AN ACT CONCERNING GOVERNMENT ADMINISTRATION AND THE DESIGNATION OF CERTAIN DAYS AND MONTHS BY THE GOVERNOR.

AN ACT CONCERNING GOVERNMENT ADMINISTRATION AND THE DESIGNATION OF CERTAIN DAYS AND MONTHS BY THE GOVERNOR.

This bill (1) authorizes the state librarian to establish the Real Property Electronic Recording Advisory Committee prior to October 1, 2009, rather than on or after this date; (2) repeals the requirement for state agencies to include a cost-benefit analysis of volunteer services in their annual report to the governor; (3) designates several days, one week, and one month to heighten public awareness of various issues; and (4) requires that national and Connecticut state flags purchased after July 1, 2009 and displayed on state-owned or –leased public buildings be manufactured in the United States.

*House Amendment “A” (1) adds the designations of Self Injury Awareness Day, Mitochondrial Disease Awareness Week, Thomas Paine Day, and Canada Appreciation Day; (2) combines Honor Our Heroes Day in the original file with the current Remembrance Day; (3) adds the flag provision; and (4) makes technical changes to the designations in the original file.

EFFECTIVE DATE: Upon passage, except that the flag provision is effective July 1, 2009.

Effective October 1, 2009, PA 08-56 § 5 requires the state librarian to (1) establish a Real Property Electronic Recording Advisory Committee and (2) adopt regulations to implement the Uniform Real Property Electronic Recording Act created by the act, in consultation with the committee and the public records administrator.

The bill makes PA 08-56 § 5 effective upon signing by the governor (May 12, 2008), rather than October 1, 2009, thus authorizing the state librarian to establish the committee and regulations prior to the time they must implement the Uniform Real Property Electronic Recording Act.

1. September as Arnold-Chiari Malformation Awareness Month to heighten public awareness of its symptoms and treatments;

2. August 23^rd of each year as Missing Persons Day to raise awareness of the plight of families of state citizens who have been reported as missing;

3. May 12^th of each year as Fibromyalgia Awareness Day to heighten public awareness about its symptoms and treatments;

4. September 13^th of each year as Fragile X Awareness Day to heighten public awareness of its symptoms and treatments;

5. March 1^st of each year as Self Injury Awareness Day to increase awareness of the issues surrounding self injury;

6. the third week in September of each year as Mitochondrial Disease Awareness Week to raise awareness of the disease;

7. January 29^th of each year as Thomas Paine Day to honor the author and theorist for his role in the cause of American independence; and

8. July 1^st of each year as Canada Appreciation Day to honor the close geographic, cultural, and economic ties between the United States and Canada.

Under the bill, suitable exercises must be held in the state capitol, and elsewhere as the governor designates, to observe Arnold-Chiari Malformation Awareness Month, and Mitochondrial Disease Awareness Week, and each public awareness day.

The bill also adds the designation “Honor Our Heroes” to Remembrance Day that, by law, is observed on September 11^th each year in memory of those who lost their lives or were injured in the September 11, 2001 attacks and to honor the service, sacrifice, and contributions of the responders.

The bill requires that national and Connecticut state flags purchased after July 1, 2009 and (1) displayed on or in state-owned or –leased public buildings, on the walls of polling places during election hours, or outside of courthouses, the State Armory, State Office Building, state police building, and the State Library in Hartford or (2) provided by the veterans' affairs commissioner for use on the graves of legislators or statewide officers be manufactured in the United States.

Arnold-Chiari malformations are structural defects in the cerebellum, the part of the brain that controls balance. Symptoms include dizziness, muscle weakness, numbness, vision problems, headache, and problems with balance and coordination. The most serious of the three primary forms, Type III, causes severe neurological defects, according to the National Institutes of Health's National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke.

Fragile X is a family of genetic conditions that can impact individuals and families in various ways. Fragile X is the most common cause of inherited mental impairment. The impairment can range from learning disabilities to more severe cognitive or intellectual disabilities, according to the National Fragile X Foundation.

Mitochondrial disease is a chronic, genetic, neuromuscular disorder with symptoms like muscle weakness, deafness and blindness, neurological problems, and developmental delays.

sHB 5949 (File 937) includes a similar requirement regarding the manufacture of U. S. and state flags. The House passed the bill on May 14. It is now on the Senate calendar.