Sec. 4-98. Appropriations encumbered by purchase order; current and capital expenditures. Delegation to agency.
               	 		
      Sec. 4-98. Appropriations encumbered by purchase order; current and capital expenditures. Delegation to agency. (a) Except for such emergency purchases as 
are made by a budgeted agency under regulations adopted by the Commissioner of 
Administrative Services, no budgeted agency or any agent thereof shall incur any obligation, by order, contract or otherwise, except by the issue of a purchase order or any 
other documentation approved by the Comptroller, necessary to process the transaction 
transmitted by the budgeted agency or its agents to the commissioner and the Comptroller, provided the amount to be charged against the appropriation for a budgeted agency 
in any year for a purchase order for a current expenditure shall be the amount anticipated 
to be spent in such year. The amount to be charged against the appropriation for any 
budgeted agency in any year for a capital expenditure, including an installment purchase, 
shall be the state's total cost for such capital expenditure unless otherwise authorized 
by the General Assembly or approved by the Finance Advisory Committee. Upon the 
receipt of any such purchase order or any other documentation approved by the Comptroller necessary to process the transaction, the Comptroller shall immediately charge 
the same to the specific appropriation of the budgeted agency issuing the same and 
certify on the face of the purchase order or approve such other documentation that the 
purchase is approved and recorded, if the proposed purchase is within the applicable 
specific appropriation and the budgeted agency has unencumbered funds sufficient to 
defray such expenditure. In transactions requiring purchase orders, the Comptroller shall 
promptly transmit such certified purchase order to the vendor named in the purchase 
order.
      (b) Notwithstanding the provisions of subsection (a) of this section, the Comptroller 
may delegate to any budgeted agency the certification and transmission requirements 
of purchase orders using authorized electronic methods, provided such agency transmits 
the information contained in such purchase orders to the Comptroller. Upon receipt of 
any such electronic transmission, the Comptroller shall immediately charge the same 
to the specific appropriation of the budgeted agency issuing the same and shall electronically certify that the purchase is approved and recorded, if the proposed purchase is 
within the applicable specific appropriation and the budgeted agency has unencumbered 
funds sufficient to defray such expenditure. Upon receipt of the Comptroller's certification, the budgeted agency shall transmit the purchase order to the vendor named in the 
purchase order.
      (c) Notwithstanding the provisions of subsection (a) or (b) of this section, the Comptroller may allow budgeted agencies to use purchasing cards for purchases of ten thousand dollars or less. No budgeted agency, or any official, employee or agent of a budgeted 
agency, shall incur any obligation using such a card, except in accordance with procedures established by the Comptroller.
      (1949 Rev., S. 269; March, 1950, S. 93d; P.A. 74-238; P.A. 77-614, S. 87, 610; P.A. 80-286; P.A. 93-285, S. 3; P.A. 
96-156, S. 4; P.A. 98-16, S. 1, 2; P.A. 99-1, S. 1, 2; P.A. 00-25, S. 2; P.A. 01-26, S. 2; P.A. 04-87, S. 1.)
      History: P.A. 74-238 made specific provisions for charging purchase orders against appropriations; P.A. 77-614 replaced 
commissioner of finance and control and director of purchases with commissioner of administrative services; P.A. 80-286 
replaced reference to "full obligation" with words "total cost" with regard to capital expenditures and included approval 
by finance advisory committee as part of exception to capital expenditures provision; P.A. 93-285 designated existing 
provisions Subsec. (a) and added new Subsec. (b) regarding comptroller's delegation of powers to agencies and regulatory 
authority; P.A. 96-156 added Subsec. (c) permitting Comptroller to allow budgeted agencies to use purchasing cards for 
specified purchases; P.A. 98-16 amended Subsec. (a) by deleting provision that voided nonemergency purchase orders 
not stamped with Comptroller's certificate, amended Subsec. (b) by substituting "agency copy of the" for "original", 
inserted new Subsec. (c) re delegation of certification and transmission of purchase orders using electronic methods and 
redesignated former Subsec. (c) as Subsec. (d), effective July 1, 1998; P.A. 99-1 amended Subsec. (d) by increasing 
maximum purchases when using a purchasing card from $1,000 to $10,000, effective July 1, 1999; P.A. 00-25 amended 
Subsec. (a) by substituting "any other documentation necessary to process the transaction" for "commitment" and making 
related changes for consistency, deleted former Subsec. (b) re delegation to budgeted agencies of certification and transmission requirements of this section, relettered former Subsec. (c) as Subsec. (b), amending Subsec. (b) by inserting "requirements" and "authorized", substituting "purchase orders" for "order and commitment" and adding provisions re Comptroller's duties upon receipt of an electronic transmission and agency's duties upon receipt of Comptroller's certification, and 
relettered former Subsec. (d) as Subsec. (c); P.A. 01-26 made technical changes; P.A. 04-87 amended Subsec. (a) to add 
provisions re approval of purchase order or other documentation by the Comptroller.
      Cited. 200 C. 386.