Sec. 13b-11a. Connecticut Public Transportation Commission.
Sec. 13b-11a. Connecticut Public Transportation Commission. (a) There shall
be in the Department of Transportation a Connecticut Public Transportation Commission which shall be a successor to the Connecticut Public Transportation Authority and
which shall consist of nineteen members, who are electors of the state. Eleven of such
members shall be appointed by the Governor, one of whom shall be a representative of
business and industry and a regular user of railroad or truck freight service; one a regular
commuter using railroad passenger service; one a regular bus user; one who is permanently mobility impaired and a frequent bus user; one a working member of a railroad
labor union; one a working member of a bus labor union; one a representative of railroad
company management; one a representative of trucking company management; two
representatives from separate local transit districts and one a person sixty years of age
or older. The remaining eight members shall have a background or interest in public
transportation and be appointed as follows: Two by the president pro tempore of the
Senate; two by the minority leader of the Senate; two by the speaker of the House of
Representatives; and two by the minority leader of the House of Representatives. The
Commissioner of Transportation, the Commissioner of Environmental Protection, the
Secretary of the Office of Policy and Management and the cochairpersons of the joint
standing committee of the General Assembly having cognizance of matters relating to
transportation, or their respective designees, shall serve as nonvoting, ex-officio members of the commission. The term of each member of the commission shall be four years.
The term of any member who was appointed by the Governor and who is serving on
the commission on October 1, 1985, shall expire December 31, 1985. The term of any
member who was appointed by any legislator and who is serving on the board on October
1, 1985, shall expire December 31, 1987. Vacancies on said commission shall be filled
for the remainder of the term in the same manner as original appointments.
(b) The commission shall advise and assist the commissioner, the Governor and
the joint standing committee of the General Assembly having cognizance of matters
relating to transportation in the performance of their functions and duties relating to the
planning, development and maintenance of adequate rail, bus and motor carrier facilities
and rail, bus and other public transportation services including the adequacy of such
services for elderly and disabled users in the state and any other matters affecting the
quality of public transportation facilities and services in the state. At least once each
year, the commission shall hold public hearings in each of the metropolitan areas, as
determined by the commission, within the state for the purpose of evaluating the adequacy of such rail, bus, motor carrier and other public transportation facilities.
(c) The commission shall assist the commissioner in developing regulations to formalize arrangements between the department and local transit districts, between local
transit districts and transit system operators and between local transit districts.
(d) Repealed by P.A. 77-33, S. 1.
(e) On or before January first, annually, the commission shall submit in writing to
the commissioner, the Governor and the Connecticut Transportation Strategy Board,
established pursuant to section 13b-57e, (1) a list of public transportation projects,
which, if undertaken by the state, would further the policy set forth in section 13b-32,
including projects specifically for elderly and disabled users; (2) recommendations for
improvements to existing public transportation service and projects, incorporating transportation service and projects relative to the needs of elderly and disabled persons and
including proposals for legislation and regulations; (3) recommendations for disincentives to free parking, including urban and suburban employment centers; (4) off-peak
transit services; and (5) the establishment of urban center loop shuttles. The commissioner shall notify members of the joint standing committees of the General Assembly
having cognizance of matters relating to transportation and finance, revenue and bonding, on or before January first, annually, of the availability of the commissioner's comments and analysis of priorities. A written copy or electronic storage media of such
comments and analysis shall be distributed to members of such committee who request
them. The commissioner shall meet with the commission at least once during each
calendar quarter.
(f) The commission may, upon its own motion, undertake any studies it deems
necessary for the improvement of a balanced public transportation system within the
state, including the improvement of such system for elderly and disabled users. The
commission shall have other powers and shall perform such other duties as the commissioner, the Governor and the General Assembly may delegate to it.
(g) Subject to the provisions of chapter 67, and when authorized to do so by the
commissioner, the Governor or the General Assembly, the commission may appoint
such officers, agents and employees and may retain and employ other consultants or
assistants on a contract or other basis for rendering legal, financial, technical or other
assistance or advice as may be required to carry out duties or responsibilities. The staff
of the department shall be available to assist the commission.
(h) The members of the commission shall receive no compensation for their services
as members but shall be reimbursed for the expenses actually and necessarily incurred
by them in the performance of their duties. No member of the commission who is otherwise a public officer or employee shall suffer a forfeiture of his office or employment,
or any loss or diminution in the rights and privileges pertaining thereto, by reason of
such membership.
(i) A quorum of the commission for the purpose of transacting business shall exist
only when there is present, in person, a majority of its voting membership. The affirmative vote of a majority of the quorum shall be required for the adoption of a resolution
or vote of the commission.
(j) The members of the commission shall elect one of the members as chairperson
with the responsibility to act as presiding officer at meetings of the commission. Regular
meetings shall be held at least once in each calendar month and as often as deemed
necessary by a majority of members. Any member absent from (1) three consecutive
meetings of the commission, or (2) fifty per cent of such meetings during any calendar
year shall be deemed to have resigned from the commission, effective on the date that
the chairperson notifies the official who appointed such member.
(k) The commission shall have access through the Department of Transportation
to all records, reports, plans, schedules, operating rules and other documents prepared
by rail and bus companies operating under contract with the state of Connecticut which
pertain to the operations of such companies and to any documents that the commission
may require from the department to carry out its responsibilities under this section and
sections 13b-16, 13b-17 and 16-343, provided this subsection shall not apply to any
plans, proposals, reports and other documents pertaining to current or pending negotiations with employee bargaining units.
(P.A. 75-572, S. 2, 5; P.A. 77-7; 77-33, S. 1; 77-35; 77-208; 77-614, S. 551, 610; P.A. 79-226; P.A. 83-487, S. 2, 33;
P.A. 85-317, S. 1; P.A. 86-235; P.A. 90-219, S. 16; P.A. 98-222, S. 1; P.A. 99-265, S. 3; June 30 Sp. Sess. P.A. 03-4, S. 8.)
History: P.A. 77-7 changed in Subsec. (j) delegation of responsibility to act as presiding officer to "appoint one of the
members as chairman" with such responsibility; P.A. 77-33 repealed Subsec. (d) which had concerned plan for restructured
system of regional transit districts due on or before February 1, 1976; P.A. 77-35 deleted requirement in Subsec. (e) for
list to include at least one project in each of the urbanized areas within the state; P.A. 77-208 substituted "metropolitan
areas, as determined by the authority" for "urbanized areas" in Subsec. (b); P.A. 77-614 changed composition of public
transportation authority in Subsec. (a) to include commissioner of agriculture and the secretary of the office of policy and
management, deleting the administrator of the Connecticut energy agency, and deleted provision for term of 4 years together
with the provision for initial terms to start a rotation, effective January 1, 1979; P.A. 79-226 included in Subsec. (e)
submission of the list by the authority to the joint standing committee of the general assembly having cognizance of
transportation matters and added new Subsec. (k) granting access to records; P.A. 83-487 changed authority to commission,
changed membership to include legislative appointees and added attendance requirements for members; P.A. 85-317
amended Subsec. (a) by establishing the term of members at 4 years and by providing that the term of a person serving on
the commission as of October 1, 1985, and who was appointed by the governor shall expire on December 31, 1985, and
that of any member serving on the commission as of October 1, 1985, and who was appointed by a legislator shall expire
on December 31, 1987, and amended Subsec. (e) by changing the date by which the commission shall submit an annual
list of public transportation projects from February first to January first and by changing the date by which the commissioner
shall present his annual analysis of priorities to the legislature from March first to February first; P.A. 86-235 amended
Subsec. (a) by increasing the membership of the commission to 18 and requiring the governor to appoint a person who is
permanently mobility impaired and who is a frequent bus user, to the commission; P.A. 90-219 amended Subsec. (e) by
adding Subdivs. (3) re recommendations for disincentives to free parking, (4) re off-peak transit services and (5) re urban
center loop shuttles; P.A. 98-222 amended Subsec. (e) by replacing the requirement that the commissioner submit his
written comments to the committee with a requirement that he notify the members of the committee and all members of
the General Assembly that his comments are available upon request in a written format or as electronic storage media;
P.A. 99-265 amended Subsec. (a) to increase membership of the Connecticut Public Transportation Commission from 18
to 19 members by adding a person 60 years of age or older, amended Subsec. (b) by requiring the commission to advise
and assist on the adequacy of public transportation services for elderly and disabled users, amended Subsec. (e) by requiring
the commission to include projects specifically for elderly and disabled users in its submittal of a list of public transportation
projects and by requiring the commission to incorporate transportation service and projects relative to the needs of elderly
and disabled persons in its recommendations for improvements to existing public transportation service and projects,
amended Subsec. (f) by allowing the commission to study the improvement of a balanced public transportation system for
elderly and disabled users, made technical changes and made changes re gender neutrality; June 30 Sp. Sess. P.A. 03-4
amended Subsec. (e) to include Connecticut Transportation Strategy Board as recipient of commission submissions and
to delete requirement that commissioner notify all members of the General Assembly of comments and analysis of priorities,
effective August 20, 2003.
See title 2c re termination under "Sunset Law".