Calendar No.

311

SENATE AMENDMENT

Schedule ____________

File No. 515

Subst. Senate Bill No. 1139

LCO No. 7279

SSO
 General Assembly Amendment
January Session, 2023 LCO No. 7279

Offered by:
SEN. SLAP, 5th Dist.

To: Subst. Senate Bill No. 1139 File No. 515 Cal. No. 311

"AN ACT CONCERNING THE METROPOLITAN DISTRICT OF

HARTFORD COUNTY."

1 Strike everything after the enacting clause and substitute the

2 following in lieu thereof:

3 "Section 1. Subdivision (11) of section 1-79 of the general statutes is

4 repealed and the following is substituted in lieu thereof (Effective January
5 1, 2024):

6 (11) "Public official" means any state-wide elected officer, [any]

7 member or member-elect of the General Assembly, [any] person
8 appointed to any office of the legislative, judicial or executive branch of
9 state government by the Governor or an appointee of the Governor,
10 with or without the advice and consent of the General Assembly, [any]
11 public member or representative of the teachers' unions or state
12 employees' unions appointed to the Investment Advisory Council
13 pursuant to subsection (a) of section 3-13b, [any] person appointed or
14 elected by the General Assembly or by any member of either house
15 thereof, [any] member or director of a quasi-public agency or

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16 commissioner or officer of the Metropolitan District of Hartford County

17 and the spouse of the Governor, but does not include a member of an
18 advisory board, a judge of any court either elected or appointed or a
19 senator or representative in Congress.

20 Sec. 2. Section 8 of number 511 of the special acts of 1929, as amended

21 by section 3 of special act 83-31, section 1 of special act 99-12 and section
22 3 of special act 14-21, is amended to read as follows (Effective July 1,
23 2023):

24 (a) Said district board, either directly or under committees consisting

25 of one or more members of said district board, shall organize bureaus
26 for the convenient carrying into effect of the several functions herein
27 committed to said district board and may define the powers and duties
28 of such bureaus and delegate to them such powers and duties by
29 ordinance, by-law or otherwise as may, in the judgment of the district
30 board, be necessary for the convenient operation of the same. No
31 member of the district board shall receive any pay for his or her services
32 as such member or as a member of a sub-committee of the district board
33 except that a reasonable sum may annually be appropriated for the
34 actual expenses of said district board. The district board may, by
35 ordinance, by-law or otherwise, fix the salaries and define the duties of
36 all officers and employees or may delegate the fixing of salaries of
37 employees and assignment of duties of employees to sub-committees or
38 bureau managers. The chairman and vice-chairman of said district and
39 of all sub-committees, bureaus, boards and commissions appointed by
40 the district board shall, unless otherwise provided in the appointment
41 or [herein] in this section, hold office until the end of the fiscal year of
42 their appointment and thereafter shall be appointed for terms of two
43 years and until their successors shall be appointed and shall have
44 qualified, except that no chairman or vice-chairman of said district or
45 chairman of any sub-committee, bureau, board or commission
46 appointed by the district board shall hold such office for more than three
47 terms. The members of all sub-committees, bureaus, boards and
48 commissions appointed by the district board shall, unless otherwise
49 provided in the appointment or [herein] in this section, hold such

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50 membership until the end of the fiscal year of their appointment and
51 thereafter shall hold membership for terms of two years and until their
52 successors shall be appointed and shall have qualified. The managers of
53 the water bureau and of the bureau of public works and such others of
54 the officers as by the district board shall be especially so designated shall
55 hold office during good behavior and shall be removed only for cause.
56 All other officers and employees may be removed at any time by the
57 district board at pleasure. All vacancies may be filled by the district
58 board. Said district board [shall have power to] may fill any vacancy
59 occurring in its number for the unexpired portion of the term and,
60 except as otherwise expressly provided, shall act in all cases by a
61 majority of those present at any regular or special meeting, duly
62 warned. A majority of the district board shall constitute a quorum and
63 the time, place and manner of calling meetings and the holding thereof,
64 including the manner of dissolving tie votes, shall be prescribed by said
65 district board by by-law or otherwise. The district board shall be the
66 final judge of the election returns and validity of elections and
67 qualifications of its members and shall decide all tie votes in elections.
68 Except as hereinafter provided, the district board shall have power to
69 authorize the sale, transfer and conveyance of real and personal estate
70 belonging to the district, and shall provide by by-law or otherwise for
71 the form and manner of execution of the documents and instruments
72 convenient therefor. The district board shall make provision for the
73 proper auditing of the district accounts and may cause any officer to
74 execute bonds to the district with surety to the acceptance of the district
75 board for the faithful performance of duties. The district board shall post
76 the current budget of the district in a conspicuous location on the
77 district's Internet web site.

78 (b) (1) The district board shall annually contract with (A) an
79 independent person, firm or corporation to undertake a compliance
80 audit of the district's activities during the preceding fiscal year. Such
81 audit shall include, but need not be limited to, an examination of
82 whether the district, district board and all sub-committees, bureaus,
83 boards and commissions appointed by the district board, complied with

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84 district charter provisions, ordinances, by-laws, regulations and policies

85 concerning affirmative action and diversity, employment and
86 personnel, the purchase of goods and services and the use of surplus
87 funds, and (B) an independent certified public accountant to undertake
88 a financial audit of the district in accordance with generally accepted
89 auditing standards.

90 (2) Not later than January 1, 2025, and annually thereafter, the district
91 board shall submit copies of the audits undertaken pursuant to
92 subdivision (1) of this subsection to the Governor, the Auditors of Public
93 Accounts and the joint standing committees of the General Assembly
94 having cognizance of matters relating to finance, revenue and bonding
95 and planning and development, in accordance with the provisions of
96 section 11-4a of the general statutes.

97 (3) The Auditors of Public Accounts may audit the books and
98 accounts of the district. The scope and frequency of such audits shall be
99 determined by said auditors. The district board shall make all records
100 and accounts of the district and workpapers created by any independent
101 person, firm, corporation or certified public accountant that conducted
102 an audit pursuant to subdivision (1) of this subsection available to said
103 auditors upon request.

104 Sec. 3. Section 8 of special act 14-21 is amended to read as follows

105 (Effective July 1, 2023):

106 The Metropolitan District Commission shall, annually, submit a copy

107 of the [audit] audits prepared pursuant to chapter 111 of the general
108 statutes and section 8 of number 511 of the special acts of 1929, as
109 amended by section 3 of special act 83-31, section 1 of special act 99-12,
110 section 3 of special act 14-21 and section 2 of this act, to the Office of
111 Fiscal Analysis.

112 Sec. 4. Section 36 of number 511 of the special acts of 1929 is amended
113 to read as follows (Effective July 1, 2023):

114 (a) The district board shall have power to supervise and investigate

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115 all departments, officers and employees of the government of said

116 district and to inquire into any charges preferred against any of the said
117 officers or employees and may, for cause or except as hereinbefore
118 provided without cause, remove or suspend any of said officers, and
119 shall have power of access to all records thereto pertaining and power
120 to compel the attendance of witnesses and the production of books and
121 papers and other evidence at any meeting of the board or any committee
122 thereof.

123 (b) No person who is (1) convicted in state or federal court of any
124 crime, an element of which is the commission of fraud or an attempt to
125 commit fraud, against a federal, state or local government agency or
126 subdivision of any such agency, or (2) found in violation of part I of
127 chapter 10 of the general statutes pursuant to section 1-82 of the general
128 statutes, shall serve or be employed as the chairman or vice-chairman of
129 the district board or an officer or attorney for the district.

130 Sec. 5. (NEW) (Effective from passage) On and after July 1, 2023, the
131 Commissioner of Energy and Environmental Protection shall establish
132 and administer a program to provide grants-in-aid to the towns of
133 Bloomfield, East Hartford, Hartford, Newington, Rocky Hill, West
134 Hartford, Wethersfield and Windsor for (1) reimbursement to residents
135 of such towns for costs associated with property damage due to flooding
136 and sewer backups, and (2) projects and improvements to mitigate and
137 prevent flooding and sewer backups in said towns. Said towns may
138 apply for such grants in a form and manner prescribed by the
139 department. The commissioner shall award such grants in accordance
140 with guidelines prescribed by the commissioner based on the following
141 order of priority: Reimbursements, projects and improvements that (A)
142 address threats to public health or public safety, (B) benefit residents of
143 environmental justice communities, and (C) address systemic
144 stormwater and sewage issues in the Hartford region. The
145 commissioner shall develop guidelines for the expenditure of funds
146 from grants awarded pursuant to this section. For the purposes of this
147 section, "environmental justice community" has the same meaning as
148 provided in section 22a-20a of the general statutes.

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149 Sec. 6. (Effective July 1, 2023) (a) For the purposes described in
150 subsection (b) of this section, the State Bond Commission shall have the
151 power from time to time to authorize the issuance of bonds of the state
152 in one or more series and in principal amounts not exceeding in the
153 aggregate five hundred million dollars.

154 (b) The proceeds of the sale of such bonds, to the extent of the amount
155 stated in subsection (a) of this section, shall be used by the
156 Commissioner of Energy and Environmental Protection for the
157 purposes of the program established and administered pursuant to
158 section 5 of this act.

159 (c) All provisions of section 3-20 of the general statutes, or the exercise
160 of any right or power granted thereby, that are not inconsistent with the
161 provisions of this section are hereby adopted and shall apply to all
162 bonds authorized by the State Bond Commission pursuant to this
163 section. Temporary notes in anticipation of the money to be derived
164 from the sale of any such bonds so authorized may be issued in
165 accordance with section 3-20 of the general statutes and from time to
166 time renewed. Such bonds shall mature at such time or times not
167 exceeding twenty years from their respective dates as may be provided
168 in or pursuant to the resolution or resolutions of the State Bond
169 Commission authorizing such bonds. None of such bonds shall be
170 authorized except upon a finding by the State Bond Commission that
171 there has been filed with it a request for such authorization that is signed
172 by or on behalf of the Secretary of the Office of Policy and Management
173 and states such terms and conditions as said commission, in its
174 discretion, may require. Such bonds issued pursuant to this section shall
175 be general obligations of the state and the full faith and credit of the state
176 of Connecticut are pledged for the payment of the principal of and
177 interest on such bonds as the same become due, and accordingly and as
178 part of the contract of the state with the holders of such bonds,
179 appropriation of all amounts necessary for punctual payment of such
180 principal and interest is hereby made, and the State Treasurer shall pay
181 such principal and interest as the same become due."

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This act shall take effect as follows and shall amend the following
sections:

Section 1 January 1, 2024 1-79(11)

Sec. 2 July 1, 2023 Number 511 of the
special acts of 1929, Sec.
8
Sec. 3 July 1, 2023 SA 14-21, Sec. 8
Sec. 4 July 1, 2023 Number 511 of the
special acts of 1929, Sec.
36
Sec. 5 from passage New section
Sec. 6 July 1, 2023 New section

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