CT SB00523

Establishes a registry maintained by the Department of Emergency Services and Public Protection for persons convicted or found not guilty by reason of mental disease or defect of animal abuse crimes under Connecticut General Statutes section 53-247 or sexual contact with animals under section 53a-73a(a)(3), effective January 1, 2019.

Requires registrants to register within 14 days of release into the community and maintain registration for 2 years for first offenses or 5 years for subsequent offenses, including providing name, identifying factors, criminal history, residence address, and electronic mail address.

Mandates registrants personally appear annually at their local police department or state police troop to verify and update registration information, with the department notifying registrants 30 days prior to the anniversary date.

Makes it a Class D felony to violate registration requirements, fail to report name or address changes within 5 business days, or fail to comply with annual verification requirements.

Makes registry information a public record accessible through a secure state internet website and requires courts to notify the Commissioner when issuing name changes for persons on the registry; also prohibits name changes for registrants unless they demonstrate the change is not intended to avoid criminal consequences.