Conn. Gen. Stat. § 17a-247b: Establishment and maintenance of registry.

(a) The Department of Developmental Services shall establish and maintain a registry of (1) former employees who have been terminated or separated from employment as a result of substantiated abuse or neglect, (2) community companion home licensees whose licenses have been revoked or who have surrendered their licenses as a result of substantiated abuse or neglect, and (3) community companion home designees against whom an authorized agency has made a finding substantiating abuse or neglect. The department shall, for the purposes of maintaining the registry, be capable of responding to inquiries in accordance with subsection (c) of this section as to whether a former employee has been terminated or separated from employment as a result of substantiated abuse or neglect, whether a community companion home licensee has had his or her license revoked or has surrendered his or her license as a result of substantiated abuse or neglect, and whether an authorized agency has made a finding substantiating abuse or neglect against a community companion home designee. Such capability may include response by telephone voice mail or other automated response for initial inquiries.

(b) The registry shall include, but not be limited to, the following: (1) The names, addresses and Social Security numbers of (A) former employees terminated or separated from employment as a result of substantiated abuse or neglect, (B) community companion home licensees whose licenses have been revoked or who have surrendered their licenses as a result of substantiated abuse or neglect, and (C) community companion home designees against whom an authorized agency has made a finding substantiating abuse or neglect; (2) the date of (A) termination or separation, (B) license revocation or surrender, as applicable, and (C) for community companion home designees, an authorized agency's finding substantiating abuse or neglect; (3) the type of abuse or neglect; and (4) the name of any employer or authorized agency requesting information from the registry, the reason for the request and the date of the request.

(c) The department shall make information in the registry available only to: (1) Authorized agencies, for the purpose of protective service determinations; (2) employers who employ employees to provide services to an individual who receives services or funding from the department; (3) the Departments of Children and Families, Mental Health and Addiction Services, Social Services and Administrative Services and the Office of Labor Relations, for the purpose of determining whether an applicant for employment with the Departments of Children and Families, Developmental Services, Mental Health and Addiction Services and Social Services appears on the registry; (4) the Office of the Probate Court Administrator, for the purpose of determining whether a person proposed for appointment as a guardian pursuant to part V of chapter 802h appears on the registry; or (5) charitable organizations that recruit volunteers to support programs for persons with intellectual disability or autism spectrum disorder, upon application to and approval by the commissioner, for purposes of conducting background checks on such volunteers.

(d) The department shall limit responses to requests for identifying information from the registry established under this section to (1) identification of (A) the former employee terminated or separated from employment for substantiated abuse or neglect, (B) the community companion home licensee whose license has been revoked or surrendered for substantiated abuse or neglect, or (C) the community companion home designee against whom an authorized agency has made a finding substantiating abuse or neglect, and (2) the type of abuse or neglect so substantiated.

(e) Not later than five business days after receipt of written notification by an authorized agency of the substantiation of abuse or neglect by (1) a former employee who has been terminated or separated from employment for such abuse or neglect, (2) a community companion home licensee whose license has been revoked or surrendered as a result of such abuse or neglect, or (3) a community companion home designee, an employer or, in the case of a community companion home designee, a community companion home, shall submit to the department the name of such former employee or community companion home designee and such other information as the department may request. Upon receipt of any such notification, the department shall conduct a hearing in accordance with sections 4-177 to 4-181a, inclusive, governing contested cases. The department shall not place a former employee, community companion home licensee or community companion home designee's name on the registry until the department has completed the hearing and the hearing has resulted in a decision to place the former employee, community companion home licensee or community companion home designee's name on the registry.

(f) Upon completion of an investigation in which the department determines that a community companion home licensee committed substantiated abuse and neglect, the department shall notify such community companion home licensee that his or her license may be revoked and his or her name is to be placed on the registry. Any such community companion home licensee may request an administrative hearing to contest such license revocation and registry placement. Such hearing shall be conducted in conjunction with a revocation hearing requested pursuant to section 17a-227. If such community companion home licensee submits such a revocation hearing request, the department shall not place such community companion home licensee's name on the registry until the department has completed the hearing and the hearing has resulted in a decision to place the community companion home licensee's name on the registry.

(g) The department shall remove a former employee, community companion home licensee or community companion home designee's name from the registry (1) if an arbitration or a legal proceeding results in a finding that the former employee was unfairly terminated from employment, or (2) upon the submittal to the department of such employee, community companion home licensee or community companion home designee's death certificate.

(h) No employer shall be liable in any civil action for damages brought by an employee, former employee or an applicant for employment whose name appears on the registry established by this section arising out of the conduct of the employer in (1) making any report in good faith pursuant to subsection (e) of this section, (2) testifying under oath in any administrative or judicial proceeding arising from such report, (3) refusing to hire or to retain any person whose name appears on the registry established under this section, or (4) taking any other action to conform to the requirements of this section. The immunity provided in this subsection shall not apply to gross negligence or to wilful or wanton misconduct.