The proposed legislation, General Assembly Raised Bill No. 273, aims to clarify the responsibilities of the civil service board regarding the classification of officers and employees within local government departments. Specifically, it repeals the existing language in Section 7-411 of the general statutes and replaces it with new provisions that require the civil service board to classify all officers and employees in departments with an adopted merit system within ninety days of the initial appointment of commissioners. The bill also specifies that the board has the discretion to exempt certain high-level positions, such as the officer responsible for the policy of a department and one deputy or confidential employee, from testing and competition.

The bill's changes include the insertion of the phrase "The civil service board shall, not later than" to establish a clear timeline for classification, replacing the previous wording "Such" and "within." Additionally, the phrase "The board may, in its discretion, exempt from test and competition" is added to clarify the board's authority regarding exemptions. The act is set to take effect on October 1, 2026, and is intended to enhance the operational clarity of the civil service board's functions.

Statutes affected:
Raised Bill: 7-411