General Assembly Raised Bill No. 1501 proposes significant amendments to the Connecticut General Statutes regarding the operations of Probate Courts. Key changes include the formalization of the court's title by replacing "court of probate" with "Probate Court" throughout the legislation. The bill allows parents or legal guardians to petition the Probate Court for a birth certificate if they cannot provide necessary information, requiring the petition to be filed before the child's first birthday. The court will hold a hearing to determine parentage and may order genetic testing. Additionally, the notification period for the council regarding the termination of investigations is extended from seven to fifteen business days, and the timeline for filing appeals from Probate Court orders is clarified to thirty days after receiving a copy of the complaint.

Further amendments focus on adoption procedures, including the requirement for untranscribed portions of court proceedings to be transcribed at the appellant's expense unless they demonstrate financial hardship. The bill enhances notification processes for involuntary representation cases by including more family members in the notification requirements. It also repeals outdated language related to adoption applications, clarifying filing requirements and mandating investigations by the Commissioner of Children and Families or a child-placing agency. The bill allows the Probate Court to charge adoptive parents for investigation costs and streamlines the adoption hearing process, ensuring that disapproval cannot be based solely on marital status or differences in race, color, or religion. Additionally, it establishes a working group to study conservatorship issues and allows tort claims against estates to proceed in Superior Court under certain conditions. The bill is set to take effect in stages, with some provisions starting on July 1, 2025, and others on October 1, 2025.

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