Bill Text: CT SB00178 | 2014 | General Assembly | Chaptered
Bill Title: An Act Concerning Senior Safety Zones.
Spectrum: Strong Partisan Bill (Democrat 12-1)
Status: (Passed) 2014-06-13 - Signed by the Governor [SB00178 Detail]
Download: Connecticut-2014-SB00178-Chaptered.html
Substitute Senate Bill No. 178
AN ACT CONCERNING SENIOR SAFETY ZONES.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General Assembly convened:
Section 1. (Effective from passage) (a) There is established a task force to study the establishment of senior safety zones to protect senior citizens from sexual offenders who are required to register under sections 54-251 to 54-254, inclusive, of the general statutes. The task force shall examine: (1) Best practices nationwide for protecting senior citizens in their homes, at senior centers and at long-term nursing facilities from interaction with sexual offenders; (2) legal considerations related to identifying persons convicted of sexual offenses and preventing them from entering public facilities where senior citizens may live or congregate; (3) data regarding the percentage of sexual offenders whose victims are elderly persons; and (4) the most effective means to identify sexual offenders and limit their movements without affecting their constitutional rights.
(b) The task force shall consist of the following members:
(1) Two appointed by the speaker of the House of Representatives, one of whom shall be a manager of a senior center and one of whom shall be a representative of a long-term care facility that provides skilled nursing care to residents;
(2) Two appointed by the president pro tempore of the Senate, one of whom shall be a resident of housing for elderly persons financed pursuant to section 8-114a of the general statutes and one of whom shall be a resident of congregate housing for the elderly financed pursuant to section 8-119h of the general statutes;
(3) One appointed by the majority leader of the House of Representatives, who shall be an attorney with experience in constitutional law;
(4) One appointed by the majority leader of the Senate, who shall be a chairperson or vice-chairperson of the joint standing committee of the General Assembly having cognizance of matters relating to aging;
(5) One appointed by the minority leader of the House of Representatives, who shall be a ranking member of the joint standing committee of the General Assembly having cognizance of matters relating to aging;
(6) One appointed by the minority leader of the Senate, who shall be a probation officer experienced with sexual offenders;
(7) The executive director of the Commission on Aging or the executive director's designee; and
(8) The State Long-Term Care Ombudsman or the ombudsman's designee.
(c) All appointments to the task force shall be made not later than thirty days after the effective date of this section. Any vacancy shall be filled by the appointing authority.
(d) The speaker of the House of Representatives and the president pro tempore of the Senate shall select the chairpersons of the task force from among the members of the task force. Such chairpersons shall schedule the first meeting of the task force, which shall be held not later than sixty days after the effective date of this section.
(e) The administrative staff of the Commission on Aging shall serve as administrative staff of the task force.
(f) Not later than January 1, 2015, the task force, in accordance with the provisions of section 11-4a of the general statutes, shall submit a report on its findings and recommendations to the joint standing committees of the General Assembly having cognizance of matters relating to aging and the judiciary. The task force shall terminate on the date that it submits such report or January 1, 2015, whichever is later.