Conn. Gen. Stat. § 16-8

Current with legislation from 2024 effective through June 5, 2024.

Section 16-8 - Examination of witnesses and documents. Hearing officers. Management audits

(a) The Public Utilities Regulatory Authority may, in its discretion, delegate its powers, in specific cases, to one or more of its directors or to a hearing officer to ascertain the facts and report thereon to the authority. The authority, or any director thereof, in the performance of its duties or in connection with any hearing, or at the request of any person, corporation, company, town, borough or association, may summon and examine, under oath, such witnesses, and may direct the production of, and examine or cause to be produced and examined, such books, records, vouchers, memoranda, documents, letters, contracts or other papers in relation to the affairs of any public service company or person involved in the transportation of gas, as such terms are defined in section 16-280a, as it may find advisable, and shall have the same powers in reference thereto as are vested in magistrates taking depositions. If any witness objects to testifying or to producing any book or paper on the ground that such testimony, book or paper may tend to incriminate him, and the authority directs such witness to testify or to produce such book or paper, and he complies, or if he is compelled so to do by order of court, he shall not be prosecuted for any matter concerning which he or she has so testified. The fees of witnesses summoned by the authority to appear before it under the provisions of this section, and the fees for summoning witnesses shall be the same as in the Superior Court. All such fees, together with any other expenses authorized by statute, the method of payment of which is not otherwise provided, shall, when taxed by the authority, be paid by the state, through the business office of the authority, in the same manner as court expenses. The authority may designate in specific cases a hearing officer who may be a member of its technical staff or a member of the Connecticut Bar engaged for that purpose under a contract approved by the Secretary of the Office of Policy and Management to hold a hearing and make report thereon to the authority. A hearing officer so designated shall have the same powers as the authority, or any director thereof, to conduct a hearing, except that only a director of the authority shall have the power to grant immunity from prosecution to any witness who objects to testifying or to producing any book or paper on the ground that such testimony, book or paper may tend to incriminate him or her.

(b)

(1) The authority may employ professional personnel to perform management audits. The authority shall promptly establish such procedures as it deems necessary or desirable to provide for management audits to be performed on a regular or irregular schedule on all or any portion of the operating procedures and any other internal workings of any public service company or person involved in the transportation of gas, as such terms are defined in section 16-280a, including the relationship between any public service company or person involved in the transportation of gas, as such terms are defined in section 16-280a, and a related holding company or subsidiary, consistent with the provisions of section 16-8c, provided no such audit shall be performed on a community antenna television company, except with regard to any noncable communications services which the company may provide, or when (A) such an audit is necessary for the authority to perform its regulatory functions under the Communications Act of 1934, 47 USC 151, et seq., as amended from time to time, other federal law or state law, (B) the cost of such an audit is warranted by a reasonably foreseeable financial, safety or service benefit to subscribers of the company which is the subject of such an audit, and (C) such an audit is restricted to examination of the operating procedures that affect operations within the state.

(2) In any case where the authority determines that an audit is necessary or desirable, it may (A) order the audit to be performed by one of the management audit teams, (B) require the affected company or person to perform the audit utilizing the company's own internal management audit staff as supervised by designated members of the authority's staff or the person's own internal management audit staff as supervised by designated members of the authority's staff, or (C) require that the audit be performed under the supervision of designated members of the authority's staff by an independent management consulting firm selected by the authority, in consultation with the affected company or person. If the affected company or person has more than seventy-five thousand customers, such independent management consulting firm shall be of nationally recognized stature. All reasonable and proper expenses of the audits, including, but not limited to, the costs associated with the audit firm's testimony at a public hearing or other proceeding, shall be borne by the affected companies or persons and shall be paid by such companies or persons at such times and in such manner as the authority directs.

(3) For purposes of this section, a complete audit shall consist of (A) a diagnostic review of all functions of the audited company or person, which shall include, but not be limited to, documentation of the operations of the company or person, assessment of the company's system of internal controls or assessment of the person's system of internal controls, and identification of any areas of the company or person which may require subsequent audits, and (B) the performance of subsequent focused audits identified in the diagnostic review and determined necessary by the authority. All audits performed pursuant to this section shall be performed in accordance with generally accepted management audit standards. The authority shall adopt regulations in accordance with the provisions of chapter 54 setting forth such generally accepted management audit standards. Each audit of a community antenna television company shall be consistent with the provisions of the Communications Act of 1934, 47 USC 151, et seq., as amended from time to time, and of any other applicable federal law. The authority shall certify whether a portion of an audit conforms to the provisions of this section and constitutes a portion of a complete audit.

(4) A complete audit of each portion of each gas company, electric distribution company or water company having more than seventy-five thousand customers shall begin no less frequently than every six years, so that a complete audit of such a company's operations shall be performed every six years. Such an audit of each such company having more than seventy-five thousand customers shall be updated as required by the authority.

(5) The results of an audit performed pursuant to this section shall be filed with the authority and shall be open to public inspection. Upon completion and review of the audit, if the person or firm performing or supervising the audit determines that any of the operating procedures or any other internal workings of the affected public service company or person involved in the transportation of gas, as such terms are defined in section 16-280a, are inefficient, improvident, unreasonable, negligent or in abuse of discretion, the authority may, after notice and opportunity for a hearing, order the affected public service company or person involved in the transportation of gas, as such terms are defined in section 16-280a, to adopt such new or altered practices and procedures as the authority shall find necessary to promote efficient and adequate service to meet the public convenience and necessity. The authority shall annually submit a report of audits performed pursuant to this section to the joint standing committee of the General Assembly having cognizance of matters relating to public utilities which report shall include the status of audits begun but not yet completed and a summary of the results of audits completed. Any such report may be submitted electronically.

(6) All prudent, reasonable and proper costs and expenses, as determined by the authority, of complying with any order of the authority pursuant to this subsection shall be recognized by the authority for all purposes as proper business expenses of the affected company or person. Any costs or expenses, as determined by the authority, incurred by the company or person to address or remediate an inefficient, improvident, unreasonable, negligent or imprudent management or company practice identified in the course of the management audit shall not constitute prudent, reasonable and proper costs and expenses.

(7) After notice and hearing, the authority may modify the scope and schedule of a management audit of a telephone company which is subject to an alternative form of regulation so that such audit is consistent with that alternative form of regulation.

(c) Nothing in this section shall be deemed to interfere or conflict with any powers of the authority or its staff provided elsewhere in the general statutes, including, but not limited to, the provisions of this section and sections 16-7, 16-28 and 16-32, to conduct an audit, investigation or review of the books, records, plants and equipment of any regulated public service company or person involved in the transportation of gas, as such terms are defined in section 16-280a.

Conn. Gen. Stat. § 16-8

(1949 Rev., S. 5398; P.A. 73-355, S. 2; P.A. 75-486, S. 6, 69; P.A. 77-614, S. 19, 162, 587, 610; P.A. 78-303, S. 85, 136; P.A. 80-168; 80-482, S. 4, 40, 45, 345, 348; P.A. 81-348, S. 1; P.A. 82-472, S. 50, 183; P.A. 85-509, S. 2, 11; 85-552, S. 4, 8; P.A. 90-221, S. 2, 15; P.A. 94-229 , S. 1 ; P.A. 97-23 ; P.A. 98-28 , S. 83 , 117 ; June Sp. Sess. P.A. 98-1 , S. 5 , 121 ; P.A. 11-80 , S. 1 , 23 ; P.A. 13-5 , S. 2 ; P.A. 13-119 , S. 1 , 2 ; P.A. 14-134 , S. 48 .)

Amended by P.A. 23-0102,S. 9 of the Connecticut Acts of the 2023 Regular Session, eff. 7/1/2023.

Amended by P.A. 22-0020, S. 2 of the Connecticut Acts of the 2022 Regular Session, eff. 10/1/2022.

Amended by P.A. 14-0134, S. 48 of the Connecticut Acts of the 2014 Regular Session, eff. 6/6/2014.

Cited. 162 Conn. 51 ; 210 Conn. 349 . Cited. 44 Conn.Supp. 21 .

See Sec. 52-260 re witness fees.