Connecticut SB 400: AN ACT CONCERNING PROBATE COURT OPERATIONS.

Bill Text

Substitute Senate Bill No. 400 
 
Public Act No. 26-87 
 
 
AN ACT CONCERNING PROBATE COURT OPERATIONS. 
Be  it  enacted  by  the  Senate  and  House  of  Representatives  in  General 
Assembly convened: 
 
Section  1.  Subsection  (a)  of  section  45a-8a  of the  general  statutes  is 
repealed and the following is substituted in lieu thereof (Effective October 
1, 2026): 
(a) For  the  purposes  of  this  section,  "children's  matters"  means:  (1) 
Guardianship  matters  under  sections  45a-603  to  45a-625,  inclusive;  (2) 
termination of parental rights matters under sections 45a-706 to 45a-719, 
inclusive;  (3)  adoption  matters  under  sections  45a-724  to  45a-733, 
inclusive,  and  sections  45a-736  and  45a-737;  (4)  claims  for  parentage 
under section 46b-571 and section 46b-454, and parentage orders under 
sections  46b-517,  46b-531  and  46b-535;  (5)  emancipation  of  minor 
matters  under  sections  46b-150  to  46b-150e,  inclusive;  (6)  voluntary 
admission   matters   under   section   17a-11; [and] (7) validation   of 
surrogacy agreements under sections 46b-533 and 46b-536; and (8) name 
changes of minors under section 45a-99. 
Sec.  2.  Subsection  (a)  of  section  45a-100  of  the  general  statutes  is 
repealed and the following is substituted in lieu thereof (Effective January 
1, 2027): 

Substitute Senate Bill No. 400 
 
Public Act No. 26-87 2 of 11 
 
(a)  Any  person  having  a  federal  firearms  disability  under  18  USC 
922(d)(4)  and  18  USC  922(g)(4),  as  a  result  of  an  adjudication  or 
commitment  rendered  in  this  state,  may  petition  the [probate  court] 
Probate Court for the district in which such  person resides, or, if such 
person does not reside in Connecticut, the Probate Court that rendered 
the  adjudication  or  commitment, for  relief  from  the  federal  firearms 
disability that resulted from such adjudication or commitment. 
Sec.  3.  Subsection  (a)  of  section  45a-754  of  the  general  statutes  is 
repealed  and  the  following  is  substituted  in  lieu  thereof  (Effective from 
passage): 
(a)  All  records  of  cases  related  to  termination  of  parental  rights, 
removal  of  a  parent  as  guardian, appointment  of  a  guardian  of  the 
person of a minor, appointment of a statutory parent, adoption matters, 
temporary   guardianship   and   emancipation   of   a   minor   shall   be 
confidential and shall not be open to inspection by or disclosed to any 
third  party,  except  that  (1)  such  records  shall  be  available  to  (A)  the 
parties  in  any  such  case  and  their  counsel;  (B)  the  Department  of 
Children and Families; (C) any licensed child-placing agency involved 
in any such case; (D) any judge or employee of a court of this state who, 
in the performance of his or her duties, requires access to such records; 
(E) the Office of the Probate Court Administrator; and (F) courts of other 
states under the provisions of sections 46b-115a to 46b-115gg, inclusive; 
and  (2)  access  to  and  disclosure  of  adoption  records  shall  be  in 
accordance with subsection (b) of this section. 
Sec.  4.  Section  45a-186  of  the  general  statutes  is  repealed  and  the 
following is substituted in lieu thereof (Effective October 1, 2026): 
(a) As used in this section and section 45a-187, "electronic service" has 
the same meaning as provided in section 45a-136f. 
(b) Any person aggrieved by an order, denial or decree of a Probate 

Substitute Senate Bill No. 400 
 
Public Act No. 26-87 3 of 11 
 
Court  may  appeal  therefrom  to  the  Superior  Court.  An  appeal  from  a 
matter  heard  under  any  provision  of  section  45a-593,  45a-594,  45a-595 
or 45a-597, sections 45a-644 to 45a-677, inclusive, sections 45a-690 to 45a-
703, inclusive, or section 45a-705a, shall be filed not later than forty-five 
days after the date on which the Probate Court sent the order, denial or 
decree.  Except  as  provided  in  sections  45a-187  and  45a-188,  an  appeal 
from an order, denial or decree in any other matter shall be filed on or 
before the thirtieth day after the date on which the Probate Court sent 
the order, denial or decree. The appeal period shall be calculated from 
the date on which the court sent the order, denial or decree by mail or 
the date on which the court transmitted the order, denial or decree by 
electronic service, whichever is later. 
(c) An  appeal  shall  be  commenced  by  filing  a  complaint  in  the 
Superior  Court  in  the  judicial  district  in  which  such  Probate  Court  is 
located, or, if the Probate Court is located in a probate district that is in 
more than one judicial district, by filing a complaint in a superior court 
that is located in a judicial district in which any portion of the probate 
district  is  located,  except  that  (1)  an  appeal  under  subsection  (b)  of 
section 12-359, subsection (b) of section 12-367, subsection (b) of section 
12-395 or se