Judiciary Committee Public Hearing: Monday, April 4th, 10 am, LOB Rm 2C
A top issue for outdoor enthusiasts is the Monday, April 4 Judiciary Committee hearing on HB 6557, An Act Concerning Liability for the Recreational Use of Lands.
HB 6557 would protect municipalities from liability when they offer free access to their recreational lands and take reasonable precautions to keep those recreational areas safe. This is the same liability protection afforded to private landowners and the state, and the same protection that municipalities had for 25 years before a court case (Conway v. Wilton) took it away.
In the past, the Judiciary Committee is where attempts to restore this protection have been scuttled by personal injury attorneys, an organized, deep-pocketed and powerful opponent to this legislation.
Calls to clarify the recreational liability statutes began in earnest last May after the MDC was held liable to the tune of a $2.9 million verdict for competitive cyclist Maribeth Blonski’s unfortunate but avoidable collision with a large yellow gate at the West Hartford Reservoir that was closed for most of 30 years. The accident occurred while Blonski was out of control and purportedly racing a friend back to the parking lot at twilight. With exposure to liability of that magnitude, municipalities are forced to seriously consider closing public places to recreation.
This is no time to sit on the sidelines if you want municipal parks and trails to stay open for recreational use. Please attend this public hearing to show legislators how many people care about maintaining public access to recreation on municipal lands. Your presence is all the more critical because this is the last public hearing on this issue this year.
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