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General Assembly Committee Bill No. 5545
January Session, 2021
LCO No. 2926
Referred to Committee on HIGHER EDUCATION AND
EMPLOYMENT ADVANCEMENT
Introduced by:
(HED)
AN ACT CONCERNING TH E BUDGET OF THE CONN ECTICUT STATE
COLLEGES AND UNIVERS ITIES.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General
Assembly convened:
Section 1. Section 10a-8 of the general statutes is repealed and the 1
following is substituted in lieu thereof (Effective July 1, 2021): 2
(a) The provisions of sections 4-77 and 4-78 shall not apply to the 3
constituent units of the state system of higher education, and for the 4
purposes of said sections only, the Board of Regents for Higher 5
Education shall be deemed the budgeted agency for the Connecticut 6
State University System, the regional community-technical college 7
system, [and] Charter Oak State College and the central office of the 8
Connecticut State Colleges and Universities. The Board of Regents for 9
Higher Education shall develop a formula or program-based budgeting 10
system to be used by each institution in preparing operating budgets. 11
The Board of Regents for Higher Education shall prepare a single 12
budget request itemized by the Connecticut State University System, the 13
regional community-technical college system, [and] Charter Oak State 14 Committee Bill No. 5545
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College and the central office of the Connecticut State Colleges and 15
Universities using the formula or program-based budgeting system and 16
shall submit such budget request displaying all operating funds to the 17
Secretary of the Office of Policy and Management in accordance with 18
sections 4-77 and 4-78, subject to procedures developed by the Board of 19
Regents for Higher Education and approved by said secretary. The 20
budget request shall set forth, in the form prescribed by the Board of 21
Regents for Higher Education, a proposed expenditure plan which shall 22
include: (1) The total amount requested for such appropriation account; 23
(2) the amount to be appropriated from the General Fund; and (3) the 24
amount to be paid from the tuition revenues of the regional community-25
technical college system, [and] the Connecticut State University System 26
and Charter Oak State College. After review and comment by the Board 27
of Regents for Higher Education, the proposed expenditure plans shall 28
be incorporated into the single public higher education budget request 29
including recommendations, if any, by said board. Any tuition increase 30
proposed by the regional community-technical college system, [and] the 31
Connecticut State University System and Charter Oak State College for 32
the fiscal year to which the budget request relates shall be included in 33
the single public higher education budget request submitted by the 34
Board of Regents for Higher Education for such fiscal year, provided if 35
the General Assembly does not appropriate the amount requested by 36
any such system or college, such system or college may increase tuition 37
and fees by an amount greater than that included in the budget request 38
in response to which the appropriation was made. The General 39
Assembly shall make appropriations directly to the constituent units. 40
Allotment reductions made pursuant to the provisions of subsections 41
(b) and (c) of section 4-85 shall be applied by the Board of Regents for 42
Higher Education among the appropriations to the constituent units and 43
the central office without regard to the limitations on reductions 44
provided in said section, except that said limitations shall apply to the 45
total of the amounts appropriated. The Board of Regents for Higher 46
Education shall apply such reductions after consultation with the 47
Secretary of the Office of Policy and Management. Any reductions of 48
more than five per cent of the appropriations of any constituent units 49 Committee Bill No. 5545
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shall be submitted to the appropriations committee which shall, within 50
thirty days, approve or reject such reduction. 51
(b) The boards of trustees of each of the constituent units may transfer 52
to or from any specific appropriation of such constituent unit a sum or 53
sums totaling up to fifty thousand dollars or ten per cent of any such 54
specific appropriation, whichever is less, in any fiscal year without the 55
consent of the Finance Advisory Committee. Any such transfer shall be 56
reported to the Finance Advisory Committee within thirty days of such 57
transfer and such report shall be a record of said committee. 58
Sec. 2. Subsection (b) of section 10a-77 of the general statutes is 59
repealed and the following is substituted in lieu thereof (Effective July 1, 60
2021): 61
(b) The Board of [Trustees of the Community-Technical Colleges] 62
Regents for Higher Education shall establish and administer a fund to 63
be known as the Regional Community-Technical Colleges Operating 64
Fund. Appropriations from general revenues of the state and, upon 65
request by the board and with an annual review and approval by the 66
Secretary of the Office of Policy and Management, the amount of the 67
appropriations for fringe benefits and workers' compensation 68
applicable to the regional community-technical colleges pursuant to 69
subsection (a) of section 4-73, shall be transferred from the Comptroller, 70
and all tuition revenue received by the regional community-technical 71
colleges in accordance with the provisions of subsection (a) of this 72
section shall be deposited in said fund. Income from student fees or 73
related charges; the proceeds of auxiliary activities and business 74
enterprises, gifts and donations; federal funds and grants for purposes 75
other than research, and all receipts derived from the conduct by the 76
colleges of their education extension programs and summer school 77
sessions shall be credited to said fund but shall be allocated to the central 78
office and institutional operating accounts which shall be established 79
and maintained for the central office and each community-technical 80
college. If the Secretary of the Office of Policy and Management 81
disapproves such transfer, the secretary may require the amount of the 82 Committee Bill No. 5545
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appropriation for operating expenses to be used for personal services 83
and fringe benefits to be excluded from said fund. The State Treasurer 84
shall review and approve the transfer prior to such request by the board. 85
[of trustees.] The board shall establish an equitable policy, in accordance 86
with section 10a-8, as amended by this act, for allocation of 87
appropriations from general revenues of the state, fringe benefits 88
transferred from the Comptroller and tuition revenue deposited in the 89
Regional Community-Technical Colleges Operating Fund. At the 90
beginning of each quarter of the fiscal year, the board shall allocate and 91
transfer, in accordance with said policy, moneys for expenditure in such 92
institutional operating accounts, exclusive of amounts retained for 93
central office operations and reasonable reserves for future distribution. 94
All costs of waiving or remitting tuition pursuant to subsection (f) of this 95
section shall be charged to the Regional Community-Technical Colleges 96
Operating Fund. Repairs, alterations or additions to facilities supported 97
by operating funds and costing one million dollars or more shall require 98
the approval of the General Assembly, or when the General Assembly 99
is not in session, of the Finance Advisory Committee. Any balance of 100
receipts above expenditures shall remain in said fund, except such sums 101
as may be required for deposit into a debt service fund or the General 102
Fund for further payment by the Treasurer of debt service on general 103
obligation bonds of the state issued for purposes of the regional 104
community-technical colleges. 105
Sec. 3. Subsection (b) of section 10a-99 of the general statutes is 106
repealed and the following is substituted in lieu thereof (Effective July 1, 107
2021): 108
(b) The Board of [Trustees of the Connecticut State University 109
System] Regents for Higher Education shall establish and administer a 110
fund to be known as the Connecticut State University System Operating 111
Fund. Appropriations from general revenues of the state and upon 112
request by the Connecticut State University System and with the annual 113
review and approval by the Secretary of the Office of Policy and 114
Management, the amount of the appropriations for fringe benefits 115 Committee Bill No. 5545
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pursuant to subsection (a) of section 4-73, shall be transferred from the 116
State Comptroller and all tuition revenue received by the Connecticut 117
State University System in accordance with the provisions of subsection 118
(a) of this section shall be deposited in said fund. Income from student 119
fees or related charges, the proceeds of auxiliary activities and business 120
enterprises, gifts and donations, federal funds and grants, subject to the 121
provisions of sections 10a-98 to 10a-98g, inclusive, and all receipts 122
derived from the conduct by a state university of its education extension 123
program and its summer school session shall be credited to said fund 124
but shall be allocated to the central office and institutional operating 125
accounts which shall be established and maintained for the central office 126
and each state university. Any such gifts and donations, federal funds 127
and grants for purposes of research shall be allocated to separate 128
accounts within such central office and institutional operating accounts. 129
If the Secretary of the Office of Policy and Management disapproves 130
such transfer, [he] the secretary may require the amount of the 131
appropriation for operating expenses to be used for personal services 132
and fringe benefits to be excluded from said fund. The State Treasurer 133
shall review and approve the transfer prior to such request by the 134
university. The board [of trustees] shall establish an equitable policy, in 135
accordance with section 10a-8, as amended by this act, for allocation of 136
appropriations from general revenues of the state, fringe benefits 137
transferred from the State Comptroller and tuition revenue deposited in 138
the Connecticut State University System Operating Fund. At the 139
beginning of each quarter of the fiscal year, the board shall allocate and 140
transfer, in accordance with said policy, moneys for expenditure in such 141
institutional operating accounts, exclusive of amounts retained for 142
central office operations and reasonable reserves for future distribution. 143
All costs of waiving or remitting tuition pursuant to subsection (f) of this 144
section shall be charged to the Connecticut State University System 145
Operating Fund. Repairs, alterations or additions to facilities supported 146
by the Connecticut State University System Operating Fund and costing 147
one million dollars or more shall require the approval of the General 148
Assembly, or when the General Assembly is not in session, of the 149
Finance Advisory Committee. Any balance of receipts above 150 Committee Bill No. 5545
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expenditures shall remain in said fund, except such sums as may be 151
required for deposit into a debt service fund or the General Fund for 152
further payment by the Treasurer of debt service on general obligation 153
bonds of the state issued for purposes of the Connecticut State 154
University System. 155
This act shall take effect as follows and shall amend the following
sections:
Section 1 July 1, 2021 10a-8
Sec. 2 July 1, 2021 10a-77(b)
Sec. 3 July 1, 2021 10a-99(b)
HED Joint Favorable
APP Joint Favorable