Senate Bill No. 336, Public Act No. 24-98, is an act concerning the Metropolitan District of Hartford County's Independent Consumer Advocate, effective July 1, 2024. The bill establishes an Independent Consumer Advocate to represent consumer interests in matters affecting Metropolitan District consumers, such as rates, water quality, and wastewater service quality. The costs for the Advocate, including hourly fees and necessary expenses, will be paid by the district, with an annual cap that has been modified by deleting the specific amounts previously set for the first and subsequent years, and now allowing for adjustments if a substantial need is demonstrated and approved by the district's board of directors.

The Advocate is granted access to district records, assistance from district experts, and other relevant information, except for employment records and non-relevant internal documents. The Advocate must be a member of the state bar with experience in municipal, environmental, or public utility law and policy, and cannot be a member of the district's board or have conflicts of interest. The selection and term of the Advocate are now more flexible, with the Consumer Counsel having discretion over term lengths and commencement dates. The Advocate is independent from the district's board, cannot be removed by the board, and must submit quarterly reports to various stakeholders and hold an annual public forum. The bill also includes language changes, such as replacing "town" with "municipality" and "their own" with "such person's," and requires the Metropolitan District of Hartford to adopt necessary changes to its governing documents to comply with the act.

Statutes affected:
Raised Bill: 7-334a
PD Joint Favorable: 7-334a
File No. 388: 7-334a
Public Act No. 24-98: 7-334a