Bill Text: CT HB06930 | 2015 | General Assembly | Comm Sub

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Bill Title: An Act Concerning Regional Collective Bargaining.

Spectrum: Committee Bill

Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2015-04-01 - File Number 384 [HB06930 Detail]

Download: Connecticut-2015-HB06930-Comm_Sub.html

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General Assembly		Raised Bill No. 6930
January Session, 2015		LCO No. 4268
		*_____HB06930LAB___031715____*
Referred to Committee on LABOR AND PUBLIC EMPLOYEES
Introduced by:
(LAB)

AN ACT CONCERNING REGIONAL COLLECTIVE BARGAINING.

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General Assembly convened:

Section 1. Section 7-339b of the general statutes is repealed and the following is substituted in lieu thereof (Effective October 1, 2015):

(a) Any public agency of this state may participate in developing and implementing interlocal agreements with any public agency or agencies of this state or any other state or states providing for any of the following:

(1) The joint performance of any function that each participating public agency may perform separately under any provision of the general statutes or of any special act, charter or home rule ordinance.

(2) The establishment of an interlocal advisory board or boards to recommend programs and policies for cooperative or uniform action in any fields of activity permitted or authorized hereunder for each participating public agency, and from time to time to advise with the appropriate officials of the participating public agencies in respect to such programs, policies or fields of activity.

(3) The establishment of an interlocal advisory board or boards that shall have the power to engage in collective bargaining with duly appointed representatives of an employee labor organization consisting of interlocal employees and may enter into labor contracts concerning wages, salaries, hours, sick leave, working conditions, collective bargaining and pension or retirement provisions.

[(3)] (4) The establishment and maintenance of interlocal employees or officers of the participating public agencies for the purpose of administering or assisting in any of the undertakings contemplated by subdivision (1) of this subsection or for the purpose of performing services for an interlocal advisory board as authorized by subdivision (2) of this subsection. Such employees or officers, if not continuing in or eligible for the merit system, insurance and pension benefits and status of employment with a participating public agency, may continue in such status or be made eligible therefor if the interlocal agreement contains appropriate provisions to this effect. An interlocal advisory board may enter into an agreement with the federal Secretary of Health and Human Services to provide Old Age and Survivors Insurance coverage to employees of such board.

(b) Nothing contained in sections 7-339a to 7-339l, inclusive, shall be construed to authorize or permit any public agency of this state to receive, obtain, furnish or provide services, facilities, personnel, equipment or any other property or resources, or to engage in or perform any function or activity by means of an interlocal agreement, if it does not have constitutional or statutory power or authorization to receive, obtain, furnish or provide the same or substantially similar services, facilities, personnel, equipment, other property or resources, or to engage in or perform the same or a substantially similar function or activity on its own account.

Sec. 2. Section 4-124s of the general statutes is repealed and the following is substituted in lieu thereof (Effective October 1, 2015):

(a) For purposes of this section:

(1) "Regional council of governments" means any such council organized under the provisions of sections 4-124i to 4-124p, inclusive;

(2) "Municipality" means a town, city or consolidated town and borough;

(3) "Legislative body" means the board of selectmen, town council, city council, board of alderman, board of directors, board of representatives or board of the warden and burgesses of a municipality; and

(4) "Secretary" means the Secretary of the Office of Policy and Management or the designee of the secretary.

(b) There is established a regional performance incentive program that shall be administered by the Secretary of the Office of Policy and Management. On or before December 31, 2011, and annually thereafter, any regional council of governments, any two or more municipalities acting through a regional council of governments, any economic development district or any combination thereof may submit a proposal to the secretary for: (1) The joint provision of any service that one or more participating municipalities of such council or agency currently provide but which is not provided on a regional basis, (2) a planning study regarding the joint provision of any service on a regional basis, or (3) shared information technology services. A copy of said proposal shall be sent to the legislators representing said participating municipalities.

(c) (1) A regional council of governments or an economic development district shall submit each proposal in the form and manner the secretary prescribes and shall, at a minimum, provide the following information for each proposal: (A) Service description; (B) the explanation of the need for such service; (C) the method of delivering such service on a regional basis; (D) the organization that would be responsible for regional service delivery; (E) a description of the population that would be served; (F) the manner in which regional service delivery will achieve economies of scale; (G) the amount by which participating municipalities will reduce their mill rates as a result of savings realized; (H) a cost benefit analysis for the provision of the service by each participating municipality and by the entity submitting the proposal; (I) a plan of implementation for delivery of the service on a regional basis; (J) a resolution endorsing such proposal approved by the legislative body of each participating municipality; and (K) an explanation of the potential legal obstacles, if any, to the regional provision of the service.

(2) The secretary shall review each proposal and shall award grants for proposals the secretary determines best meet the requirements of this section. In awarding such grants, the secretary shall give priority to a proposal submitted by (A) any entity specified in subsection (a) of this section that includes participation of all of the member municipalities of such entity, and which may increase the purchasing power of participating municipalities or provide a cost savings initiative resulting in a decrease in expenses of such municipalities, allowing such municipalities to lower property taxes, and (B) any economic development district.

(d) On or before December 31, 2013, and annually thereafter, in addition to any proposal submitted pursuant to this section, any municipality or regional council of governments may apply to the secretary for a grant to fund: (1) Operating costs associated with connecting to the state-wide high speed, flexible network developed pursuant to section 4d-80, including the costs to connect at the same rate as other government entities served by such network; and (2) capital cost associated with connecting to such network, including expenses associated with building out the internal fiber network connections required to connect to such network, provided the secretary shall make any such grant available in accordance with the two-year schedule by which the Bureau of Enterprise Systems and Technology recommends connecting each municipality and regional council of governments to such network. Any municipality or regional council of governments shall submit each application in the form and manner the secretary prescribes.

(e) On or before December 31, 2015, and annually thereafter, any interlocal advisory board, established pursuant to section 7-339b, as amended by this act, may submit a proposal to the secretary, in the form and manner the secretary prescribes pursuant to subsection (c) of this section, for a grant to fund any costs associated with establishing a collective bargaining system to enable such interlocal advisory board to bargain with duly appointed representatives of an employee labor organization consisting of interlocal employees and enter into labor contracts concerning wages, salaries, hours, sick leave, working conditions, collective bargaining and pension or retirement provisions.

[(e)] (f) The secretary shall submit to the Governor and the joint standing committee of the General Assembly having cognizance of matters relating to finance, revenue and bonding a report on the grants provided pursuant to this section. Each such report shall include information on the amount of each grant, and the potential of each grant for leveraging other public and private investments. The secretary shall submit a report for the fiscal year commencing July 1, 2011, not later than February 1, 2012, and shall submit a report for each subsequent fiscal year not later than the first day of March in such fiscal year. Such reports shall include the property tax reductions achieved by means of the program established pursuant to this section.

This act shall take effect as follows and shall amend the following sections:
Section 1	October 1, 2015	7-339b
Sec. 2	October 1, 2015	4-124s

LAB

Joint Favorable