Bill Text: CT HB05127 | 2014 | General Assembly | Introduced

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Bill Title: An Act Defining The Uconn Foundation As A Public Agency For Purposes Of The Freedom Of Information Act And Requiring Auditing Of The Foundation By The Auditors Of Public Accounts.

Spectrum: Bipartisan Bill

Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2014-02-14 - Public Hearing 02/19 [HB05127 Detail]

Download: Connecticut-2014-HB05127-Introduced.html

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General Assembly		Raised Bill No. 5127
February Session, 2014		LCO No. 1027
		*01027_______GAE*
Referred to Committee on GOVERNMENT ADMINISTRATION AND ELECTIONS
Introduced by:
(GAE)

AN ACT DEFINING THE UCONN FOUNDATION AS A PUBLIC AGENCY FOR PURPOSES OF THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT AND REQUIRING AUDITING OF THE FOUNDATION BY THE AUDITORS OF PUBLIC ACCOUNTS.

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

Section 1. (NEW) (Effective October 1, 2014) Notwithstanding the provisions of sections 4-37f to 4-37k, inclusive, of the general statutes, any foundation as defined in section 4-37e of the general statutes, as amended by this act, that is established for The University of Connecticut (1) shall be considered a public agency as defined in section 1-200 of the general statutes for purposes of the Freedom of Information Act, as defined in section 1-200 of the general statutes, and (2) shall be subject to audit by the Auditors of Public Accounts in accordance with the provisions of section 2-90 of the general statutes.

Sec. 2. Section 4-37e of the 2014 supplement to the general statutes is repealed and the following is substituted in lieu thereof (Effective October 1, 2014):

As used in this section and sections 4-37f to 4-37j, inclusive, as amended by this act:

(1) "State agency" means each state board, authority, commission, department, office, institution, council or other agency of the state including, but not limited to, each constituent unit and each public institution of higher education.

(2) "Foundation" means an organization, fund or any other legal entity which is (A) exempt from taxation pursuant to Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, or any subsequent corresponding internal revenue code of the United States, as from time to time amended, and (B) established for the principal purpose of receiving or using private funds for charitable, scientific, cultural, educational or related purposes that support or improve a state agency or for coordinated emergency recovery purposes. [Such] Except as provided in section 1 of this act, such an organization, fund or other legal entity shall not be deemed to be a state agency or a public agency, as defined in section 1-200.

(3) "Executive authority" means (A) a department head, as defined in section 4-5, (B) the executive secretary or president of a constituent unit, (C) the chief executive officer of a public institution of higher education, and (D) the chief executive officer of any other state agency.

(4) "Constituent unit" means a constituent unit as defined in section 10a-1.

(5) "Public institution of higher education" means a public college or university in the state system of higher education or The University of Connecticut School of Law.

(6) "Coordinated emergency recovery" means the support and improvement of state services affected by a natural disaster, act of domestic terrorism, catastrophic event or other unforeseen emergency, including, but not limited to, services provided by the Department of Emergency Services and Public Protection and the Office of Victim Services.

Sec. 3. Section 4-37f of the 2014 supplement to the general statutes is repealed and the following is substituted in lieu thereof (Effective October 1, 2014):

The executive authority of each state agency for which a foundation is established shall, in accordance with a policy adopted by the board of trustees of the constituent unit for each state agency which is a constituent unit or which is a public institution of higher education under the jurisdiction of the constituent unit, ensure that, or the executive authority of each state agency for which a foundation is established for the principal purpose of coordinated emergency recovery shall ensure that:

(1) The foundation shall have a governing board to oversee its operation;

(2) If the state agency is a constituent unit, the following persons shall serve as nonvoting members of the governing board of the foundation unless the bylaws of the foundation provide that they be voting members: The executive authority of the constituent unit, or his designee, a student enrolled at an institution under the jurisdiction of the constituent unit, who shall be elected by the students enrolled at the institutions under the jurisdiction of the constituent unit, and a member of the faculty of any such institution, who shall be elected by the faculty of the institutions under the jurisdiction of the constituent unit. Elections pursuant to this subdivision shall be conducted in accordance with procedures for such elections established by the board of trustees of the constituent unit;

(3) If the constituent unit is the Board of Trustees of the Community-Technical Colleges or the Board of Trustees of the Connecticut State University System, the purposes of the foundation shall be limited to providing funding for (A) scholarships or other direct student financial aid, and (B) programs, services or activities at one or more of the institutions within its jurisdiction;

(4) If the state agency is a public institution of higher education, the following persons shall serve as nonvoting members of the governing board of the foundation unless the bylaws of the foundation provide that they be voting members: The executive authority of the institution, or his designee, a student enrolled at the institution, who shall be elected by the students enrolled in the institution and a member of the faculty of the institution, who shall be elected by the faculty of the institution. Elections pursuant to this subdivision shall be conducted in accordance with procedures for such elections established by the board of trustees of the constituent unit which has jurisdiction over the institution;

(5) The governing board of the foundation shall annually file with the state agency an updated list of the members and officers of such board;

(6) The salaries, benefits and expenses of officers and employees of the foundation shall be paid solely by the foundation;

(7) The foundation shall use generally accepted accounting principles in its financial record-keeping and reporting;

(8) A foundation which has in any of its fiscal years receipts and earnings from investments totaling one hundred thousand dollars per year or more, or a foundation established for the principal purpose of coordinated emergency recovery that operated in response to an eligible incident, as defined in section 4-37r, during the fiscal year or with funds that exceeded one hundred thousand dollars in the aggregate, shall have completed on its behalf for such fiscal year a full audit of the books and accounts of the foundation. A foundation which has receipts and earnings from investments totaling less than one hundred thousand dollars in each fiscal year during any three of its consecutive fiscal years beginning October 1, 1986, shall have completed on its behalf for the third fiscal year in any such three-year period a full audit of the books and accounts of the foundation, unless such foundation was established for the principal purpose of coordinated emergency recovery and had completed on its behalf such an audit for any year in any such three-year period. For each fiscal year in which an audit is not required pursuant to this subdivision financial statements shall be provided by the foundation to the executive authority of the state agency. Each audit under this subdivision of a foundation established for The University of Connecticut shall be conducted by the Auditors of Public Accounts in accordance with generally accepted auditing standards. Each audit under this subdivision of a foundation established for any other state agency shall be conducted (A) by an independent certified public accountant or, if requested by the state agency with the consent of the foundation, by the Auditors of Public Accounts, and (B) in accordance with generally accepted auditing standards. The audit report shall include financial statements, a management letter and an audit opinion which address the conformance of the operating procedures of the foundation with the provisions of sections 4-37e to 4-37i, inclusive, as amended by this act, and recommend any corrective actions needed to ensure such conformance. Each audit report shall disclose the receipt or use by the foundation of any public funds in violation of said sections or any other provision of the general statutes. The foundation shall provide a copy of each audit report completed pursuant to this subdivision to the executive authority of the state agency and the Attorney General. Each financial statement required under this subdivision shall include, for the fiscal year to which the statement applies, the total receipts and earnings from investments of the foundation and the amount and purpose of each receipt of funds by the state agency from the foundation. As used in this subdivision, "fiscal year" means any twelve-month period adopted by a foundation as its accounting year;

(9) There shall be a written agreement between the state agency and the foundation which (A) addresses any use by the foundation of the agency's facilities and resources including, but not limited to, office space, storage space, office furniture and equipment, utilities, photocopying services, computer systems and the maintenance by the state agency of the books and records of the foundation, provided any such books and records maintained by the state agency shall not be deemed to be public records and shall not be subject to disclosure pursuant to the provisions of section 1-210, except any such books and records maintained by The University of Connecticut shall be subject to disclosure pursuant to the provisions of section 1-210, (B) provides that the state agency shall have no liability for the obligations, acts or omissions of the foundation, (C) requires the foundation to reimburse the state agency for expenses the agency incurs as a result of foundation operations, if the agency would not have otherwise incurred such expenses, (D) in the case of foundations established for a constituent unit of the state system of higher education or for a public institution of higher education, requires the foundation to establish and adhere to an investment policy and a spending policy that are consistent with sections 45a-535 to 45a-535i, inclusive, and (E) provides that if the foundation ceases to exist or ceases to be a foundation, as defined in section 4-37e, as amended by this act, (i) the foundation shall be prohibited from using the name of the state agency, (ii) the records of the foundation, or copies of such records, shall be made available to and may be retained by the state agency, provided any such records or copies which are retained by [the] a state agency other than The University of Connecticut shall not be deemed to be public records and shall not be subject to disclosure pursuant to the provisions of section 1-210, and (iii) there are procedures for the disposition of the financial and other assets of the foundation. If the state agency is a constituent unit, the board of trustees of the constituent unit shall approve such agreement. If the state agency is a public institution of higher education, the board of trustees of the constituent unit which has jurisdiction over the institution shall approve such agreement; and

(10) If the foundation is established for the principal purpose of coordinated emergency recovery, the Department of Emergency Services and Public Protection shall be deemed the state agency for purposes of this section, and the deputy commissioner of said department with jurisdiction over the Division of Emergency Management and Homeland Security shall be deemed the executive authority for purposes of this section.

Sec. 4. Section 4-37k of the general statutes is repealed and the following is substituted in lieu thereof (Effective October 1, 2014):

Notwithstanding any other provision of the general statutes, an agreement between a state agency and a foundation, as defined in section 4-37e, as amended by this act, shall not be deemed to be a contract for the performance of a governmental function within the meaning of section 1-218 unless such contract is between The University of Connecticut and such a foundation.

This act shall take effect as follows and shall amend the following sections:
Section 1	October 1, 2014	New section
Sec. 2	October 1, 2014	4-37e
Sec. 3	October 1, 2014	4-37f
Sec. 4	October 1, 2014	4-37k

Statement of Purpose:

To subject the UConn Foundation to the provisions of the Freedom of Information Act and to auditing by the Auditors of Public Accounts.

[Proposed deletions are enclosed in brackets. Proposed additions are indicated by underline, except that when the entire text of a bill or resolution or a section of a bill or resolution is new, it is not underlined.]