Connecticut 2025 Regular Session

Connecticut House Bill HB05008 Compare Versions

Version 1 (Old)

Version 2 (New)

Old	New		Differences
1	1
2	2
3		-	LCO 6442 1 of 5
	3	+
	4	+	LCO No. 6442 1 of 5
4	5
5	6		General Assembly Committee Bill No. 5008
6	7		January Session, 2025
7	8		LCO No. 6442
8	9
9	10
10	11		Referred to Committee on COMMERCE
11	12
12	13
13	14		Introduced by:
14	15		(CE)
15	16
16	17
17	18
18	19		AN ACT ESTABLISHING THE CONNECTICUT -PUERTO RICO TRADE
19	20		COMMISSION.
20	21		Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General
21	22		Assembly convened:
22	23
23	24		Section 1. (NEW) (Effective from passage) (a) There is established a 1
24	25		Connecticut-Puerto Rico Trade Commission, which shall be part of the 2
25	26		Legislative Department. 3
26	27		(b) The commission shall consist of the following members: 4
27	28		(1) Two appointed by the speaker of the House of Representatives; 5
28	29		(2) Two appointed by the president pro tempore of the Senate; 6
29	30		(3) Two appointed by the majority leader of the House of 7
30	31		Representatives; 8
31	32		(4) Two appointed by the majority leader of the Senate; 9
32	33		(5) Two appointed by the minority leader of the House of 10
33		-	Representatives; 11 Committee Bill No. 5008
	34	+	Representatives; 11
	35	+	(6) Two appointed by the minority leader of the Senate; 12
	36	+	Committee Bill No. 5008
34	37
35	38
36		-	LCO 6442 2 of 5
	39	+	LCO No. 6442 2 of 5
37	40
38		-	(6) Two appointed by the minority leader of the Senate; 12
39	41		(7) Two members of the joint standing committee of the General 13
40	42		Assembly having cognizance of matters relating to commerce, one of 14
41	43		whom shall be appointed by the Senate chairperson of such committee 15
42	44		and one of whom shall be appointed by the House chairperson of such 16
43	45		committee; 17
44	46		(8) The ranking members of the joint standing committee of the 18
45	47		General Assembly having cognizance of matters relating to commerce, 19
46	48		or their designees; 20
47	49		(9) Three persons appointed by the Governor; 21
48	50		(10) A representative of a public institution of higher education in the 22
49	51		state, who shall be appointed by the Governor; 23
50	52		(11) A representative of a chamber of commerce in the state, who shall 24
51	53		be appointed by the Governor; and 25
52	54		(12) Two representatives of Puerto Rican or Puerto Rican-American 26
53	55		communities in the state, who shall be appointed by the Governor and 27
54	56		shall not be members of the same political party. 28
55	57		(c) The members of the commission shall each have current or past 29
56	58		involvement in organizations that promote Puerto Rican affairs or are 30
57	59		interested in the well-being of trade relations between the state and 31
58	60		Puerto Rico. 32
59	61		(d) Any member of the commission appointed under subdivisions (1) 33
60	62		to (6), inclusive, of subsection (b) of this section may be a member of the 34
61	63		General Assembly. 35
62	64		(e) (1) All initial appointments to the commission shall be made not 36
63	65		later than October 1, 2025. Initial appointments made by the Governor, 37
64	66		the majority leader of the House of Representatives and the minority 38
65	67		leader of the House of Representatives shall terminate on September 30, 39
66		-	2028. Initial appointments made by the speaker of the House of 40 Committee Bill No. 5008
	68	+	2028. Initial appointments made by the speaker of the House of 40
	69	+	Representatives, the president pro tempore of the Senate, the majority 41
	70	+	Committee Bill No. 5008
67	71
68	72
69		-	LCO 6442 3 of 5
	73	+	LCO No. 6442 3 of 5
70	74
71		-	Representatives, the president pro tempore of the Senate, the majority 41
72	75		leader of the Senate and the minority leader of the Senate shall terminate 42
73	76		on September 30, 2029. The initial and subsequent terms of members 43
74	77		appointed by the chairpersons of the joint standing committee of the 44
75	78		General Assembly having cognizance of matters relating to commerce 45
76	79		shall be coterminous with the terms of the appointing authority for each 46
77	80		such member in accordance with the provisions of section 4-1a of the 47
78	81		general statutes. 48
79	82		(2) Appointed members of the commission shall serve for four-year 49
80	83		terms which shall commence on the date of appointment, except as 50
81	84		provided in subdivision (1) of this subsection. Members shall continue 51
82	85		to serve until their successors are appointed. 52
83	86		(f) The speaker of the House of Representatives and the president pro 53
84	87		tempore of the Senate shall select the chairpersons of the commission 54
85	88		from among the members of the commission. Such chairpersons shall 55
86	89		schedule the first meeting of the commission, which shall be held not 56
87	90		later than November 1, 2025. 57
88	91		(g) The chairperson of the Black and Puerto Rican Caucus of the 58
89	92		General Assembly, in consultation with the Office of Legislative 59
90	93		Management, shall appoint the administrative staff to serve as the 60
91	94		administrative staff of the commission. 61
92	95		(h) Any vacancy shall be filled by the appointing authority. Any 62
93	96		vacancy occurring other than by expiration of term shall be filled for the 63
94	97		balance of the unexpired term. 64
95	98		(i) A majority of the commission shall constitute a quorum for the 65
96	99		transaction of any business. 66
97	100		(j) The members of the commission shall serve without 67
98	101		compensation, but shall, within the limits of available funds, be 68
99	102		reimbursed for expenses necessarily incurred in the performance of 69
100		-	their duties. 70 Committee Bill No. 5008
	103	+	their duties. 70
	104	+	(k) The commission shall have the following powers and duties: (1) 71
	105	+	Committee Bill No. 5008
101	106
102	107
103		-	LCO 6442 4 of 5
	108	+	LCO No. 6442 4 of 5
104	109
105		-	(k) The commission shall have the following powers and duties: (1) 71
106	110		To advance bilateral trade and investment between the state and Puerto 72
107	111		Rico; (2) to initiate joint action on policy issues of mutual interest to the 73
108	112		state and Puerto Rico; (3) to promote business and academic exchanges 74
109	113		between the state and Puerto Rico; (4) to encourage mutual economic 75
110	114		support between the state and Puerto Rico; (5) to encourage mutual 76
111	115		investment in the infrastructure of the state and Puerto Rico; (6) to 77
112	116		address such other issues as determined by the commission; (7) to obtain 78
113	117		from any executive department, board, commission or other agency of 79
114	118		the state such assistance and data as are necessary and available to carry 80
115	119		out the purposes of this section; (8) to accept any gift, donation or 81
116	120		bequest for the purpose of performing the duties described in this 82
117	121		section; and (9) to perform such other acts as may be necessary and 83
118	122		appropriate to carry out the duties described in this section. 84
119	123		(l) The commission shall meet as often as deemed necessary by the 85
120	124		chairpersons or a majority of the commission. Any appointed member 86
121	125		who fails to attend three consecutive meetings or who fails to attend 87
122	126		fifty per cent of all meetings held during any calendar year shall be 88
123	127		deemed to have resigned from the commission. 89
124	128		(m) Not later than February 1, 2027, and annually thereafter, the 90
125	129		commission shall submit a report, in accordance with the provisions of 91
126	130		section 11-4a of the general statutes, to the Governor, the Commissioner 92
127	131		of Economic and Community Development and the joint standing 93
128	132		committee of the General Assembly having cognizance of matters 94
129	133		relating to commerce on the activities of the commission during the 95
130	134		preceding year, which shall include, but need not be limited to, any 96
131	135		recommendations for policy changes and amendments to the general 97
132	136		statutes necessary to effectuate the purposes of the commission. 98
133	137		This act shall take effect as follows and shall amend the following
134	138		sections:
135	139
136	140		Section 1 from passage New section
	141	+
137	142		Committee Bill No. 5008
138	143
139	144
140		-	LCO 6442 5 of 5
	145	+	LCO No. 6442 5 of 5
141	146
142		-	CE Joint Favorable
	147	+	Statement of Purpose:
	148	+	To establish a Connecticut-Puerto Rico Trade Commission.
	149	+
	150	+	[Proposed deletions are enclosed in brackets. Proposed additions are indicated by underline, except
	151	+	that when the entire text of a bill or resolution or a section of a bill or resolution is new, it is not
	152	+	underlined.]
	153	+
	154	+	Co-Sponsors: REP. ROSARIO, 128th Dist.; REP. CANDELARIA J., 95th Dist.
	155	+	REP. REYES, 75th Dist.; REP. BUMGARDNER, 41st Dist.
	156	+	REP. ROJAS, 9th Dist.; REP. CONCEPCION, 4th Dist.
	157	+	REP. BROWN M., 127th Dist.; SEN. RAHMAN, 4th Dist.
	158	+	REP. SANCHEZ J., 6th Dist.
	159	+
	160	+	H.B. 5008
	161	+
143	162