AN ACT CONCERNING CONSENT SEARCHES.

SB 349 amends Connecticut law to allow law enforcement officers to conduct consent searches of motor vehicles in the same way they currently handle consent searches of pedestrians during traffic stops. It directly affects drivers who are stopped by police, as it standardizes the process for obtaining voluntary consent to search a vehicle. The key provision removes a distinction in the law, permitting officers to ask for consent to search a car without needing a warrant if the driver agrees. This change applies only when consent is given, not when officers seek a warrant or have other legal authority.