Source: https://www.cga.ct.gov/2013/ba/2013HB-06363-R010844-BA.htm
Timestamp: 2017-02-28 16:45:56
Document Index: 251820898

Matched Legal Cases: ['§ 28', '§ 35', '§ 40', '§ 44', '§ 45', 'in fine']

AN ACT STREAMLINING STATE GOVERNMENT AND INCREASING EFFECTIVENESS. OLR Bill Analysis
AN ACT STREAMLINING STATE GOVERNMENT AND INCREASING EFFECTIVENESS. SUMMARY:
§§ 28 & 29 — LONG ISLAND SOUND Advisory Councils
By law, each of the three Long Island Sound Advisory Councils (Eastern, Central, and Western) prepares reports on the use and preservation of the Sound within its respective boundaries. The bill removes from each council five public members whom the governor appoints, thereby reducing the number of public members from nine to four. The remaining members are (1) four legislative appointees, one each by the Senate president pro tempore, the House speaker, and Senate and House minority leaders and (2) the chief executive officers (or designees) of each council's member municipalities. Assembly
§§ 35 & 36 — CITIZENS ADVISORY COUNCIL FOR HOUSING MATTERS The bill renames the Citizens Advisory Council for Housing Matters the Advisory Council to the Superior Court Housing Session. It reduces the council's size from 36 members to 12 by reducing, from nine to three, the number of members from each of the four groups that comprise the board's membership. These groups are residents of the judicial districts of (1) Hartford or New Britain; (2) New Haven, Waterbury, or Ansonia-Milford; (3) Fairfield or Stamford-Norwalk; or (4) Danbury, Litchfield, Middlesex, New London, Tolland, or Windham.
§ 40 — BOARD OF TRUSTEES OF THE DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AFFAIRS By law, veterans must comprise a majority of the Board of Trustees of the Department of Veterans Affairs. A veteran is a person honorably discharged from, or released under honorable conditions from active service in, the armed forces. Under current law, the board must include veterans from World War II, the Korean War, and the Vietnam War. The bill instead requires that the board include veterans of armed conflicts authorized by the president. It thus eliminates the requirement that veterans of the three conflicts listed above be represented.
The bill requires the committee to terminate on July 1, 2013 or when it submits its final report (due January 1, 2012), whichever is earlier. Under current law, the committee terminates when it submits its final report (due January 1, 2012) or on January 1, 2012, whichever is later. By law, the committee is charged with advising DSS on amending the definition of “medically necessary” services in connection with the administration of Medicaid (to reflect savings, reduce inefficiencies, and maintain the quality of care). § 44 — MOBILE MANUFACTURED HOME ADVISORY COUNCIL The bill reduces the council's membership, from 15 to 14, to reflect the elimination of a representative from the Housing Advisory Committee, which the bill repeals.
§§ 45-94 — GAMING POLICY BOARD The bill eliminates the Gaming Policy Board and transfers its functions and responsibilities to DCP. By law, DCP's gaming division (1) issues licenses and permits to all individuals and entities involved in legalized gaming and (2) monitors and ensures compliance with the gaming laws and tribal-state agreements. Under the bill, if any of DCP's and the board's orders or regulations conflict, the DCP commissioner can implement policies or procedures to resolve the conflict while adopting regulations, provided notice of intent to adopt regulations is printed in the Connecticut Law Journal within 20 days of implementation. The bill also makes numerous conforming changes to effectuate the transfer. Under current law, DCP performs several gaming-related duties with the advice and consent of the board. Under the bill, DCP alone must perform these duties (e.g., adopting certain regulations). Similarly, the bill requires gaming-related appeals (e.g., license revocation or suspension) to go directly to Superior Court. Current law requires aggrieved individuals to first appeal to the Gaming Policy Board. The bill allows former board members to be immediately employed by certain businesses. Under current law, they are prohibited from being employed within two years of leaving by (1) businesses that the board regulates and (2) businesses or government agencies associated with Indian gaming operations within the state. It also makes other minor, technical, and conforming changes.
The Gaming Policy Board works in cooperation with DCP to implement and administer the gaming statutes. The board has five voting members; the DCP commissioner serves as an ex officio non-voting member. The governor appoints the board members, with the legislature's consent, for four-year terms. By law, board members (1) must post a $25,000 performance bond with the state and (2) are prohibited from certain gaming-related and political activities. Under current law, the board, among other things, approves, suspends, or revokes certain gaming licenses; approves certain contracts; sets racing and jai alai meeting dates; imposes certain fines; advises and approves certain gaming-related activities; and hears appeals for certain gaming permit suspensions and revocations.