Senator Anwar Leads Senate Passage of Legislation Investigating Sex Offenders in Long-Term Care

Today, State Senator Saud Anwar (D-South Windsor) led the Senate's passage of legislation investigating current state standards regarding sex offender status of long-term care residents. The legislation would establish a task force studying the impacts of residents with such status for both their own and environmental health and well-being.

Sen. Anwar is a co-sponsor of the legislation, which was spurred by a May 2021 incident where a resident of a long-term care facility on a sexual offender list committed assault against a staff member. That incident occurred in Sen. Anwar's district.

"After the serious incident that occurred in an East Windsor nursing home last year, it is imperative that we take action to prevent and better understand the consequences of sex offenders in long-term care homes," said Sen. Anwar. "There is a loophole in state law where registered sex offenders' status is not reported if they are transferred to state long-term care facilities from other states. This is the first step toward closing this loophole and making these facilities safe for all residing there."

Senate Bill 254, "An Act Establishing A Task Force To Study The Impact Of A Resident Who Appears In A Sex Offender Registry On the Environment Of A Long-Term Care Facility And Of Such Registries On The Health Of A Person Who Appears In One" would establish a task force to study means of ensuring resident and employee health and safety with a resident appearing in state- or national sex offender databases, including the impact they would have on the facility environment; the impact of offender registry databases on individuals; and any necessary legislative changes to ensure health and safety of all parties involved. The task force would need to release a report to the General Assembly by the end of 2022.