(a) Whenever the General Assembly has empowered the State Bond Commission to authorize special tax obligation bonds of the state for specific transportation projects and uses and has found that such projects and uses are for any of the purposes set forth under subsection (b) of this section, and whenever the State Bond Commission finds that the authorization of such bonds will be in the best interests of the state, the State Bond Commission shall authorize the issuance of such bonds from time to time in one or more series and in principal amounts not exceeding the aggregate amount authorized therefor by the General Assembly.
(b) The purposes for which special tax obligation bonds may be issued pursuant to sections 13b-74 to 13b-77, inclusive, are as follows:
(1) Planning, acquisition, removal, construction, equipping, reconstruction, repair, rehabilitation and improvement of, and acquisition of easements and rights-of-way with respect to, state highways and bridges;
(2) Payment of the state's share of the costs of planning, acquisition, removal, construction, equipping, reconstruction, repair, rehabilitation and improvement of, and acquisition of easements and rights-of-way with respect to, (A) state highways, (B) projects on the interstate highway system, (C) alternate highway projects in the interstate highway substitution program, commonly referred to as the interstate trade-in program, (D) state bridges, (E) mass transportation and transit facilities, (F) aeronautic facilities, excluding Bradley International Airport, and (G) waterway projects;
(3) Payment of the state's share of the costs of planning, acquisition, removal, construction, equipping, reconstruction, repair, rehabilitation and improvement of, and acquisition of easements and rights-of-way with respect to, the local bridge program established under sections 13a-175p to 13a-175u, inclusive, and payment of state contributions to the Local Bridge Revolving Fund established under section 13a-175r;
(4) Planning, acquisition, removal, construction, equipping, reconstruction, repair, rehabilitation and improvement of, and acquisition of easements and rights-of-way with respect to, the highway safety program, including the rail-highway crossing, hazard elimination and other highway safety programs on the state highway system;
(5) Planning, acquisition, removal, construction, equipping, reconstruction, repair, rehabilitation and improvement of, and acquisition of easements and rights-of-way with respect to, the maintenance garages and administrative facilities of the Department of Transportation;
(6) Planning, acquisition, removal, construction, equipping, reconstruction, repair, rehabilitation and improvement of, and acquisition of easements and rights-of-way with respect to, projects and purposes included in section 13b-57h;
(7) Payment of funds made available to towns, as provided in sections 13a-175a to 13a-175e, inclusive, 13a-175i and 13a-175j, for the purposes set forth in sections 13a-175a, 13a-175d and 13a-175j; and
(8) Payment of funds to any municipality or local planning agency for transportation improvements pursuant to section 13a-98n.
(c) Upon authorization of bonds by the State Bond Commission pursuant to subsection (a) of this section, the principal amount of the bonds authorized therein for transportation costs with respect to such projects and uses shall be deemed to be an appropriation and allocation of such amount for such projects or uses, respectively, and, subject to approval by the Governor of allotment thereof and to any authorization for such projects or uses that may otherwise be required, contracts may be awarded and obligations incurred with respect to any such projects or uses in amounts not in the aggregate exceeding the principal amount authorized therefor, notwithstanding that such contracts and obligations may at a particular time exceed the amount of the proceeds from the sale of such bonds theretofore received by the state.
(P.A. 84-254, S. 4, 62; June 30 Sp. Sess. P.A. 03-4, S. 18; P.A. 04-143, S. 15; June Sp. Sess. P.A. 05-4, S. 48; June Sp. Sess. P.A. 09-3, S. 133; P.A. 13-239, S. 75; P.A. 18-178, S. 44; P.A. 19-117, S. 375.)
History: June 30 Sp. Sess. P.A. 03-4 added Subsec. (b)(6) re projects and purposes specified in Sec. 13b-57h as purpose for which special tax obligation bonds may be issued, effective August 20, 2003; P.A. 04-143 made a technical change in Subsec. (b)(6), effective May 21, 2004; June Sp. Sess. P.A. 05-4 amended Subsec. (b)(6) by deleting provision re Transportation Strategy Board projects approved for financing with special tax obligation bonds, effective July 1, 2005; June Sp. Sess. P.A. 09-3 amended Subsec. (b) by adding Subdiv. (7) re use of bond proceeds for town aid program, effective September 9, 2009; P.A. 13-239 amended Subsec. (b) by adding Subdiv. (8) re transportation improvements pursuant to Sec. 13a-98n, effective July 1, 2013 (Revisor's note: An internal reference in P.A. 13-239, S. 75, to “section 1 of this act” was determined by the Revisors to properly refer to section 74 of said act and was therefore codified in Subsec. (b)(8) as “section 13a-98n”); P.A. 18-178 amended Subsec. (a) by designating existing provisions re authorization of special tax obligation bonds for specific transportation projects as Subdiv. (1) and adding Subdiv. (2) re prohibition on issuance of special tax obligation bonds for transportation projects for fiscal years ending July 1, 2019 and July 1, 2020, effective July 1, 2018; P.A. 19-117 amended Subsec. (a) by deleting former Subdiv. (2) re aggregate issuance cap for fiscal years that end July 1, 2019, and July 1, 2020, and deleting former Subdiv. (1) designator, effective July 1, 2019.