March 23, 2004 |
2004-R-0335 | |
ENVIRONMENT BILLS REFERRED TO FINANCE, REVENUE AND BONDING | ||
By: Paul Frisman, Associate Analyst Joseph Holstead, Research Analyst | ||
You asked for a summary of bills referred by the Environment Committee to the Finance, Revenue and Bonding Committee.
SB 218—AN ACT CONCERNING CLEAN AND ALTERNATIVE FUEL VEHICLES
From July 1, 2004 until July 1, 2008, this bill authorizes a sales tax exemption for passenger cars that get at least 50 miles per gallon, according to the U. S. Environmental Protection Agency. A two-year sales tax exemption for such cars ended on July 1, 2002. It extends for four years (from July 1, 2004 to July 1, 2008) the sales tax exemption for (1) new motor vehicles exclusively powered by a clean alternative fuel; (2) conversion equipment incorporated into or used in converting motor vehicles powered by any other fuel to either (a) exclusive use of a clean alternative fuel or (b) dual use of any other fuel and a clean alternative fuel; and (3) equipment incorporated into or used in a compressed natural gas, hydrogen filling or electric recharging station for vehicles powered by a clean alternative fuel.
EFFECTIVE DATE: July 1, 2004
HB 5235—AN ACT CONCERNING THE DISPOSAL AND USE OF PUBLIC DRINKING WATER TREATMENT SOLIDS
Current law exempts from taxation municipal corporation land used to create or furnish a water supply if town inhabitants have the right to use the water supply, and do use it, on the same terms as the municipal corporation’s customers. This bill would also exempt, on a proportional basis, such land where only some of the town’s residents use the water supply on the same terms as the corporation’s inhabitants. The total tax liability for such land will be the tax liability of the land multiplied by a fraction, the numerator of which is the number of inhabitants who do not have the right to use such water supply, and the denominator is the total number of the town’s inhabitants.
EFFECTIVE DATE: October 1, 2004
HB 5608—AN ACT CONCERNING FUNDING TO MUNICIPALITIES FOR CLEAN WATER PROJECTS
This bill allows the Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) to continue providing grants to eligible water quality projects after July 1, 2006.
EFFECTIVE DATE: October 1, 2004
SB 591—AN ACT CONCERNING THE PROTECTION OF LONG ISLAND SOUND
This bill authorizes the Commissioner of Agriculture and Consumer Protection to assess any facility that crosses Long Island Sound and requires either Connecticut Siting Council or Federal Energy Regulatory Commission approval (electric transmission or telecommunication lines and gas pipelines) an annual fee of 30 cents per linear foot for the length of the facility within the state’s jurisdiction. Seventy-five percent of the proceeds must be used for restoration of shellfish bells and 25% by the commissioner in the execution of his duties.
EFFECTIVE DATE: July 1, 2004
SB 538—AAC THE PRESERVATION OF CERTAIN PUBLIC GOLF COURSES AS OPEN SPACE
The bill allows certain public golf course owners to have their public golf course land assessed for tax purposes (1) based on its value as undeveloped land without any improvements that are part of its recreational uses or its current use and (2) without regard to more intensive land use in the neighborhood where it is located. The bill defines “public golf course land” as any golf course (1) with at least 50 acres of land that is open for public golfing and (2) that derives at least 50% of its annual revenue from daily fees or group outings.
SB 5375—AAC THE RECYCLING OF ELECTRONIC DEVICES
The bill requires electronic retailers to pay to the Revenue Services Commissioner a $ 10 fee on all electronic devices, defined as those that contain cathode ray tubes, that they sell retail. The bill creates an account, the “electronic recycling account,” within the Environmental Quality Fund into which the fees are deposited.
On July 1 annually, the bill requires Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) Commissioner to allocate funds. The commissioner may allocate:
1. up to 84% of the account balance to reimburse entities running electronics recycling program for the cost of administering the program (those entities are municipalities, operating committees, authorities, or private entities contracted to carry out the program);
2. up to 8% for grants for municipalities, operating committees, or authorities to (a) enhance municipal electronics recycling programs and (b) to encourage program regionalization;
3. up to 3% for the development and implementation of a grant program for research and development of electronics with reduced or no toxic heavy metals; and
4. up to 5% for the administration of a municipal assistance for electronics recycling program that the bill creates.
The bill also (1) allows retailers, who must submit collected fees on a quarterly basis, to keep 2% of the quarterly take for administrative costs and (2) prohibits towns that receive program funds from charging for recycling the electronic devices.
HB 5612—AAC THE DEPOSIT OF TAXES RELATED TO THE SALE OF MOTOR BOAT FUEL
The bill requires all motor boat fuel tax income to be deposited into the Conservation Fund. Under current law:
1. $ 2 million of the tax income is credited to the Conservation Fund;
2. $ 150,000 is credited to the boating account;
3. $ 1 million is credited to the fisheries account (with $ 75,000 going to the University of Connecticut for the Long Island Sounds councils); and
4. the rest is credited to the Special Transportation Fund.
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