Substitute Senate Bill No. 1157 with File No. 565 proposes amendments to the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) to enhance the privacy of certain public agency employees by preventing the disclosure of their residential addresses. The bill expands the list of employees protected under Section 1-217(a) of the general statutes to include employees of the disability determination services unit, the Bureau of Rehabilitation Services within the Department of Aging and Disability Services, and employees of the Office of the Attorney General. It also modifies the procedure under Section 1-214(b) for public agencies when handling FOIA requests involving personnel or medical records. Agencies must now either disclose the records and then notify the employees and their collective bargaining representative or, in the case of a mass request (defined as one concerning fifty or more employees), attempt to notify the employees and their representative before disclosing the records. These changes are set to take effect on July 1, 2023, and have no fiscal impact on the state or municipalities.

The bill further details the conditions under which covered employees can request confidentiality for their home addresses and mandates that agencies redact such addresses from records provided in response to FOIA requests that specifically name the individual. However, this prohibition does not apply to addresses in documents that are eligible for recording in municipal land records or required by state election laws. Additionally, the bill introduces an exception for mass requests, requiring agencies to attempt to notify each employee and their collective bargaining representative before releasing records. The bill maintains the current provision that allows agencies to withhold files from disclosure if they believe disclosure would constitute an invasion of personal privacy. The Government Administration and Elections Committee has given the bill a favorable vote.