US Laws, Codes, Statutes & Cases

      Sec. 46a-56. Commission duties. (a) The commission shall:

      (1) Investigate the possibilities of affording equal opportunity of profitable employment to all persons, with particular reference to job training and placement;

      (2) Compile facts concerning discrimination in employment, violations of civil liberties and other related matters;

      (3) Investigate and proceed in all cases of discriminatory practices as provided in this chapter and noncompliance with the provisions of section 4a-60 or 4a-60a or sections 46a-68c to 46a-68f, inclusive;

      (4) From time to time, but not less than once a year, report to the Governor as provided in section 4-60, making recommendations for the removal of such injustices as it may find to exist and such other recommendations as it deems advisable and describing the investigations, proceedings and hearings it has conducted and their outcome, the decisions it has rendered and the other work it has performed;

      (5) Monitor state contracts to determine whether they are in compliance with sections 4a-60 and 4a-60a, and those provisions of the general statutes which prohibit discrimination; and

      (6) Compile data concerning state contracts with female and minority business enterprises and submit a report annually to the General Assembly concerning the employment of such business enterprises as contractors and subcontractors.

      (b) The commission may, when it is deemed in the best interests of the state, exempt a contractor from the requirements of complying with any or all of the provisions of section 4a-60, 4a-60a, 46a-68c, 46a-68d or 46a-68e in any specific contract. Exemptions under the provisions of this section may include, but not be limited to, the following instances: (1) If the work is to be or has been performed outside the state and no recruitment of workers within the limits of the state is involved; (2) those involving less than specified amounts of money or specified numbers of workers; (3) to the extent that they involve subcontracts below a specified tier. The commission may also exempt facilities of a contractor which are in all respects separate and distinct from activities of the contractor related to the performance of the contract, provided such an exemption shall not interfere with or impede the effectuation of the purposes of this section and sections 4a-60, 4a-60a, 4a-60g, 4a-62 and 46a-68b to 46a-68k, inclusive.

      (c) If the commission determines through its complaint procedure that a contractor or subcontractor is not complying with antidiscrimination statutes or contract provisions required under section 4a-60 or 4a-60a or the provisions of section 46a-68c, 46a-68d, 46a-68e or 46a-68f, (A) the state shall retain two per cent of the total contract price per month on any existing contract with such contractor and (B) the contractor shall be prohibited from participation in any further contracts with state agencies until: (i) The expiration of a period of two years from the date of the finding of noncompliance or (ii) the commission determines that the contractor has adopted policies consistent with such statutes. The commission shall make such a determination as to whether the contractor has adopted such policies within forty-five days of its determination of noncompliance. In addition, the commission may do one or more of the following: (1) Publish or cause to be published, the names of contractors or unions which it has found to be in noncompliance with such provisions; (2) notify the Attorney General that, in cases in which there is substantial or material violation or the threat of substantial or material violation of the contractual provisions set forth in section 4a-60 or 4a-60a, appropriate proceedings should be brought to enforce those provisions, including the enjoining, within the limitations of applicable law, of organizations, individuals or groups who prevent directly or indirectly, or seek to prevent directly or indirectly, compliance with the provisions of said section 4a-60 or 4a-60a; (3) recommend to the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission or the Department of Justice that appropriate proceedings be instituted under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, when necessary; (4) recommend to the appropriate prosecuting authority that criminal proceedings be brought for the furnishing of false information to any contracting agency or to the commission as the case may be; (5) order the contracting agency to refrain from entering into further contracts, or extension or other modifications of existing contracts, with any noncomplying contractor, until such contractor has satisfied the commission that such contractor has established and will carry out personnel and employment policies in compliance with antidiscrimination statutes and provisions of section 4a-60 or 4a-60a and sections 46a-68c to 46a-68f, inclusive. The commission shall adopt regulations in accordance with chapter 54 to implement the provisions of this section.

      (d) If the commission determines through its complaint procedure and after a hearing held in accordance with chapter 54 that, with respect to a state contract, a contractor, subcontractor or supplier of materials has (1) fraudulently qualified as a minority business enterprise or (2) performed services or supplied materials on behalf of another contractor, subcontractor or supplier of materials knowing (A) that such other contractor, subcontractor or supplier has fraudulently qualified as a minority business enterprise in order to comply with antidiscrimination statutes or contract provisions required under section 4a-60 or 4a-60a, and (B) that such services or materials are to be used in connection with a contract entered into pursuant to subsection (b) of section 4a-60g it shall assess a civil penalty of not more than ten thousand dollars upon such contractor, subcontractor or supplier of materials. The Attorney General, upon complaint of the commission, shall institute a civil action in the superior court for the judicial district of Hartford to recover such penalty. Any penalties recovered shall be deposited in a special fund and shall be held by the Treasurer separate and apart from all other moneys, funds and accounts. The resources in such fund shall, pursuant to regulations adopted by the commission in accordance with the provisions of chapter 54, be used to assist minority business enterprises. As used in this section, "minority business enterprise" means any contractor, subcontractor or supplier of materials fifty-one per cent or more of the capital stock, if any, or assets of which is owned by a person or persons: (1) Who are active in the daily affairs of the enterprise; (2) who have the power to direct the management and policies of the enterprise; and (3) who are members of a minority, as such term is defined in subsection (a) of section 32-9n.

      (P.A. 80-422, S. 5; P.A. 83-569, S. 10, 17; P.A. 88-230, S. 1, 12; 88-303, S. 5; 88-351, S. 7, 16; 88-364, S. 94, 123; P.A. 89-253, S. 5, 7; P.A. 90-98, S. 1, 2; P.A. 91-58, S. 22; P.A. 93-142, S. 4, 7, 8; P.A. 95-220, S. 4-6.)

      History: P.A. 83-569 amended prior provisions to require the commission to monitor state contracts and added Subsec. (b) to prohibit contractors who fail to comply with antidiscrimination statutes from entering into state contracts; P.A. 88-230 replaced "judicial district of Hartford-New Britain" with "judicial district of Hartford", effective September 1, 1991; P.A. 88-303 added new subsection requiring the commission to assess a penalty against certain contractors, subcontractors or suppliers of materials; P.A. 88-351 amended duties of commission in Subsec. (a) to include (1) investigation of noncompliance with Sec. 4-114a, (2) compilation of data re state contracts with female and minority business enterprises and submission of annual report, inserted new Subsec. (b) re exemption of contractor from certain affirmative action requirements in certain contracts and added provisions in former Subsec. (b), now Subsec. (c), re retention of two per cent of contract price per month, prohibition from participation in further contracts and additional sanctions by commission for noncompliance; P.A. 88-364 amended Subsec. (c) by substituting "commission" for "commissioner" and deleting "subject to the recommendations and approval of the commission"; P.A. 89-253 changed reference to Sec. 4-114a to Sec. 4a-60 throughout section and in Subsec. (b) changed reference to Sec. 4-114c to Sec. 4a-62 and deleted provision re applicability of said sections in absence of exemption; P.A. 90-98 changed the effective date of P.A. 88-230 from September 1, 1991, to September 1, 1993; P.A. 91-58 added references to Sec. 4a-60a throughout section; P.A. 93-142 changed the effective date of P.A. 88-230 from September 1, 1993, to September 1, 1996, effective June 14, 1993; (Revisor's note: In 1995 the Revisors made an editorial correction at the end of Subsec. (b) substituting "32-9e" for "32-9c", thereby correcting a longstanding clerical error in the codification of P.A. 88-351, S. 7); P.A. 95-220 changed the effective date of P.A. 88-230 from September 1, 1996, to September 1, 1998, effective July 1, 1995.

      See Sec. 4a-60g re commission's duties re set-aside program for small contractors, minority business enterprises, individuals with disabilities and nonprofit corporations.