Connecticut General Statutes
Chapter 50 - Office of Policy and Management: General Provisions; Budget and Appropriations; State Planning
Section 4-89. - Appropriations; treatment of unexpended balances at close of fiscal year.

(a) No officer, department, board, commission, institution or other agency of the state shall, after the close of any fiscal year, incur, or vote or order or approve the incurring of, any obligation or expenditure under any appropriation made by the General Assembly for any fiscal year that had expired at the time the obligation for such expenditure was incurred. The Comptroller is authorized to draw warrants or process interdepartmental transactions against the available appropriations made for the current fiscal year for the payment of expenditures incurred during the prior fiscal year for which appropriations were made or in fulfillment of contracts properly made during such prior year, and the Treasurer is authorized to pay such warrants or record such interdepartmental transactions. The balances of certain appropriations which otherwise would lapse at the close of any fiscal year and for which no appropriation is made in the following year shall be extended into the succeeding fiscal year to permit liquidation of obligations of the prior fiscal year.

(b) Except as provided in this section, all unexpended balances of appropriations made by the General Assembly in the state budget act shall lapse at the end of the period for which they have been made and shall revert to the unappropriated surplus of the fund from which such appropriation or appropriations were made, except that any appropriation for the improvement of or maintenance work by contract on public roads, for the purchase of land or the erection of buildings or new construction or for specific projects for capital improvements and repairs, provided in the case of such specific projects allotments shall have been made by the Governor for design and construction, shall continue to be available until the attainment of the object or the completion of the work for which such appropriation was made, but in no case for more than six years unless renewed by act of the General Assembly.
(c) All unexpended balances of special appropriations made by the General Assembly for special programs, projects or studies shall lapse at the end of the period for which they have been made, except that if satisfied that the work of any such program, project or study is not completed and will continue during the following fiscal year, the Secretary of the Office of Policy and Management shall order any unexpended balance remaining in the special appropriation to be continued to the ensuing fiscal year.
(d) Any appropriation made by the General Assembly for no specific period, or any unexpended balance thereof, shall lapse on June thirtieth in the fourth year after such appropriation was made, provided when the purpose for which any such appropriation was made has been accomplished or there is no further need for funds thereunder, the unexpended balance thereof, upon the written consent of the head of the department, board, commission, institution or other agency to which such appropriation was made, shall lapse and shall revert to the unappropriated surplus of the fund from which such appropriation was made.
(e) The provisions of this section shall not apply to appropriations for Department of Transportation equipment, the highway and planning research program administered by the Department of Transportation, Department of Energy and Environmental Protection equipment or the purchase of public transportation equipment, the minor capital improvement account in the Department of Administrative Services, the litigation/settlement account in the Office of Policy and Management, library or educational equipment for the constituent units of the state system of higher education, or library or educational materials for the State Library, or the state-wide tourism marketing account of the Department of Economic and Community Development. Such appropriations shall not lapse until the end of the fiscal year succeeding the fiscal year of the appropriation, provided an obligation to spend such funds has been incurred in the next preceding fiscal year, except that for the purposes of library or educational equipment or materials, such funds shall not exceed twenty-five per cent of the amount of the appropriation for such purposes.
(f) The provisions of this section shall not apply to appropriations to (1) the Office of Higher Education for (A) student financial assistance for the Roberta B. Willis Scholarship program established under section 10a-173, or (B) the minority advancement program established under subsection (b) of section 10a-11, (2) the Board of Regents for Higher Education for Connecticut higher education centers of excellence established under section 10a-25h, (3) the operating funds of the constituent units of the state system of higher education established pursuant to sections 10a-105, 10a-99 and 10a-77, or (4) the Connecticut Open Educational Resource Coordinating Council established under section 10a-44d. Such appropriations shall not lapse until the end of the fiscal year succeeding the fiscal year of the appropriation except that centers of excellence appropriations deposited by the Board of Regents for Higher Education in the Endowed Chair Investment Fund, established under section 10a-20a, shall not lapse but shall be held permanently in the Endowed Chair Investment Fund and any moneys remaining in higher education operating funds of the constituent units of the state system of higher education shall not lapse but shall be held permanently in such funds. On or before September first, annually, the Office of Higher Education and Board of Regents for Higher Education shall submit a report to the joint standing committee of the General Assembly having cognizance of matters relating to appropriations and the budgets of state agencies, through the Office of Fiscal Analysis, concerning the amount of each such appropriation carried over from the preceding fiscal year.
(g) The provisions of this section shall not apply to appropriations to the Department of Aging and Disability Services in an amount not greater than the amount of reimbursements of prior year expenditures for the services of interpreters received by the department during the fiscal year pursuant to section 46a-33b and such appropriations shall not lapse until the end of the fiscal year succeeding the fiscal year of the appropriation.
(h) The provisions of this section shall not apply to appropriations to the Labor Department, from the General Fund, for the federal Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act. Such appropriations shall not lapse.
(1949 Rev., S. 267; 1967, P.A. 363, S. 6; 605, S. 1; P.A. 78-268, S. 1, 5; 78-356, S. 1, 5; P.A. 80-322, S. 1, 2; P.A. 81-408, S. 1, 3; P.A. 83-310, S. 1, 3; 83-550, S. 1, 2; 83-587, S. 5, 96; June Sp. Sess. P.A. 83-6, S. 5, 6; P.A. 84-270, S. 1, 2; 84-368, S. 4, 5; 84-450, S. 1, 2; 84-465, S. 1–3; P.A. 85-565, S. 2, 3; P.A. 86-283, S. 4; P.A. 87-336, S. 1, 3; 87-408, S. 4, 5; P.A. 88-231, S. 11, 19; P.A. 89-351, S. 3, 11; P.A. 91-256, S. 6, 69; June Sp. Sess. P.A. 91-3, S. 161, 168; June Sp. Sess. P.A. 91-13, S. 20, 21; P.A. 92-126, S. 33, 48; P.A. 98-252, S. 75, 80; June Sp. Sess. P.A. 99-1, S. 6, 51; P.A. 00-192, S. 26, 102; P.A. 06-187, S. 15, 74; P.A. 08-72, S. 1; June Sp. Sess. P.A. 09-3, S. 475; P.A. 11-44, S. 34; 11-48, S. 49, 136, 285; 11-51, S. 90; 11-80, S. 1; P.A. 12-156, S. 2; June 12 Sp. Sess. P.A. 12-1, S. 31; P.A. 13-240, S. 7; 13-247, S. 179, 200; P.A. 16-169, S. 24; 16-179, S. 2; P.A. 19-157, S. 7; June Sp. Sess. P.A. 21-2, S. 34.)
History: 1967 acts made provision for extension of appropriations to permit liquidation of prior obligations and for date on which balances of appropriations lapse and included contracted maintenance work on roads in exception to provisions of section; P.A. 78-268 transferred governor's powers under section to secretary of the office of policy and management, allowed comptroller to process interdepartmental transactions against current appropriations for expenditures of previous year for one month and added Subsecs. (b) to (d), inclusive, clarifying times when appropriations lapse and exceptions to provisions; P.A. 78-356 introduced new material which excluded appropriations for transportation department and public transportation equipment from provisions of section and which was codified as Subsec. (e); P.A. 80-322 included environmental protection department in exclusion provision of Subsec. (e); P.A. 81-408 added Subsec. (f) to prevent lapse of certain amount of appropriations for student financial assistance; P.A. 83-310 amended Subsec. (a) to repeal provision limiting comptroller's authority to draw warrants or process transactions to a one-month period after close of prior fiscal year without authorization of secretary of office of policy and management and to repeal provision that after said one-month period, the secretary, in his discretion, may authorize payment of a claim for an expenditure incurred before the appropriation for such purpose has lapsed; P.A. 83-550 amended Subsec. (e) to allow for the carry-over of unexpended balances for the purchase of library or educational equipment for higher education, provided the funds shall not exceed 25% of the amount appropriated for such purchases; P.A. 83-587 amended Subsec. (f) to make the exemption from the provisions of this section applicable for appropriations to the board of governors; June Sp. Sess. P.A. 83-6 amended Subsec. (f) to exempt appropriations for the high technology graduate scholarship program from the provisions of the section and to delete obsolete reference to appropriations made to board of higher education; P.A. 84-270 amended Subsec. (e) to specify that section does not apply to appropriations for highway and planning research program; P.A. 84-368 amended Subsec. (f) to include appropriations to the Connecticut higher education fund for excellence established pursuant to Sec. 10a-25h; P.A. 84-450 added Subsec. (g) concerning appropriations to the commission on the deaf and hearing impaired; P.A. 84-465 amended Subsec. (e) adding provision re “library or educational materials for the state library” and amended Subsec. (f) to refer to appropriations for higher education department rather than for board of governors, to delete provision that student financial assistance appropriations may be carried over in an amount not greater than “the amount of any unanticipated federal funds received for that purpose during the second half of the state fiscal year”, substituting provision that carry-over would equal 5% of the annual “state student financial assistance appropriation”, and to add provision requiring board of governors to submit annual report re carried over appropriation; P.A. 85-565 specified that fund for excellence appropriations deposited in the endowed chair investment fund do not lapse; P.A. 86-283 substituted “centers of” for “fund for” excellence in Subsec. (f); P.A. 87-336 amended Subsec. (f) to provide that appropriations for the minority advancement program not lapse; P.A. 87-408 in Subsec. (f) specified that appropriations for the high technology doctoral fellowship program do not lapse; P.A. 88-231 added Subsec. (h) concerning appropriations from the municipal solid waste recycling trust fund; P.A. 89-351 amended Subsec. (h) to replace provision that appropriations from trust fund shall not lapse until end of fiscal year succeeding fiscal year of appropriation with provision that such appropriations shall not lapse; P.A. 91-256 in Subsec. (f) added provisions concerning the operating funds of the constituent units of the state system of higher education; June Sp. Sess. P.A. 91-3 added Subsec. (i), concerning appropriations to the local transportation infrastructure account; June Sp. Sess. P.A. 91-13 deleted all changes made by P.A. 91-3 of the June session; P.A. 92-126 in Subsec. (f) removed a reference to repealed Sec. 10a-83; (Revisor's note: In 1997 the word “fund” in the phrase “municipal solid waste recycling trust fund” in Subsec. (h) was replaced editorially by the Revisors with the word “account” to conform with Sec. 22a-241 and incorrect reference to Subsec. (f) of that section was changed to “(d)”); P.A. 98-252 amended Subsec. (g) to make a technical change, effective July 1, 1998; (Revisor's note: In codifying section 75 of public act 98-252, an incorrect reference to “section 69 of this act” was deemed by the Revisors to be a reference to “section 74 of this act” and therefore cited as “section 46a-33b”); June Sp. Sess. P.A. 99-1 amended Subsec. (e) to add appropriations for the minor capital improvement account in the Department of Public Works, effective July 1, 1999; P.A. 00-192 amended Subsec. (e) to include appropriations for the litigation/settlement account in the Office of Policy and Management, effective July 1, 2000; P.A. 06-187 amended Subsec. (e) to add appropriations for the state-wide tourism marketing account of the Commission on Culture and Tourism and added Subsec. (i) re nonlapsing of funds appropriated for the federal Workforce Investment Act, effective July 1, 2006; P.A. 08-91 amended Subsec. (f) to eliminate 5% cap re appropriations for student financial assistance and add scholarship program established under Sec. 10a-169 to exceptions, effective July 1, 2008; June Sp. Sess. P.A. 09-3 deleted former Subsec. (h) re appropriations from municipal solid waste recycling trust account and redesignated existing Subsec. (i) as Subsec. (h); P.A. 11-44 replaced “Commission on the Deaf and Hearing Impaired” with “Bureau of Rehabilitative Services” in Subsec. (g), effective July 1, 2011; P.A. 11-48 amended Subsec. (a) by deleting “for the period of one month” re extension of certain appropriations that would otherwise lapse into succeeding fiscal year and amended Subsec. (e) to replace “Commission on Culture and Tourism” with “Department of Economic and Community Development”, effective July 1, 2011; pursuant to P.A. 11-48, “Board of Governors of Higher Education” and “Department of Higher Education” were changed editorially by the Revisors to “Board of Regents for Higher Education” in Subsec. (f), effective July 1, 2011; pursuant to P.A. 11-51, “Department of Public Works” was changed editorially by the Revisors to “Department of Construction Services” in Subsec. (e), effective July 1, 2011; pursuant to P.A. 11-80, “Department of Environmental Protection” was changed editorially by the Revisors to “Department of Energy and Environmental Protection” in Subsec. (e), effective July 1, 2011; P.A. 12-156 amended Subsec. (f) by replacing reference to Board of Regents for Higher Education with reference to Office of Higher Education re programs established under Secs. 10a-169 and 10a-170a and adding references to Board of Regents for Higher Education and Office of Higher Education, effective June 15, 2012; June 12 Sp. Sess. P.A. 12-1 amended Subsec. (g) by replacing “Bureau of Rehabilitative Services” with “Department of Rehabilitation Services” and making a conforming change, effective July 1, 2012; P.A. 13-240 amended Subsec. (f) to remove reference to high technology doctoral fellowship program established under Sec. 10a-25n, effective July 1, 2013; P.A. 13-247 amended Subsec. (f) to delete references to scholarship programs established under Secs. 10a-169 and 10a-170a and add reference to Governor's Scholarship program established under Sec. 10a-173, effective July 1, 2013; pursuant to P.A. 13-247, “Department of Construction Services” was changed editorially by the Revisors to “Department of Administrative Services” in Subsec. (e), effective July 1, 2013; pursuant to P.A. 16-169, “Workforce Investment Act” was changed editorially by the Revisors to “Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act” in Subsec. (h); P.A. 16-179 amended Subsec. (f) by replacing “Governor's” with “Roberta B. Willis”, effective July 1, 2016; P.A. 19-157 amended Subsec. (g) by replacing “Department of Rehabilitation Services” with “Department of Aging and Disability Services”; June Sp. Sess. P.A. 21-2 amended Subsec. (f) by designating existing provisions re Roberta B. Willis Scholarship program as Subdiv. (1)(A), re minority advancement program as Subdiv. (1)(B), re Board of Regents for Higher Education's centers of excellence as Subdiv. (2) and re operating funds of the constituent units of the state system of higher education as Subdiv. (3) and added Subdiv. (4) re the Connecticut Open Educational Resource Coordinating Council, effective July 1, 2021.

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