House Bill No. 5548 proposes significant revisions to the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) aimed at enhancing privacy protections for public agency employees and certain academic records. The bill repeals and replaces Section 1-217 of the general statutes, which previously permitted the disclosure of residential addresses for public agency employees. The new legal language prohibits the disclosure of residential addresses for a wider range of individuals, including employees of the Department of Correction, and allows any public agency employee to request nondisclosure of their address by submitting a written request along with their business address. However, the business addresses of these employees remain subject to disclosure.

Additionally, the bill amends Section 1-210 to introduce protections for records maintained by faculty or staff of public higher education institutions that pertain to teaching or research, while explicitly excluding financial records from this exemption. This change aims to bolster privacy for academic work while ensuring transparency in other areas. The effective date for these amendments is set for October 1, 2026, and the bill is expected to have no fiscal impact on the state or municipalities. Overall, HB 5548 seeks to strengthen privacy protections for certain public employees and academic records while maintaining a balance with public access to information.

Statutes affected:
Raised Bill: 1-217
GAE Joint Favorable: 1-217
File No. 553: 1-217