Connecticut HB 5509: AN ACT CONCERNING WATER POLLUTION CONTROL AUTHORITIES.

Bill Text

Substitute House Bill No. 5509

Public Act No. 26-141

AN ACT CONCERNING JUSTICES OF THE PEACE.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General
Assembly convened:

Section 1. (NEW) (Effective October 1, 2026) (a) For the purposes of this
section and sections 2 to 4, inclusive, of this act:
(1) "Justice of the peace" means any person that holds the office of
justice of the peace pursuant to section 9-183b, 9-183c, 9-184 or 9-184c of
the general statutes, as amended by this act, or section 4 of this act;
(2) "Official misconduct" means, in the performance of the duties of a
justice of the peace, (A) a justice of the peace's performance of an act
prohibited by the general statutes or failure to perform an act mandated
by the general statutes, or (B) a justice of the peace's performance of an
act in a manner found by the Secretary of the State to be negligent,
fraudulent, unlawful or against the public interest, including any
conduct prohibited by subsection (a) of section 2 of this act; and
(3) "Secretary" means the Secretary of the State.
(b) To be qualified to hold the office of justice of the peace, a person
shall:
(1) Be appointed pursuant to section 9-183b, 9-183c, 9-184 or 9-184c of

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the general statutes, as amended by this act; and
(2) Not later than (A) thirty days after an appointment made after July
1, 2027, or (B) August 1, 2027, if such appointment is made on or before
July 1, 2027, certify, on a form prescribed by the Secretary, that such
person has received and read the manual published by the Secretary
pursuant to subsection (c) of this section.
(c) Not later than July 1, 2027, the Secretary shall publish a manual
describing the duties of a justice of the peace on the Internet web site of
the Secretary of the State.
Sec. 2. (NEW) (Effective January 1, 2027) (a) No justice of the peace shall
(1) perform any official action with intent to deceive or defraud any
person, (2) use the title of justice of the peace in an endorsement or
promotional statement for any product, third-party service, contest or
other offering, or (3) perform a marriage that the justice of the peace
knows or should have known is (A) unlawful under any provision of
the general statutes, or (B) fraudulent in violation of 8 USC 1325, as
amended from time to time.
(b) A justice of the peace shall be liable to any person for any damages
proximately caused to that person as a result of the justice of the peace's
official misconduct.
Sec. 3. (NEW) (Effective January 1, 2027) (a) The Secretary of the State
shall investigate any allegations of official misconduct concerning a
justice of the peace and issue a finding at the conclusion of any such
investigation.
(b) If the Secretary determines that a justice of the peace engaged in
official misconduct, the Secretary may (1) deliver a written warning or
reprimand to such justice of the peace, or (2) notwithstanding the
provisions of any special act, municipal charter or ordinance to the
contrary, suspend or revoke the appointment of the justice of the peace.

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(c) The voluntary or involuntary termination, revocation or lapse of
the appointment of a justice of the peace shall not interrupt or preclude
an investigation into any allegation of official misconduct concerning
such justice of the peace under this section.
(d) The Secretary may adopt regulations, in accordance with the
provisions of chapter 54 of the general statutes, to carry out the
provisions of this section and sections 1 and 2 of this act.
Sec. 4. (NEW) (Effective October 1, 2026) (a) Notwithstanding the
provisions of section 9-183b, 9-183c or 9-184c of the general statutes, as
amended by this act, any vacancy in the office of a justice of the peace
created by the adoption of an ordinance or charter amendment by a
municipality that (1) increases the number of justices of the peace in
such municipality, and (2) is effective not less than ninety-one days prior
to the next quadrennial appointment of justices of the peace in the
municipality, may be filled by appointment prior to the next
quadrennial appointment according to the provisions of this section.
(b) (1) The political parties that are major political parties, as defined
in subparagraph (B) of subdivision (5) of section 9-372 of the general
statutes, shall be entitled to nominate an equal number of the total
number of justices of the peace to fill the vacancies created by the
adoption of such ordinance, except in any municipality where the
number of justices of the peace to be nominated under this section is not
divisible by the number of political parties entitled to nominate justices
of the peace under this section, the registrars of voters shall determine
by lot which of said parties may nominate one more justice of the peace
than may be nominated by the other party or parties. Such nomination
by such parties shall qualify