Bill Summary – FastDemocracy

General Assembly                    Raised Bill No. 5492
       February Session, 2020             LCO No. 2793
     Referred to Committee on JUDICIARY
     Introduced by:
       (JUD)
 AN ACT CONCERNING THE COST OF TELECOMMUNICATIONS
 SERVICES IN CORRECTIONAL FACILITIES.
 Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General
 Assembly convened:
1         Section 1. (NEW) (Effective from passage) (a) The Commissioner of
2      Correction shall not use the provision of voice communication service
3      or any other communication service to persons who are in the custody
4      of the commissioner and confined in a correctional facility to supplant
5      in-person contact visits any such person may be eligible to receive.
 6        (b) On and after October 1, 2022, the commissioner shall provide
 7     voice communication service to persons who are in the custody of the
 8     commissioner and confined in a correctional facility. The commissioner
 9     may supplement such voice communication service with any other
10     communication service, including, but not limited to, video
11     communication and electronic mail services. Any such communication
12     service shall be provided free of charge to such persons and any
13     communication, whether initiated or received through any such service,
14     shall be free of charge to the person initiating or receiving the
15     communication.
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                                                                           Raised Bill No.        5492
16      (c) On and after October 1, 2022, the state shall not receive revenue
17   for the provision of any communication service to any person in the
18   custody of the commissioner and confined in a correctional facility.
19      Sec. 2. Sections 18-81x and 54-105a of the general statutes are
20   repealed. (Effective October 1, 2022)
      This act shall take effect as follows and shall amend the following
      sections:
      Section 1           from passage                            New section
      Sec. 2              October 1, 2022                         Repealer section
     Statement of Purpose:
     To provide cost-free telecommunications for incarcerated persons.
     [Proposed deletions are enclosed in brackets. Proposed additions are indicated by underline, except
     that when the entire text of a bill or resolution or a section of a bill or resolution is new, it is not
     underlined.]
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