Substitute Senate Bill No. 279
Public Act No. 22-126
AN ACT CONCERNING THE RECOMMENDATIONS OF THE
LEGISLATIVE COMMISSIONERS' OFFICE REGARDING MINOR
AND TECHNICAL CHANGES TO THE HIGHER EDUCATION AND
EMPLOYMENT ADVANCEMENT STATUTES.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General
Assembly convened:
Section 1. Subsection (b) of section 4-124jj of the 2022 supplement to
the general statutes is repealed and the following is substituted in lieu
thereof (Effective from passage):
(b) Not later than October 1, 2022, and annually thereafter until
October 1, 2025, the Chief Workforce Officer shall submit to the
Governor and, in accordance with the provisions of section 11-4a, to the
joint standing committees of the General Assembly having cognizance
of matters relating to finance, higher education and employment
advancement, education, commerce, and labor and public employees a
report regarding the workforce training programs funded through the
Office of Workforce Strategy account. Such report shall include, but not
be limited to, information on the number of individuals served,
demographic information about such individuals and outcomes of such
individuals after completion of a workforce training program.
Sec. 2. Subsection (a) of section 10a-1a of the 2022 supplement to the
general statutes is repealed and the following is substituted in lieu Substitute Senate Bill No. 279
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thereof (Effective from passage):
(a) There shall be a Board of Regents for Higher Education that shall
serve as the governing body for the regional community-technical
college system, the Connecticut State University System and Charter
Oak State College. The board shall consist of [twenty-one] twenty-two
members who shall be distinguished leaders of the community in
Connecticut. The board shall reflect the state's geographic, racial and
ethnic diversity. The voting members shall not be employed by or be a
member of a board of trustees for any independent institution of higher
education in this state or the Board of Trustees for The University of
Connecticut nor shall they be public officials or state employees, as such
terms are defined in section 1-79, during their term of membership on
the Board of Regents for Higher Education. The Governor shall appoint
nine members to the board as follows: Three members for a term of two
years; three members for a term of four years; and three members for a
term of six years. Thereafter, the Governor shall appoint members of the
board to succeed such appointees whose terms expire and each member
so appointed shall hold office for a period of six years from the first day
of July in the year of his or her appointment. Four members of the board
shall be appointed as follows: One appointment by the president pro
tempore of the Senate, who shall be an alumnus of the regional
community-technical college system, for a term of four years; one
appointment by the minority leader of the Senate, who shall be a
specialist in the education of children in grades kindergarten to twelve,
inclusive, for a term of three years; one appointment by the speaker of
the House of Representatives, who shall be an alumnus of the
Connecticut State University System, for a term of four years; and one
appointment by the minority leader of the House of Representatives,
who shall be an alumnus of Charter Oak State College, for a term of
three years. Thereafter, such members of the General Assembly shall
appoint members of the board to succeed such appointees whose terms
expire and each member so appointed shall hold office for a period of Substitute Senate Bill No. 279
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four years from the first day of July in the year of his or her appointment.
The chairperson and vice-chairperson of the student advisory
committee created under section 10a-3 shall serve as members of the
board. The chairperson and vice-chairperson of the faculty advisory
committee created under section 10a-3a shall serve as ex-officio,
nonvoting members of the board for a term of two years and, in their
respective roles as chairperson and vice-chairperson, may be invited to
any executive session, as defined in section 1-200, of the board by the
chairperson of the board. The Commissioners of Education, Economic
and Community Development and Public Health, th e Labor
Commissioner and the Chief Workforce Officer shall serve as ex-officio,
nonvoting members of the board.
Sec. 3. Subsection (d) of section 10-14aa of the 2022 supplement to the
general statutes is repealed and the following is substituted in lieu
thereof (Effective from passage):
(d) Not later than January 1, 2023, and annually thereafter, the office
shall (1) review, and request updates of as necessary, the webinar
modules and trainings developed or endorsed by the Department of
Education for the purpose of aligning such webinar modules with the
compliance measures developed by the office pursuant to subsection (c)
of section 10-14z; and (2) submit, in accordance with the provisions of
section 11-4a, to the joint standing committees of the General Assembly
[have] having cognizance of matters relating to higher education and
education status reports on the compliance of such webinar modules
and trainings.
Sec. 4. Subsection (a) of section 10a-22f of the 2022 supplement to the
general statutes is repealed and the following is substituted in lieu
thereof (Effective from passage):
(a) A certificate of authorization issued to a private occupational
school pursuant to sections 10a-22a to 10a-22o, inclusive, and sections Substitute Senate Bill No. 279
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10a-22u to 10a-22w, inclusive, may be revoked by the executive director
if such school (1) ceases to meet the conditions of its authorization; (2)
commits a material or substantial violation of sections 10a-22a to 10a-
22o, inclusive, or sections 10a-22u to 10a-22w, inclusive, or the
regulations prescribed thereunder; (3) makes a false statement about a
material fact in application for authorization or renewal; (4) fails to make
a required payment to the private occupational school student
protection account pursuant to section 10a-22u; or (5) fails to submit a
complete application for a [renewed] renewal of a certificate of
authorization pursuant to section 10a-22d.
Sec. 5. Subdivision (18) of section 10a-223 of the 2022 supplement to
the general statutes, as amended by section 273 of public act 21-2 of the
June special session, is repealed and the following is substituted in lieu
thereof (Effective October 1, 2022):
(18) "Education assistance program" means a program to assist in
financing the costs of education through education loans, [or] education
grants [, or both] or any other form of financial assistance;
Sec. 6. Section 31-3j of the 2022 supplement to the general statutes is
repealed and the following is substituted in lieu thereof (Effective from
passage):
As used in [sections 31-3j to 31-3r, inclusive] this section and sections
31-3k to 31-3o, inclusive, as amended by this act, and 31-3r, as amended
by this act:
(1) "Board" means a regional workforce development board
established under section 31-3k, as amended by this act;
(2) "Commissioner" means the Labor Commissioner;
(3) "Municipality" means a town, city, borough, consolidated town
and city or consolidated town and borough; Substitute Senate Bill No. 279
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(4) "Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act" means the federal
Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act of 2014, P.L. 113-128, as
amended from time to time; and
(5) "Workforce development region" or "region" means an area
designated as a service delivery area in accordance with the provisions
of the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act.
Sec. 7. Subsection (c) of section 31-3k of the 2022 supplement to the
general statutes is repealed and the following is substituted in lieu
thereof (Effective from passage):
(c) Each board shall make use of grants or contracts with appropriate
service providers to furnish all program services under sections 31-3j to
[31-3r] 31-3o, inclusive, as amended by this act, and 31-3r, as amended
by this act, unless the Governor's Workforce Council concurs with the
board that direct provision of a service by the board is necessary to
assure adequate availability of the service or that a service of
comparable quality can be provided more economically by the board.
Any board seeking to provide services directly shall submit to the
commissioner, the Chief Workforce Officer and the Governor's
Workforce Council a plan of service and appropriate justification for the
need to provide services directly. Such plan of service shall be subject to
review and approval by the Governor's Workforce Council.
Sec. 8. Section 31-3m of the 2022 supplement to the general statutes is
repealed and the following is substituted in lieu thereof (Effective from
passage):
Not later than July 1, 1992, the Governor shall designate appropriate
state agencies as agencies involved in employment and training. The
department heads of each agency involved in employment and training
shall: Not later than August 15, 1992, and annually thereafter, identify
to the commissioner and the Chief Workforce Officer the employment Substitute Senate Bill No. 279
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and training programs administered by the agency that are subject to
oversight by one or more boards under the provisions of sections 31-3j
to [31-3r] 31-3o, inclusive, as amended by this act, and 31-3r, as amended
by this act. The Chief Workforce Officer, jointly with the commissioner
and the Governor's Workforce Council, shall facilitate communication
and the exchange of information between the boards and the state
agencies involved in employment and training.
Sec. 9. Section 31-3n of the 2022 supplement to the general statutes is
repealed and the following is substituted in lieu thereof (Effective from
passage):
(a) The commissioner, in consultation with the Chief Workforce
Officer and the Governor's Workforce Council, may adopt regulations
in accordance with chapter 54 to carry out the provisions of sections 31-
3j to [31-3r] 31-3o, inclusive, as amended by this act, and 31-3r, as
amended by this act.
(b) The Chief Workforce Officer shall distribute all information
received under the provisions of sections 31-3j to [31-3r] 31-3o, inclusive,
as amended by this act, and 31-3r, as amended by this act, to the
Governor's Workforce Council in order to ensure that the review and
coordination duties of the council are effectively carried out.
(c) The Governor may approve, upon the recommendation of the
Governor's Workforce Council, each board established pursuant to
section 31-3k, as amended by this act, which meets the requirements of
sections 31-3j to [31-3r] 31-3o, inclusive, as amended by this act, and 31-
3r, as amended by this act.
Sec. 10. Section 31-3r of the 2022 supplement to the general statutes is
repealed and the following is substituted in lieu thereof (Effective from
passage):
Nothing in this section or sections 31-3j to [31-3r] 31-3o, inclusive, as Substitute Senate Bill No. 279
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amended by this act, shall be construed or administered in any manner
that would conflict with the requirements of the Workforce Innovation
and Opportunity Act or supersede any statutory duties, responsibilities
or obligations of any agency or board, including, but not limited to, any
local board of education.