Sec. 32-348. Establishment of a manufacturing extension service (CONNSTEP). Grants. Bond issue. - Connecticut Statutes

      Sec. 32-348. Establishment of a manufacturing extension service (CONNSTEP). Grants. Bond issue. (a) There is hereby established within the Department of Economic and Community Development a manufacturing extension service program for the purpose of awarding a grant to the Connecticut manufacturing extension partnership affiliate, which shall be known as CONNSTEP, as designated by the United States Department of Commerce National Institute of Standards and Technology. Applications for a grant under this section shall be made and grants shall be awarded in the manner and form prescribed by the commissioner. The extension service's responsibilities shall include, but not be limited to, providing training for small and medium-sized businesses in high performance work practices.

      (b) For the purposes described in subsection (c) of this section, the State Bond Commission shall have the power, from time to time to authorize the issuance of bonds of the state in one or more series and in principal amounts not exceeding in the aggregate four million dollars.

      (c) The proceeds of the sale of said bonds, to the extent of the amount stated in subsection (c) of this section, shall be used by the Commissioner of Economic and Community Development for the purposes of subsection (a) of this section.

      (d) All provisions of section 3-20, or the exercise of any right or power granted thereby which are not inconsistent with the provisions of this section are hereby adopted and shall apply to all bonds authorized by the State Bond Commission pursuant to this section, and temporary notes in anticipation of the money to be derived from the sale of any such bonds so authorized may be issued in accordance with said section 3-20 and from time to time renewed. Such bonds shall mature at such time or times not exceeding twenty years from their respective dates as may be provided in or pursuant to the resolution or resolutions of the State Bond Commission authorizing such bonds. None of said bonds shall be authorized except upon a finding by the State Bond Commission that there has been filed with it a request for such authorization, which is signed by or on behalf of the Secretary of the Office of Policy and Management and states such terms and conditions as said commission, in its discretion, may require. Said bonds issued pursuant to this section shall be general obligations of the state and the full faith and credit of the state of Connecticut are pledged for the payment of the principal of and interest on said bonds as the same become due, and accordingly and as part of the contract of the state with the holders of said bonds, appropriation of all amounts necessary for punctual payment of such principal and interest is hereby made, and the Treasurer shall pay such principal and interest as the same become due.

      (P.A. 93-382, S. 51, 69; P.A. 94-116, S. 11, 28; P.A. 95-250, S. 1; P.A. 96-211, S. 1, 5, 6; P.A. 98-203, S. 2, 13.)

      History: P.A. 93-382 effective July 1, 1993; P.A. 94-116 added provision in Subsec. (a) re training in high performance work practices, effective July 1, 1994; P.A. 95-250 and P.A. 96-211 replaced Commissioner and Department of Economic Development with Commissioner and Department of Economic and Community Development; P.A. 98-203 amended Subsec. (a) to identify CONNSTEP as the manufacturing extension service, deleted former Subsec. (b) re a study of certain business assistance programs, relettered existing subsections accordingly and amended new Subsec. (b) to increase the total bond authorization for the program to $4,000,000, effective June 8, 1998.