Connecticut Seal

House Bill No. 5032

Public Act No. 18-103

AN ACT CONCERNING THE LEGISLATIVE COMMISSIONERS' RECOMMENDATIONS FOR TECHNICAL REVISIONS TO THE HIGHER EDUCATION STATUTES.

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General Assembly convened:

Section 1. Section 10a-17 of the 2018 supplement to the general statutes is repealed and the following is substituted in lieu thereof (Effective from passage):

The Office of Higher Education shall [(a)] (1) be responsible for obtaining information on new programs and methods of education that are being developed in the public schools and colleges of the state and nation, keeping such records current and publicizing information concerning these programs; and [(b)] (2) encourage and aid in the development of new and improved programs and methods of education in order to recruit, prepare and train or retrain personnel needed in such programs.

Sec. 2. Subsection (a) of section 10a-55w of the 2018 supplement to the general statutes is repealed and the following is substituted in lieu thereof (Effective July 1, 2018):

(a) The Office of Higher Education shall publish on its Internet web site, links to the existing transfer and articulation programs developed between the Connecticut state colleges and universities and The University of Connecticut. Each institution within the jurisdiction of the constituent units shall include on its Internet web site a link to the [Officer] Office of Higher Education's Internet web site and provide information regarding such transfer and articulation programs. Each institution of higher education in this state, receiving federal funding pursuant to the Higher Education Act of 1965, shall provide on its Internet web site a link to the institution's most recent institutional profile provided on the National Center for Education Statistic's Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System Internet web site.

Sec. 3. Subdivision (2) of subsection (b) of section 10-95h of the 2018 supplement to the general statutes is repealed and the following is substituted in lieu thereof (Effective July 1, 2018):

(2) The superintendent of the Technical Education and Career System shall submit the following to the joint standing committees of the General Assembly having cognizance of matters relating to education, higher education and employment advancement and labor: (A) Information ensuring that the curriculum of the Technical Education and Career System is incorporating those workforce skills that will be needed for the next thirty years, as identified by the Labor Commissioner in subdivision (1) of this subsection, into the technical education and career schools; (B) information regarding the employment status of students who graduate from or complete an approved program of study at the Technical Education and Career System, including, but not limited to: (i) Demographics such as age and gender, (ii) course and program enrollment and completion, (iii) employment status, and (iv) wages prior to enrolling and after graduating; (C) an assessment of the adequacy of the resources available to the Technical Education and Career System as the system develops and refines programs to meet existing and emerging workforce needs; (D) recommendations to the Technical Education and Career System board to carry out the provisions of subparagraphs (A) to (C), inclusive, of this subdivision; (E) information regarding staffing at each technical education and career school for the current academic year academic year; and (F) information regarding the transition process of the Technical Education and Career System as an independent agency, including, but not limited to, the actions taken by the Technical Education and Career System board and the superintendent to create a budget process and maintain programmatic consistency for students enrolled in the technical education and career system. The superintendent [Technical Education and Career System] shall collaborate with the Labor Commissioner to obtain information as needed to carry out the provisions of this subsection.

Sec. 4. Subparagraph (C) of subdivision (4) of subsection (e) of section 10a-109n of the 2018 supplement to the general statutes is repealed and the following is substituted in lieu thereof (Effective July 1, 2018):

(C) Any administrative action taken by any commissioner in connection with any project may be appealed by an aggrieved party to the superior court for the judicial district of New Britain in accordance with the provisions of section 4-183, except as otherwise provided in sections 10a-109a to 10a-109y, inclusive. Such appeal shall be brought within ten days of the date of mailing to the parties to the proceeding of a notice of such order, decision or action by certified mail, return receipt requested, and the appellant shall serve a copy of the appeal on each party listed in the final decision at the address shown in such decision. Failure to make such service within such ten days on parties other [then] than the commissioner who rendered the final decision may not, in the discretion of the court, deprive the court of jurisdiction over such appeal. Within ten days after the service of such appeal, or within such further time as may be allowed by the court, the commissioner which rendered such decision shall cause any portion of the record that had not been transcribed to be transcribed and shall cause either the original or a certified copy of the entire record of the proceeding appealed from to be transmitted to the reviewing court. Such record shall include the commissioner's findings of fact and conclusions of law, separately stated. If more than one commissioner has jurisdiction over the matter, such commissioners shall issue joint findings of fact and conclusions of law. Such appeal shall state the reasons upon which it is predicated and, notwithstanding any provisions of the general statutes to the contrary, shall not stay the development of any project. The commissioner which rendered such decision shall appear as the respondent. Such appeals to the superior court shall each be privileged matters and shall be heard as soon after the return date as practicable. A court shall render its decision not later than twenty-one days after the date that the entire record, with the transcript, is filed with the court by the commissioner who rendered the decision.

Sec. 5. Subdivision (4) of subsection (a) of section 10a-173 of the general statutes is repealed and the following is substituted in lieu thereof (Effective July 1, 2018):

(4) "Public institution of higher education" means the constituent units of the state system of higher education identified in subdivisions (1) [to (4), inclusive,] and (2) of section 10a-1;

Sec. 6. Subdivision (2) of subsection (a) of section 10a-11b of the 2018 supplement to the general statutes is repealed and the following is substituted in lieu thereof (Effective July 1, 2018):

(2) The following persons shall serve as ex-officio nonvoting members on the commission: (A) The Commissioner of Education, the Commissioner of Economic and Community Development and the Labor Commissioner, or their designees; (B) the president of the Connecticut Conference of Independent Colleges, or the president's designee; (C) a member of the State Board of Education, as designated by the chairperson of the state board; (D) the superintendent of the technical high school system, or the superintendent's designee; (E) the chief executive officer of Connecticut Innovations, Incorporated, or the chief executive officer's designee; (F) the executive director of the Office of Higher Education; (G) the chairpersons and ranking members of the joint standing committee of the General Assembly having cognizance of matters relating to higher education and employment advancement; and (H) the Secretary of the Office of Policy and Management, or the secretary's designee.

Approved June 7, 2018