Sec. 4b-21. (Formerly Sec. 4-26). Purchase, sale or exchange of state land. Approval procedure. Exception. - Connecticut Statutes

      Sec. 4b-21. (Formerly Sec. 4-26). Purchase, sale or exchange of state land. Approval procedure. Exception. (a) When the General Assembly is not in session, the trustees of any state institution, the State Board of Education or the Commissioner of Correction may, subject to the provisions of section 4b-23, purchase or acquire for the state, through the Commissioner of Public Works, any land or interest therein if such action seems advisable to protect the state's interest or to effect a needed economy, and may, subject to the provisions of said section, contract through the Commissioner of Public Works for the sale or exchange of any land or interest therein belonging to the state except that The University of Connecticut may purchase or acquire for the state and may dispose of or exchange any land or interest therein directly. When the General Assembly is not in session, the Commissioner of Public Works, with the approval of the State Properties Review Board, may give or obtain an option upon any land or interest therein which is not under the control of the trustees of any state institution, the State Board of Education or the Commissioner of Correction when such action seems advisable, and such option shall remain in force until the fifteenth day of August following the next session of the General Assembly.

      (b) Any state agency, department or institution having custody and control of land, an improvement to land or interest in land, belonging to the state, shall inform the Secretary of the Office of Policy and Management, in writing, when such land, improvement or interest or any part thereof is not needed by the agency, department or institution. Upon receipt of such notification, the secretary shall arrange for such agency, department or institution to forthwith transfer custody and control of such land, improvement or interest to the Department of Public Works, along with adequate funding for personnel and other operating expenses required for the maintenance of such land, improvement or interest, and shall notify all state agencies, departments and institutions that such land, improvement or interest is available. Within ninety days of receipt of such notification from the secretary, any state agency, department or institution that is interested in utilizing the land, improvement or interest shall submit a plan to the secretary that sets forth the proposed use for the land, improvement or interest and a budget and timetable for such use. If the Commissioner of Economic and Community Development determines that such land, improvement or interest can be utilized or adapted for use as an emergency shelter or transitional living facility for homeless persons or can be utilized or exchanged for property which can be utilized for the construction, rehabilitation or renovation of housing for persons and families of low and moderate income, said commissioner may (1) within such ninety-day period, submit to the secretary, in lieu of such plan, a preliminary plan indicating that the land, improvement or interest can be utilized, adapted or exchanged for such housing purposes and stating the type of housing that is planned and (2) within six months after the end of such ninety-day period, submit a comprehensive plan for the development of such housing to the secretary, in a form prescribed by the secretary. If the Commissioner of Economic and Community Development submits preliminary and comprehensive plans to the secretary within such periods, the agency, department or institution having custody and control of the land, improvement or interest shall transfer custody and control to the Commissioner of Economic and Community Development in accordance with such procedures as the secretary may prescribe. If (A) the Commissioner of Economic and Community Development does not submit a preliminary plan to the secretary within such ninety-day period or so submits a preliminary plan but does not submit a comprehensive plan to the secretary within such six-month period, and (B) one or more agencies, departments or institutions submit a plan for such land, improvement or interest to the secretary within such ninety-day period, the secretary shall analyze such agency, department or institution plan or plans and determine whether (i) custody and control of the land, improvement or interest shall be transferred to one of such agencies, departments or institutions, in which case the agency, department or institution having custody of the land, improvement or interest shall make such transfer, or (ii) the land, improvement or interest shall be treated as surplus.

      (c) If the secretary determines that such land, improvement, interest or part thereof may properly be treated as surplus, he shall notify the Commissioner of Public Works. If the secretary also determines that such land, improvement or interest or part thereof was purchased or improved with proceeds of tax exempt obligations issued or to be issued by the state, he shall also notify the Treasurer. The Commissioner of Public Works may sell, exchange or lease, or enter into agreements concerning, such land, improvement, interest or part thereof, after (1) notifying (A) the municipality or municipalities in which such land, improvement or interest is located, (B) the members of the General Assembly representing such municipality or municipalities, and (C) any potential developer of an incentive housing development, as defined in section 8-13m, who has registered with the Commissioner of Economic and Community Development to be notified of any such state surplus land, and (2) obtaining the approval of (A) the Secretary of the Office of Policy and Management, (B) the State Properties Review Board, and (C) the joint standing committees of the General Assembly having cognizance of matters relating to (i) state revenue, and (ii) the purchase and sale of state property and facilities, and (3) if such land, improvement, interest or part thereof was purchased or improved with proceeds of tax-exempt obligations issued or to be issued by the state, obtaining the approval of the Treasurer. The Treasurer may disapprove such a transaction only if the transaction would affect the tax-exempt status of such obligations and could not be modified to maintain such tax-exempt status. If a proposed agreement for such a conveyance has not been submitted to the State Properties Review Board within three years after the Commissioner of Public Works provides such notice to such municipality and such members of the General Assembly, or if the board does not approve the proposed agreement within five years after such notice, the Commissioner of Public Works may not convey such land, improvement or interest without again so notifying such municipality and such members of the General Assembly. In the case of a proposed lease of land, an improvement to land or an interest in land, or any part thereof, with a person, firm or corporation in the private sector, for a term of six months or more, the Commissioner of Public Works shall comply with such notice requirement by notifying in writing the chief executive officer of the municipality in which the land, improvement or interest is located and the members of the General Assembly representing such municipality, not less than two weeks before seeking the approval of said secretary, board and committees, concerning the proposed lease and the manner in which the lessee proposes to use the land, improvement or interest. Each agency, department or institution which informs the secretary that any land, improvement or interest in land is not needed shall retain responsibility for its security and maintenance until the Commissioner of Public Works receives custody and control of the property, if any. The Treasurer shall execute and deliver any deed or instrument necessary to convey the title to any property the sale or exchange of which or a contract for the sale or exchange of which is authorized by this section.

      (d) Upon approval of the proposed action of the Commissioner of Public Works by said secretary and board, said commissioner shall request approval of such action by the joint standing committees of the General Assembly having cognizance of matters relating to state revenue and the purchase and sale of state property and facilities. Each committee shall have thirty days from the date such request is received to convene a meeting to vote to approve or disapprove such action. If such request is withdrawn, altered, amended or otherwise changed, said commissioner shall resubmit such request, and each committee shall have thirty days from the date of such resubmittal to convene a meeting to vote to approve or disapprove such action. If a committee does not act on a request or the resubmittal of a request, as the case may be, within that time, the request shall be deemed to be approved by the committee.

      (e) No provision of this section shall be construed to limit, supersede or repeal any other provision of law relating to the powers or duties of any state agency.

      (f) The requirements of subsections (b) to (d), inclusive, of this section shall not apply to land which the Commissioner of Environmental Protection has acquired pursuant to 42 USC 9601 et seq., the federal Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation and Liability Act of 1980, as amended, (CERCLA).

      (1949 Rev., S. 99; March, 1950, S. 31d; 1969, P.A. 356; 1971, P.A. 17; P.A. 75-425, S. 19, 57; P.A. 77-614, S. 277, 610; P.A. 79-360; P.A. 83-334, S. 2, 3; P.A. 86-414, S. 1, 3; P.A. 87-387, S. 1; 87-496, S. 19, 110; 87-589, S. 72, 87; P.A. 88-290, S. 1, 3; P.A. 89-85; P.A. 92-91, S. 2; P.A. 95-230, S. 34, 45; 95-250, S. 1; 95-354, S. 2, 3; P.A. 96-211, S. 1, 5, 6; 96-235, S. 3, 19; P.A. 97-71, S. 2, 4; June 5 Sp. Sess. P.A. 97-1, S. 4, 20; P.A. 06-189, S. 17; June Sp. Sess. P.A. 07-4, S. 50.)

      History: 1969 act added provision for exchange of property; 1971 act included council of correction among those empowered to acquire and sell land; P.A. 75-425 made section subject to Sec. 4-26b, interposed public works commissioner as agent for acquisition and sale of land and gave public works commissioner and state properties review board rather than governor the power to obtain options on land when general assembly is not in session; P.A. 77-614 replaced council of correction with commissioner of correction and public works commissioner with commissioner of administrative services, effective January 1, 1979; P.A. 79-360 made option effective until August fifteenth following next session rather than until first Wednesday of March of next session; P.A. 83-334 established procedure for sale or exchange of state land by commissioner of administrative services subject to the approval of the secretary of the office of policy and management, properties review board and legislative committees; P.A. 86-414 added provisions in Subsec. (b) concerning use of property for emergency shelters or transitional living facilities; P.A. 87-387 added provisions in Subsec. (b) re compliance by commissioner of administrative services with municipal notice requirement; P.A. 87-496 substituted "public works" for "administrative services" commissioner; P.A. 87-589 made technical change in Subsec. (b); P.A. 88-290 added provisions in Subsec. (b) re transfer of land which can be utilized for low and moderate income housing to the department of housing; Sec. 4-26 transferred to Sec. 4b-21 in 1989; P.A. 89-85 amended Subsec. (b) to require commissioner of public works, before conveying or leasing state land, to notify general assembly members representing municipality or municipalities in which land is located and to require repeat notices to municipality and general assembly members if proposed conveyance not submitted to review board within three years of first notice or board does not approve within five years; P.A. 92-91 amended Subsec. (b) by specifying that real property can be exchanged for property that can be utilized for housing; P.A. 95-230 amended Subsec. (a) to add exception for The University of Connecticut, effective June 7, 1995; P.A. 95-250 and P.A. 96-211 replaced Commissioner and Department of Housing with Commissioner and Department of Economic and Community Development; P.A. 95-354 divided Subsec. (b) into Subsecs. (b) and (c), amended Subsec. (b) to require agencies to notify Secretary of the Office of Policy and Management, instead of Public Works and Housing Commissioners, of unneeded land, to require that custody of such land be transferred to Public Works Department, to provide for notification of all agencies of availability of such land, to modify procedure for Housing Commissioner to obtain custody of such land for housing purposes and to establish procedure for other agencies to obtain custody of such land, amended Subsec. (c) by inserting lettering and numbering, requiring Secretary of the Office of Policy and Management to notify Public Works Commissioner of surplus land and, if land purchased or improved with state tax exempt obligations, to notify Treasurer, adding Subdiv. (3) re approval by Treasurer, and making other changes for consistency with Subsec. (b), added Subsec. (e) re disposition of proceeds from sale of land, and relettered remaining Subsecs. accordingly, effective July 1, 1995; P.A. 96-235 amended Subsec. (b) by requiring that entity transferring custody and control of land, improvement or interest to Department of Public Works also transfer adequate funding for maintenance of the same, effective June 6, 1996; P.A. 97-71 added Subsec. (g) re an exemption from procedures under this section for the transfer of land acquired by the Commissioner of Environmental Protection under the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation and Liability Act, effective May 27, 1997; June 5 Sp. Sess. P.A. 97-1 deleted Subsec. (e) re 20% allocation to state agencies of funds received from sale of or improvement to land and relettered existing Subsecs. (f) and (g) as Subsecs. (e) and (f), effective July 31, 1997; P.A. 06-189 amended Subsec. (d) to designate the joint standing committees of the General Assembly having authority to approve or disapprove proposed action, change the time for committee consideration from 15 days to 30 days, and provide additional time in case of resubmittal; June Sp. Sess. P.A. 07-4 amended Subsec. (c)(1) to add new Subpara. (C) re notice to potential developer of incentive housing development and made technical changes, effective July 1, 2007.

      See Sec. 3-14 re management and sale of property by State Treasurer.

      See Sec. 8-37y re powers of Commissioner of Economic and Community Development.

      See Sec. 17a-283a re moratorium on sale, lease or transfer of state property used for residential purposes by persons with mental retardation or psychiatric disabilities.