Sen. Paul Formica on Senate Passing Bill to Keep Eyes on the CT Port Authority

HARTFORD – The State Senate voted unanimously to support Senate Bill 241 to provide “oversight and ensure proper transparency at the Connecticut Port Authority.”

Senate Republican Leader Pro Tempore Paul Formica (R-East Lyme) released the following statement on the bill:

“On the heels of The Day’s article noting the Connecticut Port Authority’s non-response to Freedom of Information requests, the State Senate took bipartisan action to mandate communication and transparency. Per Senate Bill 241, Connecticut Port Authority (CPA) must regularly report on the statuses of their contracts and projects.

“Specifically, the State Pier has been a major concern with skyrocketing costs for the renovations. Now, the CPA will need to provide a report to the legislature’s transportation committee every three months to update the project statuses and costs.

“In addition, the Senate made the important move to add the New London Mayor to the CPA board. This gives the municipal leader from the host city a seat at the table to ensure that New London is properly considered when dealing with this large, state-owned entity.

“It is my hope that the Southeastern delegation in the House can carry this bill through so we can finally have some safe guards in place to better manage a quasi-public agency with that has overenjoyed an excessive amount of latitude. As we embark on Connecticut’s offshore wind energy project, the state cannot afford to let a lack of oversight allow this effort to fail.”