Connecticut SB 278: AN ACT CONCERNING A PLAN TO PARTNER WITH MANUFACTURERS TO PROVIDE EQUIPMENT TO SCHOOLS.

Bill Text

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General Assembly Substitute Bill No. 278
February Session, 2026

AN ACT CONCERNING MILITARY PROTECTIVE ORDERS TO
ADDRESS MILITARY INTERPERSONAL VIOLENCE.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General
Assembly convened:

Section 1. Subsection (b) of section 46b-15 of the 2026 supplement to 1
the general statutes is repealed and the following is substituted in lieu 2
thereof (Effective October 1, 2026): 3
(b) The application form shall allow the applicant, at the applicant's 4
option, to indicate whether the respondent holds a permit to carry a 5
pistol or revolver, an eligibility certificate for a pistol or revolver, a long 6
gun eligibility certificate or an ammunition certificate or possesses one 7
or more firearms or ammunition. The application shall be accompanied 8
by an affidavit made under oath which includes a brief statement of the 9
conditions from which relief is sought. Upon receipt of the application 10
the court shall order that a hearing on the application be held not later 11
than fourteen days from the date of the order except that, if the 12
application indicates that the respondent holds a permit to carry a pistol 13
or revolver, an eligibility certificate for a pistol or revolver, a long gun 14
eligibility certificate or an ammunition certificate or possesses one or 15
more firearms or ammunition, and the court orders an ex parte order, 16
the court shall order that a hearing be held on the application not later 17
than seven days from the date on which the ex parte order is issued. The 18
court, in its discretion, may make such orders as it deems appropriate 19

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for the protection of the applicant and such dependent children or other 20
persons as the court sees fit. In making such orders ex parte, the court, 21
in its discretion, may consider relevant court records if the records are 22
available to the public from a clerk of the Superior Court or on the 23
Judicial Branch's Internet web site. In addition, at the time of the 24
hearing, the court, in its discretion, may also consider a report prepared 25
by the family services unit of the Judicial Branch, provided the person 26
who prepared such report is available to testify at the hearing and is 27
subject to cross examination. The report may include, as available: Any 28
existing or prior orders of protection obtained from the [protection 29
order] registry of protective orders maintained pursuant to section 51-30
5c, as amended by this act, including any military protective orders 31
contained in such registry; information on any pending criminal case or 32
past criminal case in which the respondent was convicted of a violent 33
crime; any outstanding arrest warrant for the respondent; and the 34
respondent's level of risk based on a risk assessment tool utilized by the 35
Court Support Services Division. The report may also include 36
information pertaining to any pending or disposed family matters case 37
involving the applicant and respondent. Any report provided by the 38
Court Support Services Division to the court shall also be provided to 39
the applicant and respondent. Such orders may include temporary child 40
custody or visitation rights, and such relief may include, but is not 41
limited to, an order enjoining the respondent from (1) imposing any 42
restraint upon the person or liberty of the applicant; (2) threatening, 43
harassing, assaulting, molesting, sexually assaulting or attacking the 44
applicant; or (3) entering the family dwelling or the dwelling of the 45
applicant. Such order may include provisions necessary to protect any 46
animal owned or kept by the applicant including, but not limited to, an 47
order enjoining the respondent from injuring or threatening to injure 48
such animal. If an applicant alleges an immediate and present physical 49
danger to the applicant, the court may issue an ex parte order granting 50
such relief as it deems appropriate. If a postponement of a hearing on 51
the application is requested by either party and granted, the ex parte 52
order shall not be continued except upon agreement of the parties or by 53
order of the court for good cause shown. If a hearing on the application 54

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is scheduled or an ex parte order is granted and the court is closed on 55
the scheduled hearing date, the hearing shall be held on the next day the 56
court is open and any such ex parte order shall remain in effect until the 57
date of such hearing. If the applicant is under eighteen years of age, a 58
parent, guardian or responsible adult who brings the application as next 59
friend of the applicant may not speak on the applicant's behalf at such 60
hearing unless there is good cause shown as to why the applicant is 61
unable to speak on his or her own behalf, except that nothing in this 62
subsection shall preclude such parent, guardian or responsible adult 63
from testifying as a witness at