AN ACT CONCERNING THE STATE'S AUTHORITY TO PURCHASE AND TO RECEIVE DONATIONS OF REAL PROPERTY.

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

Section 1. Section 4b-22 of the general statutes is repealed and the following is substituted in lieu thereof (Effective from passage):

Upon approval of the Governor and the Secretary of the Office of Policy and Management, the state, through the Department of Administrative Services, may accept by gift, devise or exchange, real property, interests in real property, and other rights in land or water or interest in any such right. Except as provided in section 3-33, no [land] real property, interest in real property or other right in land or water or interest in any such right shall be acquired by the state by gift, devise or exchange except with the [approval of the Governor and the] review of the Attorney General for legal sufficiency. [When the Governor and the Attorney General accept land which has been given to the state for any purpose, proper acknowledgment of the gift shall be made to the donor.] The Governor shall provide written acknowledgement of any such gift to the state to the donor.

Sec. 2. Subsection (a) of section 4b-21 of the 2014 supplement to the general statutes is repealed and the following is substituted in lieu thereof (Effective from passage):

[(a) When the General Assembly is not in session, the trustees of any state institution, the State Board of Education or the Commissioner of Correction may, subject to the provisions of section 4b-23, purchase or acquire for the state, through the Commissioner of Administrative Services, any land or interest therein if such action seems advisable to protect the state's interest or to effect a needed economy, and may, subject to the provisions of said section, contract through the Commissioner of Administrative Services for the sale or exchange of any land or interest therein belonging to the state, except that The University of Connecticut may purchase or acquire for the state and may dispose of or exchange any land or interest therein directly. When the General Assembly is not in session, the]

(a) (1) Notwithstanding any provision of the general statutes, the Commissioner of Administrative Services may purchase or acquire real property, interests in real property, and other rights in land or water or interest in any such right, on behalf of any state agency that does not otherwise possess the statutory authority to make such purchase or acquisition. Any such purchase or acquisition shall be subject to the approval of the Secretary of the Office of Policy and Management, the State Properties Review Board and the Attorney General.

(2) The Commissioner of Administrative Services, with the approval of the State Properties Review Board, may give or obtain an option upon any land or interest therein which is not under the control of the trustees of any state institution, the State Board of Education or the Commissioner of Correction when such action seems advisable. [, and such option shall remain in force until the fifteenth day of August following the next session of the General Assembly.]

(3) The University of Connecticut may purchase or acquire for the state and may dispose of or exchange any land or interest therein directly.

Statement of Purpose:

To clarify the state's authority to receive donations of real property or other interests in property and to permit the Department of Administrative Services to purchase or acquire property on behalf of state agencies lacking the authority to make such purchase or acquisition.

[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.]