JBC-Special Language

Okay. Members if you take your seat will get ready. All right. Let's start with you have any comments Senator Hester I'm good all right let's start with C. one senator Hammer you're recognized presenter amendment. Yes. Members were on page three in your packet this is an amendment to house bill ten eighty one the state board of election commissioners there is some of personal items in here but the personnel subcommittee will be taking those up so we're gonna look on page three word answer is an additional section this is transfer language that states if the funds for the state board of election commissioners is not sufficient the director from time to time may transfer the amount that the certified that they need from the nonpartisan filing fee funds the miscellaneous agencies fund so they can be used by the state board of election commissioners there is an additional language I'm sorry section of language is a code amendment and this was put in special language because the substantive bill is as of yesterday on its way to the governor so it can be added to that bill so it's been put in here special language expanding the use of the funds so that it includes personal services and operating expenses for the State Board of Election Commission. Thank you Mildred senator Hammer you're recognized. Thank you ma'am chair Kim Hammer station or district thirty three and Daniels with me with the chair like him to introduce himself at this time yes please introduce yourself for the record. Digital director for the state board of election commissioners. You're recognized senator Hammer thank you ma'am chair members of the committee basically what this boils down to is there is a fund that is sitting with state board of election that given the election bills are being passed that have been passed appear to be about to be passed this session along with some previous laws that worry on the books that create the need for us to look at some positions to help with the investigation of election election a rare regularities but also to deal with bringing a greater level of training to those who are responsible for our elections and this would this bill has sunset clause where would allow us to get started doing that and then we can revisit anything permanent in the fiscal session a member chair of the could I'd recognize Daniel to fill in the blanks on a few things that would give some credibility to this request you're recognized. Thank you madam chair as. Senator Hammer mentioned The General Assembly has taken some steps in the area of election reform these are the three main areas as he referenced one of is the expansion of our complaint process since we have one staff who is an attorney who's principally responsible for the complaint process assisted by me and another staff member with the expansion of of time to file from sixty days to eighty six days with the expansion of our jurisdiction and the and the provisions put in place to cure complaints which would currently be probably be dismissed for technical reasons we anticipated the op at least there's a very high likelihood that we would have more complaints which would likely exceed our current capacity to do that in addition the Bill has expanded the training concepts and plus spend training would be is of course always a good idea but currently there's no mandatory elections training for the set up of an election or the some of the technical aspects and that looks like we're going to be getting into that area again all of this is to bring up personnel with expertise in this area to fulfill this as well as they're provisions that would set up a requirements under certain circumstances for us to actually implement election at the county level and we and it's my opinion that is currently construed our staff is that they need some. Supplementation to be able to fill these policies coming down for the General Assembly. Speaker separate you're recognized. Thank you madam chair up on the non partisan filing fee fund what what are those funds used for and what kind of balance do we have there do we feel comfortable that this is not going to create some kind of bond on the backend if the transfers made. Thank you Mr Speaker yes that the nonpartisan Follett the fund is used essentially as a reserve fund for elections the there's general revenue appropriated to cover what we expect to be the cost of elections which currently as far as the state board perspective is the reimbursement of the preferential primary special primary elections but the primary and stated purpose of the judicial filing the fund is to be a reserve fund in the event of an statewide special election which would cost little over a million dollars at least it did the last time we had one and but the balance and start to get to that last is one point eight million and so our goal is essentially to keep one to one point four million in it so the additional revenue or expenditure here there is enough to cover this certainly for one fiscal year what we're contemplating here today without any falling below what we like to have an. Follow up with the money. Yes you're recognized follows so it sounds like it really this fund If the transfer is made I mean this is this is in the same general area both both her use for elections and so it makes sense to make this type of trade transfer if needed. Yes Sir our thank you manner share my follow Speaker Shepherd one thing I'd like to point out Daniel correct me if I'm wrong on page for your hand out there is a sunset clause on this just so that it doesn't turn into a runaway but this would at least allow them to get up and get started and address the you know the current issues plus any that may come forth in the in the near future in the next election thank you. Thank you any other questions members. CNN what is the will of committee I have a motion. Motion to pass I have a second I have a second all in favor say aye. Close may the ayes have it congradulations amendment has passed thank you ma'am chair members of the committee we're going to skip over without objection we're gonna skip over C. two and move on to day one. Members we're gonna go to page eleven in your packet this is an amendment governors over number seventeen to Senate bill one fifty eight Department of Education Division of elementary and secondary education table from the public school fund the amendment itself just changes the title from commissioner. To the secretary but I want to point out of a few things before we get started on page thirteen says that the transfer of authority is applicable to the entire department education to transformation just for the committee's knowledge there are is some transfer language already in place within two divisions of the department and for facilities there is transfer language the permits to transfers per year on the appropriations and for higher ed years also transfer language it doesn't limited to any amount per year but it does deal with only their financial aid line item this language was put in place is going to allow the secretary to have transfers limited to two per year for the entire department of education. And this goes across Public School Fund in other funds that they have so we'll be doing transfers for school for the deaf school for the blind State Library facilities all of the divisions that they have so that's that's just a a change that I wanted to bring forward and Mister Rogers is here from the Department and if he wants to clarify any of that for the members. Senator Rapert you're recognized. I'm sorry madam chair I'm having trouble hearing over here of. Removal of I will. Some more enlightenment on the. Item of the Commissioner to the Secretary. Okay. With the agency please come down. Please come to the table and recognize yourself for the record please. Greg Rogers from education. So. The the the current reallocation resources lines that we have right now reverses the commissioner they represent the Commissioner to be able to do the reallocation resource for the department of education slow down just a little bit of sorry I will let my speech so. That had last Act that better yes okay so the current the way the current reallocation resources language what reach right now is that the commissioner of education can do to re allocations resource per year for the Department education. What we're asking for this language to be changed to is just to add to take this commissioner out and at the secretary because currently they are the same person and the Secretary is really the one it's over the Department education now not the commissioner we're not asking to change the language in the other two pieces that were reference to hire a part or the facilities part because those two division director still have a still have oversight of those in conjunction with the Secretary. So this does not change any authority is just is is no Sir Terminologia age with transformation this this is just just change and dissect commissioners secretary due to transformation. Thank. You're recognized yes but along the lines of would send a rise on page sixteen the bill itself. Lance twenty nine you just have these adjustments are gonna be made within the department of education. Is that your content within the whole department or just within like the Division of elementary and secondary education white could apply for the whole department did ten is just part primarily for the Division elementary secondary education if there was something that was to deal with the State Library Fund CT occur at which came under that would be the ones but we didn't want to mess with the two for the bigger programs to hire it or the the disabilities. But we always just done elementary and secondary is that correct yes okay at the proper time will make a motion that we insert that language on those appropriate lines is probably at the. One twenty nine and thirty also. Okay. Any other questions or comments from the Committee. Senator Hickey you're recognized to make your motion. Okay I'll make that I'll make a motion that we do pass however with the of the amendment on. And this is on the bold's Page sixteen. lines twenty nine after department of education that we had Division of elementary and secondary education and also online thirty that same language I don't see it anywhere else in here but if it was to be applicable would need to put it that way. So does everyone understand the motion. Got a second all in favor say aye. Opposed. Well so mode. We're going to move on to day two. Members were moving to page eighteen in your packet this is governor's letter nineteen amendment two eleven forty six house bill for department of corrections community correction. Sorry thank you this section if you look at the governor's letter it adds some changes to the existing language. Sensually it removes limitations regarding the number of hours that can be used by employees the requirement that the balance be exceeded in their Amuse holiday eight bank account and it removes the limitations that the pay be disbursed following the end of the fiscal year and that only the paid crew during the years of their service is eligible for the employees that are terminating an employee employment. It also provides an exception for employees that wish to accrue bank hours not to exceed a hundred and fifty. And then if you look on page twenty one you'll see the classifications that these employees. The language covers it adds two new positions classifications in grades. One is AT sea food preparation manager which is a great GSO seven and one is a food preparation supervisor A. G. S. O. six. The governor's letter states at this standardizes the department of corrections holiday compensation language with that within the division of corrections. That's it. A quick any questions members. The a motion to have a second. All in favor say aye. All opposed nay. It is passed let's move on to D. three. Members this is governors are twenty amendment to house bill eleven oh six department of finance and administration this is for the disbursing officer on page twenty four. We're only going to deal with the special language that is with in. The Amendment. I want to point out something before we the agency to the table. Currently in the bill. Their special language that allows these transfers of appropriation for the payment of personal services in the event that they're not sufficient for the last payroll the fiscal year on an emergency basis she fiscal officer can approve any transfers and provide a report to the peer review subcommittee. This language essentially changes the existing language to limit what the peer review subcommittee is going to review so that it is going to see only items that are over ten thousand dollars so anything less than ten thousand dollars will not be seen by peer. Representative Wardlaw you're recognized. Madam chair to property I'd like to strike on page twenty four. Page it in this is in the amendment language in the page twenty three line thirty two and I'd like to delete all of that underlined. Since. Where it says the request approved by the chief fiscal officer of state is less than ten thousand dollars I'd like to delete that line. They'll be fine. Yeah. The motion will be that we will not approve that language because it is not currently in the bill so if you want to strike that would be motion just do not approve. Okay motion do not approve. We have any discussion on the motion. Any questions. All in favor say aye. All opposed. Motion carried. with that we're going to move back up to see to Senator Sturch is here Senator Sturch. Nobody one explains the divorce. Members removing the Senate bill one sixty four this is the department of agriculture if you look on page seven you'll see the amendment this is a special language is going to be added to the bill regarding the fair fund transfer on July one of each fiscal year or as soon as practical the chief fiscal officer is authorized to transfer amount needed for distribution for the fair funds from the miscellanies agencies fund to the agro for fun there is substantive language that did create this fair fund and this fund understanding the bill is on the way to the governor so this language could be included in the substance. Senator Sturch you're recognized presenter amendment thank you ma'am chair thank you colleagues as was mentioned Senate bill six thirteen is passed both house and Senate is now on the governor's desk this created the. A fund within the department of agriculture if you recall we're pulling all the moneys from the different counts together to create that one fair fun. Miss cart right brought this to my attention that this was needed special language to make sure that those funds were transferred from the county currently sits into the correct account which would be this new account that we just created so. As many of you know fairs operate usually between June and October so of course they would need to be given this money or at least available this money at the first part of our fiscal year because they operate in such a short window so with that appreciate a good vote. Do we have any questions. St under I have a motion. Motion do pass a second all in favor say aye. Right now congradulations emotions pass. With that members. We're going to release amendments H. B. ten eighty one SP one sixty four governor's letter. Seventeen governor's letter and nineteen what that weird earned.