File No. 418

Senate, April 9, 2013

The Committee on Public Health reported through SEN. GERRATANA of the 6th Dist., Chairperson of the Committee on the part of the Senate, that the substitute bill ought to pass.

AN ACT CONCERNING A HOMELESS PERSON'S BILL OF RIGHTS.

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General Assembly convened:

Section 1. (NEW) (Effective October 1, 2013) (a) There is created a Homeless Person's Bill of Rights to guarantee that the rights, privacy and property of homeless persons are adequately safeguarded and protected under the laws of this state. The rights afforded homeless persons to ensure that their person, privacy and property are safeguarded and protected, as set forth in subsection (b) of this section, are available only insofar as they are implemented in accordance with other parts of the general statutes, state rules and regulations, federal law, the state Constitution and the United States Constitution. For purposes of this section, "homeless person" means any person who does not have a fixed or regular residence and who may live on the street or outdoors, or in a homeless shelter or another temporary residence.

(b) Each homeless person in this state has the right to:

(1) Move freely in public spaces, including on public sidewalks, in public parks, on public transportation and in public buildings without harassment or intimidation from law enforcement officers in the same manner as other persons;

(2) Have equal opportunities for employment;

(3) Receive emergency medical care;

(4) Register to vote and to vote;

(5) Have personal information protected;

(6) Have a reasonable expectation of privacy in his or her personal property; and

(7) Receive equal treatment by state and municipal agencies.

(c) Each municipality shall conspicuously post in the usual location for municipal notices a notice entitled "HOMELESS PERSON'S BILL OF RIGHTS" that contains the text set forth in subsection (b) of this section.

Statement of Legislative Commissioners:

In section 1(a), the phrase "who may live on the street or outdoors, in a homeless shelter" was changed to "who may live on the street or outdoors, or in a homeless shelter", for clarity.

The following Fiscal Impact Statement and Bill Analysis are prepared for the benefit of the members of the General Assembly, solely for purposes of information, summarization and explanation and do not represent the intent of the General Assembly or either chamber thereof for any purpose. In general, fiscal impacts are based upon a variety of informational sources, including the analyst's professional knowledge. Whenever applicable, agency data is consulted as part of the analysis, however final products do not necessarily reflect an assessment from any specific department.


OFA Fiscal Note

State Impact: None

Municipal Impact: None

Explanation

The bill, which establishes a homeless person's bill of rights and requires municipalities to post such bill of rights in the usual location for posting notices, has no fiscal impact.

The Out Years

State Impact: None

Municipal Impact: None

OLR Bill Analysis

sSB 896

AN ACT CONCERNING A HOMELESS PERSON'S BILL OF RIGHTS.

SUMMARY:

This bill establishes a bill of rights for the state's homeless residents. It specifies that these rights are available only to the extent that they are implemented in accordance with state law, rules, and regulations; federal law; and the state and U.S. constitutions.

Under the bill of rights, each homeless person has the right to:

1. move freely in public spaces (e.g., parks, buildings, sidewalks, and public transportation) in the same manner as other people and without harassment or intimidation by law enforcement officers;

2. have equal employment opportunities;

3. receive emergency medical care;

4. register to vote and vote;

5. have their personal information protected and a reasonable expectation of privacy in their personal property; and

6. receive equal treatment by state and municipal agencies.

The bill requires each municipality to create a notice entitled “HOMELESS PERSON'S BILL OF RIGHTS” that includes the above rights. The notice must be conspicuously posted in the usual location for municipal notices.

The bill defines a “homeless person” as a person without a fixed or regular residence who lives on the street or outdoors, in a homeless shelter, or in another temporary residence.

EFFECTIVE DATE: October 1, 2013

COMMITTEE ACTION

Public Health Committee

Joint Favorable Substitute