General Assembly Raised Bill No. 5417
February Session, 2010 LCO No. 1873
*01873_______ENV*
Referred to Committee on Environment
Introduced by:
(ENV)
General Assembly
Raised Bill No. 5417
February Session, 2010
LCO No. 1873
*01873_______ENV*
Referred to Committee on Environment
Introduced by:
(ENV)
AN ACT CONCERNING OPEN SPACE AND THE CREATION OF TRAILS FOR ALL-TERRAIN VEHICLES.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General Assembly convened:
Section 1. (NEW) (Effective October 1, 2010) The Commissioners of Environmental Protection and Agriculture, in collaboration with the chief elected official of each municipality, shall develop a central open space and farmland preservation registry that contains information concerning real property preserved as open space and agricultural land in this state. Such registry may contain information on property identified for preservation as open space or agricultural land. The commissioners shall determine the scope of information contained in such registry for each property. In developing such registry, the commissioners may consult with the Farmland Preservation Advisory Board established pursuant to section 22-26ll of the general statutes. The commissioners may seek funds as may be available from federal, state or other sources for the development and maintenance of such registry. Such registry shall be made available on-line to each municipality and state agency for the purpose of monitoring, coordinating and implementing open space, farmland preservation and responsible growth goals.
Sec. 2. (NEW) (Effective from passage) (a) A municipality may impose a buyer's tax on the conveyance of real property, occurring on or after July 1, 2010, at the rate of not more than one per cent of the consideration paid by the buyer in excess of one hundred fifty thousand dollars. Such tax may be retained by the municipality, shall be kept in a separate account and shall be used for any of the following purposes approved by the Office of Policy and Management: (1) Purchase of development rights related to or the purchase of open space land, forest land, farm land or waterfront property by the municipality or by the municipality in cooperation with the state or federal government or with a private organization such as a land trust, (2) brownfield remediation, or (3) other environmental projects.
(b) Conveyances resulting in the preservation of open space land, forest or farm land shall be exempt from any tax imposed pursuant to the provisions of subsection (a) of this section.
Sec. 3. Section 23-26c of the general statutes is repealed and the following is substituted in lieu thereof (Effective from passage):
The Commissioner of Environmental Protection shall evaluate the properties under [his] the commissioner's jurisdiction and the jurisdiction of other state agencies for their use by persons operating all-terrain vehicles and shall, not later than July 1, 2010, make available some of such properties for such use and commence development of trails for the operation of all-terrain vehicles on such properties. In making such properties available the commissioner shall consider minimizing the impact of all-terrain vehicles on the environment. Before making any property available that is under the jurisdiction of another state agency, the commissioner shall consult with such agency.
Sec. 4. Section 14-381 of the general statutes is repealed and the following is substituted in lieu thereof (Effective from passage):
Any owner required to register a snowmobile or all-terrain vehicle shall apply to the commissioner and shall file evidence of ownership by affidavit or document. Upon receipt of an application in proper form and the registration fee, the commissioner shall assign an identification number and provide the owner with a certificate of registration and registration plate. The registration plate, which shall be affixed by the owner, shall be displayed on the snowmobile or all-terrain vehicle at a place and in a manner prescribed by the commissioner. In addition to such registration plate, each snowmobile and all-terrain vehicle so registered shall display its registration number on each side of its front section, midway between the top and bottom of said front section, in letters or numbers at least three inches in height and made of a reflective material. The certificate of registration shall be carried on such snowmobile or all-terrain vehicle and shall be available for inspection whenever such snowmobile or all-terrain vehicle is being operated. The owner shall pay a fee of twenty dollars for each snowmobile or all-terrain vehicle so registered. Each such certificate of registration shall expire biennially on the last day of March. Any fee collected pursuant to this section for the registration of an all-terrain vehicle shall be deposited in the General Fund and credited to the appropriations of the Department of Environmental Protection for the purpose of establishing trails pursuant to section 23-26c, as amended by this act.
This act shall take effect as follows and shall amend the following sections:
Section 1 October 1, 2010 New section
Sec. 2 from passage New section
Sec. 3 from passage 23-26c
Sec. 4 from passage 14-381
This act shall take effect as follows and shall amend the following sections:
Section 1
October 1, 2010
New section
Sec. 2
from passage
New section
Sec. 3
from passage
23-26c
Sec. 4
from passage
14-381
Statement of Purpose:
To establish a central registry for land preserved as open space and farmland, enable municipalities to impose a conveyance tax on certain real property sales in order to generate funds for the preservation of open space and to require the development of trails for use by all-terrain vehicle operators.
[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.]