(a) Each bank, Connecticut credit union and federal credit union shall cash, at its main office or any of its branch offices within this state, any check drawn by the state of Connecticut and payable within this state to a recipient of public assistance or state-administered general assistance or the refugee program, if the check is negotiated to the bank, Connecticut credit union or federal credit union by the original payee of the check, and if the payee produces reasonable identification as provided for in regulations adopted pursuant to section 36a-305. No bank, Connecticut credit union or federal credit union shall charge such recipient a fee for cashing a check pursuant to this section. Nothing in this section shall preclude a bank, Connecticut credit union or federal credit union from requesting a fee from the state of Connecticut for cashing such checks. The provisions of this subsection shall apply to a Connecticut credit union or federal credit union only if the original payee negotiating the check is a member of such credit union.

(b) Nothing in this section shall be interpreted as limiting any rights which the bank, Connecticut credit union or federal credit union may have against the payee by contract or at law, with regard to items which are negotiated to it as provided for in this section, which are not paid upon presentment or where such payee breaches a warranty made under section 42a-4-207 or 42a-4-208. This section shall not apply to any check negotiated to a bank, Connecticut credit union or federal credit union if such bank, Connecticut credit union or federal credit union has reason to believe that the check will not be paid on presentment or that the tendering party may be in breach of one or more of the warranties contained in section 42a-4-207 or 42a-4-208.

(c) No bank, Connecticut credit union or federal credit union shall be liable to reimburse the state of Connecticut for a loss incurred as the result of the wrongful payment of any check cashed pursuant to this section, provided at the time such check was cashed such bank, Connecticut credit union or federal credit union employed the identification procedures prescribed in regulations adopted pursuant to section 36a-305.

(P.A. 87-24, S. 1, 3; May Sp. Sess. P.A. 92-11, S. 9, 70; P.A. 94-122, S. 145, 340; June 18 Sp. Sess. P.A. 97-2, S. 100, 165.)

History: P.A. 87-24, Sec. 1 effective October 1, 1988, being the effective date of regulations adopted pursuant to Sec. 36-9cc; May Sp. Sess. P.A. 92-11 amended Subsec. (c) to add references to Sec. 42a-4-208; P.A. 94-122 deleted Subsec. (a), relettered Subsecs. (b), (c) and (d) as Subsecs. (a), (b) and (c), and made technical changes, effective January 1, 1995; Sec. 36-9bb transferred to Sec. 36a-304 in 1995; June 18 Sp. Sess. P.A. 97-2 amended Subsec. (a) to replace references to various sections in title 17b with reference to state-administered general assistance, effective July 1, 1997.