HB 5420 Summary

• Law enforcement units are prohibited from discharging, disciplining, or penalizing police officers solely for seeking mental health care services or surrendering firearms during treatment, with exceptions for officers avoiding discipline or refusing required examinations.

• The Police Officer Standards and Training Council must develop training curricula by July 1, 2023 on police interactions with persons who have mental or physical disabilities and with persons who are deaf, hard of hearing, or deaf-blind, with implementation required by October 1, 2023.

• A task force is established to examine law enforcement officer mental health needs, identify available programs and barriers to access, and submit findings and recommendations to the legislature by January 1, 2023.

• Three state entities must submit reports by January 1, 2023: UConn's Institute for Municipal and Regional Policy analyzing 9-1-1 dispatch data; the Police Officer Standards and Training Council on electronic training platforms; and the Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services evaluating the Community and Law Enforcement for Addiction Recovery project.

• Section 7-294r of the general statutes is repealed effective October 1, 2023.