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General Assembly Committee Bill No. 5552
January Session, 2019
LCO No. 5150
Referred to Committee on PUBLIC SAFETY AND SECURITY
Introduced by:
(PS)
AN ACT CONCERNING TH E VOLUNTEER POLICE AUX ILIARY
FORCE.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General
Assembly convened:
Section 1. (Effective from passage) (a) There is established a task force 1
to study the volunteer police auxiliary force authorized under section 2
29-22 of the general statutes, as amended by this act. The task force 3
shall identify: 4
(1) Duties that volunteer police auxiliary force members may 5
perform to supplement the work of Department of Emergency Services 6
and Public Protection personnel; 7
(2) Strategies to recruit and retain members of the volunteer police 8
auxiliary force; 9
(3) Minimum requirements for training of members of the volunteer 10
police auxiliary force; and 11
(4) Any other issues that may limit the ability of the department to 12
successfully use volunteer police auxiliary force members to 13
supplement department personnel in the most effective and efficient 14
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manner. 15
(b) The task force shall consist of the following members: 16
(1) Two appointed by the speaker of the House of Representatives; 17
(2) Two appointed by the president pro tempore of the Senate; 18
(3) One appointed by the majority leader of the House of 19
Representatives; 20
(4) One appointed by the majority leader of the Senate; 21
(5) One appointed by the minority leader of the House of 22
Representatives; 23
(6) One appointed by the minority leader of the Senate; 24
(7) The Commissioner of Emergency Services and Public Protection, 25
or the commissioner's designee; and 26
(8) Two appointed by the Governor. 27
(c) Any member of the task force appointed under subdivision (1), 28
(2), (3), (4), (5) or (6) of subsection (b) of this section may be a member 29
of the General Assembly. 30
(d) All appointments to the task force shall be made not later than 31
thirty days after the effective date of this section. Any vacancy shall be 32
filled by the appointing authority. 33
(e) The speaker of the House of Representatives and the president 34
pro tempore of the Senate shall select the chairpersons of the task force 35
from among the members of the task force. Such chairpersons shall 36
schedule the first meeting of the task force, which shall be held not 37
later than sixty days after the effective date of this section. 38
(f) The administrative staff of the joint standing committee of the 39
General Assembly having cognizance of matters relating to public 40
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safety and security shall serve as administrative staff of the task force. 41
(g) Not later than January 1, 2020, the task force shall submit a 42
report on its findings and recommendations to the Commissioner of 43
Emergency Services and Public Protection and to the joint standing 44
committee of the General Assembly having cognizance of matters 45
relating to public safety and security, in accordance with the 46
provisions of section 11-4a of the general statutes. The task force shall 47
terminate on the date that it submits such report or January 1, 2020, 48
whichever is later. 49
Sec. 2. Section 29-22 of the general statutes is repealed and the 50
following is substituted in lieu thereof (Effective January 1, 2020): 51
(a) The Commissioner of Emergency Services and Public Protection 52
is authorized to recruit, train and organize a volunteer police auxiliary 53
force for the purpose of providing emergency services throughout the 54
state for peacetime or wartime emergencies or threatened emergencies 55
and for augmenting the state police force in such manner as the 56
Commissioner of Emergency Services and Public Protection may deem 57
appropriate. Such volunteer police auxiliary force shall at all times be 58
under the direction of said commissioner and subject to the rules and 59
regulations of the Division of State Police within the Department of 60
Emergency Services and Public Protection. The total membership of 61
the auxiliary force shall not exceed in number twice the number of 62
sworn state police personnel appointed pursuant to section 29-4. Such 63
auxiliary force may be equipped with uniforms prescribed by the 64
commissioner and delegated special police powers for specific 65
emergency police duties. The commissioner may, within available 66
appropriations, provide subsistence and maintenance to the volunteer 67
police auxiliary force when called to duty. In the event of participation 68
in emergency services, the members of the volunteer police auxiliary 69
force shall have the same immunities and privileges as apply to the 70
organized militia and to the regular members of the Division of State 71
Police. All members of the volunteer police auxiliary force shall be 72
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compensated for death, disability or injury incurred while in training 73
for or on auxiliary state police duty under the provisions of this section 74
as follows: (1) Employees of the state, municipalities or political 75
subdivisions of the state who are members of the volunteer police 76
auxiliary force and for whom such compensation is provided by any 77
provision of existing law shall be construed to be acting within the 78
scope of their employment while in training for or engaged in auxiliary 79
state police duty and shall be compensated in accordance with the 80
provisions of chapter 568 and sections 5-142 and 5-144. (2) Any persons 81
who are engaged in regular employment apart and separate from their 82
duties as members of the volunteer police auxiliary force and for 83
whom such compensation is not so provided shall, while in training 84
for or engaged in duties under the provisions of this section, be 85
construed to be employees of the state for the purpose of chapter 568 86
and sections 5-142 and 5-144, and shall be compensated by the state in 87
accordance with the provisions of said chapter and sections. 88
(b) Not later than February 1, 2020, the Commissioner of Emergency 89
Services and Public Protection shall review the recommendations of 90
the task force, established pursuant to section 1 of this act, to study the 91
volunteer police auxiliary force and submit to the joint standing 92
committee of the General Assembly having cognizance of matters 93
relating to public safety and security, in accordance with the 94
provisions of section 11-4a of the general statutes, any 95
recommendations for legislation necessary to recruit, train and 96
effectively use members of the volunteer policy auxiliary force that the 97
commissioner deems reasonable and necessary. 98
This act shall take effect as follows and shall amend the following
sections:
Section 1 from passage New section
Sec. 2 January 1, 2020 29-22
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Statement of Purpose:
To create a task force to study issues related to the volunteer police
auxiliary force and to direct the Commissioner of Emergency Services
and Public Protection to recruit and train members of the volunteer
auxiliary force pursuant to the task force's recommendations.
[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.]
Co-Sponsors: REP. BOYD, 50th Dist.; REP. HAYES, 51st Dist.
H.B. 5552