Sec. 22a-27h. Conservation Fund. Maintenance, repair and improvement account. - Connecticut Statutes

      Sec. 22a-27h. Conservation Fund. Maintenance, repair and improvement account. (a) There is established a fund to be known as the "Conservation Fund" which shall be held by the Treasurer. Within the Conservation Fund, there is established and created an account to be known as the "conservation account". The Conservation Fund may include other accounts separate and apart from the conservation account. Notwithstanding any provision of the general statutes to the contrary, any moneys required by law to be deposited in the Conservation Fund shall be deposited therein and credited to the conservation account. Any balance remaining in the fund at the end of any fiscal year shall be carried forward in the conservation account for the fiscal year next succeeding. The conservation account shall be used by the Department of Environmental Protection for the administration of the central office and conservation and preservation programs authorized by the general statutes.

      (b) Notwithstanding any provision of the general statutes, (1) on and after June 1, 1990, (A) the amount of any fee received by the Department of Environmental Protection which is attributable to the establishment of a new fee or the increase of an existing fee pursuant to the provisions of title 23 or 26, and (B) any fees paid to the department, pursuant to said titles, which are in excess of the total fees paid to the department pursuant to said titles for the fiscal year ending June 30, 1989, shall be deposited directly into the fund established by subsection (a) of this section and credited to the conservation account. The Commissioner of Environmental Protection shall certify to the Treasurer, with respect to each such fee received on and after June 1, 1990, the amount of such fee which shall be credited to the General Fund and the amount of such fee which shall be credited to the conservation account, and (2) on and after July 1, 2005, all fees collected by the department pursuant to title 23 for parking, admission, boat launching, camping and other recreational uses of state parks, forests, boat launches and other state facilities shall be deposited into the Conservation Fund and credited to the conservation account established by subsection (a) of this section.

      (c) There is established an account known as the maintenance, repair and improvement account. Said account shall be an account of the Conservation Fund. All moneys collected from any rent paid by any person occupying or otherwise using any property in the custody and control of the Commissioner of Environmental Protection, including houses or other buildings, shall be deposited into the account unless the commissioner enters into a written agreement, signs an instrument or issues a license which specifically states otherwise. Said account may also receive moneys from private or public sources, or from the federal government or a municipal government. Notwithstanding any other provision of the general statutes or any regulation adopted thereunder, any moneys deposited into the account shall be deposited in the Conservation Fund and credited to the maintenance, repair and improvement account. Any balance remaining in the account at the end of any fiscal year shall be carried forward in the account for the fiscal year next succeeding. The account shall be available to the Commissioner of Environmental Protection for maintaining, making improvements to, erecting structures on, or repairing any property in the custody and control of the Commissioner of Environmental Protection, including houses and other buildings. Nothing in this section shall prevent the commissioner from obtaining or using funds from sources other than the account, for maintaining, making improvements to, erecting structures on, or repairing any property in the custody and control of said commissioner, including houses and other buildings.

      (P.A. 90-231, S. 25, 28; P.A. 91-369, S. 6, 36; P.A. 94-130, S. 8; P.A. 96-143, S. 1, 4; June Sp. Sess. P.A. 05-3, S. 7.)

      History: P.A. 91-369 amended Subsec. (b) to modify the method of deposit into the fund; P.A. 94-130 created a "conservation account" within the "Conservation Fund" and eliminated the requirement that such fund be held separate and apart from other moneys, funds and accounts and that investment earnings be credited to the assets of said fund; P.A. 96-143 added Subsec. (c) re the maintenance, repair and improvement account, effective July 1, 1996 (Revisor's note: In Subsec. (c) the word "or" was inserted editorially by the Revisors before "... from the federal government ..." in the sentence "Said account may also receive moneys from private or public sources, or from the federal government or a municipal government."); June Sp. Sess. P.A. 05-3 amended Subsec. (b) to make technical changes and require that on and after July 1, 2005, all fees collected pursuant to title 23 for certain usage of state parks, forests, boat launches and other state facilities be deposited into the Conservation Fund and credited to the conservation account, effective July 1, 2005.

      See Sec. 23-20 re deposit of proceeds from sale of wood, timber and other products from publicly-owned woodlands.