HB 06629 Summary

• Requires the Secretary of the Office of Policy and Management to conduct an analysis of planning region boundaries by January 1, 2014, evaluating factors such as urbanized areas, transportation corridors, labor markets, and federal compliance requirements.

• Establishes a "regional planning incentive account" to provide funding to newly formed regional councils of governments, with per capita distributions ranging from $0.50 to $2.25 depending on population size for fiscal years 2014-2016.

• Mandates that all regional planning agencies and regional councils of elected officials be restructured into regional councils of governments by January 1, 2015, with at least 60% of municipalities in a region required to adopt the new structure.

• Consolidates regional governance by eliminating separate regional planning agencies and regional councils of elected officials, replacing them with unified regional councils of governments that can provide diverse services including planning, economic development, emergency management, and transportation.

• Repeals existing statutes governing separate regional planning agencies (Chapter 127) and replaces numerous statutory references throughout Connecticut law to reflect the new unified regional council structure effective January 1, 2015.