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SB00300 • 2026

AN ACT ESTABLISHING A DEBT COLLECTION EXEMPTION RELATING TO JOINT ACCOUNTS.

AN ACT ESTABLISHING A DEBT COLLECTION EXEMPTION RELATING TO JOINT ACCOUNTS.

Passed Legislature

This bill passed both chambers and reached final enrollment, even if later executive action is not shown here.

Sponsor
Banking Committee
Last action
2026-05-04
Official status
House Calendar Number 563
Effective date
Not listed

Plain English Breakdown

The official source material does not provide detailed information about how the act will affect existing debt collection cases involving joint accounts.

Act to Establish a Debt Collection Exemption for Joint Accounts

This act creates an exemption from debt collection for parts of joint account balances in which the person being protected (exemptioner) has no equitable ownership interest.

What This Bill Does

  • Repeals and replaces part of existing law to exempt certain balances in joint accounts from debt collection if the exemptioner does not have an equitable ownership interest.

Who It Names or Affects

  • People who have joint bank accounts and are facing debt collection.
  • Creditors trying to collect debts from people with joint accounts.

Terms To Know

Exemptioner
The person protected by the law, whose part of a joint account balance is not subject to debt collection.
Equitable interest
Ownership or benefit from an asset that may be less than full legal ownership but still gives some rights and benefits.

Limits and Unknowns

  • The act does not specify what happens if the exemptioner has a small part of the joint account balance.
  • It is unclear how this law will affect existing debt collection cases involving joint accounts.
  • The bill needs to be signed by the executive branch before it becomes enforceable.

Bill History

  1. 2026-05-04 Connecticut General Assembly

    Senate Adopted Senate Amendment Schedule A 5649

  2. 2026-05-04 Connecticut General Assembly

    Senate Passed as Amended by Senate Amendment Schedule A

  3. 2026-05-04 Connecticut General Assembly

    Transmitted Pursuant To Joint Rule 17

  4. 2026-05-04 Connecticut General Assembly

    Favorable Report, Tabled for the Calendar, House

  5. 2026-05-04 Connecticut General Assembly

    House Calendar Number 563

  6. 2026-04-13 LCO

    Filed with Legislative Commissioners' Office

  7. 2026-04-13 LCO

    Reported Out of Legislative Commissioners' Office

  8. 2026-04-13 Connecticut General Assembly

    No New File by Committee on Judiciary

  9. 2026-04-13 Connecticut General Assembly

    Favorable Report, Tabled for the Calendar, Senate

  10. 2026-04-10 JUD

    Joint Favorable

  11. 2026-04-08 Connecticut General Assembly

    Immediate Transmittal to Committee on Judiciary

  12. 2026-03-23 LCO

    Reported Out of Legislative Commissioners' Office

  13. 2026-03-23 Connecticut General Assembly

    Favorable Report, Tabled for the Calendar, Senate

  14. 2026-03-23 Connecticut General Assembly

    Senate Calendar Number 98

  15. 2026-03-23 LCO

    File Number 125

  16. 2026-03-16 LCO

    Referred to Office of Legislative Research and Office of Fiscal Analysis 03/23/26 12:00 PM

  17. 2026-03-10 BA

    Joint Favorable Substitute

  18. 2026-03-10 LCO

    Filed with Legislative Commissioners' Office

  19. 2026-02-27 Connecticut General Assembly

    Public Hearing 03/03

  20. 2026-02-26 Connecticut General Assembly

    Referred to Joint Committee on Banking

Official Summary Text

To establish an exemption from debt collection for any part of the balance of an account deemed a joint account in which the exemptioner has no equitable interest.

Current Bill Text

Read the full stored bill text
LCO 1 of 4

General Assembly Substitute Bill No. 300
February Session, 2026

AN ACT ESTABLISHING A DEBT COLLECTION EXEMPTION
RELATING TO JOINT ACCOUNTS.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General
Assembly convened:

Section 1. Section 52 -352b of the general statutes is repealed and the 1
following is substituted in lieu thereof (Effective October 1, 2026): 2
The following property of any natural person shall be exempt: 3
(1) Necessary apparel, bedding, foodstuffs, household furniture and 4
appliances; 5
(2) Tools, books, instruments, farm animals and livestock feed, which 6
are necessary to the exemptioner in the course of his or her occupation, 7
profession or farming operation; 8
(3) Burial plot for the exemptioner and his or her immediate family; 9
(4) Public assistance payments and any wages earned by a public 10
assistance recipient under an incentive earnings or similar program; 11
(5) Health and disability insurance payments; 12
(6) Health aids necessary to enable the exemptioner to work or to 13
sustain health; 14
Substitute Bill No. 300

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(7) Workers' compensation, Social Security, veterans and 15
unemployment benefits; 16
(8) Court-approved payments for child support; 17
(9) Arms and military equipment, uniforms or musical instruments 18
owned by any member of the militia or armed forces of the United 19
States; 20
(10) Up to two motor vehicles to the value of seven thousand dollars 21
in the aggregate, provided value shall be determined as the fair market 22
value of the motor vehicles less the amount of all liens and security 23
interests which encumber them; 24
(11) Wedding and engagement rings; 25
(12) Residential utility deposits for one residence, and one residential 26
security deposit; 27
(13) Any assets or interests of an exemptioner in, or payments 28
received by the exemptioner from, a plan or arrangement described in 29
section 52-321a; 30
(14) Alimony and support, other than child support, but only to the 31
extent that wages are exempt from execution under section 52-361a; 32
(15) An award under a crime reparations act; 33
(16) All benefits allowed by any association of persons in this state 34
towards the support of any of its members incapacitated by sickness or 35
infirmity from attending to his usual business; 36
(17) All moneys due the exemptioner from any insurance company 37
on any insurance policy issued on exempt property, to the same extent 38
that the property was exempt; 39
(18) Any interest of the exemptioner in any property not to exceed in 40
value one thousand dollars; 41
Substitute Bill No. 300

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(19) Any interest of the exemptioner not to exceed in value four 42
thousand dollars in any accrued dividend or interest under, or loan 43
value of, any unmatured life insurance contract owned by the 44
exemptioner under which the insured is the exemptioner or an 45
individual of whom the exemptioner is a dependent; 46
(20) The cash surrender value of any life insurance policy issued upon 47
the life of a citizen or resident of this state, unless the life insurance 48
policy was assigned to or was effected for the benefit of the creditor or 49
unless the purchase, sale, or transfer of the life insurance policy is made 50
with the intent to defraud the creditor; 51
(21) The homestead of the exemptioner to the value of two hundred 52
fifty thousand dollars , provided value shall be determined as the fair 53
market value of the real property less the amount of any statutory or 54
consensual lien which encumbers it, except that, in the case of a money 55
judgment arising out of a claim of sexual abuse or exploitation of a 56
minor, sexual assault or other wilful, wanton, or reckless misconduct 57
committed by a natural person, to the value of seventy -five thousand 58
dollars; [and] 59
(22) Irrevocable transfers of money to an account held by a debt 60
adjuster licensed pursuant to sections 36a -655 to 36a-665, inclusive, for 61
the benefit of creditors of the exemptioner; and 62
(23) Any part of the balance of an account deemed a joint account 63
under section 36a -290 in which the exemptioner has no equitable 64
ownership interest and that was deposited in the account or acquired by 65
a joint account holder other than the exemptioner for such joint account 66
holder's sole benefit. 67
This act shall take effect as follows and shall amend the following
sections:

Section 1 October 1, 2026 52-352b

BA Joint Favorable Subst.
Substitute Bill No. 300

LCO 4 of 4

JUD Joint Favorable