Politics
Sen. Duff: Three important new state laws take effect this week
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Jun 30, 2010 - 10:42 AM

Norwalk - Several new state laws that will directly impact Connecticut residents will take effect on July 1. State Senator Bob Duff (D-Norwalk) today highlighted three important measures passed into law this year that will start this week: the state’s new domestic violence regulations, a third-in-the-nation law concerning student athlete concussions and the lifting of a municipal mandate on the moving of personal property in eviction cases.

“While this legislative session was dominated by the state’s continuing fiscal crisis and the need for job growth, the General Assembly tackled some big issues while still passing bills that meet those pressing needs,” said Senator Duff. “These three measures received broad-based support, and all three are the result of well-thought efforts that will ultimately benefit many individuals and families in our state.”

First, the state took aim at domestic violence this year with the passage of a package of reforms designed to address a problem that impacts thousands of families across Connecticut each year. The legislation:

· Make it easier for victims to leave their dwellings, allowing for tenants who are victims to terminate their rental agreements on 30 days notice without fear of penalty;

· Requires local and regional school boards to include in their training of certified employees information on preventing teen dating violence and domestic violence as part of health and mental health risk reduction programs;

· Allows the Judicial Branch to establish an electronic monitoring pilot program for family violence offenders;

· Expands the state’s persistent offender law for crimes involving assault, trespass, threatening, harassment and violation of a restraining or protective order by eliminating the limitation on the “look-back” period and allowing the court to consider convictions for essentially the same crimes in other states; and

· Requires employers to allow family violence victims to take a reasonable amount of paid or unpaid leave during any calendar year for medical care or counseling, victim services, relocation or participation in any related civil or criminal proceeding.

Next, Connecticut became the third state in the country this year to create a law that deals with student athlete concussions, which have increased by as much as 25 percent over the past few years. The new state law requires that student athletes sit out of sporting events when they have a suspected concussion until they’re cleared for play by a medical professional.

Finally, the legislature passed a provision that requires state marshals to deliver the possessions and personal property of an evicted tenant to a town-designated storage facility, rather than leaving them on a sidewalk or road. This eliminates the town’s responsibility to pay for moving expenses, and also applies to foreclosures and similar legal actions.

For a full list of new laws that take effect on July 1, 2010, visit the Connecticut General Assembly’s Web site at www.cga.ct.gov.

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