HB 6809 — AN ACT CONCERNING FINANCIAL INCENTIVES FOR CERTAIN STREAMSIDE BUFFERS AND TRAINING FOR INLAND WETLAND COMMISSION MEMBERS.

House of Representatives General Assembly File No.

485800 General Assembly January Session, 20232023(Reprint Substituteof HouseFile Bill No.

6809485) Substitute House ofBill Representatives,No. April 11, 2023 The Committee on Environment reported through REP.

GRESKO6809 ofAs theAmended 121stby Dist.,House ChairpersonAmendment ofSchedule the"A" CommitteeApproved onby the partLegislative ofCommissioner theMay House,19, that2023 theAN substituteACT billCONCERNING oughtFINANCIAL toINCENTIVES pass.FOR CERTAIN STREAMSIDE BUFFERS AND TRAINING FOR INLAND WETLAND COMMISSION MEMBERS.

AN ACT CONCERNING FINANCIAL INCENTIVES FOR CERTAIN STREAMSIDE BUFFERS AND TRAINING FOR INLAND WETLAND COMMISSION MEMBERS.

Subsections (l) and (m) of section 22a-39 of the general statutes are repealed and the following is substituted in lieu thereof (Effective sHB6809 / File No.

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485800 are repealed and the following is substituted in lieu thereof (Effective October 1, 2023):

Subsection (d) of section 22a-42 of the general statutes is repealedandthefollowingrepealed andthefollowing issubstituted inlieuthereof(EffectiveOctober 1, 2023):

Any existing member of the inland wetlands agency and staff of the agency shall complete such training program not later than June 1, 2025, and any member of such agency and staff of the agency who is appointed or hired, as applicable, after the effective date of this section shall complete such comprehensive training program not later than one year after such appointmentsHB6809 or/ hiring,File asNo. applicable.

Each800 member of the inland wetlands agency shall complete such comprehensive training program sHB6809 / File No.

485800 2appointment sHB6809or Filehiring, No.as applicable.

485Each member of the inland wetlands agency shall complete such comprehensive training program not less than every five years thereafter.

[FailureFailure to have a member of theagencythe agency or staffwithtrainingstaff shallnotwith affecttraining thevalidityofanyshall actionnot ofaffect the agency.]validity Theof commissionerany shallaction annuallyof make such program available to one person from each town without cost to that person or the town.agency.

The commissioner shall annually make such program available to one person from each town without cost to that person or the town.

from passage Section 1 from passage New section Sec.

2 October 1, 2023 22a-39(l) and (m) October 1, 2023 Sec.

3 October 1, 2023 22a-42(d) StatementsHB6809 of/ LegislativeFile Commissioners:No.

In800 SectionsHB6809 2(m),File "confirmsNo. that" was changed to "confirms whether" for accuracy.

ENV800 JointThe Favorablefollowing Subst.Fiscal Impact Statement and Bill Analysis are prepared for the benefit of the members of the General Assembly, solely for purposes of information, summarization and explanation and do not represent the intent of the General Assembly or either chamber thereof for any purpose.

sHB6809 / File No.

485 3 sHB6809 File No.

485 The following Fiscal Impact Statement and Bill Analysis are prepared for the benefit of the members of the General Assembly, solely for purposes of information, summarization and explanation and do not represent the intent of the General Assembly or either chamber thereof for any purpose.

TheHouse Governor's“A” Recommendedretains Budgeta includescurrent $5law millionprovision inconcerning Americanthe Rescuevalidity Planof Actactions fundsby fora FYwetlands 24agency that mayfails potentiallyto betrain usedstaff, forand thishas purpose.no fiscal impact.

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485800 OLR Bill Analysis sHB 6809 (as amended by House "A")* AN ACT CONCERNING FINANCIAL INCENTIVES FOR CERTAIN STREAMSIDE BUFFERS AND TRAINING FOR INLAND WETLAND COMMISSION MEMBERS.

*House Amendment “A” reverses the removal of a provision specifyingthatfailuretohaveatrainedinlandwetlandsagency member or staff person does not invalidate an agency’s actions.

INLAND WETLANDS AGENCY TRAINING Updated Program By law, the DEEP commissioner must develop a comprehensive trainingprogramforinlandwetlandsagency members.Thebillrequires her to update the training program by June 1, 2024, to include (1) all statutory changes that apply to these agencies and (2) any common law sHB6809 / File No.

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485800 trainingprogramforinlandwetlandsagency members.Thebillrequires her to update the training program by June 1, 2024, to include (1) all statutory changes that apply to these agencies and (2) any common law developments that apply to these agencies’ considerations and authority.

Agency Member &and Staff Requirement Current law requires at least one inland wetlands agency member or agency staff person to complete DEEP’s comprehensive training program.

The billinsteadrequireseachagencybill instead requires each agency member andstaffpersonand staff person to complete thethetraining. training.

Relatedly,However,existing itlaw,unchangedby eliminatesthebill,specifiesthat a provision specifying that failure to have a trained agency member or staff person does not invalidate an agency’s actions.

ThebillrequiresinlandwetlandsagenciestoconfirmThebillrequiresinlandwetlandsagenciestoconfirmtoDEEP,aspart toDEEP,aspart of their existing reporting requirements, whether each agency member has completed the training.

Existing law, unchanged by the bill, requires the commissioner to annually make thetraining availableto onepersonineachtownonepersonin foreachtownfor free.

COMMITTEE ACTION Environment Committee Joint Favorable Substitute Yea 28 Nay 5 (03/24/2023) sHB6809 / File No.

485800 6 sHB6809 File No.

800 COMMITTEE ACTION Environment Committee Joint Favorable Substitute Yea 28 Nay 5 (03/24/2023) sHB6809 / File No.

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