AN ACT CONCERNING COST SAVINGS THROUGH ADOPTION OF HIGH PERFORMANCE ENERGY EFFICIENT GREEN BUILDING STANDARDS.

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

Section 1. (NEW) (Effective October 1, 2005) (a) Notwithstanding any provision of the general statutes, any new construction of a facility that is projected to cost not less than one million dollars, for which not less than twenty-five per cent of the costs are financed with state funds, shall comply with the regulations adopted pursuant to subsection (b) of this section. The Secretary of the Office of Policy and Management, in consultation with the Commissioner of Public Works, may exempt any facility from complying with said regulations if said secretary and commissioner both find, in a written analysis, that the cost of such compliance significantly outweighs the benefits. For purposes of this section, "facility" means any building, including, but not limited to, a state-financed housing project or a building that is used or intended to be used as a school.

(b) Not later than January 1, 2006, the Secretary of the Office of Policy and Management, in consultation with the Commissioner of Public Works, the Commissioner of Environmental Protection and the Commissioner of Public Safety, shall adopt regulations, in accordance with the provisions of chapter 54 of the general statutes, that are consistent with or exceed the silver building rating of the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design's rating system for new commercial construction and major renovation projects, as established by the United States Green Building Council, or an equivalent standard, including, but not limited to, a two-globe rating in the Green Globes USA design program, and thereafter update such regulations as the secretary deems necessary.