Sec. 2-150. State Historical Commission.
Sec. 2-150. State Historical Commission. (a) There is established a State Historical Commission, which shall be an independent body within the Legislative Department for administrative purposes only. The commission shall examine and make recommendations to the legislative, executive and judicial branches on questions of memorialization and commemoration related to Connecticut and United States history.
(b) The commission shall consist of the following members: (1) One appointed by the speaker of the House of Representatives, who is a representative of CT Humanities; (2) one appointed by the majority leader of the House of Representatives, who is a representative of the Connecticut Library Association; (3) one appointed by the president pro tempore of the Senate, who is a representative of the Connecticut Democracy Center; (4) one appointed by the majority leader of the Senate, who is a representative of the Mashantucket Pequot Tribal Nation; (5) one appointed by the minority leader of the House of Representatives, who is a representative of the Connecticut Museum of Culture and History; (6) one appointed by the minority leader of the Senate, who is a representative of the Mohegan Tribe of Indians of Connecticut; (7) two appointed by the Governor, one of whom is a representative of the Freeman Center for History and Community, Inc.; (8) the Chief Court Administrator, or a designee; (9) the State Historian; (10) the State Librarian; and (11) the State Historic Preservation Officer. Any member of the commission appointed under subdivisions (1) to (6), inclusive, of this subsection may be a member of the General Assembly.
(c) All initial appointments to the commission shall be made not later than September 1, 2025. Appointed members of the commission shall serve for three-year terms which shall commence on the date of appointment. Members shall continue to serve until their successors are appointed.
(d) The speaker of the House of Representatives and the president pro tempore of the Senate shall select the chairperson of the commission from among the members of the commission. Such chairperson shall schedule the first meeting of the commission, which shall be held not later than September 15, 2025.
(e) The administrative staff of the joint standing committee of the General Assembly having cognizance of matters relating to government administration shall serve as administrative staff of the commission.
(f) Any vacancy shall be filled by the appointing authority. Any vacancy occurring other than by expiration of term shall be filled for the balance of the unexpired term.
(g) A majority of the commission shall constitute a quorum for the transaction of any business.
(h) The members of the commission shall serve without compensation, but shall, within the limits of available funds, be reimbursed for expenses necessarily incurred in the performance of their duties.
(i) The commission shall have the following powers and duties: To (1) issue reports and recommendations to all three branches of government concerning historical questions of memorialization and commemoration related to Connecticut and United States history, either upon the request of any executive, legislative or judicial department, board, commission or other agency of the state or upon its own initiative, including, but not limited to, developing the process required under subsection (j) of this section; (2) obtain from any executive, legislative or judicial department, board, commission or other agency of the state such assistance and data as necessary and available to carry out the purposes of this section; (3) accept any gift, donation or bequest for the purpose of performing the duties described in this section; and (4) perform such other acts as may be necessary and appropriate to carry out the duties described in this section.
(j) Not later than January 1, 2026, the commission shall (1) develop a process for identifying and commissioning additional statues to be added to the exterior of the State Capitol building that reflect the diversity, character and accomplishments of the state, and (2) submit a report detailing such process to the State Commission on Capitol Preservation and Restoration for implementation. Thereafter, the commission shall update such process as often as it deems necessary, and submit any revisions to the process to the State Commission on Capitol Preservation and Restoration.
(k) Not later than February 1, 2026, and annually thereafter, the commission shall submit a report, in accordance with the provisions of section 11-4a, to the Governor and the joint standing committee of the General Assembly having cognizance of matters relating to government administration. Such report shall include, but need not be limited to, a summary of the activities of the commission during the prior year and any policy changes and amendments to the general statutes necessary to implement the recommendations of the commission.
(P.A. 25-174, S. 208.)
History: P.A. 25-174 effective July 1, 2025.
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