Bill Text: CT SB00264 | 2018 | General Assembly | Comm Sub

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Bill Title: An Act Eliminating The Regional Tourism Districts.

Spectrum: Committee Bill

Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2018-04-12 - File Number 465 [SB00264 Detail]

Download: Connecticut-2018-SB00264-Comm_Sub.html

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General Assembly		Substitute Bill No. 264
February Session, 2018		*_____SB00264CE____032618____*

AN ACT ELIMINATING THE REGIONAL TOURISM DISTRICTS.

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

Section 1. Section 4-230 of the general statutes is repealed and the following is substituted in lieu thereof (Effective July 1, 2018):

As used in sections 4-230 to 4-236, inclusive:

(1) "Cognizant agency" means a state agency which is assigned by the secretary the responsibility for implementing the requirements of sections 4-230 to 4-236, inclusive;

(2) "Secretary" means the Secretary of the Office of Policy and Management;

(3) "State financial assistance" means assistance that a nonstate entity receives or administers which is provided by a state agency or pass-through entity in the form of grants, contracts, loans, loan guarantees, property, cooperative agreements, interest subsidies, insurance or direct appropriations, but does not include direct state cash assistance to individuals or payments to a vendor;

(4) "State agency" means any department, board, commission, institution or other agency of the state;

(5) "Generally accepted accounting principles" has the meaning specified in the generally accepted auditing standards issued by the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (AICPA);

(6) "Generally accepted government auditing standards" (GAGAS) means the generally accepted government auditing standards issued by the Comptroller General of the United States that are applicable to financial audits;

(7) "Independent auditor" means a public accountant who is licensed to practice in the state and meets the independence standards included in generally accepted government auditing standards;

(8) "Internal controls" means a process, effected by an entity's board of directors, management and other personnel, designed to provide reasonable assurance regarding the achievement of objectives in: (A) Reliability of financial reporting, (B) effectiveness and efficiency of operations, and (C) compliance with applicable laws and regulations;

(9) "Municipality" means a town, consolidated town and city, consolidated town and borough, city or borough, including a local board of education as described in subsection (c) of section 7-392;

(10) "Audited agency" means a district, as defined in section 7-324, the Metropolitan District of Hartford County, a regional board of education, a regional council of governments [,] or any other political subdivision of similar character which is created or any other agency created or designated by a municipality to act for such municipality whose annual receipts from all sources exceed one million dollars; [or any tourism district established under section 10-397;]

(11) "Nonprofit agency" means any organization that is not a for-profit business and provides services contracted for by (A) the state or (B) a nonstate entity. It also means private institutions of higher learning which receive state financial assistance;

(12) "Major state program" means any program, excluding an exempt program, determined to be a major state program by the independent auditor pursuant to the requirements of the risk-based approach, provided such requirements shall (A) encompass factors consistent with requirements established by the United States Office of Management and Budget, and (B) include, but not be limited to, current and prior audit experience, oversight by state agencies and pass-through entities and the risk inherent in state programs;

(13) "Public accountant" means an individual who meets the standards included in generally accepted government auditing standards for personnel performing government audits and the licensing requirements of the State Board of Accountancy;

(14) "Subrecipient" means a nonstate entity that receives state financial assistance from a pass-through entity, but does not include an individual who receives such assistance;

[(15) "Tourism district" means a district established under section 10-397;]

[(16)] (15) "Nonstate entity" means a municipality, [tourism district,] audited agency or nonprofit agency;

[(17)] (16) "Pass-through entity" means a nonstate entity that provides state financial assistance to a subrecipient;

[(18)] (17) "Program-specific audit" means an audit of a single state program conducted in accordance with the regulations adopted under section 4-236;

[(19)] (18) "Expended" and "expenditures" have the meanings attributed to those terms in generally accepted accounting principles, except that (A) state financial assistance received which does not specify a required use shall be assumed to be fully expended in the fiscal year of receipt, and (B) exempt programs shall be assumed to be expended in the fiscal year that the state financial assistance is received;

[(20)] (19) "Exempt program" means any state program designated to be exempt by the secretary after consultation with the Auditors of Public Accounts and the commissioner of the state agency that awarded the state financial assistance;

[(21)] (20) "Vendor" means a dealer, distributor, merchant or other seller providing goods or services that are required for the conduct of a state program. Such goods or services may be for an organization's own use or for the use of beneficiaries of the state program; and

[(22)] (21) "Single audit" means an audit, as provided in section 4-235, that encompasses an entity's financial statements and state financial assistance.

Sec. 2. Subsection (i) of section 5-259 of the 2018 supplement to the general statutes is repealed and the following is substituted in lieu thereof (Effective July 1, 2018):

(i) The Comptroller may provide for coverage of employees of municipalities, nonprofit corporations, community action agencies and small employers and individuals eligible for a health coverage tax credit, retired members or members of an association for personal care assistants under the plan or plans procured under subsection (a) of this section, provided: (1) Participation by each municipality, nonprofit corporation, community action agency, small employer, eligible individual, retired member or association for personal care assistants shall be on a voluntary basis; (2) where an employee organization represents employees of a municipality, nonprofit corporation, community action agency or small employer, participation in a plan or plans to be procured under subsection (a) of this section shall be by mutual agreement of the municipality, nonprofit corporation, community action agency or small employer and the employee organization only and neither party may submit the issue of participation to binding arbitration except by mutual agreement if such binding arbitration is available; (3) no group of employees shall be refused entry into the plan by reason of past or future health care costs or claim experience; (4) rates paid by the state for its employees under subsection (a) of this section are not adversely affected by this subsection; (5) administrative costs to the plan or plans provided under this subsection shall not be paid by the state; (6) participation in the plan or plans in an amount determined by the state shall be for the duration of the period of the plan or plans, or for such other period as mutually agreed by the municipality, nonprofit corporation, community action agency, small employer, retired member or association for personal care assistants and the Comptroller; and (7) nothing in this section or section 12-202a, 38a-551 or 38a-556 shall be construed as requiring a participating insurer or health care center to issue individual policies to individuals eligible for a health coverage tax credit. The coverage provided under this section may be referred to as the "Municipal Employee Health Insurance Plan". The Comptroller may arrange and procure for the employees and eligible individuals under this subsection health benefit plans that vary from the plan or plans procured under subsection (a) of this section. Notwithstanding any provision of part V of chapter 700c, the coverage provided under this subsection may be offered on either a fully underwritten or risk-pooled basis at the discretion of the Comptroller. For the purposes of this subsection, (A) "municipality" means any town, city, borough, school district, taxing district, fire district, district department of health, probate district, housing authority, regional work force development board established under section 31-3k, regional emergency telecommunications center, [tourism district established under section 32-302,] flood commission or authority established by special act, regional council of governments, transit district formed under chapter 103a, or the Children's Center established by number 571 of the public acts of 1969; (B) "nonprofit corporation" means (i) a nonprofit corporation organized under 26 USC 501 that has a contract with the state or receives a portion of its funding from a municipality, the state or the federal government, or (ii) an organization that is tax exempt pursuant to 26 USC 501(c)(5); (C) "community action agency" means a community action agency, as defined in section 17b-885; (D) "small employer" means a small employer, as defined in section 38a-564; (E) "eligible individuals" or "individuals eligible for a health coverage tax credit" means individuals who are eligible for the credit for health insurance costs under Section 35 of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, or any subsequent corresponding internal revenue code of the United States, as from time to time amended, in accordance with the Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation; (F) "association for personal care assistants" means an organization composed of personal care attendants who are employed by recipients of service (i) under the home-care program for the elderly under section 17b-342, (ii) under the personal care assistance program under section 17b-605a, (iii) in an independent living center pursuant to sections 17b-613 to 17b-615, inclusive, or (iv) under the program for individuals with acquired brain injury as described in section 17b-260a; and (G) "retired members" means individuals eligible for a retirement benefit from the Connecticut municipal employees' retirement system.

Sec. 3. Section 7-425 of the general statutes is repealed and the following is substituted in lieu thereof (Effective July 1, 2018):

The following words and phrases as used in this part, except as otherwise provided, shall have the following meanings:

(1) "Municipality" means any town, city, borough, school district, regional school district, taxing district, fire district, district department of health, probate district, housing authority, regional work force development board established under section 31-3k, regional emergency telecommunications center, [tourism district established under section 10-397,] flood commission or authority established by special act or regional council of governments;

(2) "Participating municipality" means any municipality that has accepted this part, as provided in section 7-427;

(3) "Legislative body" means, for towns having a town council, the council; for other towns, the selectmen; for cities, the common council or other similar body of officials; for boroughs, the warden and burgesses; for regional school districts, the regional board of education; for district departments of health, the board of the district; for probate districts, the judge of probate; for regional councils of governments, the council; for regional emergency telecommunications centers, a representative board; [for tourism districts, the board of directors of such tourism district;] and in all other cases the body authorized by the general statutes or by special act to make ordinances for the municipality;

(4) "Retirement Commission" means the State Retirement Commission created by chapter 66;

(5) "Member" means any regular employee or elective officer receiving pay from a participating municipality, and any regular employee of a free public library that receives part or all of its income from municipal appropriation, who has been included by such municipality in the pension plan as provided in section 7-427, but shall not include any person who customarily works less than twenty hours a week if such person entered employment after September 30, 1969, any police officer or firefighter who will attain the compulsory retirement age after less than five years of continuous service in fund B, any teacher who is eligible for membership in the state teachers retirement system, any person eligible for membership in any pension system established by or under the authority of any special act or of a charter adopted under the provisions of chapter 99, or any person holding a position funded in whole or in part by the federal government as part of any public service employment program, on-the-job training program or work experience program, provided persons holding such federally funded positions on July 1, 1978, shall not be excluded from membership but may elect to receive a refund of their accumulated contributions without interest;

(6) "Pay" means the salary, wages or earnings of an employee, including any payments received pursuant to chapter 568 and the money value as determined by the Retirement Commission of any board, lodging, fuel or laundry provided for such employee by the municipality but not including any fees or allowances for expenses;

(7) "Fund" and "fund B" means the Connecticut Municipal Employees' Retirement Fund B;

(8) "Continuous service" and "service" means active service as a member, or active service prior to becoming a member if such service (A) was in a department for which participation was subsequently accepted and not subsequently withdrawn, (B) was continuous to the date of becoming a member except service for which credit is granted pursuant to section 7-436a, and (C) would have been as a member if the department had then been participating, all subject to the provisions of section 7-434;

(9) "System" means the Old Age and Survivors Insurance System under Title II of the Social Security Act, as amended;

(10) "Social Security Act" means the Act of Congress, approved August 14, 1935, Chapter 531, 49 Stat. 620, officially cited as the Social Security Act, including regulations and requirements issued pursuant thereto, as such act has been and may from time to time be amended;

(11) "Regional emergency telecommunications center" means any entity authorized by the Department of Emergency Services and Public Protection as a public safety answering point responsible for the receipt and processing of 9-1-1 calls for at least three municipalities.

Sec. 4. Subsection (b) of section 10-392 of the general statutes is repealed and the following is substituted in lieu thereof (Effective July 1, 2018):

(b) The department shall:

(1) Market and promote Connecticut as a destination for leisure and business travelers through the development and implementation of a strategic state-wide marketing plan and provision of visitor services to enhance the economic impact of the tourism industry;

(2) Promote the arts;

(3) Recognize, protect, preserve and promote historic resources;

(4) Interpret and present Connecticut's history and culture;

(5) Promote Connecticut as a location in which to produce digital media and motion pictures and to establish and conduct business related to the digital media and motion picture industries to enhance these industries' economic impact in the state;

[(6) Establish a uniform financial reporting system and forms to be used by each regional tourism district, established under section 10-397, in the preparation of the annual budget submitted to the General Assembly;]

[(7)] (6) Integrate funding and programs whenever possible; and

[(8)] (7) On or before January 1, 2012, and biennially thereafter, develop and submit to the Governor and the General Assembly, in accordance with section 11-4a, a strategic plan to implement subdivisions (1) to (5), inclusive, of this subsection.

Sec. 5. Subsection (a) of section 10-393 of the general statutes is repealed and the following is substituted in lieu thereof (Effective July 1, 2018):

(a) There shall be a Culture and Tourism Advisory Committee which shall consist of twenty-eight voting members and nonvoting ex-officio members. Such ex-officio members shall be the executive directors of the Connecticut Trust for Historic Preservation and the Connecticut Humanities Council, the State Poet Laureate, the State Historian and the State Archaeologist. The State Poet Laureate, the State Historian and the State Archaeologist shall serve as members without being appointed and without receiving compensation for such service. The remaining twenty-three members shall be appointed as follows:

(1) The Governor shall appoint seven members: (A) One member shall be an individual with knowledge of and experience in the tourism industry from within the state; (B) three members shall be individuals with knowledge of or experience or interest in history or humanities; (C) one member shall be an individual with knowledge of or experience or interest in the arts; and (D) two members shall be selected at large.

(2) The speaker of the House of Representatives shall appoint three members: (A) One member shall be an individual with knowledge of and experience in the tourism industry; [from the western regional tourism district, established under section 10-397;] (B) one member shall be an individual with knowledge of or experience or interest in history or humanities; and (C) one member shall be an individual with knowledge of or experience or interest in the arts.

(3) The president pro tempore of the Senate shall appoint three members: (A) One member shall be an individual with knowledge of and experience in the tourism industry; [from the central regional tourism district, established under section 10-397;] (B) one member shall be an individual with knowledge of or experience or interest in history or humanities; and (C) one member shall be an individual with knowledge of or experience or interest in the arts.

(4) The majority leader of the House of Representatives shall appoint two members: (A) One member shall be an individual with knowledge of and experience in the tourism industry; [from the central regional tourism district, established under section 10-397;] and (B) one member shall be an individual with knowledge of or experience or interest in the arts.

(5) The majority leader of the Senate shall appoint two members: (A) One member shall be an individual with knowledge of and experience in the tourism industry; [from the eastern regional tourism district;] and (B) one member shall be an individual with knowledge of or experience or interest in the arts.

(6) The minority leader of the House of Representatives shall appoint three members: (A) One member shall be an individual with knowledge of and experience in the tourism industry; [from within the state;] (B) one member shall be an individual with knowledge of or experience or interest in history or humanities; and (C) one member shall be an individual with knowledge of or experience or interest in the arts.

(7) The minority leader of the Senate shall appoint three members: (A) One member shall be an individual with knowledge of and experience in the tourism industry; [from the western regional tourism district, established under section 10-397;] (B) one member shall be an individual with knowledge of or experience or interest in history or humanities; and (C) one member shall be an individual with knowledge of or experience or interest in the arts.

Sec. 6. Section 10-396 of the general statutes is repealed and the following is substituted in lieu thereof (Effective July 1, 2018):

With respect to tourism activities, the Department of Economic and Community Development shall:

(1) Develop, annually update and implement a strategic marketing plan for the national and international promotion of Connecticut as a tourism destination;

(2) Develop a Connecticut strategic plan for new tourism products and attractions;

(3) Provide marketing and other assistance to the tourism industry;

(4) [Ensure cooperation among the regional tourism districts] Encourage and facilitate cooperation among members of the state's tourism industry;

(5) Within available appropriations, maintain, operate and manage the visitor welcome centers in the state;

(6) Develop and administer a program of challenge grants to encourage innovation and job development, provide incentives for coordinated activity consistent with the strategic marketing plan and stimulate the development of private funds for tourism promotion; and

(7) Subject to available funds, assist municipalities to accommodate tourist attractions within such municipalities or within neighboring or adjoining municipalities.

Sec. 7. Subsection (b) of section 10-399 of the general statutes is repealed and the following is substituted in lieu thereof (Effective July 1, 2018):

(b) Within available appropriations, the following measures shall be implemented to enhance the operation of visitor welcome centers:

(1) Each center shall make available space for listing events and promoting attractions, by invitation to the Connecticut tourism industry, including [tourism districts,] chambers of commerce and any other tourism entities involved in Connecticut tourism promotion;

(2) The Department of Economic and Community Development, in consultation with the Department of Transportation, shall develop plans for (A) consistent signage for the visitor welcome centers, and (B) highway signage regulations for privately operated centers;

(3) The Department of Transportation and the Department of Economic and Community Development shall establish an "Adopt A Visitor Welcome Center" program, under which local civic organizations may provide maintenance, gardening, including wildflowers, and complimentary refreshments or any other type of service at a visitor welcome center to enhance the operation of the center;

(4) The Department of Economic and Community Development shall place a full-time year-round supervisor and a part-time assistant supervisor at the Danbury, Darien, North Stonington and West Willington centers. The responsibilities of each supervisor shall include, but not be limited to: (A) Maintaining a sufficient inventory of up-to-date brochures for dissemination to visitors, (B) scheduling staff so as to assure coverage at all times, (C) training staff, (D) compiling and maintaining statistics on center usage, (E) serving as liaison between the department, the Department of Transportation [, the tourism district in which the center is located] and businesses in [such district] the surrounding area, (F) maintaining quality tourism services, (G) rotating displays, (H) evaluating staff, (I) problem-solving, and (J) computing travel reimbursements for volunteer staff;

(5) Subject to available funds, the Department of Economic and Community Development shall place a seasonal full-time supervisor and a seasonal part-time assistant supervisor at the Greenwich and Westbrook centers. The department shall discontinue staffing at the Middletown, Plainfield and Wallingford centers, and shall, in conjunction with the tourism industry, seek contract workers to provide tourism services at the Westbrook center when not staffed by the state;

(6) Subject to available funds, the Department of Economic and Community Development, in conjunction with the tourism industry, shall develop and implement initial staff training and conduct periodic training of full-time and part-time supervisors.

Sec. 8. Subsection (b) of section 12-15 of the 2018 supplement to the general statutes is repealed and the following is substituted in lieu thereof (Effective July 1, 2018):

(b) The commissioner may disclose (1) returns or return information to (A) an authorized representative of another state agency or office, upon written request by the head of such agency or office, when required in the course of duty or when there is reasonable cause to believe that any state law is being violated, or (B) an authorized representative of an agency or office of the United States, upon written request by the head of such agency or office, when required in the course of duty or when there is reasonable cause to believe that any federal law is being violated, provided no such agency or office shall disclose such returns or return information, other than in a judicial or administrative proceeding to which such agency or office is a party pertaining to the enforcement of state or federal law, as the case may be, in a form which can be associated with, or otherwise identify, directly or indirectly, a particular taxpayer except that the names and addresses of jurors or potential jurors and the fact that the names were derived from the list of taxpayers pursuant to chapter 884 may be disclosed by the Judicial Branch; (2) returns or return information to the Auditors of Public Accounts, when required in the course of duty under chapter 23; (3) returns or return information to tax officers of another state or of a Canadian province or of a political subdivision of such other state or province or of the District of Columbia or to any officer of the United States Treasury Department or the United States Department of Health and Human Services, authorized for such purpose in accordance with an agreement between this state and such other state, province, political subdivision, the District of Columbia or department, respectively, when required in the administration of taxes imposed under the laws of such other state, province, political subdivision, the District of Columbia or the United States, respectively, and when a reciprocal arrangement exists; (4) returns or return information in any action, case or proceeding in any court of competent jurisdiction, when the commissioner or any other state department or agency is a party, and when such information is directly involved in such action, case or proceeding; (5) returns or return information to a taxpayer or its authorized representative, upon written request for a return filed by or return information on such taxpayer; (6) returns or return information to a successor, receiver, trustee, executor, administrator, assignee, guardian or guarantor of a taxpayer, when such person establishes, to the satisfaction of the commissioner, that such person has a material interest which will be affected by information contained in such returns or return information; (7) information to the assessor or an authorized representative of the chief executive officer of a Connecticut municipality, when the information disclosed is limited to (A) a list of real or personal property that is or may be subject to property taxes in such municipality, or (B) a list containing the name of each person who is issued any license, permit or certificate which is required, under the provisions of this title, to be conspicuously displayed and whose address is in such municipality; (8) real estate conveyance tax return information or controlling interest transfer tax return information to the town clerk or an authorized representative of the chief executive officer of a Connecticut municipality to which the information relates; (9) estate tax returns and estate tax return information to the Probate Court Administrator or to the court of probate for the district within which a decedent resided at the date of the decedent's death, or within which the commissioner contends that a decedent resided at the date of the decedent's death or, if a decedent died a nonresident of this state, in the court of probate for the district within which real estate or tangible personal property of the decedent is situated, or within which the commissioner contends that real estate or tangible personal property of the decedent is situated; (10) returns or return information to the (A) Secretary of the Office of Policy and Management for purposes of subsection (b) of section 12-7a, and (B) Office of Fiscal Analysis for purposes of, and subject to the provisions of, subdivision (2) of subsection (f) of section 12-7b; (11) return information to the Jury Administrator, when the information disclosed is limited to the names, addresses, federal Social Security numbers and dates of birth, if available, of residents of this state, as defined in subdivision (1) of subsection (a) of section 12-701; (12) returns or return information to any person to the extent necessary in connection with the processing, storage, transmission or reproduction of such returns or return information, and the programming, maintenance, repair, testing or procurement of equipment, or the providing of other services, for purposes of tax administration; (13) without written request and unless the commissioner determines that disclosure would identify a confidential informant or seriously impair a civil or criminal tax investigation, returns and return information which may constitute evidence of a violation of any civil or criminal law of this state or the United States to the extent necessary to apprise the head of such agency or office charged with the responsibility of enforcing such law, in which event the head of such agency or office may disclose such return information to officers and employees of such agency or office to the extent necessary to enforce such law; [(14) names and addresses of operators, as defined in section 12-407, to tourism districts, as defined in section 10-397; (15)] (14) names of each licensed dealer, as defined in section 12-285, and the location of the premises covered by the dealer's license; [(16)] (15) to a tobacco product manufacturer that places funds into escrow pursuant to the provisions of subsection (a) of section 4-28i, return information of a distributor licensed under the provisions of chapter 214 or chapter 214a, provided the information disclosed is limited to information relating to such manufacturer's sales to consumers within this state, whether directly or through a distributor, dealer or similar intermediary or intermediaries, of cigarettes, as defined in section 4-28h, and further provided there is reasonable cause to believe that such manufacturer is not in compliance with section 4-28i; [(17)] (16) returns, which shall not include a copy of the return filed with the commissioner, or return information for purposes of section 12-217z; [(18)] (17) returns or return information to the State Elections Enforcement Commission, upon written request by said commission, when necessary to investigate suspected violations of state election laws; and [(19)] (18) returns or return information for purposes of, and subject to the conditions of, subsection (e) of section 5-240.

Sec. 9. Subsection (b) of section 32-1s of the general statutes is repealed and the following is substituted in lieu thereof (Effective July 1, 2018):

(b) Any order or regulation of the Connecticut Commission on Culture and Tourism, which is in force on July 1, 2011, shall continue in force and effect as an order or regulation of the Department of Economic and Community Development until amended, repealed or superseded pursuant to law. Where any order or regulation of said commission or said department conflicts, the Commissioner of Economic and Community Development may implement policies and procedures consistent with the provisions of this section and sections 3-110f, 3-110h, 3-110i, 4-9a, 4-66aa, 4-89, 4b-53, 4b-60, 4b-64, 4b-66a, 5-198, 7-147a, 7-147b, 7-147c, 7-147j, 7-147p, 7-147q, 7-147y, 8-37lll, 10-382, 10-384, 10-385, 10-386, 10-387, 10-388, 10-389, 10-391, 10-392, 10-393, [10-394,] 10-395, 10-396, [10-397, 10-397a,] 10-399, 10-400, 10-401, 10-402, 10-403, 10-404, 10-405, 10-406, 10-408, 10-409, 10-410, 10-411, 10-412, 10-413, 10-414, 10-415, 10-416, 10-416a, 10-416b, 10-425, 10a-111a, 10a-112, 10a-112b, 10a-112g, 11-6a, 12-376d, 13a-252, 19a-315b, 19a-315c, 22a-1d, 22a-19b, 22a-27s, 29-259, 32-6a, 32-11a and 32-35 while in the process of adopting the policy or procedure in regulation form, provided notice of intention to adopt regulations is printed in the Connecticut Law Journal not later than twenty days after implementation. The policy or procedure shall be valid until the time final regulations are effective.

Sec. 10. Subsection (b) of section 32-6m of the 2018 supplement to the general statutes is repealed and the following is substituted in lieu thereof (Effective July 1, 2018):

(b) The commissioner may, within available appropriations, establish and administer a program to promote the marketing of products produced in Connecticut for the purpose of encouraging the development of manufacturing and production in the state. As part of said program, the commissioner may (1) provide for the design, plan and implementation of a multiyear, state-wide marketing and advertising campaign, including, but not limited to, television and radio advertisements, promoting the availability of, and advantages of purchasing, Connecticut-made products, (2) establish and continuously update an Internet web site connected with such advertising campaign that includes, but is not limited to, a comprehensive listing of Connecticut manufacturers, Connecticut-made products and Connecticut retailers selling Connecticut-made products, (3) direct Connecticut manufacturers and producers of Connecticut-made products in need of assistance to the appropriate economic development entity or state agency, and (4) conduct efforts to promote interaction and business relationships between Connecticut manufacturers and producers of Connecticut-made products and retailers, marketers, chambers of commerce [, regional tourism districts] and other potential institutional purchasers of Connecticut-made products, including, but not limited to, (A) linking Connecticut manufacturers and producers of Connecticut-made products with potential purchasers through a separate feature of the Internet web site established pursuant to this section, and (B) organizing state-wide or regional events promoting Connecticut manufacturers and producers of Connecticut-made products, where such manufacturers, producers and institutional purchasers are invited to participate. The commissioner shall use his or her best efforts to solicit cooperation and participation from Connecticut manufacturers, producers of Connecticut-made products, retailers, marketers [,] and chambers of commerce [and regional tourism districts] in such advertising, Internet-related and event planning efforts, including, but not limited to, soliciting private sector matching funds.

Sec. 11. Sections 10-394, 10-397, 10-397a, 10-397b and subdivision (93) of section 12-412 of the general statutes are repealed. (Effective July 1, 2018)

This act shall take effect as follows and shall amend the following sections:
Section 1	July 1, 2018	4-230
Sec. 2	July 1, 2018	5-259(i)
Sec. 3	July 1, 2018	7-425
Sec. 4	July 1, 2018	10-392(b)
Sec. 5	July 1, 2018	10-393(a)
Sec. 6	July 1, 2018	10-396
Sec. 7	July 1, 2018	10-399(b)
Sec. 8	July 1, 2018	12-15(b)
Sec. 9	July 1, 2018	32-1s(b)
Sec. 10	July 1, 2018	32-6m(b)
Sec. 11	July 1, 2018	Repealer section

CE

Joint Favorable Subst.