"AN ACT CONCERNING LOBSTERS. "

Strike everything after the enacting clause and substitute the following in lieu thereof:

"Section 1. (NEW) (Effective from passage) (a) There is established a Lobster Restoration Advisory Committee to advise the Commissioner of Environmental Protection on matters including, but not limited to, a lobster v-notch conservation program to enhance recovery and rebuilding of lobster stock in Long Island Sound.

(b) The committee shall be comprised of the following eleven members: (1) The Commissioner of Environmental Protection, or the commissioner's designee, (2) the Commissioner of Agriculture, or the commissioner's designee, (3) the state's administrative commissioner to the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission, (4) the state's legislative commissioner to the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission, (5) the state's commissioner who has been appointed by the Governor to the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries, (6) a representative of the Southern New England Fishermen's Association, (7) a representative of the Connecticut Commercial Lobstermen's Association, (8) a representative of the Long Island Western End Lobstermen's Association, (9) a representative of the state vocational aquaculture school known as the Sound School in New Haven, (10) a representative of a state vocational aquaculture school in Bridgeport, and (11) a representative of the Connecticut Seafood Council.

(b) The committee shall be appointed jointly by the Commissioners of Environmental Protection and Agriculture, after receiving appointment nominations from each group listed in subsection (b) of this section, not more than thirty days after the effective date of this section. The committee shall elect its own chairman and such other officers and adopt such rules of procedure as it may deem appropriate. Members of said committee shall receive no compensation for their services but shall be reimbursed for necessary expenses in the performance of their duties.

Sec. 2. (NEW) (Effective from passage) If the Lobster Management Board of the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission approves a lobster v-notch restoration program having equivalent conservation value to the approved or future requirements of the Commission's Lobster Management Plan for Lobster Management Area 6 on or before November 1, 2006, then the entire appropriation made pursuant to section 6 of this act shall be made for the implementation of such program. If said Lobster Management Board does not approve such lobster restoration program on or before November 1, 2006, then six hundred thousand dollars of the appropriation made in section 6 of this act shall be used to implement the provisions of section 3 of this act and four hundred thousand dollars of the appropriation made in section 6 of this act shall be used to implement the provisions of section 5 of this act.

Sec. 3. (NEW) (Effective from passage) The Commissioner of Environment Protection shall establish a lobster trap allocation buy-back program to permanently retire lobster traps from the lobster fishery.

Sec. 4. Section 26-157c of the general statutes is repealed and the following is substituted in lieu thereof (Effective from passage):

(a) The Commissioner of Environmental Protection shall adopt regulations, in accordance with the provisions of chapter 54, governing the taking of lobsters in the waters of this state and the possession of lobsters in the state regardless of where taken for the purpose of conserving and managing the populations of American lobster.

(b) Not later than April 1, 2007, the commissioner shall adopt regulations, in accordance with the provisions of chapter 54, to implement the lobster trap allocation buy-back program established pursuant to section 3 of this act. Said regulations shall include, but not be limited to, provisions for a payment of fifteen dollars for each allocated lobster trap permanently retired from the lobster fishery. Said regulations shall be limited to the buy-back of lobster trap allocations of resident commercial lobster fishermen holding lobster trap allocations issued by the commissioner and who have reported lobster landings between January 1, 1999, and December 31, 2005, as determined by the commissioner, based on reports submitted pursuant to section 26-157b, or who have received license transfers with trap allocations, and shall not require the buy-back of lobster traps. For purposes of this subsection, "lobster trap" means lobster pot.

Sec. 5. (NEW) (Effective from passage) (a) The Commissioner of Environmental Protection shall establish an economic assistance program for resident commercial lobster fishermen.

(b) Not later than April 1, 2007, the Commissioner of Environmental Protection shall adopt regulations, in accordance with the provisions of chapter 54 of the general statutes, to implement the economic assistance program established in subsection (a) of this section for any resident commercial lobster fisherman who held a Connecticut license to take lobsters in 2006 and who held a lobster trap allocation issued by the commissioner, or who has received a license transfer with a trap allocation, and who, not later than January 24, 2006, reported the landing of lobsters between January 1, 2004, and December 31, 2005, as determined by the commissioner, based on reports submitted pursuant to section 26-157b of the general statutes. The regulations shall include, but not be limited to, provisions for direct payment to such lobsterman based on the contribution such lobsterman's lobster catch made to the total qualifying catch of all qualifying lobster fishermen from Long Island Sound with any gear between January 1, 2004, and December 31, 2005, provided, in cases in which more than one fisherman has reported on the same catch report form, catches are attributed and payments made to the lead license holder indicated on the form.

Sec. 6. (Effective July 1, 2006) The sum of one million dollars is appropriated to the Department of Environmental Protection, from the General Fund, for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2007, to implement the provisions of sections 1 to 3, inclusive, of this act, section 26-157c of the general statutes, as amended by this act, and section 5 of this act. "