CT SB00090

Consolidates and renames existing "intimidation based on bigotry or bias" offenses as "hate crimes," creating distinct categories: hate crime causing physical injury (class C felony, minimum $3,000 fine), hate crime causing physical contact (class D felony, minimum $1,000 fine), and hate crime affecting property (class D or E felony, minimum $1,000 fine)

Establishes new "protected social category" definition covering actual or perceived race, color, religion, ethnicity, disability, alienage, national origin, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, and age (60 years or older)

Creates 17 new hate crime offenses including: threatening houses of religious worship, false reports motivated by bias, bias-motivated stalking, cross burning, placing nooses with intent to intimidate, deprivation of civil rights, and discriminatory public accommodations/housing practices

Removes criminal penalties (class D misdemeanor) from civil rights discrimination statutes (sections 46a-58, 46a-64, 46a-64c, 46a-81d, 46a-81e) while preserving civil enforcement through the Commission on Human Rights and Opportunities

Effective date of October 1, 2026, with conforming amendments to 44 statutory sections including persistent offender provisions, accelerated rehabilitation programs, probation conditions, and Attorney General civil enforcement authority