Sec. 4-181a. Contested cases. Reconsideration. Modification. - Connecticut Statutes

      Sec. 4-181a. Contested cases. Reconsideration. Modification. (a)(1) Unless otherwise provided by law, a party in a contested case may, within fifteen days after the personal delivery or mailing of the final decision, file with the agency a petition for reconsideration of the decision on the ground that: (A) An error of fact or law should be corrected; (B) new evidence has been discovered which materially affects the merits of the case and which for good reasons was not presented in the agency proceeding; or (C) other good cause for reconsideration has been shown. Within twenty-five days of the filing of the petition, the agency shall decide whether to reconsider the final decision. The failure of the agency to make that determination within twenty-five days of such filing shall constitute a denial of the petition.

      (2) Within forty days of the personal delivery or mailing of the final decision, the agency, regardless of whether a petition for reconsideration has been filed, may decide to reconsider the final decision.

      (3) If the agency decides to reconsider a final decision, pursuant to subdivision (1) or (2) of this subsection, the agency shall proceed in a reasonable time to conduct such additional proceedings as may be necessary to render a decision modifying, affirming or reversing the final decision, provided such decision made after reconsideration shall be rendered not later than ninety days following the date on which the agency decides to reconsider the final decision. If the agency fails to render such decision made after reconsideration within such ninety-day period, the original final decision shall remain the final decision in the contested case for purposes of any appeal under the provisions of section 4-183.

      (4) Except as otherwise provided in subdivision (3) of this subsection, an agency decision made after reconsideration pursuant to this subsection shall become the final decision in the contested case in lieu of the original final decision for purposes of any appeal under the provisions of section 4-183, including, but not limited to, an appeal of (A) any issue decided by the agency in its original final decision that was not the subject of any petition for reconsideration or the agency's decision made after reconsideration, (B) any issue as to which reconsideration was requested but not granted, and (C) any issue that was reconsidered but not modified by the agency from the determination of such issue in the original final decision.

      (b) On a showing of changed conditions, the agency may reverse or modify the final decision, at any time, at the request of any person or on the agency's own motion. The procedure set forth in this chapter for contested cases shall be applicable to any proceeding in which such reversal or modification of any final decision is to be considered. The party or parties who were the subject of the original final decision, or their successors, if known, and intervenors in the original contested case, shall be notified of the proceeding and shall be given the opportunity to participate in the proceeding. Any decision to reverse or modify a final decision shall make provision for the rights or privileges of any person who has been shown to have relied on such final decision.

      (c) The agency may, without further proceedings, modify a final decision to correct any clerical error. A person may appeal that modification under the provisions of section 4-183 or, if an appeal is pending when the modification is made, may amend the appeal.

      (P.A. 88-317, S. 21, 107; P.A. 89-174, S. 4, 7; P.A. 06-32, S. 1.)

      History: P.A. 88-317 effective July 1, 1989, and applicable to all agency proceedings commencing on or after that date; P.A. 89-174 renumbered Subdivs. in Subsec. (a) to add Subdiv. (2) authorizing agency to reconsider final decision on its own initiative, amended Subsec. (b) by substituting "final decision" for "order" and made minor changes in wording throughout section; P.A. 06-32 amended Subsec. (a) by inserting provisions in Subdiv. (3) re ninety-day period for rendering a decision made after reconsideration and adding Subdiv. (4) re decision made after reconsideration to become the final decision for purposes of appeal.

      Cited. 232 C. 181. Cited. 234 C. 411. Cited. 235 C. 128. Cited. 238 C. 361. Cited. 239 C. 32.

      Cited. 30 CA 738. Failure to file petition for reconsideration in timely manner resulted in dismissal of plaintiff's appeal for lack of subject matter jurisdiction. 61 CA 137.

      Subsec. (a):

      Cited. 37 CA 653; judgment reversed, see 238 C. 361. Commissioner's decision denying plaintiff's petition for reconsideration does not fit within definition of "contested case" because it is not a final decision. 61 CA 137.

      Subsec. (b):

      Cited. 227 C. 545. Cited. 236 C. 722. Proceeding on plaintiff's motions under the section did not give rise to a contested case within meaning of Uniform Administrative Procedure Act; therefore denial of plaintiff's motions was not appealable to the Superior Court; judgment of Appellate Court in Fairfield v. Connecticut Siting Council, 37 CA 653., reversed. 238 C. 361.