Summary of HB 6874 / Public Act No. 23-46

• Judicial branch facility threshold increase: Raises the expense threshold for repairs/alterations to buildings occupied by the Judicial Branch from $1.25 million to $2 million before requiring Commissioner of Administrative Services approval (effective July 1, 2023).

• Nonadversarial divorce provisions: Creates streamlined dissolution of marriage process for couples meeting specific criteria (marriage under 9 years, no children, assets under $80,000, no pension plans) with simplified court procedures and no waiting period (effective October 1, 2023).

• Family with service needs elimination: Removes "family with service needs" as a juvenile court category, consolidating such matters into delinquency and child protective proceedings under the Judicial Branch (effective July 1, 2023).

• Judicial district reorganization: Renames the "Fairfield" judicial district to "Bridgeport" and restructures venue/filing requirements across Connecticut's court system (effective January 1, 2024).

• Victim and witness protections: Expands rights for crime victims and their next of kin to attend juvenile and youth proceedings, with limited exceptions requiring court findings of good cause (effective July 1, 2023).