1. (a) As used in this section: “Visitor welcome center” means the welcome centers, visitor centers and tourist information centers located in West Willington, Greenwich, Danbury, Darien, North Stonington and Westbrook, which have been established to distribute information to persons traveling in the state for the purpose of influencing such persons' level of satisfaction with the state and expenditures in the state and their planning for present and future trips to the state.

2. (b) Within available appropriations, the following measures shall be implemented to enhance the operation of visitor welcome centers:

   1. (1) Each center shall make available space for listing events and promoting attractions, by invitation to the Connecticut tourism industry, including tourism districts, chambers of commerce and any other tourism entities involved in Connecticut tourism promotion;
   2. (2) The Department of Economic and Community Development, in consultation with the Department of Transportation, shall develop plans for (A) consistent signage for the visitor welcome centers, and (B) highway signage regulations for privately operated centers. Signage for visitor welcome centers shall indicate the hours during which the visitor welcome centers are open;
   3. (3) The Department of Transportation and the Department of Economic and Community Development shall establish an “Adopt A Visitor Welcome Center” program, under which local civic organizations may provide maintenance, gardening, including wildflowers, and complimentary refreshments or any other type of service at a visitor welcome center to enhance the operation of the center;

   4. (4) The Department of Economic and Community Development shall place a full-time year-round supervisor and a part-time assistant supervisor at the Danbury, Darien, North Stonington and West Willington centers. The responsibilities of each supervisor shall include, but not be limited to:

      1. (A) Maintaining a sufficient inventory of up-to-date brochures for dissemination to visitors, (B) scheduling staff so as to assure coverage at all times, (C) training staff, (D) compiling and maintaining statistics on center usage, (E) serving as liaison between the department, the Department of Transportation, the tourism district in which the center is located and businesses in such district, (F) maintaining quality tourism services, (G) rotating displays, (H) evaluating staff, (I) problem-solving, and (J) computing travel reimbursements for volunteer staff;
   5. (5) Subject to available funds, the Department of Economic and Community Development shall place a seasonal full-time supervisor and a seasonal part-time assistant supervisor at the Greenwich and Westbrook centers. The department shall discontinue staffing at the Middletown, Plainfield and Wallingford centers, and shall, in conjunction with the tourism industry, seek contract workers to provide tourism services at the Westbrook center when not staffed by the state;
   6. (6) Subject to available funds, the Department of Economic and Community Development, in conjunction with the tourism industry, shall develop and implement initial staff training and conduct periodic training of full-time and part-time supervisors;
   7. (7) Subject to available funds, the restroom facilities located at each visitor welcome center shall be open twenty-four hours a day.

(P.A. 94-155, S. 1, 2, 5; P.A. 95-250, S. 1; P.A. 96-211, S. 1, 5, 6; P.A. 97-238, S. 7; June 30 Sp. Sess. P.A. 03-1, S. 111; June 30 Sp. Sess. P.A. 03-6, S. 218, 219; P.A. 04-20, S. 7; 04-205, S. 5–7; May Sp. Sess. P.A. 04-2, S. 30; P.A. 11-48, S. 104; 11-61, S. 157; 11-233, S. 16; May Sp. Sess. P.A. 16-3, S. 85; P.A. 19-178, S. 1.)

History: (Revisor's note: In 2005 Secs. 32-306 and 32-307 were combined editorially by the Revisors as Subsecs. (a) and (b), respectively, of this section.) Former Sec. 32-306: P.A. 94-155 effective July 1, 1994; P.A. 95-250 and P.A. 96-211 replaced Commissioner and Department of Economic Development with Commissioner and Department of Economic and Community Development; June 30 Sp. Sess. P.A. 03-6 deleted definition of “Office of Tourism” and made technical changes, effective August 20, 2003; P.A. 04-20 made a technical change, effective April 16, 2004; P.A. 04-205 deleted references to former visitor welcome centers at Middletown, Southington, Wallingford, Windsor Locks, Plainfield and Bradley International Airport, effective June 3, 2004; Sec. 32-306 transferred to Sec. 10-399(a) in 2005. Former Sec. 32-307: P.A. 94-155 effective July 1, 1994; (Revisor's note: In 1997 a reference in Subdiv. (11) to “Tourism Fund” was replaced editorially by the Revisors with “tourism account” for consistency with Sec. 32-303); P.A. 97-238 amended Subdiv. (6) to delete a requirement that the Office of Tourism provide funding to the Department of Transportation for housekeeping services at the Westbrook visitor welcome center; June 30 Sp. Sess. P.A. 03-1 amended Subdiv. (11) to redirect revenue under that subdivision to the General Fund, effective August 16, 2003; June 30 Sp. Sess. P.A. 03-6 deleted former Subdivs. (1), (2), (4), (6) and (12), redesignated existing Subdivs. (3), (5), (7) to (11), (13) and (14) as new Subdivs. (1) to (9), substituted Connecticut Commission on Arts, Tourism, Culture, History and Film for Office of Tourism in Subdivs. (2) to (6), and (9), amended Subdiv. (4) to change centers at which commission must place supervisors and assistant supervisors and amended Subdiv. (7) to expand use of electronic information system and to designate General Fund instead of tourism account as recipient of revenue generated from proposal process, effective August 20, 2003; P.A. 04-205 deleted references to former visitor welcome centers at Middletown, Southington, Wallingford and Windsor Locks in Subdiv. (5) and deleted former Subdivs. (7) to (9) re electronic information system, lodging reservation services and dedicated highway radio station, respectively, effective June 3, 2004, and, effective on that date, with May Sp. Sess. P.A. 04-2, effective May 12, 2004, also replaced Connecticut Commission on Arts, Tourism, Culture, History and Film with Connecticut Commission on Culture and Tourism; Sec. 32-307 transferred to Sec. 10-399(b) in 2005. Present section: P.A. 11-48 replaced “Commission on Culture and Tourism” and “commission” with “Department of Economic and Community Development” and “department”, effective July 1, 2011; P.A. 11-61 amended Subsec. (b)(4) by removing West Willington from list of centers, effective July 1, 2011; P.A. 11-233 amended Subsec. (b)(4) by restoring West Willington to list of centers, effective July 1, 2011; May Sp. Sess. P.A. 16-3 amended Subsec. (b) to add “Within available appropriations” and make a conforming change, effective July 1, 2016; P.A. 19-178 amended Subsec. (b) to add provision re signage indicating hours visitor welcome centers are open in Subdiv. (2), add Subdiv. (7) re restroom facilities to be open 24 hours a day, and made a technical change, effective July 8, 2019.