) of section 90
27-103; 91
(23) "Race" is inclusive of ethnic traits historically associated with 92
race, including, but not limited to, hair texture and protective hairstyles; 93
(24) "Protective hairstyles" includes, but is not limited to, wigs, 94
headwraps and hairstyles such as individual braids, cornrows, locs, 95
twists, Bantu knots, afros and afro puffs; 96
(25) "Domestic violence" has the same meaning as provided in 97
subsection (b) of section 46b-1; [and] 98
(26) "Sexual orientation" means a person's identity in relation to the 99
gender or genders to which they are romantically, emotionally or 100
sexually attracted, inclusive of any identity that a person (A) may have 101
previously expressed, or (B) is perceived by another person to hold; 102
(27) "Victim of sexual assault" means a victim of sexual assault under 103
section 53a-70, 53a-70a, 53a-70b, revision of 1958, revised to January 1, 104
2019, 53a-70c, 53a-71, 53a-72, revision of 1958, revised to January 1, 1975, 105 Substitute Bill No. 5414
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53a-72a, 53a-72b, 53a-73, revision of 1958, revised to the 1969 106
supplement of the general statutes or 53a-73a; 107
(28) "Victim of trafficking in persons" means a victim of trafficking in 108
persons under section 53a-192a; and 109
(29) "Victim of stalking" means a victim of stalking under section 53a-110
181c, 53a-181d, 53a-181e or 53a-181f. 111
Sec. 2. Subdivisions (19) and (20) of section 46a-54 of the general 112
statutes are repealed and the following is substituted in lieu thereof 113
(Effective October 1, 2024): 114
(19) To require each state agency to provide a minimum of one hour 115
of training and education related to domestic violence, sexual assault, 116
trafficking in persons and stalking and the resources available to victims 117
of domestic violence, sexual assault, trafficking in persons and stalking 118
(A) to all employees hired prior to January 1, [2023] 2025, not later than 119
July 1, [2023] 2025, and (B) to all employees hired on or after January 1, 120
[2023] 2025, not later than six months after their assumption of a position 121
with a state agency. Such training and education shall include 122
information concerning (i) domestic violence, [abuser] sexual assault, 123
trafficking in persons and stalking perpetrator and victim behaviors; (ii) 124
how domestic violence, sexual assault, trafficking in persons and 125
stalking may impact the workplace; and (iii) the resources available to 126
victims of domestic violence, sexual assault, trafficking in persons and 127
stalking. The requirements of this subdivision shall be accomplished 128
within available appropriations using the training and education 129
materials made available by the commission in accordance with the 130
provisions of subdivision (10) of subsection (a) of section 46a-56, as 131
amended by this act; and 132
(20) To require an employer having three or more employees to post 133
in a prominent and accessible location information concerning domestic 134
violence, sexual assault, trafficking in persons and stalking and the 135
resources available to victims of domestic violence, sexual assault, 136
trafficking in persons and stalking in Connecticut. 137 Substitute Bill No. 5414
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Sec. 3. Subdivisions (9) and (10) of subsection (a) of section 46a-56 of 138
the 2024 supplement to the general statutes are repealed and the 139
following is substituted in lieu thereof (Effective October 1, 2024): 140
(9) Develop, in conjunction with organizations that advocate on 141
behalf of victims of domestic violence, sexual assault, trafficking in 142
persons and stalking, and include on the commission's Internet web site 143
a link concerning domestic violence, sexual assault, trafficking in 144
persons and stalking and the resources available to victims of domestic 145
violence, sexual assault, trafficking in persons and stalking; and 146
(10) Develop, in conjunction with organizations that advocate on 147
behalf of victims of domestic violence, sexual assault, trafficking in 148
persons and stalking, and make available at no cost to each state agency 149
an online training and education video or other interactive method of 150
training and education that fulfills the requirements prescribed in 151
subdivision (19) of section 46a-54, as amended by this act. 152
Sec. 4. Section 46a-58 of the 2024 supplement to the general statutes 153
is repealed and the following is substituted in lieu thereof (Effective 154
October 1, 2024): 155
(a) It shall be a discriminatory practice in violation of this section for 156
any person to subject, or cause to be subjected, any other person to the 157
deprivation of any rights, privileges or immunities, secured or protected 158
by the Constitution or laws of this state or of the United States, on 159
account of religion, national origin, alienage, color, race, sex, gender 160
identity or expression, sexual orientation, blindness, mental disability, 161
physical disability, age, status as a veteran, [or] status as a victim of 162
domestic violence, status as a victim of sexual assault, status as a victim 163
of trafficking in persons or status as a victim of stalking. 164
(b) Any person who intentionally desecrates any public property, 165
monument or structure, or any religious object, symbol or house of 166
religious worship, or any cemetery, or any private structure not owned 167
by such person, shall be in violation of subsection (a) of this section. For 168
the purposes of this subsection, "desecrate" means to mar, deface or 169 Substitute Bill No. 5414
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damage as a demonstration of irreverence or contempt. 170
(c) Any person who places a burning cross or a simulation thereof on 171
any public property, or on any private property without the written 172
consent of the owner, and with intent to intimidate or harass any other 173
person or group of persons, shall be in violation of subsection (a) of this 174
section. 175
(d) Any person who places a noose or a simulation thereof on any 176
public property, or on any private property without the written consent 177
of the owner, and with intent to intimidate or harass any other person 178
on account of religion, national origin, alienage, color, race, sex, gender 179
identity or expression, sexual orientation, blindness, mental disability, 180
physical disability, age, status as a veteran, [or] status as a victim of 181
domestic violence, status as a victim of sexual assault, status as a victim 182
of trafficking in persons or status as a victim of stalking, shall be in 183
violation of subsection (a) of this section. 184
(e) (1) Except as provided in subdivision (2) of this subsection, any 185
person who violates any provision of this section shall be guilty of a 186
class A misdemeanor and shall be fined not less than one thousand 187
dollars, except that if property is damaged as a consequence of such 188
violation in an amount in excess of one thousand dollars, such person 189
shall be guilty of a class D felony and shall be fined not less than one 190
thousand dollars. 191
(2) Any person who violates the provisions of this section by 192
intentionally desecrating a house of religious worship (A) shall be guilty 193
of a class D felony and shall be fined not less than one thousand dollars 194
if property is damaged as a consequence of such violation in an amount 195
up to and including ten thousand dollars, and (B) shall be guilty of a 196
class C felony and shall be fined not less than three thousand dollars if 197
the property damaged as a consequence of such violation is in an 198
amount in excess of ten thousand dollars. 199
(3) The minimum amount of any fine imposed by the provisions of 200
this section may not be remitted or reduced by the court unless the court 201 Substitute Bill No. 5414
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states on the record its reasons for remitting or reducing such fine. 202
(4) The court may order restitution for any victim of a violation of this 203
section pursuant to subsection (c) of section 53a-28. 204
Sec. 5. Section 46a-59 of the general statutes is repealed and the 205
following is substituted in lieu thereof (Effective October 1, 2024): 206
(a) It shall be a discriminatory practice in violation of this section for 207
any association, board or other organization the principal purpose of 208
which is the furtherance of the professional or occupational interests of 209
its members, whose profession, trade or occupation requires a state 210
license, to refuse to accept a person as a member of such association, 211
board or organization because of his race, national origin, creed, sex, 212
gender identity or expression, color, status as a veteran, [or] status as a 213
victim of domestic violence, status as a victim of sexual assault, status 214
as a victim of trafficking in persons or status as a victim of stalking. 215
(b) Any association, board or other organization which violates the 216
provisions of this section shall be fined not less than one hundred 217
dollars nor more than five hundred dollars. 218
Sec. 6. Subsection (b) of section 46a-60 of the general statutes is 219
repealed and the following is substituted in lieu thereof (Effective October 220
1, 2024): 221
(b) It shall be a discriminatory practice in violation of this section: 222
(1) For an employer, by the employer or the employer's agent, except 223
in the case of a bona fide occupational qualification or need, to refuse to 224
hire or employ or to bar or to discharge from employment any 225
individual or to discriminate against any individual in compensation or 226
in terms, conditions or privileges of employment because of the 227
individual's race, color, religious creed, age, sex, gender identity or 228
expression, marital status, national origin, ancestry, present or past 229
history of mental disability, intellectual disability, learning disability, 230
physical disability, including, but not limited to, blindness, status as a 231 Substitute Bill No. 5414
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veteran, [or] status as a victim of domestic violence, status as a victim of 232
sexual assault, status as a victim of trafficking in persons or status as a 233
victim of stalking; 234
(2) For any employment agency, except in the case of a bona fide 235
occupational qualification or need, to fail or refuse to classify properly 236
or refer for employment or otherwise to discriminate against any 237
individual because of such individual's race, color, religious creed, age, 238
sex, gender identity or expression, marital status, national origin, 239
ancestry, present or past history of mental disability, intellectual 240
disability, learning disability, physical disability, including, but not 241
limited to, blindness, status as a veteran, [or] status as a victim of 242
domestic violence, status as a victim of sexual assault, status as a victim 243
of trafficking in persons or status as a victim of stalking; 244
(3) For a labor organization, because of the race, color, religious creed, 245
age, sex, gender identity or expression, marital status, national origin, 246
ancestry, present or past history of mental disability, intellectual 247
disability, learning disability, physical disability, including, but not 248
limited to, blindness, status as a veteran, [or] status as a victim of 249
domestic violence, status as a victim of sexual assault, status as a victim 250
of trafficking in persons or status as a victim of stalking of any 251
individual to exclude from full membership rights or to expel from its 252
membership such individual or to discriminate in any way against any 253
of its members or against any employer or any individual employed by 254
an employer, unless such action is based on a bona fide occupational 255
qualification; 256
(4) For any person, employer, labor organization or employment 257
agency to discharge, expel or otherwise discriminate against any person 258
because such person has opposed any discriminatory employment 259
practice or because such person has filed a complaint or testified or 260
assisted in any proceeding under section 46a-82, 46a-83 or 46a-84; 261
(5) For any person, whether an employer or an employee or not, to 262
aid, abet, incite, compel or coerce the doing of any act declared to be a 263 Substitute Bill No. 5414
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discriminatory employment practice or to attempt to do so; 264
(6) For any person, employer, employment agency or labor 265
organization, except in the case of a bona fide occupational qualification 266
or need, to advertise employment opportunities in such a manner as to 267
restrict such employment so as to discriminate against individuals 268
because of their race, color, religious creed, age, sex, gender identity or 269
expression, marital status, national origin, ancestry, present or past 270
history of mental disability, intellectual disability, learning disability, 271
physical disability, including, but not limited to, blindness, status as a 272
veteran, [or] status as a victim of domestic violence, status as a victim of 273
sexual assault, status as a victim of trafficking in persons or status as a 274
victim of stalking; 275
(7) For an employer, by the employer or the employer's agent: (A) To 276
terminate a woman's employment because of her pregnancy; (B) to 277
refuse to grant to that employee a reasonable leave of absence for 278
disability resulting from her pregnancy; (C) to deny to that employee, 279
who is disabled as a result of pregnancy, any compensation to which 280
she is entitled as a result of the accumulation of disability or leave 281
benefits accrued pursuant to plans maintained by the employer; (D) to 282
fail or refuse to reinstate the employee to her original job or to an 283
equivalent position with equivalent pay and accumulated seniority, 284
retirement, fringe benefits and other service credits upon her signifying 285
her intent to return unless, in the case of a private employer, the 286
employer's circumstances have so changed as to make it impossible or 287
unreasonable to do so; (E) to limit, segregate or classify the employee in 288
a way that would deprive her of employment opportunities due to her 289
pregnancy; (F) to discriminate against an employee or person seeking 290
employment on the basis of her pregnancy in the terms or conditions of 291
her employment; (G) to fail or refuse to make a reasonable 292
accommodation for an employee or person seeking employment due to 293
her pregnancy, unless the employer can demonstrate that such 294
accommodation would impose an undue hardship on such employer; 295
(H) to deny employment opportunities to an employee or person 296
seeking employment if such denial is due to the employee's request for 297 Substitute Bill No. 5414
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a reasonable accommodation due to her pregnancy; (I) to force an 298
employee or person seeking employment affected by pregnancy to 299
accept a reasonable accommodation if such employee or person seeking 300
employment (i) does not have a known limitation related to her 301
pregnancy, or (ii) does not require a reasonable accommodation to 302
perform the essential duties related to her employment; (J) to require an 303
employee to take a leave of absence if a reasonable accommodation can 304
be provided in lieu of such leave; and (K) to retaliate against an 305
employee in the terms, conditions or privileges of her employment 306
based upon such employee's request for a reasonable accommodation; 307
(8) For an employer, by the employer or the employer's agent, for an 308
employment agency, by itself or its agent, or for any labor organization, 309
by itself or its agent, to harass any employee, person seeking 310
employment or member on the basis of sex or gender identity or 311
expression. If an employer takes immediate corrective action in 312
response to an employee's claim of sexual harassment, such corrective 313
action shall not modify the conditions of employment of the employee 314
making the claim of sexual harassment unless such employee agrees, in 315
writing, to any modification in the conditions of employment. 316
"Corrective action" taken by an employer, includes, but is not limited to, 317
employee relocation, assigning an employee to a different work 318
schedule or other substantive changes to an employee's terms and 319
conditions of employment. Notwithstanding an employer's failure to 320
obtain a written agreement from an employee concerning a modification 321
in the conditions of employment, the commission may find that 322
corrective action taken by an employer was reasonable and not of 323
detriment to the complainant based on the evidence presented to the 324
commission by the complainant and respondent. As used in this 325
subdivision, "sexual harassment" means any unwelcome sexual 326
advances or requests for sexual favors or any conduct of a sexual nature 327
when (A) submission to such conduct is made either explicitly or 328
implicitly a term or condition of an individual's employment, (B) 329
submission to or rejection of such conduct by an individual is used as 330
the basis for employment decisions affecting such individual, or (C) 331 Substitute Bill No. 5414
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such conduct has the purpose or effect of substantially interfering with 332
an individual's work performance or creating an intimidating, hostile or 333
offensive working environment; 334
(9) For an employer, by the employer or the employer's agent, for an 335
employment agency, by itself or its agent, or for any labor organization, 336
by itself or its agent, to request or require information from an 337
employee, person seeking employment or member relating to the 338
individual's child-bearing age or plans, pregnancy, function of the 339
individual's reproductive system, use of birth control methods, or the 340
individual's familial responsibilities, unless such information is directly 341
related to a bona fide occupational qualification or need, provided an 342
employer, through a physician may request from an employee any such 343
information which is directly related to workplace exposure to 344
substances which may cause birth defects or constitute a hazard to an 345
individual's reproductive system or to a fetus if the employer first 346
informs the employee of the hazards involved in exposure to such 347
substances; 348
(10) For an employer, by the employer or the employer's agent, after 349
informing an employee, pursuant to subdivision (9) of this subsection, 350
of a workplace exposure to substances which may cause birth defects or 351
constitute a hazard to an employee's reproductive system or to a fetus, 352
to fail or refuse, upon the employee's request, to take reasonable 353
measures to protect the employee from the exposure or hazard 354
identified, or to fail or refuse to inform the employee that the measures 355
taken may be the subject of a complaint filed under the provisions of 356
this chapter. Nothing in this subdivision is intended to prohibit an 357
employer from taking reasonable measures to protect an employee from 358
exposure to such substances. For the purpose of this subdivision, 359
"reasonable measures" are those measures which are consistent with 360
business necessity and are least disruptive of the terms and conditions 361
of the employee's employment; 362
(11) For an employer, by the employer or the employer's agent, for an 363
employment agency, by itself or its agent, or for any labor organization, 364 Substitute Bill No. 5414
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by itself or its agent: (A) To request or require genetic information from 365
an employee, person seeking employment or member, or (B) to 366
discharge, expel or otherwise discriminate against any person on the 367
basis of genetic information. For the purpose of this subdivision, 368
"genetic information" means the information about genes, gene 369
products or inherited characteristics that may derive from an individual 370
or a family member; 371
(12) For an employer, by the employer or the employer's agent, to 372
request or require a prospective employee's age, date of birth, dates of 373
attendance at or date of graduation from an educational institution on 374
an initial employment application, provided the provisions of this 375
subdivision shall not apply to any employer requesting or requiring 376
such information (A) based on a bona fide occupational qualification or 377
need, or (B) when such information is required to comply with any 378
provision of state or federal law; and 379
(13) (A) For an employer or the employer's agent to deny an employee 380
a reasonable leave of absence in order to: (i) Seek attention for injuries 381
caused by domestic violence, sexual assault, trafficking in persons or 382
stalking, including for a child who is a victim of domestic violence, 383
sexual assault, trafficking in persons or stalking, provided the employee 384
is not the perpetrator of [the] any act of domestic violence, sexual 385
assault, trafficking in persons or stalking committed against [the] a 386
child; (ii) obtain services including safety planning from a domestic 387
violence agency or rape crisis center, as those terms are defined in 388
section 52-146k, as a result of domestic violence, sexual assault, 389
trafficking in persons or stalking; (iii) obtain psychological counseling 390
related to an incident or incidents of domestic violence, sexual assault, 391
trafficking in persons or stalking, including for a child who is a victim 392
of domestic violence, sexual assault, trafficking in persons or stalking, 393
provided the employee is not the perpetrator of [the] any act of domestic 394
violence, sexual assault, trafficking in persons or stalking committed 395
against [the] a child; (iv) take other actions to increase safety from future 396
incidents of domestic violence, sexual assault, trafficking in persons or 397
stalking, including temporary or permanent relocation; or (v) obtain 398 Substitute Bill No. 5414
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legal services, assisting in the prosecution of the offense, or otherwise 399
participate in legal proceedings in relation to the incident or incidents of 400
domestic violence, sexual assault, trafficking in persons or stalking. 401
(B) An employee who is absent from work in accordance with the 402
provisions of subparagraph (A) of this subdivision shall, within a 403
reasonable time after the absence, provide a certification to the employer 404
when requested by the employer. Such certification shall be in the form 405
of: (i) A police report indicating that the employee or the employee's 406
child was a victim of domestic violence, sexual assault, trafficking in 407
persons or stalking; (ii) a court order protecting or separating the 408
employee or employee's child from the perpetrator of an act of domestic 409
violence, sexual assault, trafficking in persons or stalking; (iii) other 410
evidence from the court or prosecuting attorney that the employee 411
appeared in court; or (iv) documentation from a medical professional, 412
including a domestic violence counselor, or sexual assault counselor, as 413
those terms are defined in section 52-146k, or other health care provider, 414
that the employee or the employee's child was receiving services, 415
counseling or treatment for physical or mental injuries or abuse 416
resulting in victimization from an act of domestic violence, sexual 417
assault, trafficking in persons or stalking. 418
(C) Where an employee has a physical or mental disability resulting 419
from an incident or series of incidents of domestic violence, sexual 420
assault, trafficking in persons or stalking, such employee shall be treated 421
in the same manner as an employee with any other disability. 422
(D) To the extent permitted by law, employers shall maintain the 423
confidentiality of any information regarding an employee's status as a 424
victim of domestic violence, sexual assault, trafficking in persons or 425
stalking. 426
Sec. 7. Subsection (a) of section 46a-64 of the general statutes is 427
repealed and the following is substituted in lieu thereof (Effective October 428
1, 2024): 429
(a) It shall be a discriminatory practice in violation of this section: (1) 430 Substitute Bill No. 5414
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To deny any person within the jurisdiction of this state full and equal 431
accommodations in any place of public accommodation, resort or 432
amusement because of race, creed, color, national origin, ancestry, sex, 433
gender identity or expression, marital status, age, lawful source of 434
income, intellectual disability, mental disability, physical disability, 435
including, but not limited to, blindness or deafness, status as a veteran, 436
[or] status as a victim of domestic violence, status as a victim of sexual 437
assault, status as a victim of trafficking in persons or status as a victim 438
of stalking, of the applicant, subject only to the conditions and 439
limitations established by law and applicable alike to all persons; (2) to 440
discriminate, segregate or separate on account of race, creed, color, 441
national origin, ancestry, sex, gender identity or expression, marital 442
status, age, lawful source of income, intellectual disability, mental 443
disability, learning disability, physical disability, including, but not 444
limited to, blindness or deafness, status as a veteran, [or] status as a 445
victim of domestic violence, status as a victim of sexual assault, status 446
as a victim of trafficking in persons or status as a victim of stalking; (3) 447
for a place of public accommodation, resort or amusement to restrict or 448
limit the right of a mother to breast-feed her child; (4) for a place of 449
public accommodation, resort or amusement to fail or refuse to post a 450
notice, in a conspicuous place, that any blind, deaf or mobility impaired 451
person, accompanied by his guide dog wearing a harness or an orange-452
colored leash and collar, may enter such premises or facilities; or (5) to 453
deny any blind, deaf or mobility impaired person or any person training 454
a dog as a guide dog for a blind person or a dog to assist a deaf or 455
mobility impaired person, accompanied by his guide dog or assistance 456
dog, full and equal access to any place of public accommodation, resort 457
or amusement. Any blind, deaf or mobility impaired person or any 458
person training a dog as a guide dog for a blind person or a dog to assist 459
a deaf or mobility impaired person may keep his guide dog or assistance 460
dog with him at all times in such place of public accommodation, resort 461
or amusement at no extra charge, provided the dog wears a harness or 462
an orange-colored leash and collar and is in the direct custody of such 463
person. The blind, deaf or mobility impaired person or person training 464
a dog as a guide dog for a blind person or a dog to assist a deaf or 465 Substitute Bill No. 5414
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mobility impaired person shall be liable for any damage done to the 466
premises or facilities by his dog. For purposes of this subdivision, "guide 467
dog" or "assistance dog" includes a dog being trained as a guide dog or 468
assistance dog and "person training a dog as a guide dog for a blind 469
person or a dog to assist a deaf or mobility impaired person" means a 470
person who is employed by and authorized to engage in designated 471
training activities by a guide dog organization or assistance dog 472
organization that complies with the criteria for membership in a 473
professional association of guide dog or assistance dog schools and who 474
carries photographic identification indicating such employment and 475
authorization. 476
Sec. 8. Subdivision (1) of subsection (a) of section 46a-64c of the 477
general statutes is repealed and the following is substituted in lieu 478
thereof (Effective October 1, 2024): 479
(1) To refuse to sell or rent after the making of a bona fide offer, or to 480
refuse to negotiate for the sale or rental of, or otherwise make 481
unavailable or deny, a dwelling to any person because of race, creed, 482
color, national origin, ancestry, sex, gender identity or expression, 483
marital status, age, lawful source of income, familial status, status as a 484
veteran, [or] status as a victim of domestic violence, status as a victim of 485
sexual assault, status as a victim of trafficking in persons or status as a 486
victim of stalking. 487
Sec. 9. Subsection (a) of section 46a-66 of the general statutes is 488
repealed and the following is substituted in lieu thereof (Effective October 489
1, 2024): 490
(a) It shall be a discriminatory practice in violation of this section for 491
any creditor to discriminate on the basis of sex, gender identity or 492
expression, age, race, color, religious creed, national origin, ancestry, 493
marital status, intellectual disability, learning disability, blindness, 494
physical disability, status as a veteran, [or] status as a victim of domestic 495
violence, status as a victim of sexual assault, status as a victim of 496
trafficking in persons or status as a victim of stalking against any person 497 Substitute Bill No. 5414
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eighteen years of age or over in any credit transaction. 498
Sec. 10. Subsection (a) of section 46a-70 of the general statutes is 499
repealed and the following is substituted in lieu thereof (Effective October 500
1, 2024): 501
(a) State officials and supervisory personnel shall recruit, appoint, 502
assign, train, evaluate and promote state personnel on the basis of merit 503
and qualifications, without regard for race, color, religious creed, sex, 504
gender identity or expression, marital status, age, national origin, 505
ancestry, status as a veteran, status as a victim of domestic violence, 506
status as a victim of sexual assault, status as a victim of trafficking in 507
persons, status as a victim of stalking, intellectual disability, mental 508
disability, learning disability or physical disability, including, but not 509
limited to, blindness, unless it is shown by such state officials or 510
supervisory personnel that such disability prevents performance of the 511
work involved. 512
Sec. 11. Subsection (a) of section 46a-71 of the general statutes is 513
repealed and the following is substituted in lieu thereof (Effective October 514
1, 2024): 515
(a) All services of every state agency shall be performed without 516
discrimination based upon race, color, religious creed, sex, gender 517
identity or expression, marital status, age, national origin, ancestry, 518
intellectual disability, mental disability, learning disability, physical 519
disability, including, but not limited to, blindness, status as a veteran, 520
[or] status as a victim of domestic violence, status as a victim of sexual 521
assault, status as a victim of trafficking in persons or status as a victim 522
of stalking. 523
Sec. 12. Subsection (b) of section 46a-72 of the general statutes is 524
repealed and the following is substituted in lieu thereof (Effective October 525
1, 2024): 526
(b) Any job request indicating an intention to exclude any person 527
because of race, color, religious creed, sex, gender identity or expression, 528 Substitute Bill No. 5414
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marital status, age, national origin, ancestry, status as a veteran, status 529
as a victim of domestic violence, status as a victim of sexual assault, 530
status as a victim of trafficking in persons, status as a victim of stalking, 531
intellectual disability, mental disability, learning disability or physical 532
disability, including, but not limited to, blindness, shall be rejected, 533
unless it is shown by such public or private employers that such 534
disability prevents performance of the work involved. 535
Sec. 13. Subsection (a) of section 46a-73 of the general statutes is 536
repealed and the following is substituted in lieu thereof (Effective October 537
1, 2024): 538
(a) No state department, board or agency may grant, deny or revoke 539
the license or charter of any person on the grounds of race, color, 540
religious creed, sex, gender identity or expression, marital status, age, 541
national origin, ancestry, status as a veteran, status as a victim of 542
domestic violence, status as a victim of sexual assault, status as a victim 543
of trafficking in persons, status as a victim of stalking, intellectual 544
disability, mental disability, learning disability or physical disability, 545
including, but not limited to, blindness, unless it is shown by such state 546
department, board or agency that such disability prevents performance 547
of the work involved. 548
Sec. 14. Subsection (a) of section 46a-75 of the general statutes is 549
repealed and the following is substituted in lieu thereof (Effective October 550
1, 2024): 551
(a) All educational, counseling, and vocational guidance programs 552
and all apprenticeship and on-the-job training programs of state 553
agencies, or in which state agencies participate, shall be open to all 554
qualified persons, without regard to race, color, religious creed, sex, 555
gender identity or expression, marital status, age, national origin, 556
ancestry, intellectual disability, mental disability, learning disability, 557
physical disability, including, but not limited to, blindness, status as a 558
veteran, [or] status as a victim of domestic violence, status as a victim of 559
sexual assault, status as a victim of trafficking in persons or status as a 560 Substitute Bill No. 5414
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victim of stalking. 561
Sec. 15. Subsection (a) of section 46a-76 of the general statutes is 562
repealed and the following is substituted in lieu thereof (Effective October 563
1, 2024): 564
(a) Race, color, religious creed, sex, gender identity or expression, 565
marital status, age, national origin, ancestry, intellectual disability, 566
mental disability, learning disability, physical disability, including, but 567
not limited to, blindness, status as a veteran, [or] status as a victim of 568
domestic violence, status as a victim of sexual assault, status as a victim 569
of trafficking in persons or status as a victim of stalking, shall not be 570
considered as limiting factors in state-administered programs involving 571
the distribution of funds to qualify applicants for benefits authorized by 572
law. 573
Sec. 16. Subsection (a) of section 4a-60 of the general statutes is 574
repealed and the following is substituted in lieu thereof (Effective October 575
1, 2024): 576
(a) Except as provided in section 10a-151i, every contract to which an 577
awarding agency is a party, every quasi-public agency project contract 578
and every municipal public works contract shall contain the following 579
provisions: 580
(1) The contractor agrees and warrants that in the performance of the 581
contract such contractor will not discriminate or permit discrimination 582
against any person or group of persons on the grounds of race, color, 583
religious creed, age, marital status, national origin, ancestry, sex, gender 584
identity or expression, status as a veteran, status as a victim of domestic 585
violence, status as a victim of sexual assault, status as a victim of 586
trafficking in persons or status as a victim of stalking, intellectual 587
disability, mental disability or physical disability, including, but not 588
limited to, blindness, unless it is shown by such contractor that such 589
disability prevents performance of the work involved, in any manner 590
prohibited by the laws of the United States or of the state of Connecticut; 591
and the contractor further agrees to take affirmative action to ensure that 592 Substitute Bill No. 5414
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applicants with job-related qualifications are employed and that 593
employees are treated when employed without regard to their race, 594
color, religious creed, age, marital status, national origin, ancestry, sex, 595
gender identity or expression, status as a veteran, status as a victim of 596
domestic violence, status as a victim of sexual assault, status as a victim 597
of trafficking in persons or status as a victim of stalking, intellectual 598
disability, mental disability or physical disability, including, but not 599
limited to, blindness, unless it is shown by such contractor that such 600
disability prevents performance of the work involved; 601
(2) The contractor agrees, in all solicitations or advertisements for 602
employees placed by or on behalf of the contractor, to state that it is an 603
"affirmative action-equal opportunity employer" in accordance with 604
regulations adopted by the Commission on Human Rights and 605
Opportunities; 606
(3) The contractor agrees to provide each labor union or 607
representative of workers with which such contractor has a collective 608
bargaining agreement or other contract or understanding and each 609
vendor with which such contractor has a contract or understanding, a 610
notice to be provided by the Commission on Human Rights and 611
Opportunities advising the labor union or workers' representative of the 612
contractor's commitments under this section, and to post copies of the 613
notice in conspicuous places available to employees and applicants for 614
employment; 615
(4) The contractor agrees to comply with each provision of this 616
section and sections 46a-68e and 46a-68f and with each regulation or 617
relevant order issued by said commission pursuant to sections 46a-56, 618
as amended by this act, 46a-68e, 46a-68f and 46a-86; and 619
(5) The contractor agrees to provide the Commission on Human 620
Rights and Opportunities with such information requested by the 621
commission, and permit access to pertinent books, records and 622
accounts, concerning the employment practices and procedures of the 623
contractor as relate to the provisions of this section and section 46a-56, 624 Substitute Bill No. 5414
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as amended by this act. 625
This act shall take effect as follows and shall amend the following
sections:
Section 1 October 1, 2024 46a-51
Sec. 2 October 1, 2024 46a-54(19) and (20)
Sec. 3 October 1, 2024 46a-56(a)(9) and (10)
Sec. 4 October 1, 2024 46a-58
Sec. 5 October 1, 2024 46a-59
Sec. 6 October 1, 2024 46a-60(b)
Sec. 7 October 1, 2024 46a-64(a)
Sec. 8 October 1, 2024 46a-64c(a)(1)
Sec. 9 October 1, 2024 46a-66(a)
Sec. 10 October 1, 2024 46a-70(a)
Sec. 11 October 1, 2024 46a-71(a)
Sec. 12 October 1, 2024 46a-72(b)
Sec. 13 October 1, 2024 46a-73(a)
Sec. 14 October 1, 2024 46a-75(a)
Sec. 15 October 1, 2024 46a-76(a)
Sec. 16 October 1, 2024 4a-60(a)
Statement of Legislative Commissioners:
In Section 1(27), references to "53a-70b", "53a-72" and "53a-73" were
changed to "53a-70b, revision of 1958, revised to January 1, 2019", "53a-
72, revision of 1958, revised to January 1, 1975" and "53a-73, revision of
1958, revised to the 1969 supplement of the general statutes" for
accuracy.
JUD Joint Favorable Subst.