(a) The Probate Court Administrator may attend to any matters that the Probate Court Administrator considers necessary for the efficient operation of the courts of probate and for the expeditious dispatch and proper conduct of the business of such courts. The Probate Court Administrator shall administer and enforce the provisions of this chapter and the regulations issued under this section, and shall ensure performance of the duties of judges of probate and clerks of the courts of probate in accordance with the provisions of this chapter and such regulations. The Probate Court Administrator may make recommendations to the General Assembly for legislation for the improvement of the administration of the courts of probate.

(b) The Probate Court Administrator may issue and shall enforce regulations, provided such regulations are approved in accordance with subsection (d) of this section. Such regulations shall be binding on all courts of probate and shall concern the following matters for the administration of the probate court system: (1) Auditing, accounting, statistical, billing, recording, filing, records management and other court procedures; (2) reassignment and transfer of cases; (3) training of court personnel and continuing education programs for judges of probate, probate magistrates, attorney probate referees and court personnel; (4) remitting funds received by the courts of probate under section 45a-7a to the Probate Court Administration Fund; (5) administering the compensation plan established under section 45a-85 for employees of the courts of probate; (6) establishing criteria for staffing levels for the courts of probate for the purposes of subsection (b) of section 45a-85; (7) establishing criteria for the development and approval of miscellaneous office budgets for the courts of probate for the purposes of subsection (b) of section 45a-85; (8) expending funds from the Probate Court Administration Fund for the purposes set forth in the regulations adopted pursuant to subdivisions (4) to (7), inclusive, of this subsection; and (9) the enforcement of the provisions of this chapter and the regulations issued pursuant to this section, including, but not limited to, recovery of expenses associated with any such enforcement, as permitted by such regulations.

(c) The Probate Court Administrator may, in consultation with the Public Records Administrator, issue and enforce regulations under subsection (b) of this section, or establish policies or retention schedules, for the management, preservation and disposition of judicial records, papers and documents and administrative records maintained by the courts of probate.

(d) (1) Either the Probate Court Administrator or the executive committee of the Connecticut Probate Assembly may propose regulations authorized under subsection (b) of this section. Any regulation proposed by the Probate Court Administrator shall be submitted to the executive committee of the Connecticut Probate Assembly for approval. Any regulation proposed by the executive committee of the Connecticut Probate Assembly shall be submitted to the Probate Court Administrator for approval. If either the Probate Court Administrator or the executive committee of the Connecticut Probate Assembly fails to approve a proposed regulation, such proposed regulation may be submitted to a panel of three Superior Court judges appointed by the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court. The panel of judges, after consideration of the positions of the Probate Court Administrator and the executive committee of the Connecticut Probate Assembly, shall either approve the proposed regulation or reject the proposed regulation.

(2) Any proposed new regulation and any change in an existing regulation issued under this section on or after July 1, 2007, shall be submitted to the joint standing committee of the General Assembly having cognizance of matters relating to the judiciary for approval or disapproval in its entirety, provided, if more than one proposed new regulation or change in an existing regulation is submitted at the same time, said committee shall approve or disapprove all such proposed new regulations and changes in existing regulations together in their entirety. Unless disapproved by said committee within ninety days of the date of such submittal, each such regulation shall become effective on the date specified in such regulation, but not in any event until ninety days after promulgation.

(e) The Probate Court Administrator shall regularly review the auditing, accounting, statistical, billing, recording, filing, records management, administrative and other procedures of the courts of probate.

(f) The Probate Court Administrator shall, personally, or by an authorized designee of the Probate Court Administrator who has been admitted to the practice of law in this state for at least five years, visit each court of probate at least once during each two-year period to examine the records and files of such court in the presence of the judge of the court or the judge’s authorized designee. The Probate Court Administrator shall make any additional inquiries that the Probate Court Administrator considers appropriate to ascertain whether the business of the court, including the charging of costs and payments to the State Treasurer, has been conducted in accordance with law, rules of the courts of probate, regulations issued under this section and the canons of judicial ethics, and to obtain information concerning the business of the courts of probate which is necessary for the Probate Court Administrator to perform properly the duties of the office.

(g) The Probate Court Administrator shall develop a plan to offer training to probate judges, paid conservators and other fiduciaries in diseases and disorders affecting the judgment of a person, including, but not limited to, Alzheimer’s disease and dementia.

(h) The Probate Court Administrator shall, in consultation with the Connecticut Probate Assembly, adopt standards of practice to provide guidance to court-appointed conservators in the performance of their duties.

(1967, P.A. 558, S. 8; 1971, P.A. 109; P.A. 80-476, S. 29; P.A. 81-472, S. 76, 159; P.A. 91-26; P.A. 93-279, S. 3; 93-435, S. 87; P.A. 07-184, S. 11; P.A. 09-114, S. 1; P.A. 10-34, S. 1; P.A. 12-66, S. 23; P.A. 14-194, S. 10; P.A. 17-7, S. 2.)

History: 1971 act required that designee have been practicing in state for at least five years and required examination of each courts’ records, etc. biennially (during even-numbered years) rather than annually; P.A. 80-476 divided section into Subsecs. and reordered and reworded provisions; P.A. 81-472 made technical changes; Sec. 45-4d transferred to Sec. 45a-77 in 1991; P.A. 91-26 amended Subsec. (b) by deleting “even-numbered year” and inserting “two-year period” in lieu thereof; P.A. 93-279 inserted new Subsec. (a) re duties of probate court administrator re matters necessary for efficient operation of probate court and recommendations to general assembly re legislation for improvement of probate courts and Subsec. (b) re regulations and procedures for adoption and approval, relettering prior Subsecs. as (c) and (d) and making technical changes; P.A. 93-435 amended the section by dividing Subsec. (b) into Subdivs. and making minor technical changes; P.A. 07-184 amended Subsec. (a) to provide that Probate Court Administrator shall administer and enforce provisions of chapter and regulations and ensure performance of duties of probate judges and clerks, amended Subsec. (b)(1) to insert “shall enforce” re regulations, insert Subpara. designators (A) to (D), and insert new provisions as Subparas. (B), (C) and (D) re reassignment and transfer of cases, training, and enforcement of chapter and regulations, redesignated existing Subsec. (b)(3) as Subsec. (c)(1), inserted new Subsec. (c)(2) re submission of proposed new regulations, on or after July 1, 2007, to General Assembly’s committee on the judiciary and approval or disapproval by the committee, redesignated existing Subsecs. (c) and (d) as Subsecs. (d) and (e), and made technical changes, effective July 1, 2007; P.A. 09-114 amended Subsec. (b)(1) to add training re probate magistrates and attorney probate referees in Subpara. (C), add new Subparas. (D) to (H) re remitting funds, administering compensation plan, establishing criteria for staffing levels and office budgets and expending funds from Probate Court Administration Fund and redesignate existing Subpara. (D) as Subpara. (I), and amended Subsec. (b)(2) to insert “subdivision (1)” re Subsec. (c), delete former Subpara. (C) re hours of court operation and redesignate existing Subpara. (D) as Subpara. (C), effective June 9, 2009; P.A. 10-34 amended Subsec. (b) to remove former Subdiv. (1) designator and delete former Subdiv. (2) re regulations adopted in accordance with Ch. 54, redesignate existing Subparas. (A) to (I) of former Subdiv. (1) as new Subdivs. (1) to (9), add “record maintenance” in redesignated Subdiv. (1) and make technical changes in redesignated Subdiv. (8), and amended Subsec. (d) to add “record maintenance”; P.A. 12-66 amended Subsec. (b)(1) to substitute “records management” for “record maintenance”, added new Subsec. (c) re authority of Probate Court Administrator, in consultation with Public Records Administrator, to issue and enforce regulations or establish policies or retention schedules re records, papers and documents maintained by courts of probate, redesignated existing Subsecs. (c) to (e) as Subsecs. (d) to (f), and made conforming changes; P.A. 14-194 added Subsec. (g) re plan to offer training in diseases and disorders affecting judgment; P.A. 17-7 added Subsec. (h) re Probate Court Administrator to adopt standards of practice for court-appointed conservators, effective July 1, 2017.