Bill Text: CT SB00886 | 2013 | General Assembly | Chaptered
Bill Title: An Act Concerning Aging In Place.
Spectrum: Bipartisan Bill
Status: (Passed) 2013-07-11 - Signed by the Governor [SB00886 Detail]
Download: Connecticut-2013-SB00886-Chaptered.html
Substitute Senate Bill No. 886
AN ACT CONCERNING AGING IN PLACE.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General Assembly convened:
Section 1. Section 17b-105d of the general statutes is repealed and the following is substituted in lieu thereof (Effective July 1, 2013):
(a) The Department of Social Services, in conjunction with the member agencies of the Child Poverty and Prevention Council, may work with local governments, institutions of higher education, community action agencies and other entities to continue and expand efforts, within available appropriations, to enroll eligible individuals in the supplemental nutrition assistance program and to enroll eligible supplemental nutrition assistance participants in education, employment and training activities.
(b) The Commissioner of Social Services, within available appropriations, shall incorporate into existing efforts coordinated outreach to increase awareness and utilization of the supplemental nutrition assistance program by eligible individuals, including, but not limited to, recipients of home-delivered and congregate meals and recipients of public assistance.
Sec. 2. Subsection (e) of section 8-23 of the general statutes is repealed and the following is substituted in lieu thereof (Effective July 1, 2013):
(e) (1) Such plan of conservation and development shall (A) be a statement of policies, goals and standards for the physical and economic development of the municipality, (B) provide for a system of principal thoroughfares, parkways, bridges, streets, sidewalks, multipurpose trails and other public ways as appropriate, (C) be designed to promote, with the greatest efficiency and economy, the coordinated development of the municipality and the general welfare and prosperity of its people and identify areas where it is feasible and prudent (i) to have compact, transit accessible, pedestrian-oriented mixed use development patterns and land reuse, and (ii) to promote such development patterns and land reuse, (D) recommend the most desirable use of land within the municipality for residential, recreational, commercial, industrial, conservation, agricultural and other purposes and include a map showing such proposed land uses, (E) recommend the most desirable density of population in the several parts of the municipality, (F) note any inconsistencies with the following growth management principles: (i) Redevelopment and revitalization of commercial centers and areas of mixed land uses with existing or planned physical infrastructure; (ii) expansion of housing opportunities and design choices to accommodate a variety of household types and needs; (iii) concentration of development around transportation nodes and along major transportation corridors to support the viability of transportation options and land reuse; (iv) conservation and restoration of the natural environment, cultural and historical resources and existing farmlands; (v) protection of environmental assets critical to public health and safety; and (vi) integration of planning across all levels of government to address issues on a local, regional and state-wide basis, (G) make provision for the development of housing opportunities, including opportunities for multifamily dwellings, consistent with soil types, terrain and infrastructure capacity, for all residents of the municipality and the planning region in which the municipality is located, as designated by the Secretary of the Office of Policy and Management under section 16a-4a, (H) promote housing choice and economic diversity in housing, including housing for both low and moderate income households, and encourage the development of housing which will meet the housing needs identified in the state's consolidated plan for housing and community development prepared pursuant to section 8-37t and in the housing component and the other components of the state plan of conservation and development prepared pursuant to chapter 297, and (I) consider allowing older adults and persons with a disability the ability to live in their homes and communities whenever possible. Such plan may: (i) Permit home sharing in single-family zones between up to four adult persons of any age with a disability or who are sixty years of age or older, whether or not related, who receive supportive services in the home; (ii) allow accessory apartments for persons with a disability or persons sixty years of age or older, or their caregivers, in all residential zones, subject to municipal zoning regulations concerning design and long-term use of the principal property after it is no longer in use by such persons; and (iii) expand the definition of "family" in single-family zones to allow for accessory apartments for persons sixty years of age or older, persons with a disability or their caregivers. In preparing such plan the commission shall consider focusing development and revitalization in areas with existing or planned physical infrastructure. For purposes of this subsection, "disability" has the same meaning as provided in section 46a-8.
(2) For any municipality that is contiguous to Long Island Sound, such plan shall be (A) consistent with the municipal coastal program requirements of sections 22a-101 to 22a-104, inclusive, (B) made with reasonable consideration for restoration and protection of the ecosystem and habitat of Long Island Sound, and (C) designed to reduce hypoxia, pathogens, toxic contaminants and floatable debris in Long Island Sound.
Sec. 3. Subsection (e) of section 29-269 of the general statutes is repealed and the following is substituted in lieu thereof (Effective July 1, 2013):
(e) Notwithstanding the provisions of subsection (b) of this section, a variation or exemption from the State Building Code shall not be required to construct a visitable feature in a residential home. For purposes of this section, "visitable feature" means (1) interior doorways that provide a minimum thirty-two inch wide unobstructed opening, (2) an accessible means of egress, as defined in Appendix A to 28 CFR Part 36, including a ramp complying with the International Residential Code portion of the State Building Code intended to allow access by a wheelchair, or (3) a full or half bathroom on the first floor that is compliant with the provisions of the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990, as amended, 42 USC 12101.
Sec. 4. Subsection (a) of section 17b-451 of the general statutes is repealed and the following is substituted in lieu thereof (Effective July 1, 2013):
(a) Any physician or surgeon licensed under the provisions of chapter 370, any resident physician or intern in any hospital in this state, whether or not so licensed, any registered nurse, any nursing home administrator, nurse's aide or orderly in a nursing home facility, any person paid for caring for a patient in a nursing home facility, any staff person employed by a nursing home facility, any patients' advocate, [and] any licensed practical nurse, medical examiner, dentist, optometrist, chiropractor, podiatrist, social worker, clergyman, police officer, pharmacist, psychologist or physical therapist, and any person paid for caring for an elderly person by any institution, organization, agency or facility. Such persons shall include an employee of a community-based services provider, senior center, home care agency, homemaker and companion agency, adult day care center, village-model community and congregate housing facility, who has reasonable cause to suspect or believe that any elderly person has been abused, neglected, exploited or abandoned, or is in a condition which is the result of such abuse, neglect, exploitation or abandonment, or is in need of protective services, shall, not later than seventy-two hours after such suspicion or belief arose, report such information or cause a report to be made in any reasonable manner to the Commissioner of Social Services or to the person or persons designated by the commissioner to receive such reports. Any person required to report under the provisions of this section who fails to make such report within the prescribed time period shall be fined not more than five hundred dollars, except that, if such person intentionally fails to make such report within the prescribed time period, such person shall be guilty of a class C misdemeanor for the first offense and a class A misdemeanor for any subsequent offense. Any institution, organization, agency or facility employing individuals to care for persons sixty years of age or older shall provide mandatory training on detecting potential abuse and neglect of such persons and inform such employees of their obligations under this section.
Sec. 5. (NEW) (Effective July 1, 2013) Not later than July 1, 2014, and annually thereafter, the Commissioner of Social Services, or the commissioner's designee, in accordance with the provisions of section 11-4a of the general statutes, shall submit a report to the joint standing committees of the General Assembly having cognizance of matters relating to aging, human services and public health, detailing: (1) The number of complaints involving abuse or neglect of elderly persons received in the previous calendar year in the categories of (A) physical abuse, (B) mental abuse, (C) self-neglect, (D) neglect by others, and (E) financial exploitation; (2) the disposition of complaints; and (3) whether and by how much complaints per category have increased or decreased from the previous year.
Sec. 6. (NEW) (Effective July 1, 2013) The Department of Consumer Protection, in collaboration with the Department of Social Services and the Department on Aging, shall conduct a public awareness campaign, within available funding, to educate elderly consumers and caregivers on ways to resist aggressive marketing tactics and scams.