(a) As used in this section:
(1) “State employee” means any employee in the executive, legislative or judicial branch of state government, including employees in the classified and unclassified service and full-time and part-time employees;
(2) “State agency” means any office, department, board, council, commission, institution, constituent unit of the state system of higher education, technical education and career school or other agency in the executive, legislative or judicial branch of state government;
(3) “Gross waste of funds” means more than a merely debatable expenditure that is significantly out of proportion to the benefit reasonably expected to accrue to the government and includes, but is not limited to, gross mismanagement; and
(4) “Gross mismanagement” means a management action or inaction which creates a substantial risk of significant adverse impact upon the agency's ability to accomplish its mission, and excludes de minimis wrongdoing or negligence.
(b) There is established a program to award state employees who make a suggestion (1) concerning a practice that is an alleged gross waste of funds in the state agency where such employee is employed to the state agency suggestion coordinator, (2) that is subsequently implemented by the agency, and (3) that results in cost savings to the agency. Not later than November 1, 2019, each state agency shall designate an existing employee within the agency to serve as the state agency suggestion coordinator, who shall not be eligible to participate in the program established under this section. Any state employee other than a state agency suggestion coordinator or agency or department head may make a written suggestion to the agency's state agency suggestion coordinator concerning an alleged gross waste of funds. The state agency suggestion coordinator shall review any suggestion received to determine whether the suggestion is eligible for consideration under this section and shall submit any eligible suggestions to the executive head of the state agency, or a designee, for consideration.
(c) If the agency implements the employee's suggestion, not later than a calendar year after such implementation, the agency shall determine the cost savings attributable to such implementation and submit its calculations to the Auditors of Public Accounts for verification. Once verified by the Auditors of Public Accounts, the agency shall make a lump-sum payment to the employee using the funds of the division or department within the agency that benefited from the cost savings. Such award shall be equivalent to five per cent of the state agency's estimated cost savings for the first calendar year after implementing the employee's suggestion and remedying the reported wasteful practice, provided such award shall not exceed ten thousand dollars. Any award under this section shall not be added to the employee's base salary for purposes of calculating the employee's retirement income but shall be subject to the tax imposed by chapter 229.
(d) If an employee retires or leaves state service after making a suggestion under this section that is subsequently implemented, the executive head of a state agency shall make a lump sum award to such former employee. If the employee is deceased, the award shall be made to such deceased employee's estate.
(e) If a suggestion is submitted jointly by more than one employee, the award shall be shared equally among the employees. If the same suggestion is submitted separately by two or more employees, the first suggestion received shall be eligible for the full amount of the award.
(f) Any suggestion that involves the following shall not be eligible for an award under this section: (1) Deferred maintenance or replacement of essential equipment and supplies; (2) individual employee compensation or position classification; (3) personal grievances or complaints; (4) suggestions that require a change to or that conflict with, federal or state law; (5) suggestions already submitted by another employee; (6) matters resulting from an agency audit, study, survey, review or research; (7) suggestions that involve correcting a condition that exists because established procedures are not being followed; (8) suggestions that constitute opinions only, and which cannot be supported by demonstrating a better idea, and the need for same; (9) suggestions concerning any matter subject to collective bargaining; (10) suggestions circumventing competitive procurement procedures provided by state law or policy; (11) suggestions which recommend or require formal studies, surveys, investigation or similar research activity to establish the benefits of a suggestion referred to; (12) suggestions which are hypothetical, vague, based on inconclusive justification or deal with generalities; (13) suggestions concerning the structure of lottery games conducted by the Connecticut Lottery Corporation, including, but not limited to, game design, prize patterns, draw dates and draw frequency; (14) any suggestion made by the agency suggestion coordinator or agency or department head; (15) suggestions concerning a practice that is an alleged gross waste of funds that the suggesting employee participated in committing; and (16) any suggestion resulting in less than ten thousand dollars in estimated savings to the agency.
(g) Any suggestion made under this section shall be a public record, as defined in section 1-200.
(P.A. 19-10, S. 1.)