The Commissioner of Public Health shall employ the most efficient and practical means for the prevention and suppression of disease and shall administer all laws under the jurisdiction of the Department of Public Health and the Public Health Code. The commissioner shall have responsibility for the overall operation and administration of the Department of Public Health. The commissioner shall have the power and duty to: (1) Administer, coordinate and direct the operation of the department; (2) adopt and enforce regulations, in accordance with chapter 54, as are necessary to carry out the purposes of the department as established by statute; (3) establish rules for the internal operation and administration of the department; (4) establish and develop programs and administer services to achieve the purposes of the department as established by statute; (5) enter into a contract, including, but not limited to, a contract with another state, for facilities, services and programs to implement the purposes of the department as established by statute; (6) designate a deputy commissioner or other employee of the department to sign any license, certificate or permit issued by said department; (7) conduct a hearing, issue subpoenas, administer oaths, compel testimony and render a final decision in any case when a hearing is required or authorized under the provisions of any statute dealing with the Department of Public Health; (8) with the health authorities of this and other states, secure information and data concerning the prevention and control of epidemics and conditions affecting or endangering the public health, and compile such information and statistics and shall disseminate among health authorities and the people of the state such information as may be of value to them; (9) annually issue a list of reportable diseases, emergency illnesses and health conditions and a list of reportable laboratory findings and amend such lists as the commissioner deems necessary and distribute such lists as well as any necessary forms to each licensed physician and clinical laboratory in this state. The commissioner shall prepare printed forms for reports and returns, with such instructions as may be necessary, for the use of directors of health, boards of health and registrars of vital statistics; and (10) specify uniform methods of keeping statistical information by public and private agencies, organizations and individuals, including a client identifier system, and collect and make available relevant statistical information, including the number of persons treated, frequency of admission and readmission, and frequency and duration of treatment. The client identifier system shall be subject to the confidentiality requirements set forth in section 17a-688 and regulations adopted thereunder. The commissioner may designate any person to perform any of the duties listed in subdivision (7) of this section. The commissioner shall have authority over directors of health and may, for cause, remove any such director; but any person claiming to be aggrieved by such removal may appeal to the Superior Court which may affirm or reverse the action of the commissioner as the public interest requires. The commissioner shall assist and advise local directors of health and district directors of health in the performance of their duties, and may require the enforcement of any law, regulation or ordinance relating to public health. In the event the commissioner reasonably suspects impropriety on the part of a local director of health or district director of health, or employee of such director, in the performance of his or her duties, the commissioner shall provide notification and any evidence of such impropriety to the appropriate governing authority of the municipal health authority, established pursuant to section 19a-200, or the district department of health, established pursuant to section 19a-244, for purposes of reviewing and assessing a director's or an employee's compliance with such duties. Such governing authority shall provide a written report of its findings from the review and assessment to the commissioner not later than ninety days after such review and assessment. When requested by local directors of health or district directors of health, the commissioner shall consult with them and investigate and advise concerning any condition affecting public health within their jurisdiction. The commissioner shall investigate nuisances and conditions affecting, or that he or she has reason to suspect may affect, the security of life and health in any locality and, for that purpose, the commissioner, or any person authorized by the commissioner, may enter and examine any ground, vehicle, apartment, building or place, and any person designated by the commissioner shall have the authority conferred by law upon constables. Whenever the commissioner determines that any provision of the general statutes or regulation of the Public Health Code is not being enforced effectively by a local health department or health district, he or she shall forthwith take such measures, including the performance of any act required of the local health department or health district, to ensure enforcement of such statute or regulation and shall inform the local health department or health district of such measures. In September of each year the commissioner shall certify to the Secretary of the Office of Policy and Management the population of each municipality. The commissioner may solicit and accept for use any gift of money or property made by will or otherwise, and any grant of or contract for money, services or property from the federal government, the state, any political subdivision thereof, any other state or any private source, and do all things necessary to cooperate with the federal government or any of its agencies in making an application for any grant or contract. The commissioner may establish state-wide and regional advisory councils. For purposes of this section, “employee of such director” means an employee of, a consultant employed or retained by or an independent contractor retained by a local director of health, a district director of health, a local health department or a health district.

(P.A. 93-381, S. 2, 39; P.A. 94-174, S. 10, 12; P.A. 95-257, S. 12, 21, 24, 58; P.A. 03-252, S. 1; P.A. 11-242, S. 20; P.A. 14-231, S. 30; P.A. 16-66, S. 41.)

History: P.A. 93-381 effective July 1, 1993; P.A. 94-174 required commissioner to certify the population of each municipality to the secretary of the office of policy and management in September of each year, effective June 6, 1994; P.A. 95-257 replaced Commissioner of Public Health and Addiction Services with Commissioner and Department of Public Health, deleted responsibilities for coordination of alcohol and drug abuse problems, replaced “complete” with “compel” in Subdiv. (7), deleted duties re alcohol and drug facilities in Subdiv. (10) and added designation authority in Subdiv. (11), effective July 1, 1995; P.A. 03-252 deleted former Subdiv. (11) re requirement that commissioner make annual inspection of hospitals, asylums, prisons, schools and other institutions; P.A. 11-242 amended Subdiv. (9) by requiring commissioner to annually issue a list of emergency illnesses and health conditions and made technical changes; P.A. 14-231 amended Subdiv. (5) by replacing “contract” with “enter into a contract, including, but not limited to, a contract with another state,”, added provision re commissioner's solicitation and acceptance of grant of or contract for money, service or property from any other state and made technical changes; P.A. 16-66 added provisions re commissioner to notify governing authority of municipal health authority or district department of health of suspected impropriety on part of local director of health, district director of health or employee of director, added provision re governing authority to report findings, added references to district directors of health, added provision defining “employee of such director” and made conforming changes.

See Sec. 4b-31a re commissioner's role in development of plan for colocation of family resource centers and school-based health clinics.

See Sec. 7-136j re preliminary review of municipal petitions, applications or permit requests.

See Sec. 17b-277a re duty to establish informational program for applicants to Healthy Start Program.

See Sec. 22a-1i re environmental risk assessment duties.

Legislature has vested commissioner with expansive powers with respect to enacting and enforcing public health law, as well as overseeing implementation and coordination of state and municipal health regulations. 263 C. 558.