2019 Connecticut General Statutes
Title 28 - Civil Preparedness and Emergency Services
Chapter 518a - Emergency Telecommunications
Section 28-24 - Division of State-Wide Emergency Telecommunications. Enhanced emergency 9-1-1 program. Funding.

(a) There is established a Division of State-Wide Emergency Telecommunications which shall be within the Department of Emergency Services and Public Protection. The Division of State-Wide Emergency Telecommunications shall be responsible for developing and maintaining a state-wide emergency service telecommunications policy. In connection with said policy, the division shall:

(1) Develop a state-wide emergency service telecommunications plan specifying emergency police, fire and medical service telecommunications systems needed to provide coordinated emergency service telecommunications to all state residents, including the physically disabled;

(2) Develop and administer an enhanced emergency 9-1-1 program, which shall provide for: (A) The replacement of existing 9-1-1 terminal equipment for each public safety answering point; (B) the subsidization of regional public safety emergency telecommunications centers, with enhanced subsidization for municipalities with a population of forty thousand or more; (C) the establishment of a transition grant program to encourage regionalization of public safety answering points; (D) the establishment of a regional emergency telecommunications service credit in order to support regional dispatch services; and (E) the implementation of the next generation 9-1-1 telecommunication system;

(3) Provide technical telecommunications assistance to state and local police, fire and emergency medical service agencies;

(4) Provide frequency coordination for such agencies;

(5) Coordinate and assist in state-wide planning for 9-1-1, E 9-1-1 and the next generation 9-1-1 telecommunication systems;

(6) Review and make recommendations concerning proposed legislation affecting emergency service telecommunications;

(7) Review and make recommendations to the General Assembly concerning emergency service telecommunications funding; and

(8) On or before January first of each year, prepare the annual budget for the use of funds from the Enhanced 9-1-1 Telecommunications Fund and submit such budget to the Secretary of the Office of Policy and Management for the secretary's review and approval. On or before January fifteenth of each year, said secretary shall submit a report concerning the proposed use of such funds to the joint standing committees of the General Assembly having cognizance of matters relating to appropriations and the budgets of state agencies, finance, revenue and bonding, and public safety in accordance with the provisions of section 11-4a.

(b) The Commissioner of Emergency Services and Public Protection shall adopt regulations, in accordance with chapter 54, establishing eligibility standards for state financial assistance to local or regional police, fire and emergency medical service agencies providing emergency service telecommunications. Not later than April 1, 1997, the commissioner shall adopt regulations, in accordance with chapter 54, in order to carry out the provisions of subdivision (2) of subsection (a) of this section.

(c) Within a time period determined by the commissioner to ensure the availability of funds for the fiscal year beginning July 1, 1997, to the regional emergency telecommunications centers within the state, and not later than April first of each year thereafter, the commissioner shall determine the amount of funding needed for the development and administration of the enhanced emergency 9-1-1 program. The commissioner shall specify the expenses associated with (1) the purchase, installation and maintenance of new public safety answering point terminal equipment, (2) the implementation of the subsidy program, as described in subdivision (2) of subsection (a) of this section, (3) the implementation of the transition grant program, described in subdivision (2) of subsection (a) of this section, (4) the implementation of the regional emergency telecommunications service credit, as described in subdivision (2) of subsection (a) of this section, provided, for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2001, and each fiscal year thereafter, such credit for coordinated medical emergency direction services as provided in regulations adopted under this section shall be based upon the factor of thirty cents per capita and shall not be reduced each year, (5) the training of personnel, as necessary, (6) recurring expenses and future capital costs associated with the telecommunications network used to provide emergency 9-1-1 service and the public safety services data networks, (7) for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2001, and each fiscal year thereafter, the collection, maintenance and reporting of emergency medical services data, as required under subparagraph (A) of subdivision (8) of section 19a-177, provided the amount of expenses specified under this subdivision shall not exceed two hundred fifty thousand dollars in any fiscal year, (8) for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2001, and each fiscal year thereafter, the initial training of emergency medical dispatch personnel, the provision of an emergency medical dispatch priority reference card set and emergency medical dispatch training and continuing education pursuant to subdivisions (3) and (4) of subsection (g) of section 28-25b, (9) the administration of the enhanced emergency 9-1-1 program by the Division of State-Wide Emergency Telecommunications, as the commissioner determines to be reasonably necessary, and (10) the implementation and maintenance of the public safety data network established pursuant to section 29-1j. The commissioner shall communicate the commissioner's findings to the Public Utilities Regulatory Authority not later than April first of each year.

(d) The division may apply for, receive and distribute any federal funds available for emergency service telecommunications. The division shall deposit such federal funds in the Enhanced 9-1-1 Telecommunications Fund established pursuant to section 28-30a.

(e) The division shall work in cooperation with the Public Utilities Regulatory Authority to carry out the purposes of this section.

(P.A. 81-458, S. 1, 4; P.A. 82-87, S. 1, 2; May Sp. Sess. P.A. 92-12, S. 4, 10; P.A. 93-206, S. 5, 16; P.A. 96-150, S. 1, 5; P.A. 00-151, S. 6, 14; P.A. 05-181, S. 1; P.A. 06-196, S. 157; P.A. 11-51, S. 105, 164; 11-80, S. 1, 85; 11-242, S. 36; P.A. 12-68, S. 2; June 12 Sp. Sess. P.A. 12-1, S. 241; P.A. 16-150, S. 1.)

History: P.A. 82-87 amended Subsec. (a) by changing the office of state-wide emergency telecommunications to a bureau within the department of administrative services; May Sp. Sess. P.A. 92-12 amended Subsec. (a) to provide that bureau be within department of public safety in lieu of department of administrative services for administrative purposes only and to eliminate the position of administrator, redesignated Subsec. (a)(7) as Subsec. (b) and required public safety commissioner to adopt regulations in lieu of administrator, and relettered Subsecs. (b) and (c) as Subsecs. (c) and (d), respectively, substituting bureau for administrator; P.A. 93-206 amended section to substitute office of state-wide emergency telecommunications for bureau and amended Subsec. (a) to require said office to be in division of fire, emergency and building services, effective July 1, 1993; P.A. 96-150 added detailed provisions re implementing enhanced 9-1-1 program in new Subsecs. (a)(2) and (c), renumbering and relettering prior provisions as necessary and added provision in Subsec. (d) re deposit of federal funds in Enhanced 9-1-1 Telecommunications Fund, effective May 31, 1996; P.A. 00-151 amended Subsec. (c) by making technical changes and adding provisions re calculation of coordinated medical emergency direction services credit, funding for emergency medical services data collection and reporting, and funding for emergency medical dispatch, effective July 1, 2000; P.A. 05-181 amended Subsec. (a)(2)(B) to substitute 40,000 for 70,000, amended Subsec. (c)(4) to substitute $0.30 per capita for $0.15 per capita, and amended Subsec. (c)(6) to include reference to the public safety services data networks, effective July 1, 2005; P.A. 06-196 made a technical change in Subsec. (a)(5), effective June 7, 2006; P.A. 11-51 amended Subsec. (a) to delete references to the office being within Division of Fire, Emergency and Building Services within the Department of Public Safety and to place the office within Department of Emergency Services and Public Protection, and changed “Commissioner of Public Safety” to “Commissioner of Emergency Services and Public Protection” in Subsecs. (a)(2) and (b), effective July 1, 2011; P.A. 11-80 changed “chairperson of the Public Utilities Control Authority” to “Public Utilities Regulatory Authority” in Subsec. (c) and changed “Department of Public Utility Control” to “Public Utilities Regulatory Authority” in Subsec. (e), effective July 1, 2011; P.A. 11-242 eliminated reference to Sec. 19a-177(8)(B) in Subsec. (c)(7); P.A. 12-68 amended Subsec. (c) to add Subdiv. (10) re implementation and maintenance of public safety data network, effective July 1, 2012; June 12 Sp. Sess. P.A. 12-1 amended Subsec. (a) to add Subdiv. (8) re preparation of annual budget for use of funds from Enhanced 9-1-1 Telecommunications Fund and submission thereof to Secretary of the Office of Policy and Management and submission by secretary of report re proposed use of funds to legislative committees, effective July 1, 2012; P.A. 16-150 replaced “Office of State-Wide Emergency Telecommunications” with “Division of State-Wide Emergency Telecommunications”, amended Subsec. (a) to delete reference to recommendations of task force and add Subpara. (E) re implementation of next generation 9-1-1 telecommunication system in Subdiv. (2), and made technical and conforming changes.