Sec. 4-28e. Tobacco Settlement Fund. Disbursements and grants.

      Sec. 4-28e. Tobacco Settlement Fund. Disbursements and grants. (a) There is created a Tobacco Settlement Fund which shall be a separate nonlapsing fund. Any funds received by the state from the Master Settlement Agreement executed November 23, 1998, shall be deposited into the fund.

      (b) (1) The Treasurer is authorized to invest all or any part of the Tobacco Settlement Fund, all or any part of the Tobacco and Health Trust Fund created in section 4-28f and all or any part of the Biomedical Research Trust Fund created in section 19a-32c. The interest derived from any such investment shall be credited to the resources of the fund from which the investment was made.

      (2) Notwithstanding sections 3-13 to 3-13h, inclusive, the Treasurer shall invest the amounts on deposit in the Tobacco Settlement Fund, the Tobacco and Health Trust Fund and the Biomedical Research Trust Fund in a manner reasonable and appropriate to achieve the objectives of such funds, exercising the discretion and care of a prudent person in similar circumstances with similar objectives. The Treasurer shall give due consideration to rate of return, risk, term or maturity, diversification of the total portfolio within such funds, liquidity, the projected disbursements and expenditures, and the expected payments, deposits, contributions and gifts to be received. The Treasurer shall not be required to invest such funds directly in obligations of the state or any political subdivision of the state or in any investment or other fund administered by the Treasurer. The assets of such funds shall be continuously invested and reinvested in a manner consistent with the objectives of such funds until disbursed in accordance with this section, section 4-28f or section 19a-32c.

      (c) (1) For the fiscal year ending June 30, 2001, disbursements from the Tobacco Settlement Fund shall be made as follows: (A) To the General Fund in the amount identified as "Transfer from Tobacco Settlement Fund" in the General Fund revenue schedule adopted by the General Assembly; (B) to the Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services for a grant to the regional action councils in the amount of five hundred thousand dollars; and (C) to the Tobacco and Health Trust Fund in an amount equal to nineteen million five hundred thousand dollars.

      (2) For the fiscal year ending June 30, 2002, and each fiscal year thereafter, disbursements from the Tobacco Settlement Fund shall be made as follows: (A) To the Tobacco and Health Trust Fund in an amount equal to twelve million dollars; (B) to the Biomedical Research Trust Fund in an amount equal to four million dollars; (C) to the General Fund in the amount identified as "Transfer from Tobacco Settlement Fund" in the General Fund revenue schedule adopted by the General Assembly; and (D) any remainder to the Tobacco and Health Trust Fund.

      (3) For each of the fiscal years ending June 30, 2008, to June 30, 2015, inclusive, the sum of ten million dollars shall be disbursed from the Tobacco Settlement Fund to the Stem Cell Research Fund established by section 19a-32e for grants-in-aid to eligible institutions for the purpose of conducting embryonic or human adult stem cell research.

      (d) For the fiscal year ending June 30, 2000, five million dollars shall be disbursed from the Tobacco Settlement Fund to a tobacco grant account to be established in the Office of Policy and Management. Such funds shall not lapse on June 30, 2000, and shall continue to be available for expenditure during the fiscal year ending June 30, 2001.

      (e) Tobacco grants shall be made from the account established pursuant to subsection (d) of this section by the Secretary of the Office of Policy and Management in consultation with the speaker of the House of Representatives, the president pro tempore of the Senate, the majority leader of the House of Representatives, the majority leader of the Senate, the minority leader of the House of Representatives, the minority leader of the Senate, and the cochairpersons and ranking members of the joint standing committees of the General Assembly having cognizance of matters relating to public health and appropriations and the budgets of state agencies, or their designees. Such grants shall be used to reduce tobacco abuse through prevention, education, cessation, treatment, enforcement and health needs programs.

      (f) For the fiscal year ending June 30, 2005, and each fiscal year thereafter, the sum of one hundred thousand dollars is appropriated to the Department of Revenue Services and the sum of twenty-five thousand dollars is appropriated to the office of the Attorney General for the enforcement of the provisions of sections 4-28h to 4-28q, inclusive.

      (June Sp. Sess. P.A. 99-2, S. 26, 72; P.A. 00-170, S. 40, 42; 00-216, S. 14, 28; P.A. 04-218, S. 11; P.A. 05-149, S. 5.)

      History: June Sp. Sess. P.A. 99-2 effective July 1, 1999; P.A. 00-170 amended Subsec. (c) to provide for $500,000 from the Tobacco Settlement Fund to the Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services for regional action councils for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2001, effective July 1, 2000; P.A. 00-216 added provisions re Biomedical Research Trust Fund, designated existing Subsec. (b) as Subsec. (b)(1), added Subsec. (b)(2) re investment by the Treasurer, designated existing Subsec. (c) as Subsec. (c)(1), inserting Subpara. designators therein, added Subsec. (c)(2) re disbursements, and made technical changes, effective June 1, 2000 (Revisor's note: In Subsec. (c)(1), "and (3) third" added by P.A. 00-170 was changed editorially by the Revisors to "and (C)" for consistency with changes made by P.A. 00-216); P.A. 04-218 added new Subsec. (f) re appropriation of funds for enforcement of tobacco settlement provisions, effective July 1, 2004; P.A. 05-149 added Subsec. (c)(3) re disbursements to Stem Cell Research Fund, effective June 15, 2005.