| 23 | | - | Section 1. Section 13b-38bb of the general statutes is repealed and the 1 |
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| 24 | | - | following is substituted in lieu thereof (Effective July 1, 2023): 2 |
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| 25 | | - | (a) The Commissioner of Transportation shall establish a state 3 |
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| 26 | | - | matching grant program, in accordance with the provisions of this 4 |
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| 27 | | - | section, which shall be available to any municipality upon application 5 |
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| 28 | | - | of such municipality. Such grants shall be expended by such 6 |
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| 29 | | - | municipalities for elderly and disabled demand responsive 7 |
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| 30 | | - | transportation programs that shall be available to persons age sixty or 8 |
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| 31 | | - | older. 9 |
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| 32 | | - | (b) Each municipality applying for such grant funds shall provide a 10 |
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| 33 | | - | fifty per cent match to such funds, except that a municipality that 11 |
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| 34 | | - | provides transportation services for persons with disabilities multiple 12 |
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| 35 | | - | times per week in a neighboring municipality shall provide a twenty-13 |
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| 36 | | - | five per cent match. If a municipality chooses not to apply for such 14 |
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| 37 | | - | funds, its portion shall revert to the Special Transportation Fund. 15 |
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| 38 | | - | Committee Bill No. 208 |
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| 39 | | - | |
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| 40 | | - | |
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| 41 | | - | LCO No. 4233 2 of 4 |
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| 42 | | - | |
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| 43 | | - | [(b)] (c) Not later than thirty days after the commissioner determines 16 |
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| 44 | | - | an allocation amount, the commissioner shall notify municipalities of 17 |
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| 45 | | - | the availability of such amount. 18 |
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| 46 | | - | [(c)] (d) Municipalities shall apply to the state through a designated 19 |
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| 47 | | - | regional planning organization or transit district for funding allocations. 20 |
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| 48 | | - | The regional planning organization or transit district and municipalities 21 |
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| 49 | | - | interested in applying for the funds shall collaborate on service design 22 |
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| 50 | | - | to determine how to use the funding most effectively in that 23 |
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| 51 | | - | municipality and its surrounding region. The commissioner shall have 24 |
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| 52 | | - | the authority to approve or disapprove the method for delivery of 25 |
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| 53 | | - | service. 26 |
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| 54 | | - | [(d)] (e) The maximum amount allocated to a municipality shall be 27 |
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| 55 | | - | determined by the commissioner in accordance with the following 28 |
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| 56 | | - | formula: Fifty per cent of such funds shall be apportioned on the basis 29 |
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| 57 | | - | of the share of the population of persons age sixty or older in the 30 |
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| 58 | | - | municipality relative to the state's total population of persons age sixty 31 |
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| 59 | | - | or older, as defined in the most recent federal decennial census or in 32 |
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| 60 | | - | estimates provided in the five-year interim by the Office of Policy and 33 |
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| 61 | | - | Management. Fifty per cent of such funds shall be apportioned on the 34 |
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| 62 | | - | basis of a municipality's square mileage relative to the state's total 35 |
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| 63 | | - | square mileage. 36 |
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| 64 | | - | [(e) Each municipality applying for such grant funds shall provide a 37 |
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| 65 | | - | fifty per cent match to such funds. If a municipality chooses not to apply 38 |
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| 66 | | - | for such funds, its portion shall revert to the Special Transportation 39 |
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| 67 | | - | Fund.] 40 |
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| 68 | | - | (f) A municipality, receiving a grant provided pursuant to this 41 |
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| 69 | | - | section, shall annually submit to the Commissioner of Transportation, 42 |
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| 70 | | - | on forms provided by said commissioner, the following data on such 43 |
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| 71 | | - | transportation programs: (1) The number of unduplicated riders; (2) the 44 |
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| 72 | | - | number of one-way trips; (3) the number of miles traveled; (4) the 45 |
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| 73 | | - | number of trip denials; (5) the number of hours vehicles are in use 46 |
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| 74 | | - | annually; (6) all federal, state, municipal and other revenues received 47 |
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| 75 | | - | Committee Bill No. 208 |
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| 76 | | - | |
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| 77 | | - | |
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| 78 | | - | LCO No. 4233 3 of 4 |
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| 79 | | - | |
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| 80 | | - | and expenditures incurred in the provision of dial-a-ride services; (7) for 48 |
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| 81 | | - | municipalities providing a twenty-five per cent match to state funds 49 |
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| 82 | | - | pursuant to subsection (b) of this section, a summary of services 50 |
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| 83 | | - | provided in neighboring municipalities, including, but not limited to, 51 |
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| 84 | | - | number of persons with disabilities served and times and days 52 |
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| 85 | | - | transportation services are offered weekly; and [(7)] (8) any other 53 |
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| 86 | | - | information determined to be necessary by the commissioner. 54 |
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| 87 | | - | (g) A municipality receiving a grant pursuant to this section shall 55 |
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| 88 | | - | annually submit to the Commissioner of Transportation a certification 56 |
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| 89 | | - | that any state grant shall be in addition to current municipality levels of 57 |
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| 90 | | - | spending on such programs. 58 |
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| 91 | | - | (h) Any funds shall only be expended for grants and administrative 59 |
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| 92 | | - | costs and shall not be expended for any other purpose. 60 |
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| 93 | | - | Sec. 2. (Effective July 1, 2023) (a) The Commissioner of Transportation, 61 |
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| 94 | | - | in consultation with the Commissioners of Aging and Disability 62 |
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| 95 | | - | Services, Developmental Services and Social Services, shall study 63 |
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| 96 | | - | transportation service issues for persons with disabilities, including, but 64 |
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| 97 | | - | not limited to: (1) Best practices for building a transportation system to 65 |
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| 98 | | - | enhance employment opportunities for persons with disabilities, (2) 66 |
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| 99 | | - | gaps in low-cost or free transportation services for such persons, (3) 67 |
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| 100 | | - | regional differences in access to such services, and (4) funding needed 68 |
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| 101 | | - | to expand access to low-cost or free transportation for such persons. 69 |
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| 102 | | - | (b) Not later than October 1, 2023, the Commissioner of 70 |
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| 103 | | - | Transportation shall file a report, in accordance with the provisions of 71 |
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| 104 | | - | section 11-4a of the general statutes, with the joint standing committees 72 |
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| 105 | | - | of the General Assembly having cognizance of matters relating to aging, 73 |
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| 106 | | - | human services, public health and transportation on the results of the 74 |
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| 107 | | - | study and recommendations. 75 |
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| 108 | | - | This act shall take effect as follows and shall amend the following |
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| 109 | | - | sections: |
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| 110 | | - | |
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| 111 | | - | Committee Bill No. 208 |
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| 112 | | - | |
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| 113 | | - | |
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| 114 | | - | LCO No. 4233 4 of 4 |
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| 115 | | - | |
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| 116 | | - | Section 1 July 1, 2023 13b-38bb |
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| 117 | | - | Sec. 2 July 1, 2023 New section |
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| 118 | | - | |
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| 26 | + | That title 13b of the general statutes be amended to require the 1 |
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| 27 | + | Commissioner of Transportation, in consultation with the 2 |
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| 28 | + | commissioners of Aging and Disability Services, Developmental 3 |
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| 29 | + | Services and Social Services, to identify and dedicate resources to 4 |
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| 30 | + | address gaps in low-cost or free transportation for persons with 5 |
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| 31 | + | disabilities, including, but not limited to, gaps identified in the 6 |
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| 32 | + | Department of Transportation's 2021 Connecticut Locally Coordinated 7 |
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| 33 | + | Human Services Transportation Plan. 8 |
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