Sec. 2-53g. Duties. - Connecticut Statutes

      Sec. 2-53g. Duties. (a) The Legislative Program Review and Investigations Committee shall: (1) Direct its staff and other legislative staff available to the committee to conduct program reviews and investigations to assist the General Assembly in the proper discharge of its duties; (2) establish policies and procedures regarding the printing, reproduction and distribution of its reports; (3) review staff reports submitted to the committee and, when necessary, confer with representatives of the state departments and agencies reviewed in order to obtain full and complete information in regard to programs, other activities and operations of the state, and may request and shall be given access to and copies of, by all public officers, departments, agencies and authorities of the state and its political subdivisions, such public records, data and other information and given such assistance as the committee determines it needs to fulfill its duties. Any statutory requirements of confidentiality regarding such records, data and other information, including penalties for violating such requirements, shall apply to the committee, its staff and its other authorized representatives in the same manner and to the same extent as such requirements and penalties apply to any public officer, department, agency or authority of the state or its political subdivisions. The committee shall act on staff reports and recommend in its report, or propose, in the form of a raised committee bill, such legislation as may be necessary to modify current operations and agency practices; (4) consider and act on requests by legislators, legislative committees, elected officials of state government and state department and agency heads for program reviews. The request shall be submitted in writing to the Program Review and Investigations Committee and shall state reasons to support the request. The decision of the committee to grant or deny such a request shall be final; (5) conduct investigations requested by joint resolution of the General Assembly, or, when the General Assembly is not in session, (A) requested by a joint standing committee of the General Assembly or initiated by a majority vote of the Program Review and Investigations Committee and approved by the Joint Committee on Legislative Management, or (B) requested by the Joint Standing Committee on Legislative Management. In the event two or more investigations are requested, the order of priority shall be determined by the Legislative Program Review and Investigations Committee; (6) retain, within available appropriations, the services of consultants, technical assistants, research and other personnel necessary to assist in the conduct of program reviews and investigations; (7) originate, and report to the General Assembly, any bill it deems necessary concerning a program, department or other matter under review or investigation by the committee, in the same manner as is prescribed by rule for joint standing committees of the General Assembly; and (8) review audit reports after issuance by the Auditors of Public Accounts, evaluate and sponsor new or revised legislation based on audit findings, provide means to determine compliance with audit recommendations and receive facts concerning any unauthorized, illegal, irregular or unsafe handling or expenditures of state funds under the provisions of section 2-90.

      (b) The identity of a public employee providing information to the committee shall not be disclosed. In the course of an investigation, all information, records of interviews, reports, statements, notes, memoranda or other data in the custody of or obtained or prepared by the Legislative Program Review and Investigations Committee or its staff shall not be subject to the provisions of section 1-210 until the investigation is completed.

      (1972, P.A. 90, S. 4; P.A. 75-388, S. 4; P.A. 82-472, S. 2, 183; P.A. 85-559, S. 7; P.A. 93-250, S. 1, 5.)

      History: P.A. 75-388 included "and investigations" in committee name and added conducting investigations to committee's duties accordingly; P.A. 82-472 corrected a reference to program review and investigations committee; P.A. 85-559 designated prior provisions as Subsec. (a), authorized committee to propose, in the form of a raised committee bill, agency modifications, added Subdivs. (7) and (8) regarding programs, departments or other matters under investigation and audits and added Subsec. (b) concerning confidentiality of information; P.A. 93-250 amended Subsec. (a)(3) to provide that committee be given access to and copies of public records and other information and given such assistance as it determines it needs to fulfill its duties, and also provided that the committee, its staff and its other authorized agents are subject to any statutory requirements of confidentiality re records, data and other information, including penalties for violating such requirements in the same manner and to the same extent as any public officer, department, agency or authority of the state or its political subdivisions, effective June 23, 1993.