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General Assembly Substitute Bill No. 6952
January Session, 2025
AN ACT CONCERNING CERTAIN RECREATIONAL AND
EDUCATIONAL CHILDREN'S PROGRAMS.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General
Assembly convened:
Section 1. (NEW) (Effective July 1, 2025) (a) For the purposes of this 1
section, "recreational or educational children's program" means any 2
regularly scheduled program or organized group activity operated only 3
during school vacations or on weekends by a person, a partnership, a 4
corporation, an association, the state or a municipal agency for 5
recreational or educational purposes that accommodates, for a period of 6
three days or more per week or portions of three or more days per week, 7
five or more children who are (1) at least three years of age and under 8
sixteen years of age, (2) not bona fide personal guests in the private 9
home of an individual, and (3) living apart from their relatives, parents 10
or legal guardian, including, but not limited to, (A) classroom-based 11
summer instructional programs operated by any person, (B) summer 12
educational programs operated by public schools, or private schools in 13
compliance with section 10-188 of the general statutes, and approved by 14
the State Board of Education or accredited by an accrediting agency 15
recognized by the State Board of Education, (C) licensed child care 16
centers, and (D) drop-in programs for children who are at least six years 17
of age administered by a nationally chartered boys' and girls' club. 18
(b) On and after January 1, 2026, a recreational or educational 19 Substitute Bill No. 6952
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children's program that does not hold a license to operate a youth camp 20
issued pursuant to section 19a-421 of the general statutes shall not use 21
the term "camp" in the name of such program in any advertising 22
materials unless such advertising materials state that such program 23
does not hold a license to operate as a youth camp issued by the Office 24
of Early Childhood. 25
(c) A violation of subsection (b) of this section shall be deemed an 26
unfair or deceptive trade practice under subsection (a) of section 42-110b 27
of the general statutes. 28
Sec. 2. (NEW) (Effective July 1, 2025) (a) For the purposes of this 29
section, "municipal recreational or educational children's program" 30
means any regularly scheduled program or organized group activity 31
operated only during school vacations or on weekends by a municipal 32
agency for recreational or educational purposes that accommodates, for 33
a period of three days or more per week or portions of three or more 34
days per week, five or more children who are at least three years of age 35
and under sixteen years of age. 36
(b) On and after January 1, 2026, each municipal agency that operates 37
a municipal recreational or educational children's program shall require 38
any prospective employee eighteen years of age or older, who is 39
applying for a position at such program that requires the provision of 40
care to a child or involves unsupervised access to a child, to submit to a 41
comprehensive background check. The background check shall include, 42
but not be limited to, a (1) (A) criminal history records check conducted 43
(i) in accordance with section 29-17a of the general statutes, or (ii) by 44
searching the electronic criminal record system maintained on the 45
Internet web site of the Judicial Department for convictions matching 46
the prospective employee's name and year of birth, (B) check of the state 47
child abuse registry established pursuant to section 17a-101k of the 48
general statutes, (C) check of the registry established and maintained 49
pursuant to section 54-257 of the general statutes, and (D) check of the 50
National Sex Offender Registry Public Website maintained by the 51
United States Department of Justice, or (2) check by a third-party 52 Substitute Bill No. 6952
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provider of national criminal history record checks. 53
(c) Pending completion of all comprehensive background check 54
components described in subsection (b) of this section, a prospective 55
employee may begin work on a provisional basis, provided such 56
prospective employee shall be supervised at all times by an employee 57
who was subjected to a comprehensive background check described in 58
subsection (b) of this section within the past five years. 59
(d) Each municipal agency shall require each employee of a 60
municipal recreational or educational children's program operated by 61
such agency who is eighteen years of age or older and holds a position 62
that requires the provision of care to a child or involves unsupervised 63
access to a child to submit to a comprehensive background check 64
described in subsection (b) of this section not later than five years after 65
the date such employee was hired, and at least once every five years 66
thereafter. Nothing in this section shall prohibit a municipal agency 67
from requiring any such employee to submit to a comprehensive 68
background check more than once during a five-year period. 69
Sec. 3. (NEW) (Effective July 1, 2025) On and after January 1, 2026, each 70
municipal recreational or educational children's program, as defined in 71
section 2 of this act, shall maintain (1) a ratio of not less than one staff 72
person for every twelve children on the program's premises during the 73
hours of such program's daily operation, and (2) not less than one staff 74
person who is trained in cardiopulmonary resuscitation and first aid on 75
the program's premises during the hours of such program's daily 76
operation and at any activities conducted off-site from such premises 77
during such hours at which children enrolled in such program are 78
present. 79
Sec. 4. Subsection (b) of section 17a-101 of the general statutes is 80
repealed and the following is substituted in lieu thereof (Effective July 1, 81
2025): 82
(b) The following persons shall be mandated reporters: (1) Any 83
physician or surgeon licensed under the provisions of chapter 370, (2) 84 Substitute Bill No. 6952
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any resident physician or intern in any hospital in this state, whether or 85
not so licensed, (3) any registered nurse, (4) any licensed practical nurse, 86
(5) any medical examiner, (6) any dentist, (7) any dental hygienist, (8) 87
any psychologist, (9) any school employee, as defined in section 53a-65, 88
(10) any social worker, (11) any person who holds or is issued a coaching 89
permit by the State Board of Education, is a coach of intramural or 90
interscholastic athletics and is eighteen years of age or older, (12) any 91
individual who is employed as a coach or director of youth athletics and 92
is eighteen years of age or older, (13) any individual who is employed 93
as a coach or director of a private youth sports organization, league or 94
team and is eighteen years of age or older, (14) any paid administrator, 95
faculty, staff, athletic director, athletic coach or athletic trainer employed 96
by a public or private institution of higher education who is eighteen 97
years of age or older, excluding student employees, (15) any police 98
officer, (16) any juvenile or adult probation officer, (17) any juvenile or 99
adult parole officer, (18) any member of the clergy, (19) any pharmacist, 100
(20) any physical therapist, (21) any optometrist, (22) any chiropractor, 101
(23) any podiatrist, (24) any mental health professional, (25) any 102
physician assistant, (26) any person who is a licensed or certified 103
emergency medical services provider, (27) any person who is a licensed 104
or certified alcohol and drug counselor, (28) any person who is a 105
licensed marital and family therapist, (29) any person who is a sexual 106
assault counselor or a domestic violence counselor, as defined in section 107
52-146k, (30) any person who is a licensed professional counselor, (31) 108
any person who is a licensed foster parent, (32) any person paid to care 109
for a child in any public or private facility, child care center, group child 110
care home or family child care home licensed by the state, (33) any 111
employee of the Department of Children and Families or any person 112
who, in the performance of such person's duties, has regular contact 113
with and provides services to or on behalf of children pursuant to a 114
contract with or credential issued by the Department of Children and 115
Families, (34) any employee of the Office of Early Childhood who is 116
responsible for the licensing of child care centers, group child care 117
homes, family child care homes or youth camps, (35) any paid youth 118
camp director, assistant director and staff member who is twenty-one 119 Substitute Bill No. 6952
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years of age or older, (36) any paid director, assistant director or staff 120
member of a municipal recreational or educational children's program, 121
as defined in section 2 of this act, who is twenty-one years of age or 122
older, (37) the Child Advocate and any employee of the Office of the 123
Child Advocate, [(37)] (38) any person who is a licensed behavior 124
analyst, [(38)] (39) any family relations counselor, family relations 125
counselor trainee or family services supervisor employed by the Judicial 126
Department, [(39)] (40) any victim services advocate employed by the 127
Office of Victim Services within the Judicial Department, [(40)] (41) any 128
employee of a juvenile justice program operated by or pursuant to a 129
contract with the Court Support Services Division of the Judicial 130
Department, and [(41)] (42) any person employed, including any person 131
employed under contract and any independent ombudsperson, to work 132
at a juvenile detention facility or any other facility where children under 133
eighteen years of age are detained and who has direct contact with 134
children as part of such employment. 135
Sec. 5. Section 17a-101b of the general statutes is repealed and the 136
following is substituted in lieu thereof (Effective July 1, 2025): 137
(a) An oral or electronic report shall be made by a mandated reporter 138
as soon as practicable but not later than twelve hours after the mandated 139
reporter has reasonable cause to suspect or believe that a child has been 140
abused or neglected or placed in imminent risk of serious harm. An oral 141
report made pursuant to this subsection shall be made by telephone or 142
in person to the Commissioner of Children and Families or a law 143
enforcement agency. If a law enforcement agency receives an oral 144
report, it shall immediately notify the commissioner. An electronic 145
report made pursuant to this subsection shall be made in a manner 146
prescribed by the commissioner. A mandated reporter who makes an 147
electronic report pursuant to this section shall respond to further 148
inquiries from the commissioner or the commissioner's designee made 149
within twenty-four hours of such report. 150
(b) If the commissioner or the commissioner's designee suspects or 151
knows that such person has knowingly made a false report, the identity 152 Substitute Bill No. 6952
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of such person shall be disclosed to the appropriate law enforcement 153
agency and to the perpetrator of the alleged abuse. 154
(c) If the Commissioner of Children and Families, or the 155
commissioner's designee, receives a report alleging sexual abuse or 156
serious physical abuse, including, but not limited to, a report that: (1) A 157
child has died; (2) a child has been sexually assaulted; (3) a child has 158
suffered brain damage or loss or serious impairment of a bodily function 159
or organ; (4) a child has been sexually exploited; or (5) a child has 160
suffered serious nonaccidental physical injury, the commissioner shall, 161
within twelve hours of receipt of such report, notify the appropriate law 162
enforcement agency. 163
(d) Whenever a mandated reporter, as described in section 17a-101, 164
as amended by this act, has reasonable cause to suspect or believe that 165
any child has been abused or neglected by a member of the staff of a 166
public or private institution or facility that provides care for such child 167
or a public or private school, the mandated reporter shall report as 168
required in subsection (a) of this section. The Commissioner of Children 169
and Families or the commissioner's designee shall notify the principal, 170
headmaster, executive director or other person in charge of such 171
institution, facility or school, or the person's designee, unless such 172
person is the alleged perpetrator of the abuse or neglect of such child. In 173
the case of a public school, the commissioner shall also notify the 174
person's employing superintendent. Such person in charge, or such 175
person's designee, shall then immediately notify the child's parent or 176
other person responsible for the child's care that a report has been made. 177
(e) If a mandated reporter described in subdivision (36) of subsection 178
(b) of section 17a-101, as amended by this act, makes a report pursuant 179
to subsection (a) of this section concerning abuse or neglect of or 180
imminent risk of serious harm to a child that occurred on the premises 181
of a municipal recreational or educational children's program, as 182
defined in section 2 of this act, or during an activity conducted by such 183
program off-site from such premises, the Commissioner of Children and 184
Families shall notify the chief executive officer of the municipality in 185 Substitute Bill No. 6952
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which such program is located. Such notice shall not include any 186
personally identifying information concerning the child that is the 187
subject of such report. 188
[(e)] (f) For purposes of this section, "child" includes any victim 189
described in subdivision (2) of subsection (a) of section 17a-101a. 190
Sec. 6. (NEW) (Effective July 1, 2025) (a) Not later than July 1, 2026, and 191
annually thereafter, each paid director, assistant director or staff 192
member of a municipal recreational or educational children's program, 193
as defined in section 2 of this act, who is twenty-one years of age or 194
older, shall complete the educational training program or refresher 195
training program, as applicable, developed pursuant to subsection (c) of 196
section 17a-101 of the general statutes. 197
(b) Not later than August 1, 2026, and annually thereafter, the director 198
or equivalent employee of each municipal agency that operates a 199
municipal recreational or educational children's program shall certify, 200
in a form and manner prescribed by the Commissioner of Children and 201
Families, whether each paid director, assistant director and staff 202
member of such program who is twenty-one years of age or older 203
complied with the provisions of subsection (a) of this section in the 204
preceding twelve-month period. 205
This act shall take effect as follows and shall amend the following
sections:
Section 1 July 1, 2025 New section
Sec. 2 July 1, 2025 New section
Sec. 3 July 1, 2025 New section
Sec. 4 July 1, 2025 17a-101(b)
Sec. 5 July 1, 2025 17a-101b
Sec. 6 July 1, 2025 New section
Statement of Legislative Commissioners:
In Section 1(b), "from" was changed to "issued by" for consistency with
the general statutes, in Section 2(d), "recreational or educational
children's program" was changed to "municipal recreational or Substitute Bill No. 6952
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educational children's program" and "is eighteen years of age or older
and" was inserted for consistency, and in Section 6(b), "that each paid
director" was changed to "whether each paid director" for clarity.
KID Joint Favorable Subst.