Senate Bill No. 1082
Public Act No. 19-79
AN ACT CONCERNING FU NDING FOR PUBLIC SAF ETY
ANSWERING POINTS AND INCENTIVES FOR REGIO NALIZATION
AND CONSOLIDATION TH EREOF.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General
Assembly convened:
Section 1. Section 28-24 of the general statutes is repealed and the
following is substituted in lieu thereof (Effective from passage):
(a) There is established a Division of State-Wide Emergency
Telecommunications which shall be within the Department of
Emergency Services and Public Protection. The Division of State-Wide
Emergency Telecommunications shall be responsible for developing
and maintaining a state-wide emergency service telecommunications
policy. In connection with said policy, the division shall:
(1) Develop a state-wide emergency service telecommunications
plan specifying emergency police, fire and medical service
telecommunications systems needed to provide coordinated
emergency service telecommunications to all state residents, including
the physically disabled;
(2) (A) Develop and administer an enhanced emergency 9-1-1
program, which shall provide for: [(A)] (i) The replacement of existing
9-1-1 terminal equipment for each public safety answering point; [(B)] Senate Bill No. 1082
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(ii) the subsidization of regional public safety emergency
telecommunications centers, with enhanced subsidization (I) for
municipalities with a population of forty thousand or more, [; (C)] and
(II) pursuant to subparagraph (B) of this subdivision, for such centers
serving at least one municipality with a population of one hundred
thousand or more as of July 1, 2016; (iii) the establishment of [a
transition grant program] incentives to encourage regionalization of
public safety answering points, [; (D)] which incentives shall include,
but not be limited to, a transition grant program; (iv) the establishment
of a regional emergency telecommunications service credit in order to
support regional dispatch services; and [(E)] (v) the implementation of
the next generation 9-1-1 telecommunication system;
(B) (i) Beginning July 1, 2019, and ending on the date a regulation
described in subparagraph (B)(v) of this subdivision is posted on the
eRegulations System by the Secretary of the State in accordance with
section 4-172, or on May 1, 2020, whichever is sooner, enhanced
subsidization payments for any regional public safety emergency
telecommunications center described in subparagraph (A)(ii)(II) of this
subdivision shall be calculated in accordance with the provisions of
this subparagraph, provided subsidization payments for regional
public safety emergency telecommunications centers other than those
described in said subparagraph shall not be decreased as a result of
such calculation.
(ii) As used in this subparagraph:
(I) "Division" means the Division of State-Wide Emergency
Telecommunications;
(II) "RPOP" means the aggregate population of the towns or cities
served by the regional public safety emergency telecommunications
center as determined by the most recent population figures from the
Department of Public Health; Senate Bill No. 1082
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(III) "RPV" means the regional population value calculated by
identifying the total annual subsidy paid by the division for the fiscal
year ending June 30, 2018, to all regional public safety emergency
telecommunications centers, multiplying such total annual subsidy
payment by twenty-five per cent, and dividing such product by the
aggregate population of the towns or cities served by all such centers
in existence on December 31, 2017, as determined by the population
figures from the Department of Public Health on said date;
(IV) "RCV" means the regional call value calculated by the total
annual subsidy paid by the division for the fiscal year ending June 30,
2017, to all regional public safety emergency telecommunications
centers, multiplying such total annual subsidy by seventy-five per
cent, and dividing such product by the number of 9-1-1 calls received
for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2018, at all such centers in existence
on December 31, 2017;
(V) "RCALL" means the average, over the most recent three
calendar years, of the number of 9-1-1 calls annually received by a
regional public safety emergency telecommunications center; and
(VI) "RT" means the enhanced subsidization payment calculated
under this subdivision for a regional public safety emergency
telecommunications center described in subparagraph (A)(ii)(II) of this
subdivision.
(iii) (I) On July 1, 2020, and annually thereafter, RPV and RCV shall
be adjusted by the division in accordance with any increase in the
consumer price index for all urban consumers as published by the
United States Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics, during
the three calendar years preceding such adjustment.
(II) In the case of a member town or city of a regional public safety
emergency telecommunications center for which such center does not Senate Bill No. 1082
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provide emergency police, fire and medical services and emergency
medical dispatch services, the RPOP and RCALL of such town or city
shall not be included in such center's totals for the purpose of
calculating enhanced subsidization payments under this subdivision,
except that if such town or city is served exclusively by the
Connecticut State Police for law enforcement purposes, the RPOP and
RCALL of such town or city shall be so included only to the extent of
the provision of emergency police services.
(iv) The enhanced subsidization payment for a regional public
safety emergency telecommunications center described in
subparagraph (A)(ii)(II) of this subdivision shall be calculated as
follows:
RT = (RPOP x RPV) + (RCALL x RCV).
(v) The provisions of this subparagraph shall cease to be effective on
the date of the posting on the eRegulations System by the Secretary of
the State in accordance with section 4-172 of a regulation adopted by
the division pursuant to subsection (b) of this section that incorporates
a substantially similar formula for the calculation of enhanced
subsidization payments under this subparagraph, or on May 1, 2020,
whichever is sooner. Until such provisions cease to be effective, the
division shall examine the application of a cost-of-living adjustment to
such formula and, not later than February 15, 2020, report to the joint
standing committee of the General Assembly having cognizance of
matters relating to public safety, in accordance with the provisions of
section 11-4a, on such examination including any recommendations for
legislative action.
(3) Provide technical telecommunications assistance to state and
local police, fire and emergency medical service agencies;
(4) Provide frequency coordination for such agencies; Senate Bill No. 1082
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(5) Coordinate and assist in state-wide planning for 9-1-1, E 9-1-1
and the next generation 9-1-1 telecommunication systems, with a focus
on facilitating the regionalization of public safety answering points;
(6) Review and make recommendations concerning proposed
legislation affecting emergency service telecommunications;
(7) Review and make recommendations to the General Assembly
concerning emergency service telecommunications funding, including
ways to reduce costs by removing barriers to consolidation of existing
public safety answering points; and
(8) On or before January first of each year, prepare the annual
budget for the use of fun ds from the Enhanced 9 -1-1
Telecommunications Fund and submit such budget to the Secretary of
the Office of Policy and Management for the secretary's review and
approval. On or before January fifteenth of each year, said secretary
shall submit a report concerning the proposed use of such funds to the
joint standing committees of the General Assembly having cognizance
of matters relating to appropriations and the budgets of state agencies,
finance, revenue and bonding, and public safety in accordance with
the provisions of section 11-4a.
(b) The Commissioner of Emergency Services and Public Protection
shall adopt regulations, in accordance with chapter 54, establishing
eligibility standards for state financial assistance to local or regional
police, fire and emergency medical service agencies providing
emergency service telecommunications. Not later than April 1, 1997,
the commissioner shall adopt regulations, in accordance with chapter
54, in order to carry out the provisions of subdivision (2) of subsection
(a) of this section. Such regulations shall be amended to adopt a
formula for the calculation of enhanced subsidization payments that is
substantially similar to the formula contained in subparagraph (B) of
subdivision (2) of subsection (a) of this section. Senate Bill No. 1082
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(c) Within a time period determined by the commissioner to ensure
the availability of funds for the fiscal year beginning July 1, 1997, to the
regional emergency telecommunications centers within the state, and
not later than April first of each year thereafter, the commissioner shall
determine the amount of funding needed for the development and
administration of the enhanced emergency 9-1-1 program. The
commissioner shall specify the expenses associated with (1) the
purchase, installation and maintenance of new public safety answering
point terminal equipment, (2) the implementation of the subsidy
program, as described in subdivision (2) of subsection (a) of this
section, (3) the establishment of incentives to encourage
regionalization of public safety answering points, including the
implementation of the transition grant program, described in
subdivision (2) of subsection (a) of this section, (4) the implementation
of the regional emergency telecommunications service credit, as
described in subdivision (2) of subsection (a) of this section, provided,
for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2001, and each fiscal year thereafter,
such credit for coordinated medical emergency direction services as
provided in regulations adopted under this section shall be based
upon the factor of thirty cents per capita and shall not be reduced each
year, (5) the training of personnel, as necessary, (6) recurring expenses
and future capital costs associated with the telecommunications
network used to provide emergency 9-1-1 service and the public safety
services data networks, (7) for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2001, and
each fiscal year thereafter, the collection, maintenance and reporting of
emergency medical services data, as required under subparagraph (A)
of subdivision (8) of section 19a-177, provided the amount of expenses
specified under this subdivision shall not exceed two hundred fifty
thousand dollars in any fiscal year, (8) for the fiscal year ending June
30, 2001, and each fiscal year thereafter, the initial training of
emergency medical dispatch personnel, the provision of an emergency
medical dispatch priority reference card set and emergency medical
dispatch training and continuing education pursuant to subdivisions Senate Bill No. 1082
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(3) and (4) of subsection (g) of section 28-25b, (9) the administration of
the enhanced emergency 9-1-1 program by the Division of State-Wide
Emergency Telecommunications, as the commissioner determines to
be reasonably necessary, and (10) the implementation and
maintenance of the public safety data network established pursuant to
section 29-1j. The commissioner shall communicate the commissioner's
findings to the Public Utilities Regulatory Authority not later than
April first of each year.
(d) The division may apply for, receive and distribute any federal
funds available for emergency service telecommunications. The
division shall deposit such federal funds in the Enhanced 9-1-1
Telecommunications Fund established pursuant to section 28-30a.
(e) The division shall work in cooperation with the Public Utilities
Regulatory Authority to carry out the purposes of this section.