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Connecticut Town Clerks Association, Inc.Committee Members
Joyce Mascena, Glastonbury
Chair
Patricia Strauss, Westport
Vice-Chair
Jeff Barske, Thompson
Antoinette Spinelli, Waterbury
Bernice Dixon, Vernon
George Buckbee, New Milford
Cal Brouwer, Ledyard
Debra H. Denette, East Haddam
Advisory Board Members
Joseph Camposeo, Manchester, CTCA President
Lisa Terry, Montville,
CTCA Vice-President
Sandra Russo-Driska, Middletown, Past President
Irene Masse, Meriden
Katie Wall, Berlin
Alan Jepson, Milford
Therese Pac, Bristol2008 Legislative Committee _______________________________________________
Written Testimony
Monday, March 10, 2008
Committee on Public Health
House Bill 5808 An Act Concerning Social Security Numbers on Birth Certificates.
During the past two legislative sessions, the Connecticut Town Clerks Association has supported bills which aid in the reduction of identity theft throughout our country. We support HB 5808 to authorize all social security numbers, both parents and child, listed on a birth certificate remain confidential. The association strives to standardize the operating procedures statewide and favor redacting the social security numbers on all vital record copies.
Respectfully submitted,
Patricia Strauss
Vice-Chair CTCA Legislative Committee
Connecticut Town Clerks Association, Inc.
Committee Members
Joyce Mascena, Glastonbury
Chair
Patricia Strauss, Westport
Vice-Chair
Jeff Barske, Thompson
Antoinette Spinelli, Waterbury
Bernice Dixon, Vernon
George Buckbee, New Milford
Cal Brouwer, Ledyard
Debra H. Denette, East HaddamAdvisory Board Members
Joseph Camposeo, Manchester, CTCA President Lisa Terry, Montville, CTCA Vice-President Sandra Russo-Driska, Middletown CTCA Past President
2008 Legislative Committee _______________________________________________
Written Testimony
Monday, March 10, 2008
Environment Committee
House Bill 5827 An Act Concerning Animal Shelters.
The Town Clerks have a soft spot in their hearts when the topic involves the well-being of animals. As HB5827 moves forward, our association is questioning the magnitude of the new responsibilities expected of the town clerk. Registration criteria, enforcement for non-compliance, and possible local health and zoning approval requirements are among the topics we wish to confer.
For the additional administrative duties required in the bill, we request $2.50 of the twenty-five dollar annual fee appropriated directly to the town clerks budget.
We look forward to working with the Environment Committee to be able to fully endorse this bill.
Respectfully submitted,
Patricia Strauss
Vice-Chair CTCA Legislative Committee
Connecticut Town Clerks Association, Inc.
Committee Members
Joyce Mascena, Glastonbury, Chair
Patricia Strauss, Westport, Vice-Chair
Jeff Barske, Thompson
Antoinette Spinelli, Waterbury
Bernice Dixon, Vernon
George Buckbee, New Milford
Cal Brouwer, Ledyard
Debra H. Denette, East Haddam
Advisory Board Members
Joseph Camposeo, Manchester, CTCA President Lisa Terry, Montville, CTCA Vice-President Sandra Russo-Driska, Middletown CTCA Past President
2008 Legislative Committee _______________________________________________
HOUSE BILL 5670, AN ACT PERMITTING THE TOWING OF CERTAIN TRUCKS AND TRAILERS BY LICENSED REPAIR TOW TRUCKS; REQUIRING THE SALE AND PURCHASE OF A MOTOR VEHICLE TO BE RECORDED WITH THE TOWN CLERK OF THE MUNICIPALITY IN WHICH THE SELLER AND PURCHASER RESIDE…
Senator DeFronzo, Representative Guerrera and members of the Transportation Committee. In Section 2 of HB5670, the town clerks office has been designated to record the purchase and sale of every motor vehicle transfer by a resident of its town.
While we sympathize with all towers regarding their difficulty to track vehicle ownership, we believe that our office is not the one that can best administer this function. During a recent meeting with the Towers Association, Connecticut Conference of Municipalities (CCM), and Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV), the Connecticut Town Clerks Association suggested other more efficient and cost saving ways to gather information on unregistered vehicles, e.g., Department of Motor Vehicles and /or local Assessor’s offices since they are already involved in the purchase and sale of motor vehicles for sales and property tax purposes.
The basic structure to administer this function is already in place with these two agencies; they just need to close the one loophole when it comes to unregistered vehicles, which can easily be done. Economically, it makes sense to work within the already existing structure and not recreate the wheel in another municipal office. For these reasons we believe that the function of the recording of sales and purchases of motor vehicles does not belong in the town clerks office.
Patricia Strauss,
Vice-Chair, Legislative Committee
Connecticut Town Clerks Association
Westport Town Clerk
March 5, 2008
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Connecticut Town Clerks Association, Inc.
Committee Members
Joyce Mascena, Glastonbury, Chair
Patricia Strauss, Westport, Vice-Chair
Jeff Barske, Thompson
Antoinette Spinelli, Waterbury
Bernice Dixon, Vernon
George Buckbee, New Milford
Cal Brouwer, Ledyard
Debra H. Denette, East Haddam
Advisory Board Members Joseph Camposeo, Manchester, CTCA President
Lisa Terry, Montville, CTCA Vice-President
Sandra Russo-Driska, Middletown CTCA Past President
Irene Masse, Meriden
Katie Wall, Berlin
Alan Jepson, Milford
Therese Pac, Bristol
2008 Legislative Committee _______________________________________________
HOUSE BILL 5528. AN ACT CONCERNING THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT.
Our association supports the concept of House Bill 5528 to extend to all government employees the right to conceal residential address information on public records. This clarifies the ability to all government employees to have limitations of access where legally appropriate.
Connecticut Town Clerks Association is prepared to work with Freedom of Information and the Judiciary Committee to explore ways and means to eliminate some misunderstanding of this law as it pertains to disclosure and access of exempt public records.
Joe Camposeo,
President
Connecticut Town Clerks Association
Manchester Town Clerk
March 3, 2008
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Connecticut Town Clerks Association, Inc.
Committee Members
Joyce Mascena, Glastonbury, Chair
Patricia Strauss, Westport , Vice-Chair
Jeff Barske, Thompson
Antoinette Spinelli, Waterbury
Bernice Dixon, Vernon
George Buckbee, New Milford
Cal Brouwer, Ledyard
Debra H. Denette, East Haddam
Advisory Board Members Joseph Camposeo, Manchester, CTCA President
Lisa Terry, Montville, CTCA Vice-President
Sandra Russo-Driska, Middletown CTCA Past President
Irene Masse, Meriden
Katie Wall, Berlin
Alan Jepson, Milford
Therese Pac, Bristol
2008 Legislative Committee _______________________________________________
HOUSE BILL 5535. AN ACT ADOPTING THE UNIFORM REAL PROPERTY ELECTRONIC RECORDING ACT.
Senator McDonald, Representative Lawlor and members of the Judiciary Committee. The proposed House Bill 5535 creates the legal basis for the State of Connecticut to electronically process land recordings.
Ever since the advent of electronic transaction processing, government authorities have looked at ways and means to address this evolution of change. Most notably, the Federal Government enacted laws to transact business electronically known as the Uniform Electronic Transactions Act (UETA), and the Global National, Act, which permitted electronic signatures (E-sign).
When passed, many states noted that the recording of real estate transaction on the public record was not addressed. Thus in 2004 the Uniform Real Property Recording Act (URPERA) was created by the National Conference of Commissioners on Uniform State Law. Since its Inception State Legislators throughout the country have created statutes based on URPERA and are successfully accepting E-recordings.
The essence of HB 5535 provides Connecticut the opportunity to implement URPERA the right way. As town clerks we pursue the emergence of our profession in the new age. We believe in standards and consistency of process, and are committed to the highest level of customer’s service. By passage of HB 5535, we have the means to process land recordings electronically by including our stakeholders, our customers and creating the very best standards of service.
The Connecticut Town Clerks Association is pleased to support this legislation, and strongly encourages its passage.
Joe Camposeo,
President
Connecticut Town Clerks Association
Manchester Town Clerk
March 3, 2008
2008
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Connecticut Town Clerks Association, Inc.
Committee Members
Joyce Mascena, Glastonbury, Chair
Patricia Strauss, Westport, Vice-Chair
Jeff Barske, Thompson
Antoinette Spinelli, Waterbury
Bernice Dixon, Vernon
George Buckbee, New Milford
Cal Brouwer, Ledyard
Debra H. Denette, East Haddam
Advisory Board Members
Joseph Camposeo, Manchester, CTCA President
Lisa Terry, Montville, CTCA Vice-President
Sandra Russo-Driska, Middletown CTCA Past President
Irene Masse, Meriden
Katie Wall, Berlin
Alan Jepson, Milford
Therese Pac, Bristol
2008 Legislative Committee _______________________________________________
Written Testimony of
Patricia Strauss, Legislative Vice-Chair (Town of Westport)
Connecticut Town Clerks Association
Friday, February 29, 2008
General Assembly’s Government Administration and Elections Committee
Good afternoon Senator Slossberg, Representative Caruso and distinguished members of the Government Administration and Elections Committee (GAE), my name is Patricia Strauss and I am testifying on behalf of the Connecticut Town Clerks Association (CTCA). I am the Vice-Chair of our Legislative Committee and the Town Clerk of Westport. I am here today to testify about the following bills relating to elections.
House Bill 5665 An Act Concerning Changes to the Conduct of Elections and Certain Compensation of Registrars of Voters.
Several sections in this bill eliminate the requirement of the Registrars of Voters to provide Town Clerks with a copy of the active (Section 9) and the inactive (Section 24) voter registry lists. The changes state that these copies will be available in the ROV offices for public use. We oppose these changes since we are required to begin issuing absentee ballots 31 days before an election and it is necessary to have a current voters list to perform our absentee ballot duties. We sincerely hope these sections are removed.
We support a ROVAC amendment to Section 21 that will remove town clerks and assistant town clerks from the term “admitting officials” in the voter registration process. Town clerks have never used this title and current practice shows that voter registration is clearly a function of the Registrars of Voters. We wish to clarify this throughout all of the election laws.
We support Section 23, which will allow permanently disabled persons to apply onetime for an absentee ballot. This idea is also raised in Senate Bill 445 An Act Concerning Permanent Absentee Ballot Status. We appreciate the idea of presenting a physicians certificate to qualify for a lifetime absentee ballot status and we have agreed that a combined meeting with the Secretary of the State and the Registrars of Voters is necessary to clarify procedures regarding the responsibility of clerks maintaining confidential files for physician certificates and thus protecting the medical privacy of the applicant. We are also concerned of possibly issuing a ballot to a person who is deceased or has become comatose since the last election, possibly contributing to a potential increase of voter fraud in the absentee ballot area of the election process.
Senate Bill 444 An Act Concerning Certain Revisions and Technical Changes to the Election Laws.
Our association supports all technical changes that clarify the process to implement election laws. We are pleased to support Section 2, which allows the ballot to indicate how many candidates the elector may vote for, including ‘vote for one.’ We also support blackened names on vacancy positions of printed ballots; however, we question the use of stickers to add a replacement name and suggest the vendor might be asked to weigh in if the placement of stickers on a ballot could affect the ability of the tabulator to read the ballot.
We also support the SOTS bill concerning voting privacy.
Thank you for this opportunity to testify
_____________________________________________________________________________
2007
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Connecticut Town Clerks Association
HB 7330: AN ACT CONCERNING REAL ESTATE CONVEYANCE TAX RATES.
Monday, March 26, 2007
Finance, Revenue and Bonding Committee
Senator Daily, Representative Staples and the distinguished members of the Finance, Revenue, and Bonding Committee. The Connecticut Town Clerks Association wholeheartedly supports HB 7330: An Act Concerning Real Estate Conveyance Tax Rates requesting to maintain the existing municipal real estate conveyance tax until July 1, 2009.
As Connecticut municipalities have looked for creative ways to bring in enough dollars to provide for basic services, the conveyance tax revenues have supported a wide range of municipal services. These revenues have been used to fill holes in local budgets, including those caused by unfunded state mandates, and have therefore relieved the burden of property taxes on our residents. Loss of this revenue source could severely impact local tax mill rates.
Further, the Connecticut Town Clerks Association will support legislation to make the real estate conveyance tax permanent, at least until such time as true tax reform is enacted.
Respectfully submitted by,
Patricia Strauss and Joyce Mascena
Co-Chairs, CTCA Legislative Committee
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Written Testimony
Connecticut Town Clerks Association
HB 1391: AN ACT CONCERNING FEE INCREASES FOR CERTAIN VITAL RECORDS.
Tuesday, March 13, 2007
Finance, Revenue and Bonding Committee
Senator Daily, Representative Staples and the distinguished members of the Finance, Revenue, and Bonding Committee. The Connecticut Town Clerks Association sincerely appreciates this committee raising HB 1391, An Act Concerning Fee Increases for Certain Vital Records, for consideration and this legislation has our support.
Section 1 requests an increase in the fee to certify a copy of any document filed from one dollar to two dollars. Certification is a manual, time-consuming process. The fee has not been adjusted in over thirty-two (32) years since 1975.
Section 2 will allow for an increased certified copy fee for long form birth, marriage and death certificates from five dollars to ten dollars maintaining the five-dollar certified copy fee for short form birth certificates. With identity theft awareness so prevalent in today’s world, a short form birth certificate will supply acceptable, yet limited, information consisting of birth name, date and place of birth, thus, protecting other valuable information found on a long form birth certificate including parents’ names with mother’s maiden name, hospital location, and home addresses. With passage of this bill, town clerks will gain an opportunity to educate the public on the importance of protecting their personal identities from unwanted solicitors. Fees for vital record copies have not been adjusted since 1989, while administrative, technology and storage costs for maintaining these records continue to rise. This bill has the support of the Connecticut Society of Genealogists (letter attached) and the Department of Public Health.
Sections 3 through 5 request lifetime fishing licenses for blind persons, physically disabled persons and persons with mental retardation. Currently, these licenses expire annually and are subject to the annual renewal process. We respectfully request at this time an amendment to these sections to include, with proper documentation, lifetime fishing licenses for our veterans and active duty military personnel as well.
Respectfully submitted,
Patricia Strauss and Joyce Mascena,
Co-Chairs, Legislative Committee
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Written Testimony
Connecticut Town Clerks Association
Monday, March 12, 2007
General Assembly’s Judiciary Committee
COMMITTEE BILL 594: AN ACT ADOPTING THE UNIFORM REAL PROPERTY ELECTRONIC RECORDING ACT.
Senator MacDonald, Representative Lawlor, and members of the Judiciary Committee
The passing of Committee Bill 594 enables the State of Connecticut to complete the requirements needed to implement the “Uniform Real Property Electronic Recording Act URPERA. This “Act” was promulgated by the National Conference of Commissioners on Uniform State Laws (NCCUSL) in 2004 and followed Federal enactment of “E-sign” laws.
Bill 594 rightfully acknowledges the inclusion of our State Public Records Administrator and the various stakeholders of the land recording process. It also includes reference to communication, security and National (PRIA) standards and the need for improved customer service.
By implementing Committee Bill 594 we will have before us the opportunity to modernize the process of real property recordings in Connecticut and to address the policies, the standards and the process that are currently needed to bring us forward with electronic recording.
Last week I had the opportunity to attend the PRIA (Property Records Industry Association) conference in Washington, DC. During one of the presentations, Connecticut and ten other states were complimented for this session’s URPERA legislation and the intent to move technology forward in the best interest of citizens and customers. On behalf of The Connecticut Town Clerk’s Association, I urge you to support the passing of Committee Bill 594.
Respectfully submitted,
Joseph V. Camposeo, CMC
First Vice President and Legislative Advisor
Connecticut Town Clerk’s Association
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Written Testimony
Connecticut Town Clerks Association
Friday March 9, 2007
General Assembly’s Government Administration and Elections Committee
On behalf of the Connecticut Town Clerks’ Association wish to sincerely thank the GAE Committee for introducing town clerk initiatives in HB 7306 regarding town clerk land recording duties and fee increases for vitals records and certifications. We respectfully ask that Sections 52 thru 56 of this bill be deleted. These sections are already reflected in legislation introduced by the Judiciary and Finance Revenue and Bonding Committees. Namely, HB 7152 An Act Concerning Recording Instruments by Town Clerks and SB 1391 An Act Concerning Fee Increases for Certain Vital Records.
We appreciate your consideration and look forward to your support on these other bills.
Respectfully submitted,
Patricia Strauss and Joyce Mascena,
Co-Chairs, Legislative Committee
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2007 Legislative Committee
Written Testimony of
Joyce Mascena, Legislative Co-Chair (Town Clerk of Glastonbury)
Connecticut Town Clerks Association
Wednesday, February 28, 2007
General Assembly’s Government Administration and Elections Committee
Good morning Senator Slossberg, Representative Caruso and distinguished members of the Government Administration and Elections Committee (GAE), my name is Joyce Mascena and I am testifying on behalf of the Connecticut Town Clerks Association (CTCA). I am Co-Chair of our Legislative Committee and the Town Clerk of Glastonbury. I am here today to testify about the following bills relating to elections.
SJ 5, AN AMENDMENT TO THE STATE CONSTITUTION TO REMOVE THE RESTRICTIONS ON THE CATEGORIES OF CITIZENS WHO MAY VOTE BY ABSENTEE BALLOT.
We strongly believe that efforts to increase voter participation should be seriously considered. In the case of SJ-5 however, this bill eliminates the stipulations for being eligible to vote by absentee ballot.
Over the years, these requirements have been in place to help those with an illness, a physical disability, in active service in the armed forces, absent from the town during all the hours of voting, for religious tenets or engaging in their duties as an election official at a polling place other than their own during all the hours of voting. A Constitutional change of this magnitude would make voting by absentee ballot a routine process and would not address a voter’s special need. With all due respect to the proponents of this bill, we believe that a study to evaluate the merits of voting by mail would better serve our constituents at this time.
HB 1312, AN ACT CONCERNING CERTAIN COMPENSATION OF REGISTRARS OF VOTERS.
We certainly support increased participation by Registrars of Voters, as well as Town Clerks, when it comes to education and training. This proposal encourages that participation which will most definitely be very beneficial to both groups.
HB 5989, AN ACT CONCERNING THE PROCESS FOR THE ISSUANCE OF ABSENTEE BALLOTS.
Three years ago, the Connecticut Town Clerk’s Association and representation from ROVAC and the State Elections Enforcement Commission developed the current procedures for the issuance of Absentee Ballots. The intent of this raised bill reverses many of the procedures that were developed by this committee to ensure the accountability of the Absentee Ballot process. Although enhancements can be of benefit, we cannot support legislation, which changes the overall intention of our effort.
HB 6251, AN ACT AUTHORIZING ELECTION DAY REGISTRATION
We believe that the concept of permitting voter registration on Election Day will be a major catalyst to increasing citizen participation. The right to vote is a fundamental privilege and should not be constrained by time frames, which restrict ones participation in the election process.
HB 7259, AN ACT TO ESTABLISH NEW PROCEDURES TO IMPLEMENT THE MARK SENSE SYSTEM.
HB 7257, AN ACT CONCERNING THE CENTRALIZED VOTER REGISTRATION SYSTEM.
HB 7261, AN ACT CONCERNING TECHNICAL CHANGES TO THE CONDUCT OF ELECTIONS.
With the upcoming use of new election technology, we believe that changes to the way elections are administered locally will significantly enhance the overall process. This raised bill redefines the responsibilities of the Town Clerk’s and Registrars of Voters in concert with the implementation of “mark sense” scanning technology. The leadership of the CTCA has had dialogue with the Secretary of the State and with ROVAC to reach this milestone of an agreement. We firmly believe that the modifications in these three bills will clarify our duties and the manner in which we serve our voters. We strongly recommend the passage of these three bills.
Thank you for this opportunity to testify.
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2007 Legislative Committee
Written Testimony of
Joyce Mascena, Legislative Co-Chair (Town Clerk of Glastonbury)
Connecticut Town Clerks Association
House Bill 7152, An Act Concerning the Recording of Instruments by Town Clerks.
Friday, February 23, 2007
General Assembly’s Judiciary Committee
Good morning Senator McDonald, Representative Lawlor and the distinguished members of the Judiciary Committee, my name is Joyce Mascena and I am testifying on behalf of the Connecticut Town Clerks Association (CTCA). I am also the Town Clerk of Glastonbury. I am here today to testify in support of House Bill 7152, “An Act Concerning the Recording of Instruments by Town Clerks.”
Our Association sincerely appreciates this committee raising House Bill 7152 for consideration. This legislation addresses several issues that will not only make the day-to-day operations in Town Clerks’ offices run with greater efficiency but best serves our customers. This legislation will amend existing duties as they pertain to the processing of land records.
Section 1 and 3 of this bill will allow Town Clerks to replace a very outdated process of hand stamping release notations in book form on mortgages and liens by replacing this with the use of computerization that links the release back to the original mortgage or lien. Currently, many Connecticut clerks have upgraded their indexing systems and are using this technology while continuing to hand stamp the books, thus performing ‘double duty’. Consumers, title searchers, and all end-users find using the computer index much easier than using the book indexes when locating land record documents. As we move into the ‘paperless future’ with the use of technology, books and hand stamping are becoming obsolete.
Section 2 of the bill will require a data block for the clerk to perform their recording duties by requiring a three-fourths of an inch blank margin surrounding each page of each instrument. The margin will guaranty the necessary space for clerks to add the date, time, and book and page to the instrument.
We are also requesting that the return address and the name and address of the preparer of each recorded instrument be located on the front of the first page. By requiring this, the data becomes easy to obtain when needed at a future time.
Over the past summer and fall, our committee reached out to various user groups and has gone through several drafts of this proposal before reaching the one that you see before you today. Those groups are Connecticut Attorney Title Insurance Company (CATIC), Title Insurance Association, Connecticut Bar Association, Connecticut Bankers Association, Connecticut Mortgage Bankers and the State of Connecticut Public Records Administrator’s Office.
We firmly believe that with the passage of this legislation it will enable our offices to be as efficient as possible for our users through the use of technology.
I have submitted written testimony today and I understand that CATIC, the Title Insurance Association, Connecticut Conference of Municipalities (CCM) and the Public Records Administrator’s Office have submitted or will be submitted supporting testimony as well.
Thank you for this opportunity to testify, I would be pleased to answer any questions that you may have.
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2006
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Testimony of
Patricia H. Strauss, Legislative Co-Chair (Town Clerk of Westport)
Connecticut Town Clerks Association
HB 5608: AN ACT CONCERNING FEE INCREASES FOR CERTAIN VITAL RECORDS, AND LIFETIME HUNTING AND FISHING LICENSES FOR PERSONS WITH DISABILITITES.
Monday, March 20, 2006
General Assembly’s Committee on Finance, Revenue, and Bonding
Good afternoon Senator Daily, Representative Staples and the distinguished members of the Finance, Revenue, and Bonding Committee, my name is Patty Strauss and I am testifying on behalf of the Connecticut Town Clerks Association (CTCA). I am also the Town Clerk of Westport. I am here today to testify in support of House Bill 5608, “An Act Concerning Fee Increases for Certain Vital Records, and Lifetime Hunting and Fishing Licenses for Persons with Disabilities.”
The Connecticut Town Clerks Association sincerely appreciates this committee raising House Bill 5608 for consideration and this legislation has our support.
Section 1 requests an increase in the fee to certify a copy of any document filed with our office from one dollar to two dollars. This is a manual, time-consuming process. The fee has not been adjusted for over 30 years since 1975.
Section 2 requests an increase in the fee for the certification of any vital record from five dollars to ten dollars. We respectfully request an amendment to this section of the bill to increase the fee for all vital record copies and to include copies of civil unions certificates (please see the attached amendment). Even with the adoption of this amendment Connecticut’s vital record fees will remain the lowest among all our boarding states and in the bottom third nationally. Vital record fees have not been adjusted since 1989, while technology and storage cost for maintaining these records has increased significantly.
Regarding Section 3 of this bill, presently, fishing licenses for blind persons, physically disabled persons and persons with mental retardation have expiration dates and are renewed annually. This bill allows the Town Clerks to issue fishing licenses to blind persons, physically disabled persons and persons with mental retardation without an expiration date thus, eliminating the annual renewal process.
Thank you for this opportunity to testify, I would be pleased to take any questions that you may have at this time.
Amendment to (requested by the Connecticut Town Clerks Association):
General Assembly |
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Raised Bill No. 5608 |
Referred to Committee on Finance, Revenue and Bonding |
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Introduced by: |
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(FIN) |
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AN ACT CONCERNING FEE INCREASES FOR CERTAIN VITAL RECORDS, AND LIFETIME FISHING AND HUNTING LICENSES FOR PERSONS WITH DISABILITIES.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General Assembly convened:
Section 1. Subsection (a) of section 7-34a of the 2006 supplement to the general statutes is repealed and the following is substituted in lieu thereof (Effective October 1, 2006):
(a) Town clerks shall receive, for recording any document, ten dollars for the first page and five dollars for each subsequent page or fractional part thereof, a page being not more than eight and one-half by fourteen inches. Town clerks shall receive, for recording the information contained in a certificate of registration for the practice of any of the healing arts, five dollars. Town clerks shall receive, for recording documents conforming to, or substantially similar to, section 47-36c, which are clearly entitled "statutory form" in the heading of such documents, as follows: For the first page of a warranty deed, a quitclaim deed, a mortgage deed, or an assignment of mortgage, ten dollars; for each additional page of such documents, five dollars; and for each marginal notation of an assignment of mortgage, subsequent to the first two assignments, one dollar. Town clerks shall receive, for recording any document with respect to which certain data must be submitted by each town clerk to the Secretary of the Office of Policy and Management in accordance with section 10-261b, the sum of two dollars in addition to the recording fee. Any person who offers any written document for recording in the office of any town clerk, which document fails to have legibly typed, printed or stamped directly beneath the signatures the names of the persons who executed such document, the names of any witnesses thereto and the name of the officer before whom the same was acknowledged, shall pay one dollar in addition to the regular fee. Town clerks shall receive, for recording any deed, except a mortgage deed, conveying title to real estate, which deed does not contain the current mailing address of the grantee, the sum of five dollars in addition to the regular recording fee. Town clerks shall receive, for filing any document, five dollars; for receiving and keeping a survey or map, legally filed in the town clerk's office, five dollars; and for indexing such survey or map, in accordance with section 7-32, five dollars, except with respect to indexing any such survey or map pertaining to a subdivision of land as defined in section 8-18, in which event town clerks shall receive fifteen dollars for each such indexing. Town clerks shall receive, for a copy of any document either recorded or filed in their offices, one dollar for each page or fractional part thereof, as the case may be; for certifying any copy of the same, [one dollar] two dollars; for making a copy of any survey or map, the actual cost thereof; and for certifying such copy of a survey or map, [one dollar] two dollars. Town clerks shall receive, for recording the commission and oath of a notary public, ten dollars; and for certifying under seal to the official character of a notary, two dollars.
Sec. 2. Section 7-74 of the general statutes is repealed and the following is substituted in lieu thereof (Effective October 1, 2006):
(a) The fee for a certification of birth registration shall be [five] ten dollars and the fee for a certified copy of a certificate of birth shall be [five] ten dollars, [except that the] and each additional copy of such certification or certificate shall be five dollars. The fee for such certifications and copies when issued by the department shall be fifteen dollars.
(b) The fee for a certified copy of a certificate of marriage, civil union or death shall be [five] ten dollars, and each additional copy of the same certificate at the time of the request shall be five dollars. Such fees shall not be required of the department.
Sec. 3. Section 26-29 of the general statutes is repealed and the following is substituted in lieu thereof (Effective October 1, 2006):
No fee shall be charged for any sport fishing license issued under this chapter to any blind person, and such license shall be a lifetime license not subject to the expiration provisions of section 26-35. Proof of such blindness shall be furnished, in the case of a veteran, by the United States Veterans' Administration and, in the case of any other person, by the State Board of Education of the Blind. For the purpose of this section, a person shall be blind only if his central visual acuity does not exceed 20/200 in the better eye with correcting lenses, or if his visual acuity is greater than 20/200 but is accompanied by a limitation in the fields of vision such that the widest diameter of the visual field subtends an angle no greater than twenty degrees.
Sec. 4. Section 26-29a of the general statutes is repealed and the following is substituted in lieu thereof (Effective October 1, 2006):
No fee shall be charged for any sport fishing license issued under this chapter to any [mentally retarded person] person with mental retardation, and such license shall be a lifetime license not subject to the expiration provisions of section 26-35. Proof of mental retardation shall consist of a certificate to that effect issued by any person licensed to practice medicine and surgery in this state.
Sec. 5. Section 26-29b of the general statutes is repealed and the following is substituted in lieu thereof (Effective October 1, 2006):
No fee shall be charged for any hunting, sport fishing or trapping license issued under this chapter to any physically disabled person, and such license shall be a lifetime license not subject to the expiration provisions of section 26-35. For the purposes of this section, a "physically disabled person" is any person whose disability consists of the loss of one or more limbs or the permanent loss of the use of one or more limbs. A physically disabled person shall submit to the commissioner a certification, signed by a licensed physician, of such disability. No fee shall be charged for any hunting or sport fishing license issued under this chapter to any physically disabled person who is not a resident of this state if such person is a resident of a state in which a physically disabled person from Connecticut will not be required to pay a fee for a hunting or sport fishing license and such license shall be a lifetime license not subject to the expiration provisions of section 26-35.
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2006 Legislative Committee _______________________________________________
March 17, 2006
Written Testimony of the Connecticut Town Clerk’s Association
Submitted by: Therese Pac, Advisory Board Member Legislative Committee
To: Members of the Government Administration Election
SB 179: AN ACT CONCERNING THE MAXIMUM NUMBER OF ASSISTANT REGISTRARS OF VITAL STATISTICS
The Connecticut Town Clerk’s Association sincerely appreciates this committee raising Senate Bill 179 for consideration and this legislation has our support. Presently, the number of Assistant Registrars of Vital Statistics are limited to four (4) in each town or city. Placing a limit creates a burden on towns and cities when Assistant Vital Registrars are sick, on vacation, or at lunch, since only Vital Registrars and their Assistants can sign birth, death or marriage certificates.
The State legislature in 2002 relieved the burden for towns by eliminating the limit on the number of Assistant Town Clerks. Your support is greatly appreciated in relieving the burden on Registrars of Vital Statistics by eliminating the limit on the number of Assistant Vital Registrars.
There are no cost implications for the towns, cities, or the State of Connecticut. This is simply a matter of providing additional flexibility to the towns and cities in administering and managing the duties of Vital Registrars.
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2006 Legislative Committee _______________________________________________
March 13, 2006
Written Testimony of the Connecticut Town Clerk’s Association
Submitted by: Patricia H. Strauss, Co-Chairman, Legislative Committee
To: Members of the Environment Committee
SB 614: AN ACT CONCERNING LIFETIME FISHING LICENSES FOR PERSONS WITH DISABILITIES.
The Connecticut Town Clerks Association sincerely appreciates this committee raising Senate Bill 614 for consideration and has our support. Presently, fishing licenses for blind persons, physically disabled persons and persons with mental retardation have expiration dates and are renewed annually. This bill allows the Town Clerks to issue fishing licenses to blind persons, physically disabled persons and persons with mental retardation without an expiration date thus, eliminating the annual renewal process.
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Written Testimony of
Patricia H. Strauss, Legislative Co-Chair (Town Clerk of Westport)
Connecticut Town Clerks Association
HB 5203, An Act Concerning Training of Election Officials by Town Clerks Prior to Elections
SB 181, An Act Concerning Full-Faced Ballots
SJ Resolution 4, Resolution Proposing A Constitutional Amendment Concerning
Voting Without Appearing At A Polling Place
Monday, March 13, 2006
General Assembly’s Government Administration and Elections Committee
Good afternoon Senator DeFronzo, Representative Caruso and the distinguished members of the Government Administration and Elections Committee, my name is Patty Strauss and I am testifying on behalf of the Connecticut Town Clerks Association (CTCA). I am also the Town Clerk of Westport. I am here today to testify on three bills House Bill 5203, Senate Bill 181 and Senate Joint Resolution 4.
The Connecticut Town Clerks Association sincerely appreciates this committee raising House Bill 5203 for consideration and this legislation has our support. This bill will eliminate town clerks participation in the training sessions given to election officials prior to an election. We have no responsibilities involving polling places and poll workers. The Registrars of Voters are already accountable for this duty by filing with the Secretary of the State and our office a form certifying where and when the training sessions take place. However, the town clerks will continue the duty of participating in the training of absentee ballot counters for which we are fully involved.
As it relates to Senate Bill 181, regarding full-faced ballots, as this committee is well aware the office of the Secretary of the State is currently conducting an RFP on electronic voting technology. The town clerks wish to see that their municipalities have the ability to choose from the greatest variety of state certified technology when making their selection of future voting equipment. A full-faced ballot provision would limit the number of companies able to participate in the RFP thereby limiting the number of electronic machine available to municipalities. Therefore, we cannot support any bill that would limit these choices.
Finally, Senate Joint Resolution 4, will allow voters to choose between voting by machine at their assigned polling place and voting by absentee ballot. We believe this will shift voting to Town Halls where our offices cannot become polling places and we are not staffed to accommodate this increase in volume. We concur with State Elections Enforcement Commission that this could generate more abuse in the absentee ballot process. Printing costs will go up and, with an increase in the number of absentee ballots to hand count; this could delay the declaration of the winners and could delay the reporting of results long after voting ends at 8:00 PM.
Thank you for this opportunity to testify, I would be pleased to take any questions that you may have at this time.
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Patricia H. Strauss, Legislative Co-Chair (Town Clerk of Westport)
Good afternoon Senator DeFronzo, Representative Caruso and the distinguished members of the Government Administration and Elections Committee, my name is Patty Strauss and I am testifying on behalf of the Connecticut Town Clerks Association (CTCA). I am also the Town Clerk of Westport. I am here today to testify in support of Senate Bill 406, “An Act Concerning Certain Duties of the Town Clerk.”
Section 1 and 4 of the bill will allow Town Clerks to discontinue the practice of hand recording a mortgage or lien on the first page of the document while still providing the necessary information to the public with computer software. Town Clerks index a mortgage and a release of mortgage in two separate books called a grantor index and a grantee index. The purpose of the notation is to make it easier and quicker to locate a release or an assignment of a mortgage or lien. Now, with the aid of computer technology, the grantor and grantee indexes are combined making the time-consuming, duty of hand stamping each notation obsolete.
Section 2 of the bill will allow for one previous reference per release or partial release. Since the passage of Public Act 05-228, “An Act Concerning Farm Land Preservation, Land Protection, Affordable Housing and Historic Preservation,” Town Clerks from across the State, are seeing more and more releases or partial releases recorded with multiple references listed on the same document. The practice of filing multiple references on the same document is an administrative problem for Town Clerks while it’s a fiscal loss to the various funds established under Public Act 05-228. We respectfully request an amendment to this section of the bill to include after the word “release” the words “or partial release”.
We have also noticed that, with the increase in filing fees from $10 to $13 in 2001 and from $13 to $43 in 2005, documents are being formatted to use every inch of white space on a sheet of paper. Section 3 of this bill will require a one-inch margin at the top and the bottom of each page to allow for a one-inch data block or work space for the clerk to enter the statutorily required recording information. We are required to accept paper 8 ½ x 14 or less in size that may be reduced to 8 ½ x 11. When no room is available to perform our recording duties, we must shrink the document further making the print even smaller. We are requesting an amendment to this section of the bill to include a one-inch margin on the entire document not just the top and bottom. This amendment to the original language is necessary because we are required to bind these documents into books and with little or no margins being provided for on these documents critical words may be lost in the bookbinding.
Our Association’s Legislative Committee has established a Technology Subcommittee that is comprised of Town Clerks from various size towns, parts of the state, and with different levels of technology. The committee will convene meetings on this subject following the same suggestions raised in this bill. We will seek input and direct involvement from the following organizations: Connecticut Conference of Municipalities, Connecticut Mortgage Bankers, Connecticut Bar Association, Connecticut Bankers Association, Public Records Administrator, FOI, CATIC, the office of the Secretary of the State as well as any other organization that seeks to be involved. Our Association is concerned with establishing standards and fees for access to records obtained over the internet. If this bill does not move forward our Board will charge our Technology Committee to convene immediately and report its findings to this committee by November 1, 2007.
Our Association wishes to go on record in supporting the continuance of the Voting Technology Standards Board as outlined in Senate Bill 68.
Thank you for this opportunity to testify, I would be pleased to take any questions that you may have at this time.
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Submitted by: Patricia H. Strauss, Co-Chairman, Legislative Committee
The Connecticut Town Clerks Association is testifying today to assure this committee that all records maintained by us, acting as the registrars of vitals statistics for our towns, are accurate, concise, and accessible to anyone who requests to view or obtain a copy of a vital record, whether the record is a death certificate, a burial transit removal permit, or a cremation permit. This bill calls for the registrar to maintain a log of death certificates notating when a burial permit is received from the sexton. In addition, the funeral directors shall file a new form noting dates, locations, and the manner of disposition of cremated remains.
Current law provides that we already maintain a death certificate log and a burial permit/cremation permit log. We feel this bill is requesting a duplication of the recording efforts already being maintained by the registrar and is creating a new cremation form with information already being maintained by the funeral director. If the intent of this bill is for the funeral director and the sexton to share the burial and cremation permit information with both the town of death and the town of burial, we ask that you continue to use the same forms currently in use and that existing logs and filing systems be maintained.
As it relates to SB 317 Section 1, the Town Clerks Association is supportive of the removal of a two dollar fee relating to registration of a vital record. This is an obsolete fee and one that is not currently being collected by the Town Clerks.
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Submitted by: Patricia H. Strauss, Co-Chairman, Legislative Committee
The Connecticut Town Clerks Association will not support Raised SB 4 which allows adult persons access to information in original birth certificates because current law already allows for access to original birth records after a written order of the Probate Court is obtained stating that the court is of the opinion that the examination of the birth record of the adopted person by the adopting parents or the adopted person, …. will not be detrimental to the public interest or to the welfare of the adopted person or to the welfare of the genetic or adoptive parent or parents.