Connecticut 2025 Regular Session

Connecticut Senate Bill SB01310 Compare Versions

Only one version of the bill is available at this time.

Old	New	Differences
1	1
2	2
3	3	LCO No. 4626 1 of 3
4	4
5	5	General Assembly Raised Bill No. 1310
6	6	January Session, 2025
7	7	LCO No. 4626
8	8
9	9
10	10	Referred to Committee on COMMITTEE ON CHILDREN
11	11
12	12
13	13	Introduced by:
14	14	(KID)
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16	16
17	17
18	18
19	19	AN ACT AUTHORIZING HOSPITALS TO INSTALL DEVICES ON AN
20	20	EXTERIOR WALL OF AN EMERGENCY DEPARTMENT TO
21	21	FACILITATE THE VOLUNTARY SURRENDER OF INFANTS TO
22	22	EMERGENCY DEPARTMENT STAFF.
23	23	Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General
24	24	Assembly convened:
25	25
26	26	Section 1. Section 17a-58 of the general statutes is repealed and the 1
27	27	following is substituted in lieu thereof (Effective October 1, 2025): 2
28	28	(a) An employee designated pursuant to section 17a-57, as amended 3
29	29	by this act, shall take physical custody of any infant thirty days or 4
30	30	younger if the parent or lawful agent of the parent voluntarily 5
31	31	surrenders physical custody of the infant to such designated employee 6
32	32	unless the parent or agent clearly expresses an intent to return for the 7
33	33	infant. 8
34	34	(b) (1) If the mother of an infant wishes to voluntarily surrender 9
35	35	physical custody of the infant while the mother is in the hospital to give 10
36	36	birth to the infant, the mother shall provide notice that she wishes to 11
37	37	surrender physical custody of the infant to any health care provider who 12
38	38	is licensed by the Department of Public Health and who provides health 13
39	39	Raised Bill No. 1310
40	40
41	41
42	42
43	43	LCO No. 4626 2 of 3
44	44
45	45	care services on behalf of the hospital. Upon receipt of such notice, such 14
46	46	health care provider shall notify the designated employee pursuant to 15
47	47	section 17a-57, as amended by this act, who shall immediately take 16
48	48	physical custody of the infant. No hospital employee or health care 17
49	49	provider shall disclose the name of the mother to the Department of 18
50	50	Children and Families or any person or organization without the 19
51	51	mother's permission. 20
52	52	(2) If the parent of an infant wishes to voluntarily surrender physical 21
53	53	custody of the infant after the infant has been born and is no longer in 22
54	54	the hospital, the parent may surrender the infant by placing the infant 23
55	55	in a safe haven bassinet, as described in section 17a-57, as amended by 24
56	56	this act, if available. Upon surrender of the infant pursuant to this 25
57	57	subdivision, the designated employee shall immediately take physical 26
58	58	custody of the infant. 27
59	59	(c) The designated employee may request the parent or agent, other 28
60	60	than a parent described in subdivision (2) of subsection (b) of this 29
61	61	section, to provide (1) the name of the parent or agent, (2) information 30
62	62	on the medical history of the infant and parents, and (3) the infant's 31
63	63	name and date of birth if the infant's birth has been registered in the 32
64	64	state vital records system prior to the surrender of the infant. 33
65	65	Notwithstanding such a request from the designated employee, the 34
66	66	parent or agent is not required to provide such name or information. 35
67	67	The designated employee may provide the parent or agent with a 36
68	68	numbered identification bracelet to link the parent or agent to the infant. 37
69	69	The bracelet shall be used for identification only and shall not be 38
70	70	construed to authorize the person who possesses the bracelet to take 39
71	71	custody of the infant on demand. The designated employee shall 40
72	72	provide the parent or agent with a pamphlet describing the process 41
73	73	established under sections 17a-57 to 17a-60, inclusive, as amended by 42
74	74	this act, and sections 17a-61, 53-21 and 53-23. 43
75	75	Sec. 2. Section 17a-57 of the general statutes is repealed and the 44
76	76	following is substituted in lieu thereof (Effective October 1, 2025): 45
77	77	Raised Bill No. 1310
78	78
79	79
80	80
81	81	LCO No. 4626 3 of 3
82	82
83	83	(a) Each hospital operating an emergency room shall designate all 46
84	84	members of the emergency room nursing staff as employees authorized 47
85	85	to take physical custody of an infant pursuant to section 17a-58, as 48
86	86	amended by this act. There shall be a designated employee on duty at 49
87	87	each hospital emergency room during regular business hours. There 50
88	88	shall be a designated place inside such hospital emergency room where 51
89	89	physical custody may be taken. 52
90	90	(b) Any hospital operating an emergency room may install a safe 53
91	91	haven bassinet on an exterior wall of the emergency department for the 54
92	92	purpose of receiving infants who are voluntarily surrendered pursuant 55
93	93	to section 17a-58, as amended by this act. Any such safe haven bassinet 56
94	94	shall be climate controlled and include (1) an exterior door that 57
95	95	automatically locks upon the placement of an infant in the bassinet 58
96	96	when the door is closed, and (2) a notification alarm that alerts 59
97	97	emergency room nursing staff that an infant has been placed in the 60
98	98	bassinet. 61
99	99	This act shall take effect as follows and shall amend the following
100	100	sections:
101	101
102	102	Section 1 October 1, 2025 17a-58
103	103	Sec. 2 October 1, 2025 17a-57
104	104
105	105	Statement of Purpose:
106	106	To prevent infant abandonment and provide a safe and legal option for
107	107	parents in crisis to voluntarily surrender an infant to emergency
108	108	department staff.
109	109
110	110	[Proposed deletions are enclosed in brackets. Proposed additions are indicated by underline, except
111	111	that when the entire text of a bill or resolution or a section of a bill or resolution is new, it is not
112	112	underlined.]
113	113