The first day of 2022 arrived with many new Connecticut laws going into effect immediately. Bills signed into law from the last Connecticut legislative session will begin to go into effect throughout the year. The new 2022 Connecticut laws will affect many aspects of daily life for residents around the state, from paid family and medical leave to vaccine exemption and the right to erase criminal records for marijuana convictions.
As for bail bonds, Connecticut didn’t implement new bail laws that may affect those in the incarcerated community. On the contrary, the ability to use the 10 percent option continues to be a pretrial release alternative along with the use of a surety bondsman. It’s also noticeable the increase in court-only bail bonds that require to be posted at a Superior Court.
3-D Bail Bonds knows how important it is to stay informed with new legislation so we listed some of the most important Connecticut laws. See below what’s important to you and how these new laws may benefit or affect your life as a Connecticut resident.
As 2022 begins, here are significant legal changes to take note of in the first half of the new year. Find the list of 2022 Connecticut laws on the Connecticut General Assembly website (CGA).
Connecticut Law About Paid Family and Medical Leave
On January 1st, employees in Connecticut can start to earn paid family and medical leave benefits through the Paid Family Leave Insurance Authority. Employees will now be able to have up to 12 weeks of benefits over a year with two additional weeks of benefits for serious health conditions, which include the birth or adoption of a child and personal or family illness. During their time off, employees won’t lose income under the new bill.
Religious Vaccine Exemption for Connecticut Students
Connecticut students won’t be able to claim religious vaccine exemption from state-mandated immunizations for those attending public and private schools (including higher education). This includes children going to childcare centers and people in family daycare or group homes. This mandate applies to all vaccines that are required to attend school. Exemptions submitted before April 28th, 2021 for those in kindergarten or higher will still apply and students are allowed 14 days after transferring schools to comply with the mandate. This bill went into effect on January 1st.
Connecticut Parentage Act
This is an important step for Connecticut residents and parents. The Connecticut Parentage Act went into effect on January 1st, 2022. The bill ensures equal treatment for children born to same-sex couples under the law. It’ll also provide equal access to legal parental rights for children with unmarried or non-biological parents, clarify the rights of a non-biological parent in a couple that uses surrogacy or other means of assisted reproduction, and clarify the rights of a surrogate who carried a child to birth under contract.
Erasure of Criminal Records for Convicted Connecticut Residents
The erasure of criminal records, known as the Clean Slate Bill, was signed in the 2021 legislative session. Starting in 2023, certain criminal records can be erased after several years, depending on the charges and arrests in a defendant’s history. The Clean Slate Bill will not apply to Class A, B, or C felonies, certain unclassified felonies, domestic violence crimes, or crimes requiring sex offender registration. The bill will focus on formerly incarcerated people who have misdemeanors and Class D or F felonies on their record. Misdemeanors become eligible for erasure after seven years, while Class D and F felonies and unclassified felonies with prison time of five or fewer years can be wiped after 10 years.
For offenses that occurred on or after January 1st, 2000, records will be automatically erased. Records that occurred before the date can be erased when the person of interest files a petition to the court.
Other aspects of this CT law will be going into effect in 2022. The first is a new guideline for police officers that will begin in July 2022. It will require police officers under a disciplinary investigation involving body camera or dashboard camera footage to review the footage in question with an attorney. Within 48 to 96 hours of this review, the footage can be released to the public upon request.
The final part of this bill went into effect on January 1st, 2022. It states that a judge or jury reviewing a case about a police officer’s use of force can use an officer’s deliberate failure to use a body camera to draw conclusions in the trial based on the body camera usage law, which mandates the statewide use of body cameras by police officers in Connecticut.
Connecticut Police Officers’ Use of Force
This set of 2022 Connecticut laws went into effect on January 1st, 2022. This is a highly publicized law to set limits on the use of police force. It states the law limiting the instances in which a police officer may use deadly physical force or chokeholds during an arrest or when preventing escape. For the use of physical force to be justified, officers must determine that there were no other reasonable alternatives and that their decision to use force didn’t create a risk to a third party.
Another aspect of this bill is the newly implemented criteria to evaluate whether or not the officer’s use of force was reasonable. It examines a police officer’s unreasonable conduct and whether it led to an increased risk of force usage.
Cannabis Guidelines
Currently, under 2022 Connecticut law, ages 21 and up can carry up to 1.5 ounces of marijuana and have 5 ounces of the substance in a locked container in their home or car. It also allows those with medical marijuana cards who are at least 18 years of age to grow up to 6 plants indoors. But in 2023, adults aged 21 and up will also be able to grow up to 6 marijuana plants indoors as well.
More legal marijuana changes will be implemented in July 2022. Those charged with possession of 4 oz. or less of marijuana before January 1st, 2000, or between October 1st, 2015, and June 30th, 2021 can petition the court to have their charges erased. Those with the same charges occurring between January 1st, 2000, and September 30th, 2015 will automatically have their charges erased. As part of these 2022 Connecticut laws later in 2022, residents will also be able to purchase legal marijuana in retail stores.
3-D Bail Bonds, Inc aims to inform our local community about the importance to understand the new 2022 Connecticut laws and all legal matters that may affect you as a resident.
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