Substitute House Bill No. 6912 (sHB6912 File No. 545) seeks to amend Section 1-217 of the general statutes to protect the personal information of public agency employees, including election workers, by prohibiting the disclosure of their residential addresses under the Freedom of Information Act. The bill allows these individuals to submit a written request for nondisclosure along with a business address, which will prevent the disclosure of their residential address for an initial 90-day period, extendable by another 90 days if justified. The bill also criminalizes the harassment or intimidation of election workers through the public disclosure of their personal identifying information, making it a class D felony.

The bill introduces changes to the legal language, including the deletion of subsection (d) and the addition of new subsections (e) and (f). Subsection (e) clarifies that certain documents and lists are not exempt from disclosure, while subsection (f) ensures that no public agency or employee will be penalized for violating the nondisclosure provisions unless the violation is willful and knowing. The bill has received a Joint Favorable Substitute from the Government Administration and Elections Committee and is slated to become effective on July 1, 2023.

Statutes affected:
Raised Bill: 1-217
GAE Joint Favorable Substitute: 1-217
File No. 545: 1-217