(a) There shall be established a Freedom of Information Commission consisting of nine members. (1) Five of such members shall be appointed by the Governor, with the advice and consent of either house of the General Assembly. Such members shall serve for terms of four years from July first of the year of their appointment, except that of the members appointed prior to and serving on July 1, 1977, one shall serve for a period of six years from July 1, 1975, one shall serve for a period of four years from July 1, 1975, and one shall serve for a period of six years from July 1, 1977. Of the two new members first appointed by the Governor after July 1, 1977, one shall serve from the date of such appointment until June 30, 1980, and one shall serve from the date of such appointment until June 30, 1982. (2) On and after July 1, 2011, four members of the commission shall be appointed as follows: One by the president pro tempore of the Senate, one by the minority leader of the Senate, one by the speaker of the House of Representatives and one by the minority leader of the House of Representatives. Such members shall serve for terms of two years from July first of the year of their appointment. (3) No more than five members of the commission shall be members of the same political party. Any vacancy in the membership of the commission shall be filled by the appointing authority for the unexpired portion of the term.
(b) Each member shall receive two hundred dollars per day for each day such member is present at a commission hearing or meeting, and shall be entitled to reimbursement for actual and necessary expenses incurred in connection therewith, in accordance with the provisions of section 4-1.
(c) The Governor shall select one of its members as a chairman. The commission shall maintain a permanent office at Hartford in such suitable space as the Commissioner of Administrative Services provides. All papers required to be filed with the commission shall be delivered to such office.
(d) The commission shall, subject to the provisions of the Freedom of Information Act promptly review the alleged violation of said Freedom of Information Act and issue an order pertaining to the same. Said commission shall have the power to investigate all alleged violations of said Freedom of Information Act and may for the purpose of investigating any violation hold a hearing, administer oaths, examine witnesses, receive oral and documentary evidence, have the power to subpoena witnesses under procedural rules adopted by the commission to compel attendance and to require the production for examination of any books and papers which the commission deems relevant in any matter under investigation or in question. In case of a refusal to comply with any such subpoena or to testify with respect to any matter upon which that person may be lawfully interrogated, the superior court for the judicial district of New Britain, on application of the commission, may issue an order requiring such person to comply with such subpoena and to testify; failure to obey any such order of the court may be punished by the court as a contempt thereof.
(e) The Freedom of Information Commission shall conduct training sessions, at least annually, for members of public agencies for the purpose of educating such members as to the requirements of sections 1-7 to 1-14, inclusive, 1-16 to 1-18, inclusive, 1-200 to 1-202, inclusive, 1-205, 1-206, 1-210 to 1-217, inclusive, 1-225 to 1-232, inclusive, 1-240, 1-241 and 19a-342.
(f) Not later than December 31, 2001, the Freedom of Information Commission shall create, publish and provide to the chief elected official of each municipality a model ordinance concerning the establishment by any municipality of a municipal freedom of information advisory board to facilitate the informed and efficient exchange of information between the commission and such municipality. The commission may amend the model ordinance from time to time.
(g) When the General Assembly is in session, the Governor shall have the authority to fill any vacancy on the commission, with the advice and consent of either house of the General Assembly. When the General Assembly is not in session any vacancy shall be filled pursuant to the provisions of section 4-19. A vacancy in the commission shall not impair the right of the remaining members to exercise all the powers of the commission and three members of the commission shall constitute a quorum.
(h) The commission shall, subject to the provisions of chapter 67, employ such employees as may be necessary to carry out the provisions of this chapter. The commission may enter into such contractual agreements as may be necessary for the discharge of its duties, within the limits of its appropriated funds and in accordance with established procedures.
(i) The Freedom of Information Commission shall not be construed to be a commission or board within the meaning of section 4-9a.
(P.A. 75-342, S. 15, 19; P.A. 77-609, S. 7, 8; 77-614, S. 73, 610; P.A. 78-280, S. 8, 127; 78-315, S. 3, 4; P.A. 79-560, S. 1, 39; 79-575, S. 1, 4; P.A. 86-390, S. 1, 2, 4; P.A. 87-496, S. 5, 110; P.A. 88-230, S. 1, 12; P.A. 89-251, S. 57, 203; P.A. 90-98, S. 1, 2; P.A. 91-347, S. 3, 5; P.A. 93-142, S. 4, 7, 8; P.A. 95-220, S. 4-6; P.A. 97-47, S. 13; June 18 Sp. Sess. P.A. 97-9, S. 27, 50; P.A. 00-136, S. 8, 10; P.A. 06-187, S. 69; P.A. 07-202, S. 13; P.A. 11-48, S. 62; 11-51, S. 44, 76; P.A. 15-73, S. 4; May Sp. Sess. P.A. 16-3, S. 71; P.A. 19-64, S. 22.)
History: P.A. 77-609 increased the number of commission members to five, changed the terms of members to four years, provided that not more than three members belong to the same political party and added Subsecs. (e) and (f); P.A. 77-614 changed “public works commissioner” to “commissioner of administrative services”; P.A. 78-280 changed “court of common pleas for the county of Hartford” to “superior court for the judicial district of Hartford-New Britain”; P.A. 78-315 added Subsec. (i); P.A. 79-560 changed “fiscal and budgetary” purposes to “administrative” purposes; P.A. 79-575 changed per diem to $50, allowed for reimbursement for expenses and added Subsecs. (g) and (h); P.A. 86-390 deleted provision in Subsec. (a) placing commission within the office of the secretary of the state for administrative purposes only and deleted provision in Subsec. (c) requiring secretary of the state to provide secretarial assistance to the commission; P.A. 87-496 substituted public works commissioner for administrative services commissioner in Subsec. (c); P.A. 88-230 replaced “judicial district of Hartford-New Britain” with “judicial district of Hartford”, effective September 1, 1991; P.A. 89-251 set the fee for documents at not less than $28 per item; P.A. 90-98 changed the effective date of P.A. 88-230 from September 1, 1991, to September 1, 1993; P.A. 91-347 inserted “and the office of information and technology with respect to access to and disclosure of computer-stored public records” in Subsec. (e), effective July 1, 1992; P.A. 93-142 changed the effective date of P.A. 88-230 from September 1, 1993, to September 1, 1996, effective June 14, 1993; P.A. 95-220 changed the effective date of P.A. 88-230 from September 1, 1996, to September 1, 1998, effective July 1, 1995; P.A. 97-47 amended Subsec. (d) by substituting “the Freedom of Information Act” for list of sections; June 18 Sp. Sess. P.A. 97-9 amended Subsec. (e) by substituting “Department of Information Technology” for “Office of Information and Technology”, effective July 1, 1997; Sec. 1-21j transferred to Sec. 1-205 in 1999; P.A. 00-136 inserted new Subsec. (f) re a model ordinance for a municipal freedom of information advisory board, and redesignated former Subsecs. (f) to (i), inclusive, as (g) to (j), respectively, effective July 1, 2000; P.A. 06-187 amended Subsec. (b) to change rate of compensation for members from $50 to $200 per day for attendance at commission meetings or hearings, effective May 26, 2006; P.A. 07-202 deleted former Subsec. (i) which had required commission to make printed reports of its decisions available to the public and redesignated existing Subsec. (j) as Subsec. (i), effective July 10, 2007; P.A. 11-48 amended Subsec. (a) by adding language re Office of Governmental Accountability, by changing number of members from 5 to 9 and designating language re commission prior to July 1, 2011, as Subdiv. (1), by adding Subdiv. (2) re legislative appointments, by designating prohibition re members of same party as Subdiv. (3), by adding language re vacancies and by making technical changes, effective July 1, 2011; pursuant to P.A. 11-51, “Department of Information Technology” and “Commissioner of Public Works” were changed editorially by the Revisors to “Department of Administrative Services” and “Commissioner of Administrative Services”, respectively, effective July 1, 2011; P.A. 15-73 amended Subsec. (e) to delete “, and the Department of Administrative Services with respect to access to and disclosure of computer-stored public records,”, effective July 1, 2015; May Sp. Sess. P.A. 16-3 amended Subsec. (a) by deleting reference to commission being within Office of Governmental Accountability, effective July 1, 2015; P.A. 19-64 amended Subsec. (d) by replacing “judicial district of Hartford” with “judicial district of New Britain”.