CT SB00964

Expands the list of mandated reporters of child abuse to include victim services advocates and 39 other professional categories employed by state agencies, schools, and youth-serving organizations, effective July 1, 2019.

Establishes a nonadversarial dissolution of marriage process for couples married nine years or less with no children, property, or pensions, requiring joint petition and waiver of trial and appeal rights, effective October 1, 2019.

Reforms court recording procedures by replacing shorthand reporters with court recording monitors using digital equipment and adjusting transcript fee structures for state's attorneys and public defenders, effective July 1, 2019 through October 1, 2019.

Modifies judicial proceedings by requiring appellate review to the Appellate Court instead of Supreme Court in most cases, changing the certification threshold from two to three judges for further review, effective January 1, 2020.

Consolidates court locations in the Litchfield judicial district to Torrington and removes Bristol from the New Britain district, and adjusts transcript deadlines for arbitration appeals to account for electronic notice, effective July-October 2019.