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HB 5564 Connecticut House · 2026 Regular Session

AN ACT CONCERNING VICTIM STATEMENTS AND REQUIREMENTS FOR VICTIM NOTIFICATION.

This bill updates Connecticut law to ensure crime victims have a formal opportunity to address the court before a defendant is sentenced or charges are dismissed. It allows victims, their families, or legal representatives to submit oral or written statements regarding the impact of the crime and their views on penalties. Prosecutors must notify victims of sentencing hearings if they wish to make a statement, and for cases involving peace officer assaults, the officer must be personally notified. Additionally, the bill requires prosecutors to provide victims with written details of proposed plea agreements, including potential prison terms and eligibility for sentence reductions or parole. These changes take effect on October 1, 2026.
Issues: ✓ Criminal JusticeSupports Criminal JusticeBill strengthens victim rights and ensures their voices are heard in sentencing, supporting criminal justice reform and fairness.85% confidence
Bill status in committee 1 of 4 stages cleared
Introduction
Mar 2026
Committee Review
Floor Vote
Governor
Introduced Mar 12, 2026 Last action Apr 14, 2026
Maddy AI version diff · 1 comparison

What changed between versions

Raised Bill → JUD Joint Favorable Substitute · 3 edits
MINOR
The bill was converted from a 'Raised Bill' to a 'Joint Favorable Substitute,' indicating it has passed committee review and is ready for the next legislative stage. The substantive legal text remains largely unchanged, with the primary modifications being the reorganization of sections to clarify which specific offenses qualify for victim statements and the removal of obsolete effective dates and purpose statements.
Scope change
The scope of victim notification was clarified by explicitly listing specific felony and misdemeanor offenses that trigger the right to a victim statement, replacing a more general description of the crimes.
ELIGIBILITY

The list of offenses eligible for victim statements was restructured to explicitly include specific felony classes and misdemeanors, such as assault on a peace officer and various sexual violence crimes.

TECHNICAL

The effective date (October 1, 2026) and the original 'Statement of Purpose' were removed as they are no longer relevant to the substitute bill text.

Section numbering and formatting were adjusted to align with the new substitute bill structure, including the renumbering of subsections (b) and (c).

Floor votes

How they voted

No floor votes recorded yet.
Full legislative history

Actions timeline

Total actions
9
Key actions
1
Committee
2
Mar 30, 2026
Lower · Passed
Joint Favorable Substitute
lower
Mar 12, 2026
Committee
REF. TO JOINT COMM. ON Judiciary
lower
0 primary · 0 co-sponsors

Sponsors

No sponsor information available.