Substitute Senate Bill No. 266
          Substitute Senate Bill No. 266

               PUBLIC ACT NO. 98-13


AN   ACT   CONCERNING  THE  ELECTRONIC  FILING  OF
PLEADINGS IN SUPERIOR COURT.


    Be  it  enacted  by  the  Senate  and House of
Representatives in General Assembly convened:
    Section  1.  (NEW) (a) The judicial branch may
permit the filing of any document that is required
by  law  to  be  filed  with the Superior Court by
computer or facsimile transmission or by employing
new technology as it is developed.
    (b)  For  purposes of this section, the judges
of the Superior Court  may  prescribe  alternative
methods  for the signing, subscribing or verifying
of such document by a person so that such document
shall have the same validity and status as a paper
document that was signed, subscribed  or  verified
by such person.
    (c)  Notwithstanding  any  other  provision of
the   general   statutes,    the    Chief    Court
Administrator  may  permit  the payment of any fee
that is required by law to be paid to the clerk of
the   Superior   Court  by  use  of  any  existing
technology or new technology as it  is  developed.
The  payor  may  be  charged a service fee for any
such payment. The service fee shall not exceed any
charge  by  the  service  provider,  including any
discount rate.
    (d)  The  judges  of  the  Superior  Court may
adopt any rules they deem necessary  to  implement
the  provisions  of this section and the Office of
the Chief Court Administrator shall prescribe  any
forms required to implement such provisions.
    Sec.   2.   Section   52-45a  of  the  general
statutes  is  repealed  and   the   following   is
substituted in lieu thereof:
    Civil  actions  shall  be  commenced  by legal
process  consisting  of  a  writ  of  summons   or
attachment,  describing  the parties, the court to
which it is returnable, the return day, [and]  the
date and place for the filing of an appearance AND
INFORMATION REQUIRED BY THE OFFICE  OF  THE  CHIEF
COURT ADMINISTRATOR. The writ shall be accompanied
by the plaintiff's complaint.  The  writ  may  run
into  any judicial district and shall be signed by
a commissioner of the Superior Court or a judge or
clerk of the court to which it is returnable.

Approved April 24, 1998