AS PASSED BY HOUSE/HOUSE PROPOSAL S.320
2000 Page 1
S.320
An act relating to state police promotions.
The House proposes to the Senate to amend the bill by striking Sec. 4 in its entirety and adding new Secs. 4, 5, 6, 7, 8 and 9 to read as follows:
Sec. 4. 20 V.S.A. § 1922(b) is amended to read:
(b) The commission shall consist of seven members, at least one of whom shall be an attorney and one of whom shall be a retired state police officer, to be appointed by the governor with the advice and consent of the senate.
Sec. 5. STATE POLICE ADVISORY COMMISSION; APPOINTMENT OF
RETIRED STATE POLICE OFFICER
The governor shall appoint a retired state police officer to the State Police Advisory Commission for the first such appointment made after the effective date of this act.
Sec. 6. PURPOSE AND INTENT
It is the purpose of Sec. 7 of this act to prohibit the further consolidation of any state police dispatching units, other than the consolidation of the Rutland and Shaftsbury state police dispatching units, without first obtaining authorization from the general assembly.
Sec. 7. Sec. 87a of No. 178 of the Acts of 1996 is amended to read:
Sec. 87a. CONSOLIDATION OF PUBLIC SAFETY DISPATCH CENTERS;
PILOT PROJECT
The Department of Public Safety shall not continue to consolidate the State Police 24-hour dispatch centers after March 15, 2000 without first obtaining authorization from the general assembly. At least sixty 60 days prior to the consolidation of all centers, the department shall consolidate one dispatch center in order to evaluate and resolve any problems encountered in the consolidation process. Prior to consolidating the remaining dispatch centers, the Commissioner of Public Safety shall report to the Joint Fiscal Committee on any problems encountered in the consolidation process, any erosion of services that may have resulted therefrom, any savings realized as a result of the consolidation and any recommendations relating to the consolidation of the remaining dispatch centers. The Commissioner shall thereafter provide continuous and periodic reports to the Joint Fiscal Committee on the consolidation process, and shall specifically evaluate and report on any problems encountered relating to the private alarm systems connected to the dispatch centers.
Sec. 8. INTERNAL CONTROL AND COMPLIANCE REVIEW
(a) The state auditor shall conduct an internal control and compliance review of the department of public safety’s consolidation of state police dispatch centers. The review shall include an objective, systematic and factually documented analysis for the purposes of informing the general assembly, and for assisting the department in improving state police dispatch services to the public and law enforcement community. In addition, the auditor shall:
(1) evaluate whether the department is in compliance with applicable laws, rules and regulations that govern state police dispatch consolidation;
(2) review the design and implementation of plans and systems that ensure compliance with all applicable laws, rules and regulations in the consolidation of state police dispatch centers;
(3) examine relevant documents related to the department’s consolidation of dispatch centers;
(4) document the department’s internal control policies and procedures; and
(5) if necessary, interview the department staff to ensure that established procedures and controls are being followed.
(b) The auditor shall submit a report to the general assembly by January 15, 2001 which details the foregoing information and which evaluates:
(1) the benefits of having consolidated state police dispatching units;
(2) the negative impacts of having consolidated state police dispatching units; and
(3) ongoing problems with the current system for consolidating state police dispatching units.
(c) In the report, the auditor shall also recommend changes to the current system for consolidating state police dispatching units which are necessary for overcoming current problems, and recommend whether further consolidation should occur, and if so, what measures are necessary to avoid current problems.
Sec. 9. EFFECTIVE DATE
Sec. 3 of this act shall be effective on July 1, 2001; however, the commissioner may administer written examinations before this date. Secs. 6, 7 and 8 shall take effect upon passage.
VT LEG 126238.1