AN ACT ESTABLISHING A TASK FORCE TO STUDY BEST PRACTICES TO ENSURE A CONSERVED PERSON'S RIGHT TO INTERACT WITH OTHERS.

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General Assembly convened:

Section 1. (Effective from passage) (a) There is established a task force to study how best to ensure the rights of a person under conservatorship, as defined in section 45a-656b of the general statutes, to interact with others. Such study shall include, but need not be limited to, an examination of the least restrictive means to ensure such person may maintain relationships with family members and others while taking into account the safety of such person and minimizing burdens on a conservator of the person, as defined in section 45a-644 of the general statutes.

(b) The task force shall consist of the following members:

(1) Two members of a legal services organization whose members represent persons under conservatorship, appointed by the speaker of the House of Representatives;

(2) Two appointed by the president pro tempore of the Senate, one of whom represents a conserved person and one of whom is a conservator of the person;

(3) One appointed by the majority leader of the House of Representatives;

(4) One appointed by the majority leader of the Senate;

(5) One appointed by the minority leader of the House of Representatives;

(6) One appointed by the minority leader of the Senate; and

(7) The Probate Court Administrator, or the Probate Court Administrator's designee.

(c) Any member of the task force appointed under subdivision (3), (4), (5) or (6) of subsection (b) of this section may be a member of the General Assembly.

(d) All appointments to the task force shall be made not later than thirty days after the effective date of this section. Any vacancy shall be filled by the appointing authority.

(e) The speaker of the House of Representatives and the president pro tempore of the Senate shall select the chairpersons of the task force from among the members of the task force. Such chairpersons shall schedule the first meeting of the task force, which shall be held not later than sixty days after the effective date of this section.

(f) The administrative staff of the joint standing committee of the General Assembly having cognizance of matters relating to aging shall serve as administrative staff of the task force.

(g) Not later than December 1, 2018, the task force shall submit a report on its findings and recommendations to the joint standing committees of the General Assembly having cognizance of matters relating to aging and the judiciary, in accordance with the provisions of section 11-4a of the general statutes. The task force shall terminate on the date that it submits such report or December 1, 2018, whichever is later.