Signed by Governor Ned Lamont

Vote Smart's Synopsis:

Vote to pass a bill that prohibits 'whites only' or racial covenants for land and property ownership.

Highlights:

• Defines "unlawful restrictive covenant" as a covenant or other provision in an instrument affecting the title to real property that purports to restrict ownership or occupancy of such real property on the basis of race (Sec. 1.a).

• Establishes any unlawful restrictive covenant contained in any instrument affecting title to real property that is recorded in the land records of any municipality are void (Sec. 1.b).

• Specifies the affidavits provided for in this law may relate to the following matters: Age, sex, birth, death, capacity, relationship, family history, heirship, names, identity of parties, marital status, possession or adverse possession, adverse use, residence, service in the armed forces, conflicts and ambiguities in description of land in recorded instruments, the happening of any condition or event which may terminate an estate or interest, unlawful restrictive covenants and any other state of facts affecting title to real property (Sec. 2).

• Prohibits a license from being issued by the registrar until both persons have appeared before the registrar and made application for a license. The registrar shall issue a license to any two persons eligible to marry under this law (Sec. 3).

• Authorizes the board of directors to, by a vote of a majority of the members of said board and without further need for a vote by unit owners, amend the declaration to remove from such declaration any provision that purports to restrict ownership or occupancy of units within the condominium on the basis of race (Sec. 4.d-1).

• Specifies if a unit owner submits a written request to the board of directors for an amendment to the declaration to remove a provision that purports to restrict ownership or occupancy of units within the condominium on the basis of race, the board shall, not later than 90 days after receipt of such a request, hold a meeting to determine whether such a provision exists in the declaration and should be removed (Sec. 4.d-2).

• Authorizes surveys and plans, to be amended only as follows (Sec. 5.a):

• By vote or agreement of unit owners of units to which at least 67% of the votes in the association are allocated, unless the declaration specifies either a larger percentage or a smaller percentage, but not less than a majority, for all amendments or for specific subjects of amendment;

• The declaration may provide that all amendments or specific subjects of amendment may be approved by the unit owners of units having any of the percentages of votes of a specified group of units that would be affected by the amendment, rather than all of the units in the common interest community; or

• The declaration may specify a smaller number only if all of the units are restricted exclusively to nonresidential use.

• Specifies if a unit owner submits a written request to the executive board for an amendment to the declaration to remove a provision that purports to restrict ownership or occupancy of units within the common interest community on the basis of race, the board shall, not later than 90 days after receipt of such a request, hold a meeting to determine whether such a provision exists in the declaration and should be removed (Sec. 5.k-2).

Full Bill Text