SB 124

General Assembly  Raised Bill No. 124
  February Session, 2026  LCO No. 1132
 Referred to Committee on AGING
 Introduced by:
   (AGE)
 AN ACT CONCERNING THE DEPARTMENT OF AGING AND
 DISABILITY SERVICES' RECOMMENDATIONS REGARDING
 MUNICIPAL AGENTS FOR AGING.
 Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General
 Assembly convened:
1Section 1. Section 7-127b of the general statutes is repealed and the
2     following is substituted in lieu thereof (Effective from passage):
3(a) The chief elected official or the chief executive officer if by
4    ordinance of each municipality shall appoint a municipal agent for
5    [elderly persons] aging. Such agent (1) shall be a (A) staff member of a
6    senior center, [a] (B) member of an agency that serves [elderly persons]
7    older adults in the municipality, or [a] (C) responsible resident of the
8    municipality who has demonstrated an interest in assisting [elderly
9    persons] older adults or has been involved in programs in the field of
10    aging, and (2) shall not have a conflict of interest or a perceived conflict
11    of interest that may interfere with the municipal agent's ability to
12    provide unbiased information, assistance or referral services. Two or
13    more municipalities may jointly appoint one or more municipal agents
14    to carry out the duties and responsibilities of a municipal agent,
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15 provided such municipalities enter into a memorandum of agreement
16 or understanding for such purpose, which may include, but need not be
17 limited to, terms concerning the sharing of any expenses relating to the
18 municipal agent or agents.
19    (b) The duties of the municipal agent shall include, but need not be
20 limited to: (1) Disseminating information to [elderly persons] older
21 adults, assisting such persons in learning about the community
22 resources available to them and publicizing such resources and benefits;
23 (2) assisting [elderly persons] older adults in applying for federal and
24 state benefits, and accessing community resources, available to such
25 persons; and (3) reporting to the chief elected official or chief executive
26 officer of the municipality and the Department of Aging and Disability
27 Services any needs and problems of [the elderly] older adults and any
28 recommendations for action to improve services to [the elderly] older
29 adults. For the purposes of this subsection, "community resources"
30 means resources that assist [elderly persons] older adults in gaining
31 access to housing opportunities, including, but not limited to,
32 information regarding access to waitlists for housing designated for
33 [elderly persons] older adults, applications and consumer reports.
34    (c) Each municipal agent shall serve for a term of two or four years,
35 at the discretion of the appointing authority of each municipality, and
36 may be reappointed. If more than one agent is necessary to carry out the
37 purposes of this section, the appointing authority, in its discretion, may
38 appoint one or more assistant agents. The town clerk in each
39 municipality shall notify the Department of Aging and Disability
40 Services immediately of the appointment of a new municipal agent.
41 Each municipality may provide to its municipal agent resources
42 sufficient for such agent to perform the duties of the office.
43    (d) The Department of Aging and Disability Services shall adopt and
44 disseminate to municipalities guidelines as to the role and duties of
45 municipal agents and such informational and technical materials as may
46 assist such agents in performance of their duties. The department, in
47 cooperation with the area agencies on aging, may provide training for
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48 municipal agents within the available resources of the department and
49 of the area agencies on aging.
50    (e) On or before January 1, 2025, the Commissioner of Aging and
51 Disability Services shall create a directory of municipal agents
52 appointed pursuant to the provisions of this section, which shall
53 include, but need not be limited to, the name, title, telephone number,
54 electronic mail address and mailing address of each municipal agent.
55 The commissioner shall post a link to the directory on the Department
56 of Aging and Disability Services' Internet web site.
57    (f) On and after July 1, 2026, each municipal agent, at the time of such
58 municipal agent's appointment or reappointment, shall certify, in
59 writing, that such municipal agent is unaware of any conflict of interest
60 or perceived conflict of interest that may interfere with the municipal
61 agent's ability to provide unbiased information, assistance or referral
62 services and submit such certification to the Commissioner of Aging and
63 Disability Services in a form and manner prescribed by the
64 commissioner. If, during the term of a municipal agent, such a conflict
65 of interest or perceived conflict of interest arises, any interested party
66 may, and a municipal agent shall, immediately report such conflict of
67 interest or perceived conflict of interest to the appointing authority to
68 determine whether another municipal agent or municipal employee can
69 act in lieu of the affected municipal agent to nullify such conflict of
70 interest or perceived conflict of interest. The appointing authority may
71 consult with the Department of Aging and Disability Services in making
72 such determination. For the purposes of this subsection, the term
73 "conflict of interest" includes, but is not limited to, the receipt of any
74 financial or personal benefit by a municipal agent, such agent's spouse,
75 parent, sibling, child or child's spouse or a business associated with such
76 agent.
  This act shall take effect as follows and shall amend the following
  sections:
  Section 1     from passage  7-127b
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AGE        Joint Favorable
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