Bill Text: CT SB00870 | 2017 | General Assembly | Chaptered
Bill Title: An Act Implementing The Recommendations Of The Board Of Regents For Higher Education.
Spectrum: Committee Bill
Status: (Passed) 2017-06-30 - Signed by the Governor [SB00870 Detail]
Download: Connecticut-2017-SB00870-Chaptered.html
Substitute Senate Bill No. 870
AN ACT IMPLEMENTING THE RECOMMENDATIONS OF THE BOARD OF REGENTS FOR HIGHER EDUCATION.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General Assembly convened:
Section 1. Section 10a-17 of the general statutes is repealed and the following is substituted in lieu thereof (Effective from passage):
The [Board of Regents for] Office of Higher Education shall (a) be responsible for obtaining information on new programs and methods of education that are being developed in the public schools and colleges of the state and nation, keeping such records current and publicizing information concerning these programs; and (b) encourage and aid in the development of new and improved programs and methods of education in order to recruit, prepare and train or retrain personnel needed in such programs.
Sec. 2. Section 10a-19e of the general statutes is repealed and the following is substituted in lieu thereof (Effective from passage):
(a) There is established an "Engineering Connecticut" loan reimbursement grant program, administered by the [Board of Regents for] Office of Higher Education, for persons who have graduated from institutions of higher education with undergraduate or graduate degrees in engineering.
(b) Within available appropriations, the program shall provide student loan reimbursement grants for persons who (1) attended any institution of higher education, (2) have been awarded an undergraduate or graduate degree in engineering, and (3) are newly employed in Connecticut on or after January 1, 2006, as engineers.
(c) Persons who qualify under subsection (b) of this section shall be reimbursed on an annual basis for qualifying student loan payments in amounts as determined by the [president of the Connecticut State Colleges and Universities] executive director of the Office of Higher Education. A person qualifying under subsection (b) of this section shall only be reimbursed for loan payments made while such person is employed in the state as an engineer. The [Board of Regents for] Office of Higher Education shall develop eligibility requirements for recipients of such reimbursements. Such requirements may include income guidelines. Persons may apply for grants to the [Board of Regents for] Office of Higher Education at such time and in such manner as the [president of the Connecticut State Colleges and Universities] executive director of the Office of Higher Education prescribes.
(d) Any unexpended funds appropriated for purposes of this section shall not lapse at the end of the fiscal year but shall be available for expenditure during the next fiscal year.
(e) The [Board of Regents for] Office of Higher Education may use up to two per cent of the funds appropriated for purposes of this section for program administration, promotion and recruitment activities.
Sec. 3. Section 10a-19f of the general statutes is repealed and the following is substituted in lieu thereof (Effective from passage):
(a) There is established a "You Belong" loan reimbursement grant program, administered by the [Board of Regents for] Office of Higher Education, for graduates of doctoral programs who are employed in Connecticut in economically valuable fields.
(b) Within available appropriations, the program shall provide student loan reimbursement grants for persons who (1) have been awarded a doctoral degree from any institution of higher education, and (2) are newly employed in Connecticut in an economically valuable field, as determined by the Department of Economic and Community Development, on or after January 1, 2006, by a company or an institution of higher education that has registered with or otherwise been qualified under the program by the Department of Economic and Community Development.
(c) Persons who qualify under subsection (b) of this section shall receive reimbursement grants on an annual basis for qualifying student loan payments in amounts as determined by the [president of the Connecticut State Colleges and Universities] executive director of the Office of Higher Education. A person qualifying under subsection (b) of this section shall only be reimbursed for loan payments made while such person is employed in Connecticut by a qualifying company or in research at an institution of higher education in an economically valuable field. The [Board of Regents for] Office of Higher Education shall develop eligibility requirements for recipients of such reimbursement grants in consultation with the Department of Economic and Community Development. Such requirements may include income guidelines. Persons may apply for grants to the [Board of Regents for] Office of Higher Education at such time and in such manner as the [president of the Connecticut State Colleges and Universities] executive director of the Office of Higher Education prescribes.
(d) Any unexpended funds appropriated for purposes of this section shall not lapse at the end of the fiscal year but shall be available for expenditure during the next fiscal year.
(e) The [Board of Regents for] Office of Higher Education may use up to two per cent of the funds appropriated for purposes of this section for program administration, promotion and recruitment activities.
Sec. 4. Section 10a-19i of the general statutes is repealed and the following is substituted in lieu thereof (Effective from passage):
(a) As used in subsections (a) to (e), inclusive, of this section:
(1) "Green technology" means technology that (A) promotes clean energy, renewable energy or energy efficiency, (B) reduces greenhouse gases or carbon emissions, or (C) involves the invention, design and application of chemical products and processes to eliminate the use and generation of hazardous substances;
(2) "Life science" means the study of genes, cells, tissues and chemical and physical structures of living organisms and biomedical engineering and the manufacture of medical devices; and
(3) "Health information technology" means the creation, execution or implementation of electronic data systems that record or transmit medical or health information.
(b) There is established a Connecticut green technology, life science and health information technology loan reimbursement program to be administered by the [Board of Regents for] Office of Higher Education.
(c) A Connecticut resident who graduated on or after May 1, 2010, from an institution of higher education in this state with a bachelor's degree in a field relating to green technology, life science or health information technology and who has been employed in this state for at least two years after graduation by a business in the field of green technology, life science or health information technology and whose federal adjusted gross income for the year prior to the initial reimbursement year does not exceed one hundred fifty thousand dollars shall be eligible for reimbursement of federal or state educational loans up to a maximum of two thousand five hundred dollars per year or five per cent of the amount of such loans per year, whichever is less, for up to four years.
(d) A Connecticut resident who graduated on or after May 1, 2010, from an institution of higher education in this state with an associate degree relating to green technology, life science or health information technology and who has been employed in this state for at least two years after graduation by a business in the field of green technology, life science or health information technology and whose federal adjusted gross income for the year prior to the initial reimbursement year does not exceed one hundred fifty thousand dollars shall be eligible for reimbursement of federal or state educational loans up to a maximum of two thousand five hundred dollars per year or five per cent of the amount of such loans per year, whichever is less, for up to two years.
(e) Notwithstanding the provisions of subsections (c) and (d) of this section, the total combined dollar value of loan reimbursements available under this and any other provision of the general statutes shall not exceed five thousand dollars per recipient of an associate degree and ten thousand dollars per recipient of a bachelor's degree.
(f) The [Board of Regents for] Office of Higher Education may adopt regulations, in accordance with the provisions of chapter 54, to carry out the provisions of subsections (a) to (e), inclusive, of this section.
Sec. 5. Section 10a-55g of the general statutes is repealed and the following is substituted in lieu thereof (Effective from passage):
The [Board of Regents for] Office of Higher Education, in consultation with the Department of Education, shall annually prepare and publish on the [Board of Regents for] Office of Higher Education's web site a list of every green jobs course and green jobs certificate and degree program offered by technical high schools and public institutions of higher education and an inventory of green jobs related equipment used by such schools and institutions of higher education.
Sec. 6. Section 10a-144 of the general statutes is repealed and the following is substituted in lieu thereof (Effective from passage):
[(a)] There is established a higher education center for the central Naugatuck Valley region. The regional community-technical college established for the greater Waterbury area pursuant to subsection (g) of section 10a-78, shall be located at such center. The University of Connecticut shall have access to classrooms, faculty office space and concurrent and cooperative use of common student facilities including, but not limited to, library and athletic fields, at such center. The Board of Trustees for the Regional Community-Technical Colleges and the Board of Trustees for The University of Connecticut shall jointly develop, in conjunction with the president of the Connecticut State Colleges and Universities, or his designee, an annual joint use plan for such center. On or before September 1, 1993, and annually thereafter, the president of the Connecticut State Colleges and Universities shall call and convene an initial meeting for the development of such plan.
[(b) On or before April 1, 1994, and annually thereafter, the Board of Trustees for the Regional Community-Technical Colleges and the Board of Trustees for The University of Connecticut shall jointly report, in accordance with the provisions of section 11-4a, to the joint standing committee of the General Assembly having cognizance of matters relating to education on the joint use plan developed pursuant to subsection (a) of this section. ]
Sec. 7. Section 10a-20a of the general statutes is repealed and the following is substituted in lieu thereof (Effective July 1, 2017):
(a) The Office of Higher Education may establish and administer a fund to be known as the Endowed Chair Investment Fund. Within the limits of funds available, the office may approve an application, submitted pursuant to subsection (b) of this section, for the establishment of an endowed chair and deposit state funds for [an] such endowed chair [approved under subsection (c) of this section] to an account within said fund in an amount not less than five hundred thousand dollars.
(b) [State funds deposited by the office to the Endowed Chair Investment Fund shall be invested by the State Treasurer. ] The Board of Trustees of The University of Connecticut and the Board of Trustees of the Connecticut State University System may submit an application for the establishment of an endowed chair to be supported by a grant of not less than five hundred thousand and not more than one million dollars from the Endowed Chair Investment Fund and a matching nonstate contribution. Applications for endowed chairs shall be accepted on October first and April first in each year in which funds are available. To apply for the state grant, the board of trustees shall notify the office that it has raised a matching nonstate contribution and that it is eligible for a grant of state funds to establish an endowed chair in a specific academic discipline. The board of trustees shall submit for the office's review and approval evidence that the chair will be established in a center of excellence, as defined in subsection (b) of section 10a-25h.
(c) [The Board of Trustees of The University of Connecticut and the Board of Trustees of the Connecticut State University System may apply for the establishment of an endowed chair to be supported by a grant of not less than five hundred thousand and not more than one million dollars from the Endowed Chair Investment Fund and a matching nonstate contribution. Applications for endowed chairs shall be accepted on October first and April first in each year in which funds are available. To apply for the state grant, the board of trustees shall notify the office that it has raised a matching nonstate contribution and that it is eligible for a grant of state funds to establish an endowed chair in a specific academic discipline. The board of trustees shall submit for the office's review and approval evidence that the chair will be established in a center of excellence, as defined in subsection (b) of section 10a-25h. ] Following approval of an application for an endowed chair by the office, the board of trustees of the institution at which such endowed chair is established shall select candidates to fill such endowed chair and shall develop a budget for expenditures associated with such endowed chair.
(d) [Following approval of state funding for an endowed chair by the office, the board of trustees of the institution at which the chair is established shall select candidates to fill the endowed chair and shall develop a budget for expenditures associated with the chair. ] Any state funds deposited by the office to the Endowed Chair Investment Fund shall be invested by the State Treasurer, except a duly established foundation of The University of Connecticut or the Connecticut State University System, as appropriate, may request the office to transfer any state funds relating to an approved application for an endowed chair to such duly established foundation for the purpose of investing such state funds in accordance with the provisions of subsection (f) of this section.
(e) [Interest income earned under subsection (b)] Any interest income earned on state funds invested by the State Treasurer pursuant to subsection (d) of this section shall be deposited to the Endowed Chair Investment Fund and, following establishment of an endowed chair under [subsection (c) of] this section shall be allocated annually, upon request, to The University of Connecticut or to the Connecticut State University System, as appropriate, to support the endowed chair. Nonstate matching contributions shall be held by a duly established foundation of The University of Connecticut or the Connecticut State University System and the interest on such contributions shall be used to support the endowed chair.
(f) [The boards of trustees shall submit annual reports to the office concerning endowed chair expenditures. ] For the fiscal year ending June 30, 2018, and each fiscal year thereafter, The University of Connecticut or the Connecticut State University System may request, and the office shall transfer, any state funds deposited in the Endowed Chair Investment Fund to a duly established foundation of The University of Connecticut or the Connecticut State University System, as appropriate, for an endowed chair established under this section. Such duly established foundation shall invest such state funds, and any interest income earned on such state funds shall be used to support the endowed chair. Such duly established foundation shall (1) account for such state funds separately from the nonstate matching contributions, (2) hold such state funds as a permanently restricted asset for the endowed chair, and (3) manage such state funds in accordance with the Connecticut Uniform Prudent Management of Institutional Funds Act (UPMIFA), pursuant to sections 45a-535 to 45a-535i, inclusive, and in a manner consistent with such foundation's investment and expenditure policies. No interest income earned from the state funds in any fiscal year shall be used to support the endowed chair when, at the close of the fiscal year, the market value of such state funds is less than the principal value. At the close of the fiscal year, such duly established foundation shall restore the original amount of state funds deposited in the Endowed Chair Investment Fund to a duly established foundation of The University of Connecticut or the Connecticut State University System, as appropriate, at the beginning of the next fiscal year.
(g) The boards of trustees shall submit annual reports, in accordance with the provisions of section 11-4a, to the office and the joint standing committee of the General Assembly having cognizance of matters relating to higher education concerning the management of the endowed chair. For a duly established foundation administering an endowed chair in a manner described in subsection (e) of this section, such report shall include, but not be limited to, the expenditures of the endowed chair. For a duly established foundation administering an endowed chair in a manner described in subsection (f) of this section, such report shall include, but not be limited to, (1) expenditures, (2) the balance of state funds in each of the two previous fiscal years, (3) the balance of nonstate matching contributions in each of the two previous fiscal years, and (4) the amount of interest income earned for the state funds and nonstate matching contributions for the previous fiscal year.
Sec. 8. Section 10a-132a of the general statutes is repealed and the following is substituted in lieu thereof (Effective July 1, 2017):
The Board of [Regents for Higher Education] Trustees of The University of Connecticut shall establish at The University of Connecticut Health Center an endowed chair in infectious diseases in accordance with the provisions of subsections (a) [, (b), (d), (e) and (f)] and (c) to (g), inclusive, of section 10a-20a, as amended by this act. The purpose of this endowed chair will be to support a senior faculty member in the school of medicine who will direct programs in teaching, research and patient care in the area of infectious diseases. This chair will provide support for an investigator or investigators who will coordinate research activities into the microbiologic, immunologic and clinical aspects of infectious diseases, including acquired immune deficiency syndrome, at The University of Connecticut Health Center and its affiliated institutions. The investigators will provide a link between ongoing basic science research in infectious diseases and the clinical application of the new knowledge that is being generated. This position will be a focal point for infectious disease research in Connecticut.
Sec. 9. Section 10a-16 of the general statutes is repealed. (Effective from passage)