Bill Text: CT SB00435 | 2010 | General Assembly | Comm Sub

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Bill Title: An Act Concerning Municipal Fee Increases.

Spectrum: Bipartisan Bill

Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2010-04-29 - Favorable Report, Tabled for the Calendar, Senate [SB00435 Detail]

Download: Connecticut-2010-SB00435-Comm_Sub.html

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General Assembly		Raised Bill No. 435
February Session, 2010		LCO No. 1861
		*_____SB00435PD____042910____*
Referred to Committee on Finance, Revenue and Bonding
Introduced by:
(FIN)

AN ACT CONCERNING MUNICIPAL FEE INCREASES.

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

Section 1. Section 3-95 of the general statutes is repealed and the following is substituted in lieu thereof (Effective July 1, 2010):

The fee for any act performed by a notary public in accordance with the provisions of the general statutes shall not exceed [five] ten dollars plus [an additional thirty-five cents] the standard mileage rate established by the Internal Revenue Service for each mile of travel.

Sec. 2. Subsection (a) of section 7-34a of the 2010 supplement to the general statutes is repealed and the following is substituted in lieu thereof (Effective July 1, 2010):

(a) Town clerks shall receive, for recording any document, ten dollars for the first page and five dollars for each subsequent page or fractional part thereof, a page being not more than eight and one-half by fourteen inches. Town clerks shall receive, for recording the information contained in a certificate of registration for the practice of any of the healing arts, five dollars. Town clerks shall receive, for recording documents conforming to, or substantially similar to, section 47-36c, which are clearly entitled "statutory form" in the heading of such documents, as follows: For the first page of a warranty deed, a quitclaim deed, a mortgage deed, or an assignment of mortgage, ten dollars; for each additional page of such documents, five dollars; and for each marginal notation of an assignment of mortgage, subsequent to the first two assignments, one dollar. Town clerks shall receive, for recording any document with respect to which certain data must be submitted by each town clerk to the Secretary of the Office of Policy and Management in accordance with section 10-261b, two dollars in addition to the regular recording fee. Any person who offers any written document for recording in the office of any town clerk, which document fails to have legibly typed, printed or stamped directly beneath the signatures the names of the persons who executed such document, the names of any witnesses thereto and the name of the officer before whom the same was acknowledged, shall pay one dollar in addition to the regular recording fee. Town clerks shall receive, for recording any deed, except a mortgage deed, conveying title to real estate, which deed does not contain the current mailing address of the grantee, five dollars in addition to the regular recording fee. Town clerks shall receive, for filing any document, [five] twenty dollars; and for receiving and keeping a survey or map, legally filed and indexed, in accordance with section 7-32, in the town clerk's office, [five] twenty dollars. [; and for indexing such survey or map, in accordance with section 7-32, five dollars, except with respect to indexing any such survey or map pertaining to a subdivision of land as defined in section 8-18, in which event town clerks shall receive fifteen dollars for each such indexing.] Town clerks shall receive, for a copy of any document either recorded or filed in their offices, one dollar for each page or fractional part thereof, as the case may be; for certifying any copy of the same, two dollars; for making a copy of any survey or map, the actual cost thereof; and for certifying such copy of a survey or map, two dollars. Town clerks shall receive, for recording the commission and oath of a notary public, [ten] twenty dollars; and for certifying under seal to the official character of a notary, [two] five dollars.

Sec. 3. Subsection (a) of section 7-73 of the general statutes is repealed and the following is substituted in lieu thereof (Effective July 1, 2010):

(a) To any person performing the duties required by the provisions of the general statutes relating to registration of marriages, deaths and fetal deaths, the following fees shall be allowed: (1) For the license to marry, [ten] twenty dollars; and (2) for issuing each burial [or] permit, removal, transit and burial permit [, three] or disinterment permit, five dollars.

Sec. 4. Section 9-6 of the general statutes is repealed and the following is substituted in lieu thereof (Effective July 1, 2010):

Each registrar of voters or, in the absence of a registrar, his deputy, and each town clerk or, in the absence of a town clerk, one of his assistant town clerks shall be compensated by the municipality which he represents, as herein provided, for attending two conferences a year for town clerks and registrars of voters which may be called by the Secretary of the State for the purpose of discussing the election laws, procedures or matters related thereto. Each such official shall be compensated by his municipality [at the rate of thirty-five dollars per day] for the cost of registration for attending each such conference, plus mileage to and from such conference at a rate per mile [determined by the municipality, but not less than twenty cents per mile] equal to the standard mileage rate established by the Internal Revenue Service, computed from the office of such official or, if he has no office, from his home to the place where such conference is being held. In towns divided into two voting districts which elect registrars of voters for each voting district, only two registrars of opposite political parties need be so compensated for each such conference and, if the registrars are unable to agree as to the two registrars to be so compensated, such determination shall be made at least three days prior to such conference by the chief executive officer of the municipality.

Sec. 5. Section 19a-323 of the 2010 supplement to the general statutes is repealed and the following is substituted in lieu thereof (Effective July 1, 2010):

(a) The body of any deceased person may be disposed of by incineration or cremation in this state or may be removed from the state for such purpose.

(b) If death occurred in this state, the death certificate required by law shall be filed with the registrar of vital statistics for the town in which such person died, if known, or, if not known, for the town in which the body was found. The Chief Medical Examiner, Deputy Chief Medical Examiner, associate medical examiner, or an authorized assistant medical examiner shall complete the cremation certificate, stating that such medical examiner has made inquiry into the cause and manner of death and is of the opinion that no further examination or judicial inquiry is necessary. The cremation certificate shall be submitted to the registrar of vital statistics of the town in which such person died, if known, or, if not known, of the town in which the body was found, or with the registrar of vital statistics of the town in which the funeral director having charge of the body is located. Upon receipt of the cremation certificate, the registrar shall authorize such certificate, keep such certificate on permanent record, and issue a cremation permit, except that if the cremation certificate is submitted to the registrar of the town where the funeral director is located, such certificate shall be forwarded to the registrar of the town where the person died to be kept on permanent record. If a cremation permit must be obtained during the hours that the office of the local registrar of the town where death occurred is closed, a subregistrar appointed to serve such town may authorize such cremation permit upon receipt and review of a properly completed cremation permit and cremation certificate. A subregistrar who is licensed as a funeral director or embalmer pursuant to chapter 385, or the employee or agent of such funeral director or embalmer shall not issue a cremation permit to himself or herself. A subregistrar shall forward the cremation certificate to the local registrar of the town where death occurred, not later than seven days after receiving such certificate. The estate of the deceased person, if any, shall pay the sum of forty dollars for the issuance of the cremation certificate or an amount equivalent to the compensation then being paid by the state to authorized assistant medical examiners, if greater, provided, the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner shall not assess any fees for costs that are associated with the cremation of a stillborn fetus. No cremation certificate shall be required for a permit to cremate the remains of bodies pursuant to section 19a-270a. When the cremation certificate is submitted to a town other than that where the person died, the registrar of vital statistics for such other town shall ascertain from the original removal, transit and burial permit that the certificates required by the state statutes have been received and recorded, that the body has been prepared in accordance with the Public Health Code and that the entry regarding the place of disposal is correct. Whenever the registrar finds that the place of disposal is incorrect, the registrar shall issue a corrected removal, transit and burial permit and, after inscribing and recording the original permit in the manner prescribed for sextons' reports under section 7-66, shall then immediately give written notice to the registrar for the town where the death occurred of the change in place of disposal stating the name and place of the crematory and the date of cremation. Such written notice shall be sufficient authorization to correct these items on the original certificate of death. The fee for a cremation permit shall be [three] five dollars and for the written notice [one dollar] two dollars. The Department of Public Health shall provide forms for cremation permits, which shall not be the same as for regular burial permits and shall include space to record information about the intended manner of disposition of the cremated remains, and such blanks and books as may be required by the registrars.

(c) If the body of a deceased person is brought into this state for cremation and is accompanied by a permit for final disposition issued by a legally constituted authority of the state from which the body was brought, indicating cremation for the body, such permit shall be sufficient authority to cremate the body and no additional cremation certificate or permit shall be required.

(d) No body shall be cremated until at least forty-eight hours after death, unless such death was the result of communicable disease, and no body shall be received by any crematory unless accompanied by the permit provided for in this section.

Sec. 6. Subsection (a) of section 22-338 of the general statutes is repealed and the following is substituted in lieu thereof (Effective July 1, 2010):

(a) Each owner or keeper of a dog of the age of six months or older, except dogs kept under a kennel license as provided in section 22-342, as amended by this act, shall cause such dog to be licensed in the town clerk's office in the town where such dog is kept, on or before June thirtieth, annually, or at such time as such dog becomes six months old, and annually thereafter, on or before June thirtieth. The owner or keeper shall pay to such town clerk for such license the sum of seven dollars for each neutered male or spayed female dog and the sum of twelve dollars for each unneutered male dog and each unspayed female dog, and one additional dollar in each case as the town clerk's fee for issuing a tag and license as provided in section 22-340. Two dollars from each license fee collected for a neutered or spayed dog shall be deposited into the animal population control account, established under section 22-380g. If an owner or keeper of a dog fails to procure a license as required by this section, such owner or keeper shall pay the appropriate license fee specified in this section, the town clerk's fee and a penalty of [one dollar] two dollars for each month or fraction thereof the dog remains unlicensed.

Sec. 7. Section 22-339 of the general statutes is repealed and the following is substituted in lieu thereof (Effective July 1, 2010):

Any person upon becoming the owner or keeper of any unlicensed dog of the age of six months or older shall cause such dog to be licensed within thirty days thereof until the thirtieth day of the ensuing June in the manner and subject to the terms and conditions provided in section 22-338, as amended by this act. If the new owner has written proof of purchase or transfer and the license is obtained within thirty days, he shall not be required to pay any penalties as provided by said section for failure to secure a license for a dog over six months of age. Any person becoming the owner of a licensed dog shall present the license and tag of such dog to the town clerk of the town in which he resides and, for a fee of [one dollar] five dollars, such town clerk shall issue, in lieu thereof, a new license and tag, which shall be recorded in the name of the new owner. Such town clerk shall retain the old license and tag in his possession.

Sec. 8. Subsection (a) of section 22-342 of the general statutes is repealed and the following is substituted in lieu thereof (Effective July 1, 2010):

(a) Any owner or keeper of a kennel who breeds more than two litters of dogs annually shall apply to the town clerk in the town in which such kennel is located for a kennel license. Any owner or keeper of a kennel who breeds not more than two litters of dogs annually may apply to the town clerk of the town in which such kennel is located for a kennel license. For the purposes of this section, annually shall refer to the kennel license year which begins July first. Such town clerk shall issue to such applicant a kennel license on a form prescribed by the commissioner for a period from the date of such application until the thirtieth day of the ensuing June. The license shall specify the name and number of the kennel, the name of the owner and the name of the keeper and shall be in lieu of any other license required for any dog of either sex which may be kept in such kennel during the period for which the license is issued. Each license may be renewed from year to year by the town clerk upon application of such owner or keeper. Each such owner or keeper shall cause to be kept, upon each dog in such kennel, while it is at large, a collar or harness of leather or other suitable material, to which collar or harness shall be securely attached a tag or plate upon which shall appear the number of the kennel license, the name of the town issuing the license and the year of license. Such plates or tags shall be furnished by the town clerk of the town in which such kennel is licensed, at a cost of ten cents each, in such numbers, not fewer than the number of dogs kept in such kennel, and at such time as the licensee may request. The fee for each kennel license, when no more than ten dogs are kept in the kennel, shall be fifty dollars, and for a license for a kennel containing more than ten dogs, the fee shall be one hundred dollars, except that in the case of a kennel started after the first day of July, the license fee for the remainder of the year shall be a proportional part of the fee charged for one year. If the owner or keeper of any established kennel fails to obtain the kennel license on or before June thirtieth, [he] such owner or keeper shall pay [one dollar] two dollars for each dog kept therein, in addition to the regular kennel fee.

Sec. 9. Section 22-347 of the general statutes is repealed and the following is substituted in lieu thereof (Effective July 1, 2010):

[Within] Not later than thirty days after receipt of the fees for dog licenses and tags, each town clerk shall deduct one dollar for each dog licensed, two dollars for each kennel license issued and [fifty cents] five dollars for each replacement, change of residence of owner or change of ownership tag issued and pay the balance to the town treasurer or other proper fiscal officer. Each town treasurer or fiscal officer, as the case may be, shall keep a separate dog fund account of all fees received from the town clerk, and all receipts from the municipal animal control officer and expended by said officer under the provisions of this chapter, and shall pay to the Commissioner of Agriculture, on September first of each year, fifty per cent of all moneys received from the sale of licenses prior to July first, or forty per cent of all such moneys if the town has made a survey of unlicensed dogs in accordance with the provisions of section 22-349, and include with such payment a statement of the number of licenses issued during such year. All moneys received from licenses sold after June thirtieth and all moneys received from the municipal animal control officer and all license fees returned to the town by the State Treasurer, at the request of the commissioner, under the provisions of section 22-348 shall be kept by the town treasurer or other fiscal officer in the separate dog fund account. The town treasurer or other fiscal officer shall, on the ensuing September first, send fifty per cent, or forty per cent as the case may be, of all license fees in such account to the commissioner, including [any] one-half of any penalty fees collected pursuant to section 22-338, as amended by this act. All payments to the commissioner shall be accompanied by an account thereof in a form prescribed by the commissioner and a copy of such account shall be sent to the commissioner. Upon the failure of any town treasurer or other fiscal officer to pay any amount due pursuant to this section, or any portion thereof, within forty-five days from its due date, the commissioner shall add interest of one and one-fourth per cent per month or fraction thereof on the amount unpaid per month or fraction thereof from the due date of such payment to the date of payment and a penalty in the amount of ten per cent of the amount unpaid or fifty dollars, whichever is greater. All funds in the dog fund account, except such funds as are to be sent to the commissioner, shall be used only for the compensation of municipal animal control officers, license certificates, tags, the construction and maintenance of dog pounds, the detention and care of impounded dogs in accordance with section 22-336, municipal animal control officer's equipment, dog supplies and such veterinary fees as are provided for by law or regulations and shall not be used for any other purpose except upon written approval of the commissioner. No fees paid into the treasury of the town for tags or licenses for dogs shall be paid back to the persons from whom they were collected.

Sec. 10. Section 22-352 of the general statutes is repealed and the following is substituted in lieu thereof (Effective July 1, 2010):

Any dog licensed as provided in this chapter may be kept in any town in this state under such license until the June thirtieth succeeding the date thereof, if the owner maintains a residence in the town where such license was issued. If any owner discontinues such residence and takes up residence in another town, he shall present the license and tag to the town clerk of such town and, for a fee of [fifty cents] five dollars, the town clerk shall issue a new license and tag for the town in which the owner now resides. Such town clerk shall retain the old license and tag in his possession.

Sec. 11. Section 30-53 of the general statutes is repealed and the following is substituted in lieu thereof (Effective July 1, 2010):

Each permit granted or renewed by the Department of Consumer Protection shall be of no effect until a duplicate thereof has been filed by the permittee with the town clerk of the town within which the club or place of business described in such permit is situated; provided the place of filing of railroad and boat permits shall be the office of the town clerk of the town of New Haven, and airline permits, the office of the town clerk of the town of Hartford. The fee for such filing shall be [two] fifteen dollars.

This act shall take effect as follows and shall amend the following sections:
Section 1	July 1, 2010	3-95
Sec. 2	July 1, 2010	7-34a(a)
Sec. 3	July 1, 2010	7-73(a)
Sec. 4	July 1, 2010	9-6
Sec. 5	July 1, 2010	19a-323
Sec. 6	July 1, 2010	22-338(a)
Sec. 7	July 1, 2010	22-339
Sec. 8	July 1, 2010	22-342(a)
Sec. 9	July 1, 2010	22-347
Sec. 10	July 1, 2010	22-352
Sec. 11	July 1, 2010	30-53

FIN	Joint Favorable
PD	Joint Favorable