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General Assembly Raised Bill No. 840
January Session, 2021
LCO No. 2648
Referred to Committee on ENVIRONMENT
Introduced by:
(ENV)
AN ACT CONCERNING CO NNECTICUT'S SHELLFISH RESTORATION
PROGRAM AND THE CONNECTICUT SEAFOOD COUNCIL.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General
Assembly convened:
Section 1. Section 26-237a of the general statutes is repealed and the 1
following is substituted in lieu thereof (Effective October 1, 2021): 2
There is established within the Department of Agriculture a program 3
to purchase and acquire shell or other cultch material for deposit on 4
state shellfish beds. The program shall also include the purchase of 5
management supplies, materials and spawn oyster stock. Pursuant to 6
such program, the Commissioner of Agriculture may contract for the 7
use of a shell recovery vessel to collect and deposit shell on shellfish 8
beds. Additionally, under such program, the department may receive 9
and deposit on shellfish beds cultch from oyster shell recycling 10
programs administered or authorized by the department. 11
Sec. 2. Section 26-237b of the general statutes is repealed and the 12
following is substituted in lieu thereof (Effective October 1, 2021): 13
(a) There is established and created a fund to be known as the 14 Raised Bill No. 840
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"Shellfish Fund". The proceeds of any bonds authorized for the purpose 15
of section 26-237a, as amended by this act, and any private, state or 16
federal grants or direct funding received or awarded for the purposes of 17
section 26-237a, as amended by this act, shall be deposited in the fund. 18
Any balance remaining in said fund at the end of any fiscal year shall be 19
carried forward in said fund for the fiscal year next succeeding. 20
(b) The fund shall be used by the Commissioner of Agriculture for 21
the program established under section 26-237a, as amended by this act, 22
including, but not limited to, the support of an oyster shell recycling 23
program administered by the Department of Agriculture in partnership 24
with any other person. 25
Sec. 3. Section 22-455 of the general statutes is repealed and the 26
following is substituted in lieu thereof (Effective October 1, 2021): 27
There is established a Connecticut Seafood [Advisory] Development 28
Council to assist in the promotion of Connecticut seafood products and 29
examine market opportunities. The development council shall be within 30
the Department of Agriculture. The [advisory] development council 31
shall consist of [one freshwater fish producer appointed by the 32
Governor, two finfish, shellfish or lobster harvesters or representatives 33
of harvester organizations appointed one each by the speaker and 34
majority leader of the House of Representatives, two finfish, shellfish or 35
lobster processors or representatives of processor organizations 36
appointed one each by the minority leaders of the Senate and House of 37
Representatives, one retailer serving restaurants or representing a 38
restaurant organization appointed by the president pro tempore of the 39
Senate, one member at-large appointed by the majority leader of the 40
Senate, and four nonvoting members one of whom shall represent the 41
Department of Energy and Environmental Protection, one the 42
Department of Economic and Community Development and one the 43
Department of Agriculture and one the Sea Grant Program at The 44
University of Connecticut. The advisory council shall be within the 45
Department of Agriculture] the following thirteen members: (1) The 46
Commissioner of Agriculture, or the commissioner's designee; (2) the 47 Raised Bill No. 840
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Commissioner of Economic and Community Development, or the 48
commissioner's designee; (3) the Commissioner of Energy and 49
Environmental Protection, or the commissioner's designee; (4) the 50
director of the Sea Grant Program at The University of Connecticut, or 51
the director's designee; (5) one freshwater finfish producer appointed by 52
the Governor; (6) one aquaculture finfish producer appointed by the 53
speaker of the House of Representatives; (7) one commercial marine 54
finfish harvester appointed by the majority leader of the House of 55
Representatives; (8) one commercial lobster harvester appointed by the 56
minority leader of the House of Representatives; (9) one shellfish 57
wholesale dealer appointed by the Commissioner of Agriculture; (10) 58
one representative of the Connecticut Restaurant Association; (11) one 59
small-scale aquaculture producer appointed by the president pro 60
tempore of the Senate; (12) one seaweed aquaculture producer 61
appointed by the majority leader of the Senate; and (13) one shellfish 62
harvester appointed by the minority leader of the Senate. The 63
Commissioner of Agriculture, or the commissioner's designee, shall 64
serve as the chairperson of the development council. 65
(b) The development council may receive state, federal and municipal 66
funds and funds from any nonprofit or nongovernmental organization. 67
Such funds may be expended as necessary to perform the development 68
council's duties pursuant to this section. The development council may 69
seek funding for and provide financial support to organizations for 70
activities directly related to seafood production and any related 71
products. 72
This act shall take effect as follows and shall amend the following
sections:
Section 1 October 1, 2021 26-237a
Sec. 2 October 1, 2021 26-237b
Sec. 3 October 1, 2021 22-455
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Statement of Purpose:
To enhance the state's shellfish restoration program through certain
contracting authority and to reconstitute the Connecticut Seafood
Council.
[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.]