Bill Text: CT SB00333 | 2012 | General Assembly | Comm Sub

Connecticut Senate Bill 333 (Prior Session Legislation)

Bill Title: An Act Concerning The Membership Of The Connecticut Resources Recovery Authority's Board Of Directors And Establishing A Task Force Concerning The Connecticut Resources Recovery Authority.

Spectrum: Committee Bill

Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2012-04-16 - File Number 424 [SB00333 Detail]

Download: Connecticut-2012-SB00333-Comm_Sub.html

General Assembly		*Substitute Bill No. 333*
*February Session, 2012*		_____SB00333ET____032812____

AN ACT CONCERNING THE MEMBERSHIP OF THE CONNECTICUT RESOURCES RECOVERY AUTHORITY'S BOARD OF DIRECTORS AND ESTABLISHING A TASK FORCE CONCERNING THE CONNECTICUT RESOURCES RECOVERY AUTHORITY.

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

Section 1. (Effective from passage) (a) There is established a task force to study the responsibilities of the Connecticut Resources Recovery Authority. Such study shall include, but not be limited to, (1) an examination of the authority's control and operation of the Mid-Connecticut Project facility; (2) the composition of the authority; (3) the relationship between the authority and the Mid-Connecticut Project facility, including financial and contractual relationships and obligations; (4) the existing operating structure of the Mid-Connecticut Project facility, including the contractual relationship between the authority and any operator of said facility; (5) the authority's request for proposals process; (6) the operational performance of the Mid-Connecticut Project facility; and (7) the creation of a Mid-Connecticut Project board, comprised of board members from municipalities served by the Mid-Connecticut Project facility, that would manage the operations of the Mid-Connecticut Project facility.

(b) The task force shall consist of the following members:

(1) One municipal official of a municipality having (A) a population of thirty thousand or more, and (B) a contractual relationship with the authority, appointed by the speaker of the House of Representatives;

(2) One municipal official of a municipality having (A) a population of thirty thousand or less, and (B) a contractual relationship with the authority, appointed by the president pro tempore of the Senate;

(3) One municipal official of a municipality having (A) a population of thirty thousand or more, and (B) a contractual relationship with the authority, appointed by the minority leader of the House of Representatives;

(4) One municipal official of a municipality having (A) a population of thirty thousand or less, and (B) a contractual relationship with the authority, appointed by the minority leader of the Senate;

(5) One municipal official from the city of Hartford, appointed by the Governor;

(6) The chairpersons and ranking members of the joint standing committee of the General Assembly having cognizance of matters relating to energy and technology, or their designees;

(7) The chairpersons and ranking members of the joint standing committee of the General Assembly having cognizance of matters relating to the environment, or their designees;

(8) The Commissioner of Energy and Environmental Protection, or the commissioner's designee; and

(9) The chairperson of the board of directors of the Connecticut Resources Recovery Authority.

(c) All appointments to the task force shall be made not later than July 1, 2012. Any vacancy shall be filled by the appointing authority.

(d) The speaker of the House of Representatives and the president pro tempore of the Senate shall select the chairpersons of the task force from among the members of the task force. Such chairpersons shall schedule the first meeting of the task force, which shall be held not later than sixty days after the effective date of this section.

(e) Not later than January 1, 2013, the task force shall submit a report on its findings and recommendations to the joint standing committees of the General Assembly having cognizance of matters relating to the environment and energy and technology, in accordance with the provisions of section 11-4a of the general statutes, including any recommendation concerning the appropriate control and operation of the Mid-Connecticut Project facility. The task force shall terminate on the date that it submits such report or January 1, 2013, whichever is later.

Sec. 2. Section 22a-261 of the general statutes is repealed and the following is substituted in lieu thereof (Effective July 1, 2012):

(a) There is hereby established and created a body politic and corporate, constituting a public instrumentality and political subdivision of the state of Connecticut established and created for the performance of an essential public and governmental function, to be known as the Connecticut Resources Recovery Authority. The authority shall not be construed to be a department, institution or agency of the state.

[(b) On and before May 31, 2002, the powers of the authority shall be vested in and exercised by a board of directors, which shall consist of twelve directors: Four appointed by the Governor and two ex-officio members, who shall have a vote including the Commissioner of Transportation and the Commissioner of Economic and Community Development; two appointed by the president pro tempore of the Senate, two by the speaker of the House, one by the minority leader of the Senate and one by the minority leader of the House of Representatives. Any such legislative appointee may be a member of the General Assembly. The directors appointed by the Governor under this subsection shall serve for terms of four years each, from January first next succeeding their appointment, provided, of the directors first appointed, two shall serve for terms of two years, and two for terms of four years, from January first next succeeding their appointment. Any vacancy occurring under this subsection other than by expiration of term shall be filled in the same manner as the original appointment for the balance of the unexpired term. Of the four members appointed by the Governor under this subsection, two shall be first selectmen, mayors or managers of Connecticut municipalities; one from a municipality with a population of less than fifty thousand, one from a municipality of over fifty thousand population; two shall be public members without official governmental office or status with extensive high-level experience in municipal or corporate finance or business or industry, provided not more than two of such appointees shall be members of the same political party. The chairman of the board under this subsection shall be appointed by the Governor, with the advice and consent of both houses of the General Assembly and shall serve at the pleasure of the Governor. Notwithstanding the provisions of this subsection, the terms of all members of the board of directors who are serving on May 31, 2002, shall expire on said date.]

[(c) On and after] (b) From June 1, 2002, to September 30, 2012, inclusive, the powers of the authority shall be vested in and exercised by a board of directors, which shall consist of eleven directors as follows: Three appointed by the Governor, one of whom shall be a municipal official of a municipality having a population of fifty thousand or less and one of whom shall have extensive, high-level experience in the energy field; two appointed by the president pro tempore of the Senate, one of whom shall be a municipal official of a municipality having a population of more than fifty thousand and one of whom shall have extensive high-level experience in public or corporate finance or business or industry; two appointed by the speaker of the House of Representatives, one of whom shall be a municipal official of a municipality having a population of more than fifty thousand and one of whom shall have extensive high-level experience in public or corporate finance or business or industry; two appointed by the minority leader of the Senate, one of whom shall be a municipal official of a municipality having a population of fifty thousand or less and one of whom shall have extensive high-level experience in public or corporate finance or business or industry; two appointed by the minority leader of the House of Representatives, one of whom shall be a municipal official of a municipality having a population of fifty thousand or less and one of whom shall have extensive, high-level experience in the environmental field. No director may be a member of the General Assembly. Not more than two of the directors appointed by the Governor shall be members of the same political party. The appointed directors shall serve for terms of four years each, provided, of the directors first appointed for terms beginning on June 1, 2002, (1) two of the directors appointed by the Governor, one of the directors appointed by the president pro tempore of the Senate, one of the directors appointed by the speaker of the House of Representatives, one of the directors appointed by the minority leader of the Senate and one of the directors appointed by the minority leader of the House of Representatives shall serve an initial term of two years and one month, and (2) the other appointed directors shall serve an initial term of four years and one month. The appointment of each director for a term beginning on or after June 1, 2004, shall be made with the advice and consent of both houses of the General Assembly. The Governor shall designate one of the directors to serve as chairperson of the board, with the advice and consent of both houses of the General Assembly. The chairperson of the board shall serve at the pleasure of the Governor. Any appointed director who fails to attend three consecutive meetings of the board or who fails to attend fifty per cent of all meetings of the board held during any calendar year shall be deemed to have resigned from the board. Any vacancy occurring other than by expiration of term shall be filled in the same manner as the original appointment for the balance of the unexpired term. As used in this subsection, "municipal official" means the first selectman, mayor, city or town manager or chief financial officer of a municipality that has entered into a solid waste disposal services contract with the authority and pledged the municipality's full faith and credit for the payment of obligations under such contract. Notwithstanding the provisions of this subsection, the terms of all members on the board of directors who are serving on September 30, 2012, shall expire on said date.

(c) On and after October 1, 2012, the powers of the authority shall be vested in and exercised by a board of directors, which shall consist of thirteen directors as follows: Five municipal officials, one each appointed by the Governor, the president pro tempore of the Senate, the speaker of the House of Representatives, the minority leader of the Senate and the minority leader of the House of Representatives; three representatives of municipalities having a population of thirty thousand or more, each of whom shall be elected by the vote of all municipalities having a contractual relationship with the authority; one municipal official from the city of Hartford, selected by the city's legislative body; and four representatives of municipalities having a population of less than thirty thousand, each of whom shall be elected by the vote of all municipalities having a contractual relationship with the authority. The appointed directors shall serve for terms of four years each, provided, of the directors first appointed for terms beginning on October 1, 2012, the directors appointed by the president pro tempore of the Senate and the speaker of the House of Representatives shall serve an initial term of two years and one month and the other appointed directors shall serve an initial term of four years and one month. Four of the elected directors shall serve an initial term of two years and four of the elected directors shall serve an initial term of four years. No director shall serve more than eight consecutive years. The board shall elect one of the directors to serve as chairperson of the board for a term of two years but not more than four consecutive years. Any director who fails to attend three consecutive meetings of the board or who fails to attend fifty per cent of all meetings of the board held during any calendar year shall be deemed to have resigned from the board. Any vacancy occurring other than by expiration of term shall be filled in the same manner as the original appointment for the balance of the unexpired term. As used in this subsection, "municipal official" means the first selectman, mayor, city or town manager or chief financial officer of a municipality that has entered into a solid waste disposal services contract with the authority and pledged the municipality's full faith and credit for the payment of obligations under such contract.

(d) The chairperson shall, with the approval of the directors, appoint a president of the authority who shall be an employee of the authority and paid a salary prescribed by the directors. The president shall supervise the administrative affairs and technical activities of the authority in accordance with the directives of the board.

(e) Each director shall be entitled to reimbursement for said director's actual and necessary expenses incurred during the performance of said director's official duties.

(f) Directors may engage in private employment, or in a profession or business, subject to any applicable laws, rules and regulations of the state or federal government regarding official ethics or conflict of interest.

(g) [Six] Seven directors of the authority shall constitute a quorum for the transaction of any business or the exercise of any power of the authority, provided, two directors from municipal government shall be present in order for a quorum to be in attendance. For the transaction of any business or the exercise of any power of the authority, and except as otherwise provided in this chapter, the authority shall have power to act by a majority of the directors present at any meeting at which a quorum is in attendance. If the legislative body of a municipality that is the site of a facility passes a resolution requesting the Governor to appoint a resident of such municipality to be an ad hoc member, the Governor shall make such appointment upon the next vacancy for the ad hoc members representing such facility. The Governor shall appoint with the advice and consent of the General Assembly ad hoc members to represent each facility operated by the authority provided at least one-half of such members shall be chief elected officials of municipalities, or their designees. Each such facility shall be represented by two such members. The ad hoc members shall be electors from a municipality or municipalities in the area to be served by the facility and shall vote only on matters concerning such facility. The terms of the ad hoc members shall be four years.

[(h) There is established, effective June 1, 2002, a steering committee of the board of directors, consisting of at least three but not more than five directors, who shall be jointly appointed by the Governor, the president pro tempore of the Senate and the speaker of the House of Representatives. Said committee shall consist of at least one director who is a municipal official, as defined in subsection (c) of this section. The steering committee shall forthwith establish a financial restructuring plan for the authority, subject to the approval of the board of directors, and shall implement said plan. The financial restructuring plan shall determine the financial condition of the authority and provide for mitigation of the impact of the Connecticut Resources Recovery Authority-Enron-Connecticut Light and Power Company transaction on municipalities which have entered into solid waste disposal services contracts with the authority. The steering committee shall also review all aspects of the authority's finances and administration, including but not limited to, tipping fees and adjustments to such fees, the annual budget of the authority, any budget transfers, any use of the authority's reserves, all contracts entered into by or on behalf of the authority, including but not limited to, an assessment of the alignment of interests between the authority and the authority's contractors, all financings or restructuring of debts, any sale or other disposition or valuation of assets of the authority, including sales of electricity and steam, any joint ventures and strategic partnerships, and the initiation and resolution of litigation, arbitration and other disputes. The steering committee (1) shall have access to all information, files and records maintained by the authority, (2) may retain consultants and utilize other resources necessary to carry out its responsibilities under this subsection, which have a total cost of not more than five hundred thousand dollars, without the approval of the board of directors, and may draw on accounts of the authority for such costs, and (3) shall submit a report to the board of directors and the General Assembly, in accordance with section 11-4a, on its findings, progress and recommendations for future action by the board of directors in carrying out the purposes of this subsection, not later than December 31, 2002. Said report shall also include a report on any loans made to the authority under section 22a-268d. The steering committee shall terminate on December 31, 2002, unless extended by the board.]

[(i)] (h) The board may delegate to three or more directors such board powers and duties as it may deem necessary and proper in conformity with the provisions of this chapter and its bylaws. At least one of such directors shall be a municipal official, as defined in subsection (c) of this section, and at least one of such directors shall not be a state employee.

[(j)] (i) Appointed directors may not designate a representative to perform in their absence their respective duties under this chapter.

[(k)] (j) The term "director", as used in this section, shall include such persons so designated as provided in this section and this designation shall be deemed temporary only and shall not affect any applicable civil service or retirement rights of any person so designated.

[(l)] (k) The appointing authority for any director may remove such director for inefficiency, neglect of duty or misconduct in office after giving the director a copy of the charges against the director and an opportunity to be heard, in person or by counsel, in the director's defense, upon not less than ten days' notice. If any director shall be so removed, the appointing authority for such director shall file in the office of the Secretary of the State a complete statement of charges made against such director and the appointing authority's findings on such statement of charges, together with a complete record of the proceedings.

[(m)] (l) The authority shall continue as long as it has bonds or other obligations outstanding and until its existence is terminated by law. Upon the termination of the existence of the authority, all its rights and properties shall pass to and be vested in the state of Connecticut.

[(n)] (m) The directors, members and officers of the authority and any person executing the bonds or notes of the authority shall not be liable personally on such bonds or notes or be subject to any personal liability or accountability by reason of the issuance thereof, nor shall any director, member or officer of the authority be personally liable for damage or injury, not wanton or wilful, caused in the performance of such person's duties and within the scope of such person's employment or appointment as such director, member or officer.

[(o)] (n) Notwithstanding the provisions of any other law to the contrary, it shall not constitute a conflict of interest for a trustee, director, partner or officer of any person, firm or corporation, or any individual having a financial interest in a person, firm or corporation, to serve as a director of the authority, provided such trustee, director, partner, officer or individual shall abstain from deliberation, action or vote by the authority in specific respect to such person, firm or corporation.


This act shall take effect as follows and shall amend the following sections:
Section 1	from passage	New section
Sec. 2	July 1, 2012	22a-261

Statement of Legislative Commissioners:

Section 1(b), added subparagraph designations for clarity; in section 1(b)(9), "authority" was changed to "Connecticut Resources Recovery Authority" for clarity; in section 2(b), "June 30, 2012" was changed to "September 30, 2012" for internal consistency and to reflect the committee's intent; and in section 2(h), "as defined in subsection [(c)] (b)" was changed to "as defined in subsection (c)" for clarity.

Joint Favorable Subst.