Connecticut lawmakers are moving toward fully funding and staffing the State Contracting Standards Board, but won’t give the board the authority to review the contracts of every quasi-public state agency this year. The bill requires the board to hire five, full-time staff by September, and lawmakers will vote on a budget adjustment that includes $467,055 to fund those employees. The board would be required to maintain five, full-time staff, and the governor would not be allowed to cut its funding. An earlier version of the bill would also extend the board’s oversight to include the state’s quasi-public agencies. Currently, the board only has jurisdiction to review one quasi-public, the Connecticut Port Authority – a power lawmakers granted the board last year. But the state’s quasi-public agencies strongly opposed that expansion, and several raised their objections to lawmakers.
Legislators Move to Approve Limited, but Durable Oversight by the State Contracting Standards Board