Connecticut SB 116: AN ACT CONCERNING THE PREVENTION OF HUMAN TRAFFICKING.

Bill Text

Substitute Senate Bill No. 116 
 
Public Act No. 26-98 
 
 
AN     ACT     CONCERNING     THE     PREVENTION     OF     HUMAN 
TRAFFICKING. 
Be  it  enacted  by  the  Senate  and  House  of  Representatives  in  General 
Assembly convened: 
 
Section 1. (NEW) (Effective October 1, 2026) (a) As used in this section: 
(1)    "Commissioner"    means    the    Commissioner    of    Consumer 
Protection; 
(2) "Department" means the Department of Consumer Protection; 
(3)  "Hotel,  motel,  inn  or  similar  lodging"  means  any  commercial 
establishment in this state where sleeping accommodations are offered 
to transient guests for compensation; 
(4)  "Operator"  means  any  person  doing  business  in  this  state  who 
owns or operates a hotel, motel, inn or similar lodging; and 
(5) "Person"  means any individual, association, corporation, limited 
liability company, partnership, trust or other legal entity. 
(b) (1) On and after January 1, 2027, each operator shall register with 
the   Department   of   Consumer   Protection   in   a   form   and   manner 
prescribed by the Commissioner of Consumer Protection. Each operator 
seeking an initial registration under this subdivision shall submit to the 

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Public Act No. 26-98 2 of 6 
 
department, in a form and manner prescribed by the commissioner, (A) 
an initial registration form that includes (i) the operator's name, business 
address,  telephone  number  and  electronic  mail  address,  (ii)  the  name, 
business address, telephone number and electronic mail address of an 
individual who will serve as the operator's main contact person for the 
department, (iii) the address of each hotel, motel, inn or similar lodging 
owned  or  operated  by  the  operator,  (iv)  information  sufficient  to 
demonstrate, to the commissioner's satisfaction, that the operator is in 
compliance with the provisions of sections 44-4 to 44-6, inclusive, of the 
general  statutes,  as  amended  by  this  act,  and  section  54-234a  of  the 
general statutes, as amended by this act, and (v) any other information 
required by the commissioner for the purposes of this section, and (B) a 
nonrefundable initial registration fee in the amount of (i) fifty dollars for 
each  hotel,  motel,  inn  or  similar  lodging  owned  or  operated  by  the 
operator  that  has  fewer  than  fifteen  guest  rooms,  or  (ii)  two  hundred 
dollars for each hotel, motel, inn or similar lodging owned or operated 
by the operator that has at least fifteen guest rooms. 
(2)  Each  initial  registration  issued  under  subdivision  (1)  of  this 
subsection  shall  expire  on  December  thirty-first  of  the  year  in  which 
such initial registration was issued, and may be renewed for additional 
one-year periods upon submission of a registration renewal form in the 
form and manner, and payment of a nonrefundable registration renewal 
fee in the amount, set forth in subdivision (1) of this subsection for an 
initial registration. 
(c)  On  and  after  January  1,  2027,  the  Commissioner  of  Consumer 
Protection,  or  the  commissioner's  authorized  agent,  shall  have  the 
power to examine, copy and audit, as the commissioner or such agent 
deems necessary and proper, the records maintained by an operator to 
ensure  that  such  operator  is  in  compliance  with  the  provisions  of 
sections  44-4  to  44-6,  inclusive,  of  the  general  statutes,  as  amended  by 
this act, and section 54-234a of the general statutes, as amended by this 

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act.  The  commissioner,  or  the  commissioner's  authorized  agent,  shall 
have  access  to,  and  may  enter  and  inspect,  each  hotel,  motel,  inn  or 
similar  lodging,  and  each  location  where  records  relating  thereto  are 
kept, as may be necessary for the commissioner or such agent to exercise 
the commissioner's or such agent's powers under this section. 
Sec.  2.  Section  44-4  of  the  general  statutes  is  repealed  and  the 
following is substituted in lieu thereof (Effective October 1, 2026): 
(a) As used in this section, "hotel, motel, inn or similar lodging" and 
"operator" have the same meanings as provided in section 1 of this act. 
(b) The operator of [each] a hotel, motel, inn or similar lodging shall 
maintain a record-keeping system of all guest transactions and receipts. 
All records maintained pursuant to this section shall be retained by the 
operator  of [such] the hotel,  motel,  inn  or  similar  lodging  for  not  less 
than six months from the date of creation of the record. 
(c) Any operator who violates the provisions of subsection (b) of this 
section shall be subject to a civil penalty imposed by the Department of 
Consumer  Protection  in  the  amount  of  one  thousand  dollars  per 
violation,  provided  the  amount  of  all  civil  penalties  imposed  on  an 
operator under this subsection shall not exceed an a