§ 16-41 — Imposition of civil penalties by authority.

Connecticut § 16-41

• Jurisdiction: Connecticut
• Title 16: Public Service Companies
• Ch. 277: Department of Energy and Environmental Protection. Public Utilities Regulatory Authority. Office of Consumer Counsel. Miscellaneous Provisions

Text

(a) Each (1) public service company and its officers, agents and employees, (2) electric supplier or person providing electric generation services without a license in violation of section 16-245, and its officers, agents and employees, (3) certified telecommunications provider or person providing telecommunications services without authorization pursuant to sections 16-247f to 16-247h, inclusive, and its officers, agents and employees, (4) person, public agency or public utility, as such terms are defined in section 16-345, subject to the requirements of chapter 293, (5) person subject to the registration requirements under section 16-258a, (6) cellular mobile telephone carrier, as described in section 16-250b, (7) Connecticut electric efficiency partner, as defined in section 16-243v, (8) company, as defined in section 16-49, (9) entity approved to submeter pursuant to section 16-19ff, and (10) person involved in the transportation of gas, as such terms are defined in section 16-280a, shall obey, observe and comply with all applicable provisions of this title and each applicable order made or applicable regulations adopted by the Public Utilities Regulatory Authority by virtue of this title as long as the same remains in force. Any such company, electric supplier, certified telecommunications provider, cellular mobile telephone carrier, Connecticut electric efficiency partner, entity approved to submeter, person, any officer, agent or employee thereof, public agency or public utility which the authority finds has failed to obey or comply with any such provision of this title, order or regulation shall be fined, ordered to pay restitution to customers or ordered to pay a combination of a fine and restitution by order of the authority in accordance with the penalty prescribed for the violated provision of this title or, if no penalty is prescribed, not more than ten thousand dollars for each offense, except that the penalty shall be a fine, restitution to customers or a combination of a fine and restitution of not more than forty thousand dollars for failure to comply with an order of the authority made in accordance with the provisions of section 16-19 or 16-247k or within thirty days of such order or within any specific time period for compliance specified in such order. The authority may direct a portion of any fine levied pursuant to this section to be paid to a nonprofit agency engaged in energy assistance programs named by the authority in its decision or notice of violation and may direct a portion of any fine levied pursuant to this section against a person involved in the transportation of gas, as such terms are defined in section 16-280a, to support the study, installation and deployment of residential methane detectors by one or more public service companies, as determined by the authority. Any such nonprofit agency that receives a portion of a fine pursuant to this subsection shall administer such funds as directed by the authority and submit an annual report to the authority, at the end of each fiscal year and in a form determined by the authority, that details the expenditure of such funding. No such nonprofit agency shall use more than ten per cent of such funding for administrative purposes. Notwithstanding any provision of this subsection, for the fiscal years ending June 30, 2023, and June 30, 2024, the authority shall direct not less than ninety-five per cent of any fine levied pursuant to this section to nonprofit agencies engaged in energy assistance programs. Each distinct violation of any such provision of this title, order or regulation shall be a separate offense and, in case of a continued violation, each day thereof shall be deemed a separate offense. Each such penalty and any interest charged pursuant to subsection (g) or (h) of section 16-49 shall be excluded from operating expenses for purposes of rate-making. (b) Any regional water authority, any regional water district, any municipal gas or electric plant established under chapter 101, any municipal waterworks system established under chapter 102, or any other municipality or department thereof owning, leasing, operating or managing a plant for the supplying or furnishing of any public utility, which the Public Utilities Regulatory Authority finds has failed to comply with the procedures of section 16-29 , shall be subject to a civil penalty of not more than five thousand dollars for any annual report which is not submitted or submitted late in violation of said section. (c) If the authority has reason to believe that a violation has occurred for which a civil penalty is authorized by subsection (a) or (b) of this section, it shall notify the alleged violator by certified mail, return receipt requested, or by personal service. The notice shall include: (1) A reference to the sections of the title, regulation or order involved; (2) A short and plain statement of the matter asserted or charged; (3) A statement of the prescribed civil penalty for the violation; and (4) A statement of the person's right to a hearing. (d) The person to whom the notice is addressed shall have twenty days from the date of receipt of the notice in which to deliver to the authority a written application for a hearing. If a hearing is requested, then, after a hearing and upon a finding that a violation has occurred, the authority may issue a final order assessing a civil penalty under this section which shall not be greater than the maximum penalty permitted by law. If a hearing is not requested, or if such a request is later withdrawn, then the notice shall, on the first day after the expiration of the twenty-day period or on the first day after the withdrawal of the request for hearing, whichever is later, become a final order of the authority and the matters asserted or charged in the notice shall be deemed admitted, unless the notice is modified by a consent order before it becomes a final order. A consent order shall be deemed a final order. (e) All hearings under this section shall be conducted under sections 4-176e to 4-184 , inclusive. The final order of the authority assessing a civil penalty shall be subject to appeal under section 4-183 . No challenge to any final order of the authority assessing a civil penalty shall be allowed as to any issue which could have been raised by an appeal of an earlier order of the authority. Any civil penalty authorized by this section shall become due and payable (1) at the time of receipt of a final order in the case of a civil penalty assessed in such order after a hearing, (2) on the first day after the expiration of the period in which a hearing may be requested if no hearing is requested, or (3) on the first day after the withdrawal of a request for hearing. (f) A civil penalty assessed in a final order of the authority under this section may be enforced in the same manner as a judgment of the Superior Court. The final order shall be delivered to the respondent by personal service or by certified mail, return receipt requested. After entry of such final order, the authority may file a transcript without the payment of costs, in the office of the clerk of the superior court in the judicial district in which the respondent resides, has a place of business, owns real property, or in which any real property which is the subject of the proceedings is located or, if the respondent is not a resident of the state of Connecticut, in the judicial district of Hartford. Upon the filing, the clerk shall docket the order in the same manner and with the same effect as a judgment entered in the superior court within the judicial district. Upon the docketing, the order may be enforced as a judgment of the court.

Legislative History

(1949 Rev., S. 5431; P.A. 75-486, S. 16, 69; P.A. 77-614, S. 162, 610; P.A. 80-482, S. 73, 348; P.A. 81-297, S. 1; Nov. Sp. Sess. P.A. 81-8, S. 2, 4; P.A. 85-552, S. 2, 8; P.A. 87-71, S. 1, 13; P.A. 88-230, S. 1, 12; 88-317, S. 63, 107; P.A. 90-98, S. 1, 2; 90-221, S. 7, 15; P.A. 93-142, S. 4, 7, 8; May 25 Sp. Sess. P.A. 94-1, S. 19, 130; P.A. 95-220, S. 4–6; P.A. 98-28, S. 35, 117; P.A. 99-105, S. 1, 4; 99-222, S. 13, 19; P.A. 00-91, S. 2; P.A. 05-241, S. 3; P.A. 06-196, S. 200; P.A. 07-242, S. 96; P.A. 11-80, S. 1; P.A. 13-298, S. 37; Sept. Sp. Sess. P.A. 20-5, S. 13; P.A. 22-20, S. 6; Nov. Sp. Sess. P.A. 22-1, S. 7; P.A. 23-102, S. 27.) History: P.A. 75-486 replaced public utilities commission with public utilities control authority, added exception to allow $20,000 maximum fine for failure to comply within time limit with orders under Sec. 16-19 and excluded penalties and interest from consideration as operating expenses; P.A. 77-614 replaced the authority with division of public utility control within the department of business regulation, effective January 1, 1979; P.A. 80-482 made division of public utility control an independent department and deleted reference to abolished department of business regulation; P.A. 81-297 added Subsecs. (b) to (e) authorizing department to impose civil penalties and setting forth procedure for such penalties; Nov. Sp. Sess. P.A. 81-8 changed reference in Subsec. (a) from Subsec. (b) to Subsec. (g) of Sec. 16-49 to conform to amendment of said section in the same act; P.A. 85-552 made technical change in Subsec. (a), substituting reference to Sec. 16-49(f) for reference to Sec. 16-49(g); P.A. 87-71 amended Subsec. (a) to include persons, public agencies and public utilities subject to the requirements of chapter 293; P.A. 88-230 replaced “judicial district of Hartford-New Britain” with “judicial district of Hartford”, effective September 1, 1991; P.A. 88-317 amended reference to Secs. 4-177 to 4-184 in Subsec. (d) to include new sections added to Ch. 54, effective July 1, 1989, and applicable to all agency proceedings commencing on or after that date; P.A. 90-98 changed the effective date of P.A. 88-230 from September 1, 1991, to September 1, 1993; P.A. 90-221 inserted new Subsec. (b) establishing a penalty for regional water authorities or districts or municipalities which fail to file reports to the department and renumbered the remaining Subsecs; P.A. 93-142 changed the effective date of P.A. 88-230 from September 1, 1993, to September 1, 1996, effective June 14, 1993; May 25 Sp. Sess. P.A. 94-1 made technical change, effective July 1, 1994; P.A. 95-220 changed the effective date of P.A. 88-230 from September 1, 1996, to September 1, 1998, effective July 1, 1995; P.A. 98-28 amended Subsec. (a) by adding electric suppliers, persons providing electric generation services without a license and their officers, agents and employees, effective July 1, 1998; P.A. 99-105 amended Subsec. (a) to apply provisions to companies, as defined in Sec. 16-49, to add reference to Sec. 16-49(h) and to make technical changes, effective July 1, 1999; P.A. 99-222 amended Subsec. (a) by adding reference to certified telecommunications provider or person providing telecommunications services without authorization and its officers, agents and employees, by changing to $10,000 the maximum penalty for violating a provision of title 16 if no other penalty is prescribed, by changing to $40,000 the maximum penalty for failure to comply with order made in accordance with Sec. 16-19, by adding reference to Sec. 16-247k and by making technical changes, effective June 29, 1999 (Revisor's note: In codifying and merging the provisions of P.A. 99-105 and P.A. 99-222 the Revisors inserted “(3)” before and a comma after new language re certified telecommunications providers, deleted the word “each” from before the word “certified” and inserted the word “and” before the words “its officers, agents and employees”); P.A. 00-91 added new Subsec. (a)(5) re persons subject to registration requirements under Sec. 16-258a, redesignating former Subdiv. (5) as Subdiv. (6); P.A. 05-241 added new Subsec. (a)(6) re cellular mobile telephone carriers, redesignating existing Subdiv. (6) as Subdiv. (7) and adding reference to cellular mobile telephone carrier therein, effective July 8, 2005; P.A. 06-196 made technical changes in Subsec. (a), effective June 7, 2006; P.A. 07-242 amended Subsec. (a) to add provisions re Connecticut electric efficiency partners, effective July 1, 2007; pursuant to P.A. 11-80, “Department of Public Utility Control” and “department” were changed editorially by the Revisors to “Public Utilities Regulatory Authority” and “authority”, respectively, effective July 1, 2011; P.A. 13-298 amended Subsec. (a) to add Subdiv. (9) re entity approved to submeter and to make conforming changes, effective July 1, 2013; Sept. Sp. Sess. P.A. 20-5 amended Subsec. (a) to authorize restitution as a form of penalty and permit authority to direct portion of levied fine, effective October 2, 2020; P.A. 22-20 amended Subsec. (a) by adding new Subdiv. (10) re person involved in the transportation of gas as defined in Sec. 16-280a and amended Subsec. (d) by changing provision re civil penalties to the maximum penalty permitted by law; Nov. Sp. Sess. P.A. 22-1 amended Subsec. (a) to require nonprofit agencies receiving funds from fines to file annual expenditure reports and use no more than 10 per cent of the funds for administrative purposes, and, in fiscal years 2023 and 2024, to require the Public Utilities Regulatory Authority to direct at least 95 per cent of any fines to nonprofit agencies engaged in energy assistance programs, effective November 29, 2022; P.A. 23-102 amended Subsec. (a) by adding provision re authority may direct portion of fines to support study, installation and deployment of residential methane detectors and replacing “For” with “Notwithstanding any provision of this subsection, for”, effective June 29, 2023. Cited. 176 C. 191.