Governor Ned Lamont welcomed the Connecticut General Assembly’s Government Oversight Committee decision on Mar. 17 to approve legislation he introduced that aims to create new policies and procedures for legislatively directed funds, also known as earmarks.
The proposed legislation is intended to increase transparency and accountability in how earmarks are proposed, reviewed, and distributed. This comes after calls from Connecticut residents for clearer standards regarding the allocation of taxpayer dollars outside competitive or formula-based processes.
“Over the past year, Connecticut residents have rightly asked for greater transparency and accountability regarding earmarks, and this legislation increases these standards and establishes clear guidelines on their use,” Governor Lamont said. “When taxpayer dollars are set aside for specific entities outside of a competitive or formula-based process, the public deserves to know how and why those decisions are made, what standards apply, and what oversight mechanisms are in place. I applaud today’s vote by the Government Oversight Committee and I urge both chambers of the legislature to approve this bill so that I can sign it into law.”
Under the proposal, any approved earmark would require identification of the recipient organization, a description of how funds will be used, and clarification on whether funding may go to sub awardees. The Office of Policy and Management would be tasked with establishing uniform policies for state agencies managing these funds and publishing related reports online.
The measure is House Bill 5039: An Act Requiring Transparency and Additional Oversight of the Distribution of Certain Legislatively Directed Funds. The Government Oversight Committee approved it unanimously.
