Bill Text: CT HB06515 | 2011 | General Assembly | Chaptered
Bill Title: An Act Concerning Job Creation And Habitat Restoration.
Spectrum: Slight Partisan Bill (Democrat 16-7-1)
Status: (Passed) 2011-07-13 - Signed by the Governor [HB06515 Detail]
Download: Connecticut-2011-HB06515-Chaptered.html
AN ACT CONCERNING JOB CREATION AND HABITAT RESTORATION.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General Assembly convened:
Section 1. Section 14-21e of the general statutes is repealed and the following is substituted in lieu thereof (Effective from passage):
(a) On and after January 1, 1993, the Commissioner of Motor Vehicles shall issue Long Island Sound commemorative number plates of a design to enhance public awareness of the state's effort to restore and protect Long Island Sound. Said design shall be determined by agreement between the Commissioner of Environmental Protection and the Commissioner of Motor Vehicles. No use shall be made of such plates except as official registration marker plates.
(b) The Commissioner of Motor Vehicles shall establish, by regulations adopted in accordance with chapter 54, a fee to be charged for Long Island Sound commemorative number plates in addition to the regular fee or fees prescribed for the registration of a motor vehicle. The fee shall be for such number plates with letters and numbers selected by the Commissioner of Motor Vehicles. The Commissioner of Motor Vehicles may establish a higher fee for: (1) Such number plates which contain letters in place of numbers as authorized by section 14-49, in addition to the fee or fees prescribed for plates issued under said section; and (2) such number plates which are low number plates, in accordance with section 14-160, in addition to the fee or fees prescribed for plates issued under said section. The Commissioner of Motor Vehicles shall establish, by regulations adopted in accordance with the provisions of chapter 54, an additional voluntary lighthouse preservation donation which shall be deposited in the Connecticut Lighthouse Preservation account established under section 22a-27n. All fees established and collected pursuant to this section shall be deposited in the Long Island Sound account established pursuant to section 22a-27v, as amended by this act.
(c) [No] Except as provided by subsection (d) of this section, no additional renewal fee shall be charged for renewal of registration for any motor vehicle bearing Long Island Sound commemorative number plates which contain letters in place of numbers, or low number plates, in excess of the renewal fee for Long Island Sound commemorative number plates with letters and numbers selected by the Commissioner of Motor Vehicles. No transfer fee shall be charged for transfer of an existing registration to or from a registration with Long Island Sound commemorative number plates.
(d) The Commissioner of Motor Vehicles may request an additional voluntary donation of fifteen dollars at the time of registration renewal for any motor vehicle bearing a Long Island Sound commemorative number plate. Five dollars of the donation may be dedicated to the administrative costs of the Department of Motor Vehicles. Ten dollars of such donation shall be deposited in the habitat restoration matching subaccount, established pursuant to section 22a-27v, as amended by this act.
[(d)] (e) The Commissioner of Motor Vehicles, in consultation with the Commissioner of Environmental Protection, shall adopt regulations, in accordance with the provisions of chapter 54, to establish standards and procedures for the issuance, renewal and replacement of Long Island Sound commemorative number plates.
Sec. 2. Section 22a-27v of the general statutes is repealed and the following is substituted in lieu thereof (Effective from passage):
(a) There is established an account to be known as the "Long Island Sound account". The Long Island Sound account shall be a separate, nonlapsing account of the General Fund. Any moneys required by law to be deposited in the account shall be deposited in and credited to the Long Island Sound account. The account shall be available to the Commissioner of Environmental Protection for (1) (A) restoration and rehabilitation of tidal wetlands in proximity to Long Island Sound, (B) restoration and rehabilitation of estuarine embayments in proximity to Long Island Sound, (C) acquisition of public access to Long Island Sound, (D) propagation of and habitat protection for shellfish and finfish, including anadromous fish, and (E) education and public outreach programs to enhance the public's understanding of the need to protect and conserve the natural resources of Long Island Sound; (2) allocation of grants to agencies, institutions or persons, including, but not limited to, the Long Island Sound Foundation, to conduct research and to provide public education and public awareness to enhance understanding and management of the natural resources of Long Island Sound; (3) provision of funds for services which support the protection and conservation of the natural resources of Long Island Sound; or (4) reimbursement of the Department of Motor Vehicles for the cost of producing, issuing, renewing and replacing Long Island Sound commemorative number plates, including administrative expenses, pursuant to section 14-21e, as amended by this act.
(b) The commissioner may receive private donations to the Long Island Sound account and any such receipts shall be deposited in the account.
(c) The commissioner may provide for the reproduction and marketing of the Long Island Sound commemorative number plate image for use on clothing, recreational equipment, posters, mementoes, or other products or programs deemed by the commissioner to be suitable as a means of supporting the Long Island Sound account. Any funds received by the commissioner from such marketing shall be deposited in the Long Island Sound account.
(d) Within the Long Island Sound account there shall be a subaccount to be known as the "habitat restoration matching subaccount". The subaccount shall contain donations required to be deposited in the subaccount pursuant to section 14-21e, as amended by this act. The subaccount may also contain moneys from public or private sources, or from the federal government or a municipal government. The subaccount shall be available to the Commissioner of Environmental Protection to: (1) Match federal and private habitat restoration and rehabilitation funds, (2) provide grants to municipalities and nonprofit organizations for habitat restoration and rehabilitation purposes within the Long Island Sound watershed, (3) complete wildlife habitat acquisition, enhancement and management projects, (4) promote public habitat restoration, rehabilitation and acquisition outreach within the Long Island Sound watershed, and (5) provide support to lobster fishermen adversely impacted by any regulatory action deemed necessary to rebuild the Long Island Sound lobster population. Nothing in this section shall prevent the commissioner from obtaining or using funds from sources other than the subaccount for the restoration and rehabilitation of habitats within the Long Island Sound watershed.