Processing Your Payment

Please do not leave this page until complete. This can take a few moments.

July 20, 2021

Lamont signs bill modernizing some state operations

PHOTO | MARK PAZNIOKAS, CT MIRROR Gov. Ned Lamont.
By Zachary Vasile

A raft of proposals aimed at modernizing and streamlining state government are now law.

Gov. Ned Lamont on Monday gave his stamp of approval to legislation now known as Public Act 21-76, which simplifies some aspects of government contracting, Connecticut’s small and minority-owned business programs and digital government initiatives. The law also adds new members with an education background to the Commission on Education Technology.

The 36-page document clarifies some language used in contracting proceedings and slashes what Gov. Ned Lamont termed “red tape” in interactions between state agencies and the business community.

State officials said changes to procurement rules could help prevent a repeat of the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic, when supplies of personal protective equipment and hospital ventilators were running dangerously low.

Perhaps most significantly for state employees, the law authorizes entities such as Connecticut Innovations, the state’s venture capital wing, and the Office of Policy and Management to recommend the testing of new technologies or products by certain state agencies to determine if they will increase efficiency or reduce administrative burdens. If the technology is found to be worthwhile and feasible, the Office of Policy and Management would be able to oversee the adoption of those new tools within specific departments.


 

Sign up for Enews

Most Recent

Most Recent

0 Comments

Order a PDF